On April 22, rock star Kuami Eugene was in high spirits at this year’s New Fadama SallaFest.
The annual event, organized by Baba Sadiq and Lynx Entertainment, climaxes the Eid ul Fitr celebration.
Kuami Eugene made a magnificent entry with his ‘Fadama Boy’ anthem, attracting cheers from the mammoth crowd.
After performing a set of hit tracks, the 2022 BMI award winner introduced four new artistes on the Lynx Entertainment label.
Maya Blu, DSL, Kasar and st. Lennon took turns to perform before Kuami Eugene invited guest artistes to mount the stage.
Malcom Nuna, Yaw Tog, Mr. Drew, Larruso and Lasmid joined the Lynx Entertainment signee one after another.
The crowd at New Fadama got more excited when Kuami Eugene introduced Shatta Wale on the night.
Before wrapping up his performance, the leader of the Shatta Movement thanked Baba Sadiq, Kuami Eugene and Lynx Entertainment for putting together a great show.
Ghana Police Service has arrested Inspector Ahmed Twumasi, who is suspected of shooting and killing his girlfriend.
The incident took place on Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Kumasi, the capital city of the Ashanti Region.
Following the shooting incident, the suspect went into hiding and a special police operation was launched to track him down. The operation according to the police eventually led to the suspect’s arrest on Sunday, April 23, 2023, in Sekyere, near Effiduase in the Ashanti Region.
“The Police have this evening arrested a Police officer, Inspector Ahmed Twumasi, who is alleged to have shot and killed a female adult, who was believed to be his girlfriend. The shooting incident occurred in Kumasi, in the Ashanti region, on Thursday, 20th April 2023.
“The suspect, who has been on the run since the incident, was arrested at Sekyere, near Effiduase in the Ashanti Region as a result of a special Police operation, which was launched following the shooting incident.
The suspect is currently in police custody and will be presented before a court of law to face justice. The Ghana Police Service has assured the public that they are committed to ensuring that justice is served in this case.
Akosua Manu popularly known as Kozie has once again shown her commitment to serving the people of Adentan constituency by donating 3 cows, gallons of oil, and bags of rice to Muslim constituents ahead of Eid-al-Fitr. Speaking to the media, Kozie expressed her joy at being able to contribute to the celebrations of her Muslim brothers and sisters. “As a Christian, I believe in the importance of sharing and caring for one another, regardless of our religious beliefs. That is why I am thrilled to be able to make this donation to our Muslim constituents as they celebrate Eid-al-Fitr,” she said. Kozie, who is also a parliamentary candidate aspirant in the constituency, has been known for her philanthropic work in various communities. Recently, she made a donation to women groups among the delegates, in the form of soft loans to help support their businesses.
At the start of the Ramadan period of fasting, Akosua Manu similarly reached out to the Muslim community with donations of bags of sugar, rice and an undisclosed amount of money to support the Muslim ummah. “I believe that leadership is not just about holding a position or title, but it is about serving the people and making a difference in their lives. That is why I am committed to using my platform and resources to help those in need, especially the vulnerable and marginalized,” she added.
The Muslim community in Adentan constituency expressed their gratitude for Kozie’s donation, which they say will go a long way in helping them celebrate the festive occasion. “We are very grateful to Kozie for her generosity and thoughtfulness. Her donation will make a big difference in our celebrations, and we are blessed to have leaders like her who care about the well-being of their constituents,” said one community member. Kozie’s donation is a testament to her commitment to serving the people of Adentan constituency, and it is hoped that her selfless act will inspire others to give back to their communities as well.
Obenfo Addo Agyekum (I), the regent of Amanase, a town close to Suhum in the Eastern region, has issued a clarification stating that Okyenhene had no involvement in the selling of the local royal cemetery.
He claims that Okyenhene only arbitrated a case that included the cemetery’s sale to an investor eleven years prior.
On Thursday, April 21, 2023, Suhum District Police Command seized the unearthed human remains kept at Amanase Chiefs Palace in order to collect their skeletons.
The community’s royal cemetery apparently sold to an investor for the purpose of building a gasoline station, which prompted the exhumation of the graves from there.
The bodies exhumed include late chiefs and royals. Two of the exhumed bodies were freshly buried.
While one of the fresh corpses have been reburied, the other has been kept at the Suhum Government Hospital morgue.
However, the Gyaasehene of Amanase Obenfo Addo Agyekum who doubles as Acting Chief of the community decided to keep the exhumed skeletons of late chiefs of the in a room at the palace.
This created uproar in recent times among some royal family members and residents.
Obenfo Addo Agyekum earlier told Starr News, “the cemetery has been sold to an investor as a result we have to exhume the bodies. So Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin himself ordered that the bodies be exhumed to enable the investor develop the land so we held a community durbar, invited everybody including pastors, opinion leaders to discuss the matter”.
He continued that “So after exhuming the bodies we realized we have to create a new royal cemetery to rebury skeletons of the late Chiefs .We tried several times to get earmarked land for that purpose but were unsuccessful so we decide to keep the skeletons in a room here at the palace until we get cemetery to rebury them. We had two fresh bodies which we sent to Suhum government hospital but we managed to bury one, the other body is still at the
Addressing the media subsequently on Friday April 21, 2022 Obenfo Addo Agyekum however explained that the cemetery was rather sold to an investor by late chief Nana Asamoah Darkwaa under the witness of Osabarima Asamoah Asare Ampofo, Abena Asamabea and one teacher Offei in 2012.
However there was a push back which the investor petitioned the Judicial Committee of Akyem Abuakwa traditional council chaired by Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori who ruled in favour of the investor with consequential order for exhumation.
“Base on this evidence, I want to categorically state that Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin has no hand in the sale of the old Amanase cemetery which was sold by our predecessors(Nananom) so it is not true what is circulating in the media that Okyenhene is behind the sale of Amanase old cemetery land”.
He added “because of the ruling, we decided to exhume the bodies especially those who are royals to rebury them. We sent the fresh bodies to Suhum government mortuary and we did mass burial for others.
“There was an issue at Suhum government mortuary so we kept some of the skeletal parts of our late royals and chiefs in the palace so that we immediately acquire a land which will solely be for the burial of the skeletal remains of our royal chiefs and elders but delay in acquiring the land accounted to the keeping of the skeletal remains in the palace but now that we have acquired the land we will perform the necessary rite and burry them and have a good rest,” he said.
Ghanaian Muslims concluded their 30-day Ramadan fasting period on Saturday, April 22, 2023.
The Assistant Parish Priest of the Catholic Church in Asamankese used the day to share love with his Muslim brothers and sisters as well as affirm the country’s religious tolerance.
Reverend Father Martin Delali Attitson and some of his parishioners joined the Asamkese Muslim community to mark the end of Ramadan.
Images from the event sighted by GhanaWeb, show the priest and the Muslim community sharing happy smiles and interactions.
Fr Attitson in one of the shots is also seen joining the Muslims as they conducted their Eid-Ul-Fitr prayers.
Some social media users who have been commenting on the images have commended the priest while those who claim to know him point out that such act is his person.
“Rev. Fr. Atitson was my Senior at our Catholic JSS and he always showed respect and tolerance to people of other faiths. I am not surprised about this development. I hope he rises to the very top of the Catholic Church that trained me and him to treat everybody with respect and fairness. God bless the Catholic Church,” a Facebook user, Mikdad Mohammed said.
Ernest Yaw Anim has been elected Parliamentary candidate for Kumawu in the NPP in the upcoming constituency by-election set for May 23.
Ernest Yaw Anim polled 195 votes against his contenders, Nana Ama Serwaa who garnered a 181 votes; Dr. Appiah Kubi’s 10; Dr Aboagye Dacosta’s 27, and Osei Bempah’s 5 votes with 1 rejected ballot.
The New Patriotic Party primary held on Sunday, April 23, 2023, was to find a successor for the late MP for the constituency, Philip Basoah, who died last month.
The Electoral Commission, following the demise, through the constitutional provision, set Tuesday, May 23 for the by-election.
Death of Kumawu MP
Ghanaians woke up to the sad news of the death of Member of Parliament for Kumawu in the Ashanti Region, Philip Atta Basoah.
The three-time MP is reported to have died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Tuesday morning on March 28.
He died at the age of 53.
He was one of the absentee MPs in Parliament when the House voted on the approval of six ministerial nominees and two justices of the Supreme Court.
He was a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The president took to Facebook to share stunning photos of his visit to the residence of the National Chief Imam at Fadama, a predominantly Muslim community in Accra.
By every measure, it is blessed and privileged, Nana Akufo- Addo said
The president also commended the National Chief Imam for his guidance of the Muslim flock in Ghana, stating it “has been truly exemplary.
“Our country may well be the envy of the rest of the world when it comes to the question of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence. His leadership and contribution to this state of affairs have been outstanding ” the President said.
The revered Islamic cleric is the founder of the Dr. Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu Education Trust Fund (The SONSETFund) and the Islamic Peace and Security Council of Ghana (IPASEC).
A unit of soldiers is seen repelling a Russian ambush on the outskirts of Bakhmut in dramatic footage from the Ukrainian frontlines.
The 11-minute video depicts valiantly defending Bakhmut’s “Road of Life,” one of the final safe exits from the besieged city, by Ukrainians from the elite “Da Vinci Wolves” corps.
A Ukrainian is seen in helmet-cam film running across a stretch of desolate no-man’s land to meet with a group of soldiers positioned inside a trench bunker to inform them that a colleague has been murdered.
‘Norman….he is dead. Rest in peace’ he tells his squadmates, who respond by saying ‘yes brother, that’s how it is in war’.
The soldiers are seen squatting in a bunker prior to the ambush (Picture: Twitter/ Def Mon)
The soldiers take a moment of respite in the trench as one – later called ‘Lekha’ – digs into the ground at the mouth of the dug out.
But seemingly without warning, a grenade goes off nearby and Lekha is blasted off his feet and falls on his stomach.
Lekha’s squadmates scramble to assess their comrade’s injuries, and after he gives a thumbs-up to let them know he is uninjured the rest of the unit scrambles out of the bunker and into position.
‘Orcs jumped into our trenches,’ an ally radios in to inform them. ‘Do you copy?’
‘First trench guys, nearest to you,’ they are told, and spring into action.
The Da Vinci’s are considered to be among the best trained and equipped of the volunteer corps, and with little cover they emerge into the battlefield to suppress the advancing Russians, taking positions around the bunker and gunning down targets as they crawl away.
The cameraman- believed to be the squad leader codenamed ‘Tihiy’- moves around the trench, behind a knoll for cover.
From the high ground, he targets a number of Russian soldiers in the prone position trying to get away, and directs his squadmates around the battlefield in an attempt to suppress the assault and conserve ammo.
After repelling the invaders without sustaining any further casualties, Tihiy can be heard triumphantly exclaiming: ‘What’s up orcs? It’s our field, f*** off!’
The Battle of Bakhmut has become the most bloodthirsty conflict of the war to date, which has seen Russia attempt to grind down the Ukrainian forces with endless ‘human wave’ attacks designed to overwhelm the defenders with their sheer numbers.
It has been reported that up to 42,000 Russians have been killed in their ongoing attempts to take the city, which has seen Ukrainians kill them at a rate of 7:1.
Yet Russia has slowly managed to gain control of the area by exhausting Ukraine’s supplies in a deadly war of attrition, and is now believed to control around 80% of the city.
The ‘Road of Life’ is one of the last areas of the city still under Ukrainian control, and is the only safe passage out of the city into the nearby settlement of Chasiv Yar.
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has expressed shock about the constituency youth organizer in Kyebi, the hometown of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, being named among the key players in unlawful small-scale mining in the area.
Sam George was reacting to the report authored by a former Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, on galamsey which disclosed that President Akufo-Addo’s yard was partially excavated by the constituency youth organizer who was looking for gold.
“But you know what is very telling, and it is the stuff of Hollywood fiction but in Ghana it is our reality that the president’s own residence in Kyebi, his garden was dug up…Portions of President Akufo-Addo’s garden was dug up in search of gold by the constituency youth organizer,” he said.
In the report, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng listed various powerful individuals from the nation who were complicit in the threat and meddled with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), of which he served as Chair.
The outspoken MP, appalled by some of the revelations in the report, while speaking on the issue on The Key Point on TV3, questioned the use of security, emphasizing that the president’s home is a security zone thus needed to be guarded at all cost.
“Where was security? The president’s home in his hometown at Kyebi must be a security zone. Where was his security that his garden got dug up by his own youth organizer searching gold and the president didn’t know about it? And then Frimpong-Boateng had to go and get a bulldozer and excavator to go and reclaim the land and revegetate the president’s garden so that the president can come home and have a garden. Jesus Christ!”
The legislator stressed that the report should not be taken on the surface, noting that the issue must be dealt with, with all seriousness.
He also criticised the former head of national security, Captain (rtd) Edmund Kojo Koda, accusing him of being careless and supporting perpetrators when he was supposed to protect the country from the canker.
In his words, “The persons who have been mentioned…and you see Frimpong-Boateng’s report why you cannot take it as a literary piece of work but as something serious. It’s the kinds of names he mentioned. Captain Koda is head of national security. He is literally responsible for the president’s security. Excavators are arrested doing galamsey, doing illegal mining and Captain Koda calls the police station in the Eastern region where the excavators that were seized were sent…and he orders the police to release the excavators because the persons whose excavators it is, is another MP, a sitting MP who is his brother. So familial benefit over national good.”
Russia has acknowledged that it accidentally bombed one of its own cities close to the Ukrainian border, setting off a huge explosion that left three people hospitalised and caused damage to neighbouring structures.
A Kremlin spokeswoman said that ‘aviation munitions’ fired by a Su-34 supersonic fighter-bomber jet attacked the Russian city of Belgorod late on Thursday.
The type of weapon deployed was not confirmed by the defence ministry.
A Sukhoi Su-34 air force aircraft accidently discharged aviation ammunition as it flew over Belgorod, according to the report. A formal statement was read.
Video evidence shows a 70ft-wide crater caused by the blast with debris strewn around the scene.
The footage shows piles of concrete lining the street, several damaged cars and a building with broken windows.
It also appears to show a car upside down on the roof of a store.
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a state of emergency following the explosion, and confirmed two women had suffered from injuries.
In a message on Telegram, he confirmed that there was a large crater in the middle of the city, and that four cars and four apartment buildings had been damaged by the blast.
‘It was miraculous no-one died – at least according to official figures,’ reported journalist Dmitry Kolezev.
‘Apparently the ministry decided that admitting self-bombing is better than admitting that the Armed Forces of Ukraine can inflict such powerful strikes on Russian cities.’
The bomb is suspected to have been a modernised FAB-500M62, a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) general purpose air-dropped bomb with a high-explosive warhead.
It is supposed to be ‘high precision’, and has been used to strike targets in Ukraine.
These munitions have reportedly been rushed into service in the war, and are liable to errors.
OSINT analyst Kirill Mikhailov cited by Agentstvo said: ‘In order for everything to work, the bomb must first properly separate, then its wings must open properly and the navigation system should work…
‘Something went wrong in this process.’
Belgorod is around 25 miles from the Ukrainian frontier, and just 50 miles away from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
The area serves as an important staging ground for Russia’s ongoing invasion, and Moscow continues to train soldiers and store fuel/ammunition there.
In July, Mr Gladkov said a Ukrainian missile attack on Belgorod had left at least four dead.
The editor of a publication that ran a highly contentious article containing fabricated statements from Michael Schumacherhas been fired.
When Anne Hoffman’s faux interview with the seven-time Formula 1 champion was generated by artificial intelligence for the German magazine Die Aktuelle, it caused uproar.
Since suffering serious head injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013, Schumacher has not been seen in public for more than nine years.
But last week, the publication placed the following headline beneath a smiling photo of Schumacher on its main page: “Michael Schumacher, the first interview.”
Underneath, a strapline read ‘it sounds deceptively real’ and the story itself was based entirely on the fake quotes created using an AI app called character.ai, reports BBC Sport.
The AI-generated quotes read: ‘I can with the help of my team actually stand by myself and even slowly walk a few steps.
‘My wife and my children were a blessing to me and without them I would not have managed it. Naturally they are also very sad, how it has all happened.
‘They support me and are standing firmly at my side.’
Die Aktuelle put Michael Schumacher on the front page with the headline: ‘The first interview’ (Picture: EPA)
The 54-year-old’s family have stringently protected his privacy since the accident in the French Alps.
They said they now plan to take legal action against the magazine.
Bianca Pohlmann, director of the Funke magazine group, has apologised to the family and confirmed it is parting ways with editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann with immediate effect.
She said on Friday: ‘This tasteless and misleading article should never have appeared.
’It in no way corresponds to the standards of journalism that we – and our readers – expect from a publisher like Funke.
‘As a result of the publication of this article, personal consequences will be drawn immediately.
‘Die Aktuelle editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann, who has been responsible for journalism for the newspaper since 2009, will be relieved of her duties as of today.’
In an emotional Netflix documentary about the legendary driver in 2021, his wife Corinna made it very clear they take protecting Michael’s privacy extremely seriously.
She said at the time: ‘We try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. “Private is private,” as he always said.
‘It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible.
‘Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.’
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) was able to mobilise 95.53% of its target revenue for 2022.
In all a total of GH¢51,778,102.56 was mobilised as revenue for 2022, as against its target of GH¢54,200,000.00.
The current performance, however, is a one hundred percent increment of the revenue accrued in the previous year, 2021, which was GH¢22.3 million.
Mr. Samuel Pyne, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), described the Assembly’s performance as great, taking into account the economic difficulties during the year under review.
He was speaking at the first ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the eighth KMA in Kumasi.
According to Mr Pyne, the increased revenue mobilization was achieved through innovative and strategic measures such as the setting up of a monitoring team to conduct pre-audits, which helped significantly to reduce revenue leakages.
Again, the Assembly’s data center was completed and equipped with logistics to support and enhance prompt service delivery, he added.
The KMA Revenue Reporting System (KRRS) was developed and currently, all revenue centers are using it to report on all internally generated funds collected for the Assembly.
On the Assembly’s expenditure, the MCE said a total of GH¢47,751,510.60 was spent on compensation, goods and services, grants and assets in 2022.
Mr. Pyne said on its resolve to build resilience and achieve the sustainable development goals, the assembly was embarking on the implementation of some selected projects and programme in line with the guidelines of the National Development Planning Commission.
The Assembly is currently undertaking 27 projects in education, roads, water and sanitation and governance.
Mr. Pyne said KMA was still in talks with the International Municipal Investment Fund to secure support for the construction of the Krofrom Market, a multi-Storey car park and rapid transit system in the city.
Ghana is not among a list of countries with the highest alcohol consumption rate on the African continent.
The drinking habits on the African continent may vary from country to country but it’s turning out to be that there are some shockers in the forerun as countries with high alcoholic consumption.
Attitudes towards alcohol consumption may differ in countries likewise religious beliefs about consuming alcohol may also differ but people take it as a source of relief. Alcohol intake has become probably the only source of relief for those out of work, the only source of relief from extreme poverty or joblessness in some cases, and people drink their problems away.
Reliable statistics on global alcohol consumption are hard to come by, but some institutions have tried to put some figures together it will surprise you with some of the leading counties in the world and Africa.
Even though Ghana has a huge range of alcoholic bitters and alcoholic drinks, which are very strong and very cheap, it seems the country is missing out on the bar of alcoholic standards.
alcohol.org is an organ that investigates the alcohol consumption levels of countries and ranks them. Even though some countries refute the statistics often given, it is evident that most of the government regulations to restrict the production, selling, and advertising of alcohol are not as effective as some governments assume them to be.
A majority of the top 10 alcohol-consuming countries are located in Europe but the continent of Africa is known to have some pretty heavy drinking cultures. The statistics vary each year. Surprisingly heavy alcohol-consuming countries like Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ghana didn’t make the cut in 2021. The statistics are measures based on the average citizen of the countries and not population hence without any further ado, below are the top 10 alcohol-consuming countries in Africa
10. Uganda- 26 liters per year
The use of alcohol in Uganda has been a course of content not only because of the high prevalence of it but also consumption amongst pregnant women patients, especially diabetics, and teenagers. Alcohol use during pregnancy is seen to be high which has been associated with several births and development disorders.
Besides pregnant women consuming alcohol, consumption is predicted to be the seventh leading cause of death in 2030 as alcohol consumption influences diabetes evolution.
According to the WHO, alcohol can interfere with self-care which is an important determinant of diabetes practices. Also in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in domestic violence for which alcohol consumption is a risk factor. These aspects have not only cost Ugandans a lot in terms of socio-economic values but have placed them as the 10th alcohol-consuming nation in Africa in 2021.
9. Botswana- 26.2 liters per year
It goes without saying that alcohol has been a part of Botswana’s history for many years and decades and has been an important component of cultural festivals, weddings and all the traditional ceremonies with changing social organization, values, lifestyles, and much more and day-to-day rivalries, and other places activities multiplying over the years so have drinking activities, the number of drinkers and the amount of drinking.
This has made harmful drinking difficult to control, however, the government has demonstrated its commitment to addressing problems related to harmful alcohol consumption and has over the last decade put in place a number of policy and programmatic measures to control correlated harm.
The majority of the alcohol consumption in Botswana is beer with 56 % while 12% is from Juan, 11% is from the spirit and 21% is from all the local brews.
8. Libya -26.4 liters per year
All is usual talk in Libya that’s how it sells and how to sell it is the daily talks but Libyans are also unaware and unsure about what to do with another kind of highly-priced liquid in the country alcohol.
The consumption and sale of alcohol are illegal in Libya but it hasn’t stopped the oil-rich nation from topping the charts of the highest African consumers as it’s not only popular but is available on the black market.
Along with Mauritania and Sudan, Libya is one of only 3 Afghan countries that bans alcohol which has led to the popularization of another method of producing its home production. Alcohol in Libya is easy to find but only expensive given that it’s contraband another reason why the level of alcohol consumption is strange given the country is mostly Muslim but banned or not banned, tradition and religion or not Libyans are the eighth alcohol-consuming country in Africa 2021.
7. Zimbabwe- 27.2 liters per year
A study aimed at determining the drinking habit of Zimbabweans indicated that the overall prevalence of current drinking was 28.9% with a 95% confidence interval with 35.2% in women and 57.7% in men 40% of the current drinkers reported having at least one binge-drinking weekly.
The prevalence of current drinking increases with age and education among women and with income among men, no consistent partner was observed in binge drinking by education in both genders and by annual income among men but it was significantly less frequent among the more affluent women.
6. Lesotho-28.2 Litres per year
Though Lesotho’s total alcohol consumption filtrated substantially in recent years. It tended to decrease from 2000 to 2018 the period ended at 7.89 liters in 2018.
5. Algeria-29.1 liters per year
Coming heavily at number 5 is surprising another mostly Muslim majority nation. Algeria’s total alcohol consumption in Algeria in 2021 is estimated at 29.1 liters per year, taking a lead over countries like Turkey with 28..5 liters per year and Iran with 28.4 liters per year.
4. South Africa-29.9litres per year
Drinking 48% of beer, 18% of wine, and 17% from other alcohol sources. South Africa consumes almost 30 liters of alcohol per annum. Even though South Africa is the wine capital of the continent and one of the biggest wine producers. The majority of its alcohol consumption comes from beer.
3. Namibia-32.4 liters per year
Speaking of substances of abuse, Namibia is known to have a high prevalence of tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption is very high as both sexes are highly invested in the habit. A study carried out among men and women aged between 15 and 64 years indicated that the prevalence of alcohol is 53.1%.
2. Eswatini-34.4 Litres per year
The effort made by the government of this small nation to curb alcohol consumption has been geared towards mitigating the effects of alcohol on the health of its citizens. Research shows that the notable prevalence of alcohol use on misuse among people living with HIV in Eswatini was higher amongst males, less educated, never married and those reported to have HIV stigma.
The son of one of Putin’s top aides was compelled to join the Russian army after boasting in the past that his father’s contacts would prevent him from travelling to Ukraine.
Last year, journalists used a sting operation to catch 32-year-old Nikolay Peskov saying he would make connections to evade conscription.
But it was later discovered that his father, 55-year-old Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s longtime spokesman, had instead made arrangements for Nikolay to be transported to the conflict to work as an artilleryman.
It is a rare example of the son of a top official fighting in the conflict, even though it appears he was not on the frontlines where tens of thousands of ‘cannon fodder’ Russians have perished.
Nikolay Peskov (L) bragged about how his connections would allow him to avoid being drafted to fight in Ukraine (Picture: A Raffirty)
‘Of all my acquaintances [in high circles] just one person [Dmitry] Peskov, at one time known as a complete liberal, asked me about his son who had spend some of his life….in England,’ said Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the notorious Wagner Group.
‘[Peskov] came to me and said: ‘Take him as a simple artilleryman’
‘He served like everyone else, knee-deep in mud and sh** manning a Uragan [multiple rocket launcher]…
‘Very few people know about this.’
As well as being the dictator’s mouthpiece, Dmitry Peskov is one of Putin’s most senior officials, acting as the deputy head of his sprawling administration.
It appears Peskov sent his son to war after being stung by a prank call on livestream Popular Politics, a channel linked to the team of jailed Putin foe Alexei Navalny.
The caller posed as an army mobilisation officer.
But Peskov’s son told him: ‘You must understand I am Mr Peskov.
‘It’s not quite right for me to be there [at the conscription office].
‘To cut it short, I’ll be sorting this out at another level.’
He told the ‘mobilisation officer’ that there were ‘political nuances’ about his call-up, without explaining his father was Putin’s trusted spin-doctor.
But Peskov’s son also told him: ‘If I have to defend my motherland, don’t worry, I’ll be with you.’
Now Prigozhin has revealed that Nikolay did serve at least for several months.
Earlier – long before the current war – Nikolay was a conscript in Russia’s nuclear rocket forces.
He later worked as a sports journalist with the RT ‘propaganda’ media network .
On his mother’s side, he is the great-grandson of notorious Soviet Marshal and Stalin crony, Semyon Budyonny.
Former defence minister of so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, Igor ‘Strelkov’ Girkin, said that Nikolay was likely 14 miles from the frontline in a role with ‘minimal risk’.
But he admitted the Kremlin scion was rare in being sent to the front among the offspring of the elite.
This was despite a dip in the number of oil barrels drilled in Ghana’s three oil fields –Jubilee, Tweneboa, Enyera, and Ntomme (TEN) and Sankofa, Gye and Nyame (SGN).
“Total petroleum revenue in 2022 is the highest for a single year since the inception of petroleum production in Ghana with a figure of US$1.43 billion”.
PIAC in its report, launched today, April 20, 2023, however, complained about the decline in crude oil production in Ghana.
According to PIAC Ghana’s crude production plummeted consistently in the past three years.
While 2019 recorded 71,439,585 barrels, the figure decreased to 66,926,806 barrels in 2020 (6.32%) and went down further to 55,050,391 barrels in 2021 (17.75%) and then to 51,756,481 barrels in 2022 (5.98%).
“Crude oil production has been declining for three consecutive years. A volume of 71,439,585 barrels was produced in 2019, but declined to 66,926,806 barrels in 2020, representing 6.32 percent. It further declined to 55,050,391 barrels in 2021 (17.75%) and then to 51,756,481 barrels in 2022 (5.98%). The average decline over the three-year period stood at 10 percent”.
The committee noted that, Ghana made more from oil revenue because of high crude prices on the international market.
“The high crude oil prices on the international market led to the receipt of the highest petroleum revenues since inception. These revenues were subsequently allocated and distributed in line with provisions in Act 815”.
PIAC recommended that Ghana should speed up the sustainable development of its petroleum resources to reverse the decline in petroleum production.
The committee also suggested to Ghana to put measures in place to attract new investors and also complete ongoing projects early to achieve this goal.
An ex-Miss England beauty queen who was detained on suspicion of smuggling ketamine worth £250,000 is now facing 20 years in prison in Mexico.
On a flight from Amsterdam to Cancun last year, Jennifer Young allegedly had 13.080kg of the narcotic concealed in bottles and packages in a fake bottom of her luggage.
‘In the arrivals of Cancun International Airport, citizen Guards and airport workers uncovered multiple packets and bundles that seemed to be cocaine hidden in a secret layer of a suitcase belonging to foreign citizen,’ read a tweet from the Mexican police at the time.
Young, a Miss Derby contestant when she was 17, spent months in an overcrowded jail in Cancun before being transferred to a prison close to Mexico City in February.
Model Jennifer Leanne Young competed to be Miss England when she was 17, in 2007 (Picture: Simon Ashton)
The 33-year-old fashion model kept her family in the dark about her plight for over six months, telling her heartbroken mother Angela she was simply travelling around the country.
However, she finally learned the truth just five weeks ago, when her only daughter failed to phone her to wish her a happy birthday.
Speaking to MailOnline, Angela said: ‘I’m still in shock. I knew Jenny was in Mexico but I thought she was travelling. I’ve only just found out Jenny is in prison.
‘My birthday is in March and wherever in the world Jenny is she calls me. But she didn’t get in touch and I started to worry.
‘Then I got a message from her friend. I asked him where she was. After a lot of messages, he finally told me that she was in jail. I couldn’t believe it.
Young, who was born in Germany to a British mother and German father, spent much of her life working abroad as a model and a tour guide, after leaving her hometown of Derby aged 19.
Angela added: ‘The British consulate went to see her last Wednesday. She is fine now she has a cell to herself. It’s much better than the other place.
‘Prisoners are allowed to have visits from family members. Relatives bring in food and other things.
‘Jenny says she gets three meals a day but they are very small portions. She is waiting for the lawyer to see her.
‘She had been calling me before, but didn’t say she was in trouble.
‘She has been phoning me from the jail. She only gets five minutes and I don’t know who is listening in, so she hasn’t talked about what happened, it’s like, ‘I love you, speak to you soon’.
Young faces a sentence of up to 20 years if she is convicted of drug smuggling – one of the most serious crimes in Mexico.
A Foreign Office spokesman last night confirmed the British Consul in Mexico is providing assistance to a British national in Cancun and her family in the UK.
The founder of Heavens Gate Ministries, Prophet Kumchacha has criticized some pastors for what he called the “highest display of hypocrisy.”
The issue of whether it is right or wrong for Christians to listen to secular songs has been topical on social media lately.
The Christian fraternity has since been divided over the topic, with pastors and gospel ministers sharing their opinions on it.
Some gospel singers including the Daughters of Glorious Jesus, Obaapa Christy, Celestine Donkor, and Empress Gifty among others have embraced the idea of listening to secular songs.
Others including, gospel minister Moses OK, and Prophet Kofi Oduro among others do not subscribe to the idea. In the case of Prophet Oduro, he earlier lambasted some members of the gospel fraternity for openly declaring their love for secular songs;
“The other time, I was watching a program on TV and I became sad. I could hear people who are gospel ministers talking about their preference for all kinds of secular songs. I saw that and I screamed. These people are bad examples to the Christians. This kind of Christianity will make the gospel lost in the next ten years. In only ten years, there will be no gospel. How will you feel if you came to meet me smoking wee on my pulpit? The Bible gives us free will but not all things are permissible to humankind,” he earlier stated.
However, Rev. Kumchacha finds it outrageous, the manner in which some so-called Christians and pastors are condemning certain people and their choice of songs which by tagging them as ‘worldly’.
Describing such an act as hypocritical, Kumchacha said these pastors who condemn ‘worldly people’ have no business accepting their offerings in church.
“The pastors that discriminate between secular and worship songs, if they organize crusades, don’t they take monies from worldly people? why don’t they stop them? They accept offerings from people they have tagged ‘worldy’. We are all living in the world, but they have labeled some people as worldy. Next time, they should refrain from worldly people giving offerings. Meanwhile, they give the biggest offerings too,” he stated in a phone-in interview on the United Showbiz
“As for the world, we are all living in it. I am not sure that a pastor who criticizes worldly songs will halt the burial of her parents if such songs are played at the funeral. Some of the things we do as Christians are hypocritical. There are some worldly songs that can counsel, reproach and straighten one’s path the right way. Kojo Antwi sings love songs. If I am home with my wife and we both listen to Kojo Antwi’s songs, what is the crime in it? Everything has its season.” He added.
Some Twitter accounts with more than one million followers have had their blue tick badges re-instated by Twitter without paying to subscribe.
Beyoncé, Harry Kane, Richard Osman and Victoria Beckham are among those to have their blue tick back.
The BBC News Twitter account also has its gold badge again, but has not paid for it.
Before the platform was bought by Elon Musk, the blue tick was a badge of verification given for free by Twitter.
It was originally used as a tool of authentication, designed to help stop fake accounts and the spread of misinformation.
Now it is a symbol that an account has subscribed to a premium service called Twitter Blue – and there is a verification process attached with making the payment. There are various prices depending on where the subscription is made but it is around $8 per month.
Those with a blue tick from the original verification process, who decided not to pay the subscription fee, began losing their ticks on 20 April.
The broadcaster James O’Brien, who has 1.1m followers, is one of those who has now got his blue tick back after losing it. He confirmed that he had not paid for his account.
He also noted that some accounts with fewer than 1m followers also appeared to have had their blue ticks restored, “anointed entirely at Elon Musk’s discretion”.
Eliot Higgins, who founded the organisation of the investigation Bellingcat, confirmed to me on Friday that his blue tick, and Bellingcat’s verification, had been given to him for free.
Mr Musk has claimed that he paid for the subscriptions himself on behalf of the author Stephen King, the actor William Shatner and the basketball player Lebron James who had all criticised the scheme.
At the time of writing, some celebrities like actor Ryan Reynolds who also owns Wrexham football club, still have no blue tick despite having over 21m followers.
It was reported that the removal of the legacy blue ticks had to be done manually so it is possible that this is also a manual process that will continue over the coming days.
Twitter Blue has had a troubled launch. It was initially delayed after fake accounts sprung up pretending to be official organisations, and in recent weeks both subscribers and formerly verified accounts have looked the same.
Subscribers’ tweets have higher visibility, individual posts can be longer, and they will see fewer ads.
Elon Musk has previously said that the firm’s finances were in dire straits when he took over and that Twitter was operating at a loss of $4m per day.
Twitter has not revealed how many people have chosen to subscribe so far but the app firm Sensor Tower estimated to TechCrunch that the platform had around 386,000 subscribers in March 2023.
This does not include subscriptions made on Twitter’s website rather than within its app but is still a small fraction of its roughly 300 million user-base.
A Cobra emergency meeting has been called by Rishi Sunak to address rescuing British nationals who are stranded in Sudan.
Since April 15, fierce violence has broken out all over the nation as a result of rising tensions between the RSF paramilitary organisation and the Sudanese army.
According to the United Nations, there have been over 400 fatalities and at least 3,500 injuries thus far.
Government officials have said they are ‘doing everything possible’ to support those trapped in the capital.
The Sudanese army has said they are coordinating efforts to evacuate American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan on aircraft.
Prospects of airlifting people out of the country have been complicated due to battlegrounds breaking out across airports.
An evacuation from the capital is expected to happen imminently with the British Army on standby.
Fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF parmilitary force broke out (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is also planning for a wide range of scenarios, alongside the Foreign Office, on how it can assist in Sudan.
The MoD confirmed a high-readied armed forces unit is always ready to be deployed should they be required.
A UK Government spokesperson said: ‘We recognise that the situation is extremely concerning for British nationals trapped by the fighting in Sudan.
‘We are doing everything possible to support British nationals and diplomatic staff in Khartoum, and the Ministry of Defence is working with the Foreign Office to prepare for a number of contingencies.’
Those trapped in Sudan are advised to register with the FCDO and to stay indoors.
The Pentagon confirmed it is moving additional troops and equipment to a naval base in the Gulf of Aden to prepare for the evacuation of US embassy personnel.
But the White House has no plans for a government co-ordinated evacuation of an estimated 16,000 American citizens trapped in Sudan.
Rishi Sunak and the leader of Dijibouti have agreed to ‘continue to co-ordinate efforts to de-escalate the violence and protect civilians, including our citizens’.
Explosions and gunfire continue across the capital with an end to violence not yet in sight.
The Sudanese army has said it is coordinating efforts to evacuate foreign citizens and diplomats from Sudan on military aircraft.
Army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Burhan said he would facilitate the evacuation of American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan after speaking with the leaders of several countries that had requested help.
Artist manager Bullgod continues to stand by his earlier assertions that he is the kind of manager who will have a sexual relationship with a female artist in order to keep their working relationship strong.
Earlier in May 2020, the controversial artiste manager cum pundit, said, he cannot guarantee that he won’t have sex with any female artiste he manages and his comments sparked confusion online.
“Any female artiste I manage, I will sleep with her. This is where I pity some of us. The practitioners are not being realistic when we sit on TV and radio, let’s put it out there the way it is so people will understand that we are humans and so such things are bound to happen.
“That is why I do not manage female artistes because my believe in talent goes beyond the regular, I have to mimic the talent to be able to push it, mine is highly spiritual,” he stated on JoyFM’s drive time.
But the discussion crept back into his conversation with Abeiku Santana and three years down the lane, BullGod’s view hasn’t changed.
“Is it a crime to sleep with a woman? Don’t you sleep with women? (points to Abeiku). As for the earlier reports, that’s not what I said. What I really said was that, no matter the situation, I will sleep with my female artiste. I will have sex with her. What is wrong with sleeping with my artiste though? What is the problem?”
The host, Abeiku Santana, who was shocked by Bullgod’s response was compelled to pry about his upbringing and he responded: “Growing up my mother was a lab technician and my father was a banker. I grew up with my mum who was a single mother at that time and she was very strict. I grew up in a fairly disciplined home. My mother was a no-nonsense person.”
“So If your mother was a no-nonsense person then what happened to you?” Abeiku asked further.
Bullgod replied: “What do you mean by that? Why I’m I now spoilt, mad or going astray?”
In order to conduct an investigation into the letter Diane Abbott wrote about racism for The Observer newspaper, the Labour Party has suspended her.
The long-serving MP, who under Jeremy Corbyn served as shadow home secretary, has lost the whip, the party has revealed.
Ms. Abbott issued an apology for writing a letter to The Observer that implied Irish, Jewish, and Traveller people were not subject to racism “all their lives” just before Opposition Chief Whip Alan Campbell’s decision was made public.
A Labour spokesman said: ‘The Labour Party completely condemns these comments, which are deeply offensive and wrong.
‘The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.’
Nigerian musician Asake has revealed that it was poverty that compelled him to start a music career.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News, Asake noted that he was a dancer who couldn’t earn enough money hence his inclusion of music.
According to him, he was introduced to music by his father at a very tender age and developed a likeness to singing.
He said, “My parents used to play me a lot of classical Songs. They love listening to songs. The kind of father I have is the one that will wake up in the morning and have one cigarette then loud music.
“At the end of the day, I feel like I can actually sing. Then I added music to it. Maybe because I know how to dance then I know how to bounce on music. I actually don’t want to be a musician in the first place. I just wanted to dance. It feels like water. I love everything that comes with dancing.
“But at the end of the day, after dancing I fell in love with having money too. Then I started thinking about it, is dance going to give me the kind of money I want?”
To aid in the growth of pension funds, organized labor has decided to improve worker incomes.
At a pre-May Day forum in Accra, the labour front agreed that improved incomes in wages and salaries would enhance the level of pensions and also bolster efforts and workers’ performance.
The forum, which was on the theme: “Protecting incomes and pensions in an era of economic crisis: Our responsibility”, brought together over 500 participants from the various labour unions in the country.
The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the forum was a precursor to the annual May Day celebrations where workers deliberated on important issues concerning their welfare.
“This is something we do each year before the day to discuss the theme for the year’s celebration.
Today, we are deliberating on pensions and our responsibility to protect incomes,” he said.
This year’s May Day will be held in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital.
Dr Baah further said the labour front had resolved not to allow pension funds to be part of the domestic debt exchange programme in accordance with the understanding it reached with the government last year.
He said the leadership of the labour front had become aware of a letter inviting the Board of Trustees of Pension Funds to participate in a new alternative offer the government had proposed for pension funds.
“We have scrutinised this letter and other accompanying documentations and have come to a firm conclusion that they amount to roping in pension funds back into the domestic debt exchange programme,” Dr Baah added.
As a result, he said organised labour had reached an agreement urging the Board of Trustees of all pension funds not to honour the invitation to participate in the alternative offer meeting.
“This request undermines the spirit and letter of the MoU signed between the government and organised labour,” Dr Baah said.
According to him, the labour front would resist any attempt by the government to undermine the agreement reached last year on pension funds. Poor wages
The Director of Labour Research and Policy Institute of the TUC, Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, said public service wages had not only remained low but had also declined in real time.
For instance, he said in 2023, the base pay on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) was fixed at GH¢397.89 per month, which was less than the mandatory minimum wage of GH¢401.76.
“In the last 12 years of implementing the single spine pay policy, the base pay has suffered real decline,” Dr Otoo said.
He said the highest pay on the SSSS was pegged at GH¢9,625.51 per month, which essentially meant that the country was paying its top public servants less than $1,000 per month.
According to reports, the Duchess of Sussex wrote to King Charles to voice her concern over unconscious racism among the royal family.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Meghan sent the letter after making an appearance with Prince Harry on the Oprah Winfrey Show in March 2021.
The shocking interview brought the monarchy to its knees when she revealed that a member of the royal family had made assumptions about the skin tone of their pregnant boy.
A source told the newspaper her exchange with Charles, believed to be the only senior royal to reach out in the wake of it, is part of the reason she will not be attending the coronation.
They claim Meghan feels she has not received a satisfactory response to her concerns.
The paper reports that her letter was sent in response to one from Charles, then Prince of Wales, in which he expressed his sadness over the split within the family.
The letters are also said to make clear the identity of the senior royal who made the comment, with both parties acknowledging the remark was not made maliciously, according to the paper.
Since the Oprah Winfrey interview, Harry has denied that the couple accused members of the royal family of being racist.
In an exchange during an interview with Tom Bradby on ITV in January to promote his memoir Spare, the presenter said ‘in the Oprah interview you accused members of your family of racism’.
Harry responded by saying ‘no I didn’t’, adding: ‘The British press said that.’
After Bradby said the duchess claimed troubling comments were made about Archie’s skin colour, Harry said: ‘There was – there was concern about his skin colour.’
Asked if he would describe that as racist, the duke said: ‘I wouldn’t, not having lived within that family.’
He continued: ‘The difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different.
‘But once it’s been acknowledged, or pointed out to you as an individual, or as an institution, that you have unconscious bias, you therefore have an opportunity to learn and grow from that in order so that you are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.’
Harry, who laid bare his troubled relationship with the royal family in his Netflix documentary and autobiography, will be there to witness Charles and stepmother the Queen Consort being crowned in Westminster Abbey on May 6.
Meghan will not travel to the UK and instead stay in the US with the couple’s children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The news ended months of ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ speculation about whether they would show up to the King’s big day, but still saw Meghan accused of snubbing the monarch and the royal family.
May 6 is Archie’s fourth birthday, and the youngster’s celebrations played a part in the duchess’s decision to remain in the US, sources said.
A man has shared his sad story of how she fathered a child for 15 years only to find out that she was not his daughter.
Speaking on the issue of paternity fraud on Joy News, Edward who called during a phone-in session said he came back from the US some years ago and his wife took seed a few months after but he got to find out 15 years later that the baby was not his.
“I was married, travelled to the US and came back. A few months later the woman said she was pregnant and I thought that was mine because she was my legally married woman. 15 years down the line, I got to realise that the child wasn’t my biological child,” he said.
On how he discovered the truth, Edward said he only found out after his wife hatched a plot and relocated with the 15-year-old girl to be with her ex-boyfriend who is the actual father.
Interestingly, the gentleman in question had won a visa lottery to the US, relocated from Ghana to the US and was in constant communication with my spouse without my knowledge to the extent of the man remitting, the man knows very well that the child was his. So when he got his documentation in the US and everything, he decided to file for his daughter which apparently I thought was mine. Now the mother found out and came up with a strategy to tell me ‘don’t you think it be better to go to the US where the girl will get a better life and everything?’
“I was financially down too by then so who was I to say no? I drove them to the airport. There was nothing [suspicious]. We went to the airport, had lunch and everything thinking that my wife is going to the US and back. A month later the mother calls me in Ghana to tell me ‘we are sorry to tell you my daughter has gone to find out the man who impregnated her and has gone to settle with him in the US… that the child is not yours, it’s for the man in the US,” he narrated.
On how the event has impacted his life, Edward says he is yet to recover some 3 years after he was confronted with the truth.
He said the incident has caused him to lose his confidence and self-worth and that his wife has since cut all forms of communication with him after travelling to the US.
Former Member of Parliament for the Ashanti region’s Manso Nkwanta constituency, Prof. Joseph Albert Quarm, has categorically rejected accusations that he engaged in illegal mining, also known as galamsey, made by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
Speaking with Aduanaba Kofi Ampong on Ezra Morning show on Friday, monitored by GhanaWeb, Prof. Quarm called out the claims by Frimpong Boateng’s report as mere false accusations that seek to tarnish his image. He also described the report as worthless since it failed to listen to his side of the story before being issued by the professor.
According to him, the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources legally established community minings in his constituency and he doesn’t know if that was what Frimpong Boateng’s report has captured as illegal operations by him. He However described the claims as false that must disregarded by everyone. “I don’t even have one concession not even to talk of dozen concessions sold by me, as stated in his report.” Mr. Quarm said.
“He doesn’t have any substantive evidence on his statement so I’m challenging him to come out with evidence”. Prof. Quarm said it on the radio during the interview He stated that he will go to court if Prof. Frimpong Boateng didn’t retract and apologize to him.
“I do expect him to retract and apologize over his false reportage that seek to denigrate my reputation, else he will have to meet in court to prove otherwise”. He concluded.
His response was in reaction to a recent publication by Professor Frimpong-Boateng on illegal mining activities that implicated many NPP gurus and others in government. The former Manso Nkwanta MP was captured to have been owing many concessions which he sold to illegal miners at 2 Million Ghana Cedis.
Ayr Racecourse’s racecourse was invaded by animal rights activists who wanted to interrupt the Scottish Grand National. About 25 individuals were detained as a result.
Invading the track before the £200,000 race began, the Animal Rising demonstrators climbed over and under barricades at around 3:20 p.m.
The organisation said that protesters were ‘attempting to attach themselves to jumps and gates’ to halt the race, which Jack Tudor-trained Kitty’s Light eventually won. Last week, the Grand National at Aintree was delayed because of the protests.
The protest also failed to delay the event, with the off time in the 18-horse race recorded as 3.38pm.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said that a ‘prompt and professional response by stewards and Police Scotland officers prevented this group from causing any disruption’ and that after there was ‘a further attempt to disrupt a later race involving a smaller group of protesters’.
Mr Mairs said: ‘Both incidents resulted in people being safely removed and no injuries have been reported.
‘Overall, there have been 25 arrests so far across the day and inquiries are continuing.’
The protest comes just seven days after the group managed to make their way onto the track at Aintree, delaying the Grand National by about 15 minutes.
Over 100 people were arrested and charged with criminal disruption after protesters tried to run onto the racetrack and climbed fences at Aintree, with at least two fixing themselves to a jump using glue and lock-on devices.
Activists also staged a sit-in protest on the M57, causing chaos for those coming to and from the racetrack.
Sarah McCaffrey, of Animal Rising, said last week’s protest started a ‘crucial conversation about our relationship with animals and nature’.
‘Today we continue that conversation. As a society, we love animals, but we have to find a way to care for them without harming them,’ the protester said.
‘This conversation is particularly important in Scotland where we have so much potential for nature and wildlife to thrive.
‘We can all build a world that we are proud to be part of. An end to horse racing, as well as a transition to a plant-based food system, are key elements of this kinder, safer future.’
There was an increased security presence due to the protest at Aintree where 118 arrests were made by Merseyside Police.
But on Saturday it was just a handful who took part, and Ayr’s managing director David Brown praised the swift action of the police and security teams on course.
‘The race went off to time, there was no notable delay and the professionalism of the team up here in Scotland was a credit to them, they dealt with it in a very efficient manner,’ he said after the Scottish Grand National.
‘What a great race it was and a great story, for (trainer) Christian Williams to win it for the second year in a row with Kitty’s Light, after he finished second last year. I think for me this is Scotland’s showpiece race and it all ran to time.’
A new trend in the Bono East Regional capital’s Techiman Municipality has resulted in the shortage of superglue in the area.
According to shop owners, the shortage is due to the activities of suspected drug addicts who inhale the glue as a narcotic.
According to the revelation, the suspected drug addicts light the glue on fire, cover it with a cloth, and inhale the vapour.
Some provision shop owners told Nyankonton Mu Nsem that superglue is currently in short supply in the area.
Others claim that drug addicts mix glue with energy drinks in order to feel high.
”The young people in the area buy a lot of energy drinks and glue. There is a shortage as I speak with you, and when I probed further, they admitted that they mix the drink with the glue. I was stunned and wondered why they would do such a thing,” a trader said.
”We’ve heard some of the boys mix the glue with energy drinks,” said another trader. Others also inhale it. I have a container here, and the boys come here to buy superglue in bulk. I inquire as to why they do this. Some of them claim they buy them to repair their slippers. But I had no idea they were inhaling the glue.”
”What they are doing is terrible and unhealthy. I am pleading with them to stop. I went to other towns to get super glue to restock, but I couldn’t find any. ”The problem is real, and something must be done about it,” said another woman.
Some of the addicts who spoke to Nyankonton Mu Nsem confirmed that they inhale the glue, and that is far better than other drugs they had used.
”Yes, what you heard is true,” said an addict [name withheld]. That is exactly what I do. I set fire to the glue, covered it with a cloth, and inhaled the vapour. For me, the sensation is superior to that of other drugs. I know it’s risky, but the feeling I get from what I do is incredible. There are others who do it as well.”
A week after fierce fighting broke out between two opposing parties in Sudan, Saudi Arabia is the first nation to announce the evacuation of its stranded residents.
“Several nationals of brotherly and friendly countries,” according to the Saudi foreign ministry, were evacuated with Saudi citizens. The hundreds of persons brought to safety include Kuwaiti citizens, although it is unclear which other countries are represented.
The declaration followed statements that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) were prepared to assist in the evacuation of foreign nationals.
The SAF said in a statement Saturday that its leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has “agreed to provide the necessary assistance” to facilitate the safe evacuation of foreign citizens from the country in response to “calls from a number of heads of states.”
“The evacuation of all missions whose countries made such a request is expected to begin within the coming hours, as the United States, the UK, France, and China will evacuate their diplomats and nationals by air by military transport aircrafts belonging to their respective armed forces from Khartoum and this is expected to begin immediately,” the SAF said in the statement, posted on its Facebook page.
According to a list released by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, 91 of its citizens had been evacuated, along with 66 nationals from 12 other countries which included Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso.
It did not provide an exact breakdown of how many evacuees came from each of the countries it listed.
Kuwait thanked Saudi Arabia for evacuating its citizens from Sudan to Jeddah, in a statement released by its foreign ministry on Saturday.
But it did not specify how many Kuwaiti nationals had been evacuated.
Iraq’s Foreign Affairs Ministry told CNN via phone that there had been a “special operation” to evacuate its diplomats from their embassy in the capital Khartoum.
Ministry spokesperson Ahmad al-Sahaaf said the diplomats had been moved to “a safe place in Sudan” following the operation, but declined to give further details.
The developments came as the United States evacuated government personnel in an operation involving special forces.
The mission was led by US Africa Command and conducted in close coordination with the State Department, said Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense.
Fierce fighting broke out in Sudan last Saturday between the SAF and the paramilitary RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The two are former allies but tensions between them arose during negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of plans to restore civilian rule.
More than 420 people have been killed and 3,700 injured in the fighting, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and on the ground the humanitarian situation is worsening.
The UN says people are increasingly fleeing areas hit by fighting, including Khartoum. Up to 20,000 refugees have arrived in neighboring Chad, the UN says.
On Saturday, fresh clashes between the two groups shattered a three-day ceasefire declared for the Muslim holiday of Eid.
Fighting was reported in Khartoum on Saturday, with witnesses telling CNN fierce clashes were taking place in the vicinity of the presidential palace and the sounds of explosions and warplanes flying overhead could be heard.
Dagalo said he spoke to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Saturday and they discussed “the current situation, the reasons [that] led to the exacerbation of the situation” and the possibility of opening evacuation corridors.
Also on Saturday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.
CNN has learned that British evacuation efforts will not be happening imminently, but a government spokesperson told CNN they were doing “everything possible” to support British nationals.
A spokesperson for the European Union said that an estimated 1,500 citizens from various EU countries are currently in Sudan.
“They are facing a very difficult situation and their safety is a priority. We urge both sides (the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces) to stop fighting and allow for safe passage out of the country,” the spokesperson said, adding the EU was working with member states to find solutions and get these people out of the country.
It is unclear how many US citizens are in Sudan. The State Department does not keep official counts of US citizens in foreign countries and Americans are not required to register when they go abroad. US State Department officials told staffers estimated 16,000 American citizens in Sudan, most of whom are dual nationals.
The Presidency’s Director of Operations, Lord Commey, has expressed shock at Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s report that he participated in illegal mining along with other Jubilee House officials.
According to him, he has never spoken to the former Minister for Science and Technology and former chairman of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (ICIM).
Responding to the portions of the report that captured his name as someone who supports galansey, he said the issue came as a surprise to him.
The report said Mr. Commey was one of the “appointees in the Jubilee House that were into or supporting illegal mining or interfering with the fight against the menace.”
But reacting, he denied the situation saying “This is a minister that I have never spoken to in my life and I wish you could put him on the line. I have been a National Organiser of this party [New Patriotic Party] for years when I knew him and never ever have I spoken to him in my life.”
“I really doubt that Professor Frimpong-Boateng actually wrote that and if he did write that, then, I am sure he wasn’t in the right frame of mind because I have never spoken to him in all my life.”
Due to the closure of airspace and ferocious fighting between competing forces, Canada has informed its people living in Sudan that evacuations are “not possible at this time”.
The Canadian government advised citizens to “continue to shelter in place” in a tweet sent out on Saturday, assuring them that it was “coordinating with other countries to respond to the crisis.”
The tweet was sent before US President Joe Biden said that members of the US government and their families had been evacuated during a special military operation.
Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it had evacuated Canadian nationals from Sudan to Saudi Arabia. However, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide the number of Canadians it had helped to evacuate.
There are 1,596 Canadians signed up to the Registration of Canadians Abroad Service in Sudan but this number provides only an estimate of Canadians in Sudan as registration is voluntary.
Since registration is voluntary, the number of registrants for any given area is typically not fully representative of the number of Canadians actually residing or visiting that area. Canadian citizens can register through the Registration of Canadians Abroad service on the Travel.gc.ca site.
Fierce fighting erupted in the northeastern country on April 15 between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The ensuing violence has seen hundreds killed and thousands wounded, igniting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Many Sudanese people have been desperately trying to flee escalating violence in Khartoum, where hospitals are being flooded with victims.
But escaping Sudan now is no easy task. Bus tickets out of the conflict zone are estimated to be at least five times more expensive than before.
Survivors have told CNN that they wanted to leave the country “at any cost.” “Death surrounded us from all directions so I said it would be better for us to die attempting to cling to life while trying to survive instead of dying by a stray bullet at home or maybe dying of hunger or thirst,” said a father of four.
In addition to Canadians, Saudi authorities said they had also evacuated people from 11 other countries which included Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates and Burkina Faso, as well as its own citizens.
Ghanaian comedian Derrick Kobina Bonney popularly known as DKB is dissatisfied with the way the app has changed in regard to celebrities.
Some weeks ago, Twitter owner, Elon Musk, announced that the verification badges would be taken away from the accounts of users unless they pay an amount of $7.
The businessman made this decision after he bought the ‘bird app’ from its former CEO, Jack Dorsey.
This has sparked massive concerns on social media particularly from celebrities who have been affected by it.
In the case of Ghanaian comedian, DKB, he won’t buy any Twitter verification as it will undermine his societal status.
He argued that paying for verification would undermine his status as a celebrity.
DKB wrote: “To be honest, as a CELEBRITY, if I buy this Twitter verification, I have undermined my status. Recognition can be bought but not authentic.
Would U let a doctor who didn’t go to medical school but bought a medical school PhD operate on U? I worked hard to become a CELEBRITY.”
Read the post below:
To be honest, as a CELEBRITY, if I buy this twitter verification, I have undermined my status.
Recognition can be bought but not authentic.
Would U let a doctor who didn't go to medical school but bought a medical school PhD operate on U?
According to a statement released by the nation’s foreign ministry on Sunday, France has started a “rapid evacuation operation” to remove its residents and diplomatic officials from Sudan.
The ministry stated that this would also apply to nationals of “European and allied partner” countries.
The first evacuations of citizens from nations like Qatar, Egypt, Canada, India, Burkina Faso, and the United Arab Emirates by Saudi officials coincide with the evacuation of US federal employees and Iraqi diplomats from embassies in the capital Khartoum.
Fighting between two rival military factions in the country – the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – continues despite a 72-hour truce declared for the Muslim holiday of Eid.
Loud explosions and clashes were reported early Sunday morning, particularly around the military headquarters and presidential palace in Khartoum.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that they could hear aerial attacks and heavy weapons being used in Khartoum as well as rocket launchers.
On Saturday night, the Sudanese Armed Forces spokesperson said that the RSF had released inmates from two prisons – El Hoda in northwest Omdurman and one in Soba.
Among El Hoda’s inmates are members of the security services, some of whom have been sentenced to death. There are also members of the RSF in the two prisons.
The RSF denied having released any prisoners.
In Bahri, a city north of Khartoum, hundreds of civilians protested late on Saturday against the fighting and violence – eyewitnesses told CNN journalists that they were using their lights from their phones while walking. The protest passed without violence or arrests.
On Sunday, protesters plan to display white flags in their homes.
CNN journalists said there is limited internet access to internet providers in Sudan.
According to Russian states media, more than 3,000 people were evacuated from residential structures in the Russian city of Belgorod on Saturday after a bomb was discovered nearby the location that the Russian air force unintentionally struck earlier this week.
According to TASS, explosion experts evaluated the gadget and determined that there was no threat of an explosion.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor of Belgorod, announced on his Telegram channel that the device had been taken out of the area and that residents were going back to their apartments.
Late on Thursday, a Russian warplane dropped a bomb on Belgorod – a city of more than 400,000 people close to the border with Ukraine – leaving a large crater, blowing a car onto a roof and damaging nearbybuildings.
Two people were reported injured in the explosion, local officials said.
State media blamed an “accidental” or “emergency” drop of munition for the incident.
It has not been confirmed whether the device discovered this weekend was also dropped on Thursday.
Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute and former Royal Australian Air Force officer, said the incident on Thursday was “odd.”
He said a pilot would normally release ordnance in a “safe” mode so it would not detonate and try to do so in an unpopulated area.
The Belgorod region has been the scene of several explosions and bombings since Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. The city was one of Russian troops’ staging areas in the run up to the invasion.
President Akufo-Addo’s Office has explained why the President did not act on the 37-paged Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) report which was authored by Prof Frimpong-Boateng.
In a press release, the office clarified that the document was not an official document formally submitted to the President to be acted upon. Rather, “it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims by Prof Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of IMCIM.
“This was after Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s tenure as Minister had not been renewed by the President of the Republic in his second term. The document did not have a transmittal or cover letter nor, indeed, an addressee, such as to suggest that it was submitted to the Chief of Staff for action.
“It is noteworthy that the IMCIM was a creature of Cabinet, and any formal report on its activities would, normally, be submitted to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary, or directly to the President of the Republic as Chairperson of Cabinet. Till date, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has done neither,” the statement said.
Moreover, the Professor did not provide any evidence to substantiate his claims, according to the statement from the President’s Office.
“It is important also to point out that, whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated,” it added.
The document by the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng imputes wrongdoing on the part of some government appointees in the fight against Galamsey.
Names like Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Former Forestry Commission boss, Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie also known as Sir John, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, as either being involved in illegal mining or having interfered with the work of the Committee during his tenure as its chairman.
The claims, however, have been fiercely resisted by the names mentioned in the report.
The Office of the President has also described them as mere “hearsay” since the Professor did not present any substantial evidence to back them.
“It is instructive that since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s meeting with the Chief of Staff in March, 2021, he has taken no step nor acted in furtherance of the matters contained in the document,” the statement said.
While clarifying matters, the Office of the President declared government’s unwavering commitment to the fight against galamsey.
“The President’s commitment to fighting illegal mining is unassailable, and the Office of the President welcomes any information on illegal mining activities which provides a credible basis for investigations to be conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.
“We continue to count on the co-operation of the general public,” it added.
A Nigerian pastor, identified as Iniobong Obot, has cautioned men not to get married if they do not have a stable income,
The clergyman made this known on Thursday, April 20, on his Facebook page.
He advised men to focus on acquiring a sustainable job instead of getting married.
According to him, a man who cannot provide for his family is worse than an infidel.
“As a man if you don’t have something that is giving you daily or monthly income, At this point what you are looking for is not wife but work. Leave spiritual aside, understand what is priority in life, because a man who can’t provide for his own house is worst than infidel.”
Amritpal Singh, a reputed leader of the Sikh separatist movement, has reportedly been apprehended by Indian police, ending a protracted months-long manhunt.
On the official Twitter account of Punjab Police India, the news was revealed in a tweet.
According to CNN’s Indian station News 18, Singh was detained in Moga, Punjab, in the northwest of India, but will be sent to a high-security jail in Assam in the country’s far east.
Singh is a leading ideologue within the Waris De Punjab group, an outlawed separatist movement that seeks to establish a sovereign state called Khalistan for followers of India’s minority Sikh religion.
Police have been searching for Singh since March 18, when he was accused of attempted murder, obstruction of law enforcement, and creating “disharmony” in society.
The manhunt has revived calls for an independent Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab state, stoked fears of violence, and revived painful memories of a bloody insurgency that killed thousands.
In March, while police searched for Singh, Indian authorities blocked internet access for about 27 million people in the state of Punjab, one of the country’s most extensive blackouts in recent years.
Prime suspect in the viral video of a gang captured abusing police officers at a galamsey site in Axim, Western Region, has been fished out and apprehended by the Ghana Police Service.
The 21-year-old, Kwame Ani was arrested with two other suspects, William Kwofie, a 17-year-old and Emmanuel Kojo Bronie also 17, at Boinso, a community near Enchi in the Western Region.
This is after Kwame and his accomplices had gone into hiding for several days after the video in which he was seeing ‘bullying’ the officers went viral. He had since gone into hiding until his arrest.
Prior to the arrest, he had been declared wanted, however, he released a series of videos denying committing any crime. Rather, he said he was a whistleblower who had given the police a tip-off on the activities of galamseyers in the area.
He was identified by a member of the Boinso community (a whistleblower) on Friday, April 21, 2023, at a drinking spot when he and his friends had gone out to have some drinks.
The whistleblower proceeded to report the suspects to the police, leading to their arrest.
The three suspects were interrogated by the Enchi Divisional commander about the video which was circulating on the social platforms indicating their involvement in molesting the Police on site at Axim and they confirmed that they were the people who attacked the Policemen in the video over some monetary issues.
After a search conducted on them, the police retrieved the following items; two talisman, one task bar, twenty pieces of rings, two store keys, one power bank, one Alcatel mobile phone, one Samsung mobile phone,a sponge, toilet soap, one phone battery, one phone charger and cash sum of one thousand two hundred and eleven Ghana cedis (GHC1,211.00).
The suspects have been placed in custody awaiting the arrival of the Axim Police for collection and necessary action as they have been informed accordingly through the WNR Commander.
Meanwhile, one of them absconded and he is being pursued by the Police. An ex-convict who was harbouring them has also been arrested.
Ghana has begun running a Carbon Market Office (CMO) to transact in the multi-billion dollar climate change industry.
Carbon markets are trading systems in which carbon credits – a permit acting as commodity- are sold towards sustainable development.
The market helps in reducing greenhouse gas emission cost-effectively.
One tradable carbon credit (a unit) equals one tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas reduced, removed or avoided.
Dr Daniel Tutu Benefoh, Ghana’s Focal Person, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency on Saturday.
“Just like we trade in gold and cocoa with other countries, we will export our surplus carbon credits to other countries that need the credits based on their limited allowances of emissions,” he said.
“The release of greenhouse gasses is posing a challenge to society that is why a price has been placed on it. This in a way is a form of the polluter pays system – the more you pollute, the more you pay.”
Dr Benefoh said the mandate of the CMO is to ensure that public and private project developers and other actors are provided with regulatory support and guidance on the rules and requirements of the business.
Its also provides approval letters, including authorisation of carbon credits within the permissible emission budget of Ghana’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions.
The CMO has developed a Ghana Carbon Registry (GCR) and other international private registries that provide registry services.
He said the registry had been set up to serve as a digital infrastructure system for recording and tracking carbon credits arising from mitigation projects being implemented in Ghana.
The GCR is managed by the CMO under the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovations with support from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The country’s quest to trade in that “commodity”, he said, was to contribute to raising funds to implement its 25 mitigation programmes in Ghana’s updated climate plans called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement to enable the country to live with climate change impacts and build resilience.
The country already has funding for nine of the NDCs, described as unconditional mitigation measures. The remaining 25 are conditional mitigation measures.
Dr Benefoh said the country needed over $6.3 billion in funding the implementation of the conditional mitigation programmes.
A study in 2020 provided grounds for the country to go into carbon trading, he said.
Mrs Juliana Bempeh, Principal Programme Officer at the EPA, said projects for the carbon trade must be centred around reduction in gas flaring in oil and gas production, landfill gas management, waste to energy, and biological treatment of waste by compost and biogas.
Others are wildfire management, forest conservation and forest plantation, freight rail transport and electric vehicles, energy efficiency in residence, commerce, public buildings and industry.
The rest are energy-efficient and renewable energy-powered public water facilities, green cooling in air conditioners and domestic refrigerators, improved biomass and LPG cooking stoves, sustainable charcoal production, solar PV systems, mini-grids utility-scale solar and utility-scale wind.
She said the CMO was engaging some companies on the trading system.
The completion of regulations around Article 6.2 concluded at the 26th Conference of Parties meeting in Glasgow, paved the way for Ghana to operationalise an already signed bilateral agreement with Switzerland on carbon trade.
It allows the two Parties to mobilise key national stakeholders to co-create a legally binding agreement to govern the generation, authorisation and tracking of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) in the light of the requirements of the Article 6.2 cooperative approach.
So far, four countries – Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, and Korea – are engaging Ghana at the bilateral level on carbon trade.
Director of Communications for the opposition National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi has hit back at NPP stalwart, Gabby Otchere-Darko over his response to the IMCIM report authored by Prof Frimpong-Boateng.
Mr Gyamfi rubbished the justification given by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko in response to allegations of interference made against him by the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Frimpong Boateng.
According to him, Mr Otchere-Darko’s argument of acting professionally as a lawyer when he called Prof. Frimpong-Boateng on phone does not conform to the ethics of the legal profession.
“He said he is a lawyer and that if his client had been asked to stop work because they are engaged in alleged illegality he had a right to act through a phone call. Which law school or course thought you that as a lawyer when a minister stops your client, a mining company from working for going beyond what their prospecting licences permit you pick a phone to call the minister?” he questioned during an interview on Adom TV.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng in a 36-page report recalls how Gabby Otchere-Darko, a cousin of the president and an influential member of the ruling NPP, called him on phone to question his decision to order for the dislodgment of equipment of a Mining Company Imperial Heritage which Prof. Frimpong Boateng argues was mining illegally with a prospecting license in forest reserves.
In response however, Gabby pointed out that he was only acting in his capacity as a senior partner of Africa Legal Associates and legal representative of the company.
But according to Sammy Gyamfi, Mr Otchere-Darko’s decision to call the then minister on phone was nothing short of influence peddling.
“[As a lawyer] you write a letter to the institution that stopped your client. Once you start picking up phones and calling… If he was not the cousin of President Akufo-Addo would have been able to call Prof Frimpong-Boateng on phone? Lawyers we don’t work with phones when it comes to government, you write a letter. The phone call he made was just to peddle his influence, he was flexing his power; he was trying to show the minister that the people you were touching are my clients, my peopled and I am the president’s cousin, the de facto prime minister,” Sammy Gyamfi who is also a legal practitioner argued.
The report by Prof. Frimpong Boateng was authored in March 2021 and details the challenges he faced during his tenure as chairperson of the erstwhile Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
The former minister in the report submitted to the Chief of State alleged that some officials of the government and political actors were actively involved in illegal mining,
He further accused some individuals of interfering in the fight against galamsey.
Meanwhile, the presidency despite failing to act or respond to the report which was submitted to the Chief of Staff some two years ago has reacted to the former minister’s claims after the report was recently leaked to the media.
According to the presidency, the document authored by the former minister is without supporting evidence despite the various allegations implicating government officials as being involved in illegal mining or interfering in the fight against same.
“Indeed, the allegations contained in the document are at best hearsay. It is instructive that since Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s meeting with the Chief of Staff in March, 2021, he has taken no step nor acted in furtherance of the matters contained in the document,” the presidency said in a statement dated April 22, 2023.
The presidency in the rejoinder dated Saturday, April 22, 2023, said “The document being discussed was not an official report formally delivered to the Office of the President. On the contrary, it can only be rightly referred to as a catalogue of personal grievances and claims made by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, intended to respond to some issues he faced as Chairperson of the IMCIM.
“The document was handed to the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President on March 19th 2021, in an informal meeting, where Prof. Frimpong-Boateng complained about public attacks and criticisms made about his tenure as Chairperson of the IMCIM.”
According to the presidency, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s report did not have any official status and was not supported with any evidence despite the allegations contained in it.
“The document did not have a transmittal or cover letter nor, indeed, an addressee, such as to suggest that it was submitted to the Chief of Staff for action. It is noteworthy that the IMCIM was a creature of Cabinet, and any formal report on its activities would, normally, be submitted to Cabinet through the Cabinet Secretary, or directly to the President of the Republic as Chairperson of Cabinet. Till date, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has done neither.
“It is important also to point out that, whilst Prof. Frimpong-Boateng makes serious allegations against some government appointees, as having been involved in, supporting or interfering with the fight against illegal mining, not a single piece of evidence was adduced or presented to enable the claims to be properly investigated,” the presidency noted.
Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Sam Nartey George has said Ghana’s economy is gone beyond being broke to bankruptcy.
According to him,Ken Ofori-Atta has taken the country to a stage where the government cannot be bailed out and that’s the difference between being broke and bankrupt.
Speaking on Good Morning Ghana show, he reiterated that Ghana could not be called broke but bankrupt. “…we are not even qualified to be called broke to be borrowed money, we are bankrupt. There is a difference between being broke and be bankrupt. If you are bankrupt, we can’t bail you out and that’s is where this delusional person has taken us to with the management of his economy. He still thinks that management of the economy is about wearing white and quoting the bible.”
He said the finance minister should not be taken seriously as anything he says is not exactly what he does which includes his statement that there won’t be a haircut, yet implemented it.
“Whatever Ken Ofori-Atta tells you; he means the opposite. He told Ghanaian people there will be no haircut and IMF. But we are not just at the IMF, we are begging China, begging the Paris Club, and begging everybody. That’s how messed up we are,” he added.
One of the most sacred times of the year in the faith of Islam is Ramadan. Muslims around the world have been fasting for this holy month.
The fasting begins from sunrise to sunset with the highly anticipated Eid al-Fitr feast.
Eid celebrations often include large feasts, gift-giving, and gatherings among family and friends. Eid feasts can include hearty main dishes, including lots of slow-cooked meat, toasty grains, and refreshing.
Celebrate the end of Ramadan with these hearty dishes for your Eid al-Fitr feast.
Tuo Zaafi
Tuo Zaafi is a highly nutritious Ghanaian delicacy eaten with special vegetable leaves used in making the accompanying soup, including ‘ayoyo’,’ Aleefi’, ‘Kuukar’, ‘Okra’, and ‘Shuray’ leaves.
Tuo zaafi sits on top of the list of preferences for the Muslim festival. If you have never tried tuozafi, this Eid may be your chance to try this meal.
Rice and Tomato stew
This meal will arguably be the most popular during Eid. Most families choose to cook this rice and stew because it is relatively easier to execute especially in large quantities. It is also quick to make and not complicated.
Meat
The abundance of meat on Eid is inexplicable. There is usually so much meat at the end of the celebration.
Usually, in most Muslim homes this celebration makes merry with lots of fried meat, and share with family and loved ones.
Jollof
This Eid is not complete should you not come across this delicious meal in many Muslim homes during this feast.
Waakye
This rice and beans dish is a favorite, especially among Muslim communities in Ghana. Be sure to come across a lot of waakye this Eid.
To honor this holy time, here are some recipes to make this year’s Eid a deliciously memorable one.
A police officer at the center of a murder case in Adum, Kumasi has been declared wanted by the Ghana Police Service.
Inspector Ahmed Twumasi is being sought over the alleged murder of a 26-year-old mother of one Maa Adwoa at Adum in the Ashanti region.
The police officer, popularly known as Tycoon, is stationed in Manhyia Palace among Palace security.
Mr. Twumasi has been identified as the suspect who murdered a 26-year-old mother of one Maa Adwoa on Thursday 20th April 2023 at Adum in front of Dufie Towers in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.
The police Inspector is also a member of the Ashanti regional police command’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit.
He allegedly shot his girlfriend (side chick) five times according to police sources over cheating which is closely associated with the deceased.
The deceased, according to a close friend, became furious and broke up with Twumasi Ahmed, the police officer.
The police officer now at large then asked her to forget the issue and begged her to reconsider the breakup decision.
While trying to reconcile with the lady without any sign of progress the suspect then, allegedly, pulled a sidearm and shot her five times until she bled and passed on.
Police sources in Kumasi say their colleague at the moment is at large and they are doing everything to arrest him to assist in investigations.
Other sources from Manhyia Palace also disclosed the suspect after committing the alleged crime, allegedly called a driver in the Palace known as (4040) and briefed him of a crime he has committed on Thursday evening and also served him notice of going to commit suicide.
Reggae musician, Ras Kuuku, has criticized Ghanaian TikToker, Asantewaa for saying she is a necessary ‘spice’ in the creative space.
Earlier in an interview with Kwaku Manu, Asantewaa likened herself to salt, adding that she is an essential product in music promotion in the country.
“I’m like salt in music promotion, your songs can’t trend without me”.
However, Ras Kuuku has joined the list of netizens to criticize the Tik Toker’s statements.
“Before the emergence of TikTokers, a lot of artistes were making hits upon hits and even now that they are around there are a lot of hits without them,” he fumed.
According to Ras Kuuku, Asantewaa must learn to humble herself.
He continued “Those TikTok influencers bragging must learn to humble themselves because if the musician don’t do the song where do you stand?
“None of my songs have so far been given to any TikToker to hype it but my songs reign on TikTok because people use Me Mpaebo every day to do morning devotion.
“They are not those to determine which songs become hits and so they should humble themselves to feed on the app that has come. They can’t say that they are the people who control Ghana music but maybe they control some section and not we the real people who do sensible songs,” he ended.
Flagbearer hopeful, Dr Kwabena Duffour says a future National Democratic Congress (NDC) government with him as President will eliminate all schools under trees.
Speaking during a tour of the Central Region ahead of the party’s presidential primaries, he said contractors who are indigenes of the beneficiary communities will be in charge of the construction of the schools.
The former Finance Minister has had cause to refocus his campaign on education infrastructure in the past few days.
This follows a recent report of students of the Ghana Secondary School (GHANASCO) in Tamale using toilet cubicles for accommodation has triggered uproar across the country.
He says it exposes the many challenges facing the education sector including lack of buildings for students to study in, a situation his administration will tackle head-on.
“If we come to power, we will solve the problem of schools under trees. This time we will allow local contractors and artisans in the various communities to undertake the construction,” he told the teeming crown in the region.
Former National Organizer of the NDC, Yaw Boateng Gyan who is on the campaign trail with the former Finance Minister revealed in 2012 after the demise of President John Evans Atta Mills, together with three national executive members of the party, they stood their ground and did not allow the opening of nominations for others to contest John Mahama.
He says that action was necessary because it was just five months before the elections.
Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil has indicates that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is the best choice as the next president of Ghana.
According to him, the vice president has put his best foot forward amongst the number of individuals who have expressed interest in the presidency ahead of the 2024 election.
“You may say I’m biased, but this is the reason why!!
This week of all the people running for President, the greatest stuff I heard was from DMB [Dr Mahamudu Bawumia].
“Read and see if you agree!
“You see, we have to pick Someone to run this town.
“For now I still think he’s the best.
“If I find a better one I promise I will tell you,” the vice president of IMANI stated in a Facebook post.
His statement was in reaction to the address delivered by the vice president at the African Development Conference held recently at the Harvard Law School in the United Kingdom.
Speaking on the topic “Reimagining Africa’s Growth on our Terms: Lessons from Ghana’s Digitalisation Story,” Dr Bawumia advocated the need for Africa to deal with its challenges in order to earn a voice at the global table.
According to Kofi Bentil, the vice president’s address was not mere words as it outlines the visions of government under Dr Bawumia.
“I already see people commenting that it’s only words. Yes. I believe God created the earth with words. Everything starts from declarations. Where is the one you prefer, where are his words? I want to hear all of them,” he noted.
Ahead of Ghana’s next presidential elections, the two main political parties, the ruling New Patriotic Party and the opposition National Democratic Congress are gearing up to elect their flagbearers.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has emerged as a frontrunner in the NPP race, having received wide endorsements from within and outside of his party.
On the NDC front, former President John Dramani Mahama who is regarded by some members of his party as the presumptive flagbearer is in the lead ahead of the party’s May 13, congress.
General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, says former Forestry Commission boss, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, has become “a troublesome ghost” following his alleged involvement in illegal mining prior to his demise.
Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie was among persons named in the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) report authored by former chairman of the Committee, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, as actively engaged in illegal mining.
He had a gang of Chinese nationals mining illegally on his behalf, Prof Frimpong-Boateng stated in the report.
The former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation further disclosed that Sir John “gave forestry entry permits to mining companies, both large and small scale, including those of foreign nationals for prospecting activities at a time when the President had put a ban on that activity.”
Additionally, Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriye) was actively giving out timber concessions, even in forest reserves for logging.” Professor Frimpong-Boateng postulates that this could be a reason why the Forestry Commission never signed up on the Galamstop platform, created to curb illegal mining.
It is against this background, and the fact that illegal mining has had a negative toll on the nation.
“Sir John has become a very troublesome ghost because even in the report it says that he did not allow the forest commission to be on the Galamstop platform,” she said.
The document dubbed “Report on the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM)” made captivating revelations about the (gold) mining industry, especially persons involved in illegal mining and the works and gains chalked by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) during the Professor’s tenure as the chairman.
A 37-page report byformer Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has revealed that some New Patriotic Party (NPP) officials at Jubilee House are engaged in small-scale unlawful mining (galamsey).
According to him, these individuals prevented him from addressing the issue, as well as the committee he headed.
General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, has expressed some concerns about the leaked report authored by former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
She says there are a lot of inconsistencies in the report.
“I’m confused because reading through the report, I find a lot of consistency. There’s something that’s not making up,” she said.
Her major concern was with the date the Professor was asked to present the report (.i.e 2019) and when the report was finally released (i.e 2021).
“At what point did all these things [events in the report] happen? If it happened in 2019, why are we not getting a report dated 2019 with a memo on it to the Cabinet, copying the President and everyone involved. Truly this is not the best,” she said.
She further argued that the report in question cannot represent the perspective of the Committee since it entails a lot of ‘I’s which indicates that the report was written from the Professor’s point of view.
“And when I was reading the report, I saw a lot of ‘I’ ‘I’ which means that the report was written by a person but a report covering an issue with the magnitude of galamsey should not be written by a person. It should be written by a team with the Secretary doing the minutes and compiling the report
Additionally, she questioned why the Professor did not release the report or speak up when various allegations were being peddled against him in the past but waited till now before speaking up.
“Someone might even say it is sour grapes because at the time when he was being accused when he was the Minister, the best thing he could have done was to resign, disassociate himself from the claims and expose those being exposed now. So that everyone will know that he’s not part,’ she added.
It is in view of these that she contends that there are discrepancies in the report that urgently need to be investigated.
“It means there’s a problem with the report that we have to interrogate. The inconsistencies are not very pleasant,” she added.
Co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Dr Steve Manteaw had described as a “charade” government’s fight against galamsey.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, April 22, 2023, he opined that the fight has been more of lip service than action oriented.
His comment follows the leaked report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) authored by Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, in which a number of government officials have been named as having engaged in galamsey or interfered with the work of the Committee.
Commenting on the report, the Professor asserted that the fight has become difficult since there officials at the Presidency involved.
“But to the extent that at the level of the presidency, there’s a certain complicity, then it becomes very difficult to fight it. So I’ve always actually described the fight against Galamsey as a charade, and I’ve never really taken the president seriously, especially when he said he was putting his job on the line.
He further bemoaned the failure of President Akufo-Addo to act on the matter.
“Since 2021, when he received this report, what has he done about it? Not even a public expression of indignation at the revelations in this report and directing actions that will actually get to the bottom of the allegations contained in the report,” he said.
Meanwhile, the said officials including Charles Bissue , Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Lord Commey, among others have all denied the allegations.
ChatGPT has been used to create student essays, write wedding vows, and create stirring sermons for pastors and rabbis in the five months since its introduction.
A Japanese city is now using the AI chatbot for yet another purpose: aiding in the management of the government.
A spokesperson from the municipal government told CNN the nationwide population crisis was a factor they considered when implementing the use of ChatGPT.
Aging Japan’s population has been rapidly falling for years, with the country’s leader warning recently that “time is running out to procreate,” and that Japan is “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions.”
Yokosuka is no exception. The city’s population of 376,171 is expected to keep shrinking, the natural causes exacerbated by the departure of major manufacturers and insufficient tourism, according to the government site.
In the face of these population problems, the city turned to ChatGPT to enhance efficiency and establish a better workflow within government operations, said the spokesperson.
With ChatGPT handling rote administrative tasks, “staff can focus on work that can only be done by people, pushing forward an approach that brings happiness for our citizens,” said the news release.
It added that the government anticipates the tool will be “used widely among our staff.” No confidential or personal information will be entered into ChatGPT, it said.
But not every government has been as welcoming to ChatGPT.
There have been widespread data privacy concerns, prompting Italian regulators to issue a temporary ban on the chatbot last month as they investigate how its parent company uses data.
Some big companies, including JPMorgan Chase, have clamped down on employees’ use of ChatGPT due to compliance concerns related to employees’ use of third-party software.
The scramble by rival tech companies to develop their own AI tools has also highlighted the ways AI can spit out racist, sexist and harmful content.
But at least in Yokosuka, government leaders are focusing on the positive – with the news release saying it has high expectations for the roll-out.
At the bottom of the document, a single line read: “This release was drafted by ChatGPT and proofread by our staff.”
This Monday, Yokosuka City, in the Kanagawa prefecture in central Japan, declared that it would start utilising ChatGPT to assist with administrative duties. According to a press release posted on the local government’s website, the chatbot could be used by all staff to “summarise sentences, check spelling errors, and create ideas.”
