Africa’s airlines are rebounding from the pandemic, with a report by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) indicating that the traffic carried by the continent’s airlines in March had reached nearly 95% of the 2019 levels. Domestic traffic led the share at 37% of the total, followed by intercontinental traffic at 32% and passenger traffic between African states at 31%. The total number of intercontinental routes operated has been higher than in 2019 since October 2022. Eight key airports, including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Cairo, have achieved or exceeded pre-pandemic levels for intra-Africa travel.
AFRAA’s membership represents airlines in member states of the African Union (AU), reflecting over 85% of the international traffic carried by African airlines. The association promotes the continent as “an excellent opportunity to develop air transport” and advocates for “Better Skies for Africa.” However, the continent only accounts for 2% of global trade and 3% of the world market share of air transport.
To promote air transport development, AFRAA is hosting its 11th Aviation Stakeholders Convention, with over 400 delegates from Africa and worldwide attending to discuss strategies to enhance efficiencies, create synergies, and develop intra-Africa connectivity. Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, is hosting the convention.
The AFRAA has advised that 2023 is seeing a “narrowing” of the revenue gaps of airlines compared to the previous year. Africa’s airlines were below the revenue levels seen in the same period in 2019 by 0.3 billion USD in the first quarter of 2023, and the association expects this to reduce further to 0.2 billion USD in the second quarter. Estimates for full-year revenue gaps are not yet available; however, 2023 is expected to perform better than the previous year, which saw a 3.5 billion USD loss for all African airlines.
To support continued recovery and air transport growth, AFRAA is providing advocacy on airline-blocked funds. According to the association, Nigeria currently has 743 million USD of airline-blocked funds, and three of its member airlines have approximately 44.2 million USD blocked in the country.
The AFRAA states that countries with blocked funds at the end of last year, including Algeria, Libya, Cameroon, The Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Conakry, Burundi, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, impose a financial burden on airlines that support air connectivity and economic activities in these countries.
AFRAA’s efforts to promote air transport development in Africa are in line with the continent’s potential as an untapped market for airlines. With the right infrastructure, support, and advocacy, Africa could become a vital player in the global air transport industry.
Ernest Opoku Jnr. could not hold back his tears at the wedding ceremony of his beloved ex-girlfriend who ended up with another man after wasted years of catering for her needs and that of her parents.
The Ghanaian gospel musician has recounted how his relationship with his former girlfriend collapsed when she meet a new man who snatched her from him despite his sacrifices.
The painful part of the story is the investment Ernest made with the hopes of securing a better future for his woman.
Everything came crashing down when he had to sit at the wedding of his first love upon an invitation to witness her union with her new lover.
Sharing his story for the first time on the Okukuseku Show with Emelia Brobbey in 2022, Ernest revealed that tears rolled down his eyes when the couple kissed.
“I was very calm and composed until the officiating minister said ‘you may kiss your bride’,” he said.
Dmitro Kuleba, the foreign minister for Ukraine, visited Iraq today for the first time since the war began in an effort to secure diplomatic backing.
To put an end to the conflict, Baghdad has demanded a cease-fire and offered to intervene between Ukraine and Russia.
However, Ukraine’s top diplomat stressed that his country would not participate in peace negotiations unless Russia withdrew from its territory. This travel to Iraq is the first by a Ukrainian foreign minister in 11 years.
Baghdad “has experience in communication with countries that have tension between them” and “is ready to be in service of peace,” Iraq’s foreign minister Fuad Hussein said at a joint news conference in Baghdad.
But Mr Kuleba said while Ukraine sees Iraq as “a country that is capable of building bridges”, it was important to note that “Ukraine wants peace and Russia wants war”.
Dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale, has projected some factors which according to him, caused Nana Ama McBrown’s exit from UTV.
According to him, McBrown was working under toxic conditions at her former workplace coupled with intense pressure from her former bosses.
It can be recalled that in January, Shatta was attacked on social media for claiming that the actress was ineffective as the host for the United Showbiz.
He made such comments while tasking Fada Dickson to reconsider his objectives for the show which he (Shatta) finds absurd.
“Nana Ama McBrown is an actress, Nana Ama McBrown doesn’t know anything about presenting. Sometimes she can present and someone can counter her. Fada Dickson, I beg, I respect you and Despite so much because the innovations, the idea, the vision that you people have for this country is helping a lot of people.”
“Please check your radio stations and TV stations. The programmes you are doing are nonsense. It’s nonsense, it’s stupid. We have boys from Legon who have some ideas. Let them bring it on board,” he earlier stated in a Facebook live video.
But two months down the lane, Nana Ama McBrown has left UTV to Media General, a move Shatta Wale has applauded.
Reacting to it, he said in Pidgin English that it was the best move, adding that the controversial structure of the show would have landed her into more chaos.
“Everybody for pick my stone for me. I talk Nana Ama McBrown en matter you said I shouldn’t talk, not knowing there are problems. When I talk, you’ll say I am talking too much. God will direct the thing. What I am seeing is what I am talking about. When I spoke, everybody was complaining but you see Problem dey there.
‘They worried the woman. They worried the woman, they gave her some nonsense pressure. Nana Ama McBrown, you did very well by leaving UTV to Media General. That’s what I wanted. Find your path,” he stated during a recent Facebook live.
Two Russian nuclear-capable missile-carrying bombers have conducted routine patrol flights over the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea off Russia’s Far East, according to the TASS news agency.
The Tu-95MS strategic bombers carried out a planned fly over the neutral waters as part of the “surprise combat readiness inspection of the Pacific Fleet,” according to a statement from the Kremlin.
The ministry noted that the crews of the strategic bombers will continue conducting airborne patrols in other regions.
It also stressed that the Russian aircrafts were carrying out their flights in “strict compliance with the international rules of using the airspace over neutral waters”.
“During their patrol, the missile-carrying bombers conducted mid-air refuelling from an Il-78 aerial refuelling tanker,” a statement from the ministry reads.
A former contestant on Big Brother Spain has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for sexually assaulting a fellow contestant.
José María López assaulted a female participant on the reality TV show in 2017 after an alcohol-fuelled party.
The footage was never aired, and López was kicked off the show after the attack.
The judge said Lopez was “driven by a lustful impulse” and knew the victim was “in a drunken stupor”.
Warning: Contains details some readers may find distressing
The victim reported the incident to the police in 2018. The trial was due to start in February 2022 but was delayed because she did not feel able to testify.
López and the woman had been in a relationship inside the Big Brother house before the attack.
The judge said López took the victim’s trousers off while the pair shared a bed, before making “sexual movements” under the duvet.
The victim said “I can’t” before “the defendant’s lewd movements continued for several minutes, until the victim’s face and arm were uncovered, revealing her unconscious state, prompting [the producers] to intervene,” the judge wrote.
López said he did not realise his victim was unconscious.
The judge said he treated the victim as a “sex toy”, “without there being the slightest shadow of consent and, consequently, of freedom on her part in what happened,” El País reported.
The next morning, the producers showed the victim the video of the assault in the confessions room.
Despite López receiving a 15-month sentence, it is unclear whether he will spend any time in jail.
Under Spanish law, people who receive a sentence of less than two years and have no prior criminal record do not always have to serve time in prison.
The judge also imposed a four-year restraining order on López, during which time he is not allowed to contact the victim. He was ordered to pay her €6,000 (£5,298) in compensation.
The Spanish production company that made the show, Zeppelin Televisión SA must also pay compensation for “moral damage” caused by not providing enough support to the victim.
The assault only became public two years after it happened when a Spanish news website, El Confidencial, released footage of the moment producers showed the victim the assault video.
Big Brother was first launched in the Netherlands in 1999. It is a popular reality TV show where contestants stay in a purpose-built home for many weeks without access to the outside world, and all their actions are filmed.
The show has been embroiled in several controversies, including in Australia in 2006 when two male contestants were removed for assaulting a woman on the show.
“It is important for me to hear your opinion on how the situation is developing, to listen to you, to exchange information,” Mr Putin told the commanders.
Mr Putin also presented servicemen with icons.
“The head of state also congratulated the servicemen on the Easter holiday and gave them copies of icons as a gift,” the Kremlin said.
Renowned Kumawood actor Bill Asamoah has earned a master’s degree in monitoring and evaluation from Christian Service University College in Kumasi.
The actor and producer had to jostle between acting and his postgraduate education while he catered for his family.
He joined over 200 postgraduate students to form members of the 46th Special Congregation of the university.
Bill couldn’t hide his joy during the 46th Special congregation ceremony as he walked gracefully down the aisle to receive his certificate of honour.
“I’m super excited and more than humbled for this glory and this feat that I have attained. Thanks to every soul that has supported me this far,” he said.
He says the education and skills gained from the degree program will be channeled into the film industry to enhance the sector and ultimately pique the interest of the public.
“As I am still working in the film industry, every single knowledge I have acquired I will transcend it there. Whatever opportunity I will be given, I am ready to serve with the skills have gained so far,” he added.
The local movie industry, particularly Kumawood has in the past years suffered a grave breakdown – almost at the verge of collapse.
The production and sale of movies in the local dialect [Twi] have not seen much patronage with upload of most movies on streaming platforms.
The President of the Kumasi Branch of the Ghana Actors Guild is entreating local movie lovers to visit online movie sites to catch glimpses of Ghanaian movies.
“We have been advocating for a single platform where we can have all the movies uploaded for people to enjoy. A platform where about 2 million Ghanaians are subscribed to. But for the time being, people should at least use an amount of their data to stream our movies,” he indicated.
However, he is suggesting a collaboration between local television broadcasting networks and movie producers to create quality contents for television as observed on international TV channels.
“The independent channels should commission some of our producers to do contents for them by shooting some of the tv series and the movies for them. They shouldn’t only go back door and be buying them at cheaper prices as well as buying some of our old movies and showing them on TV,” he said.
According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin has visited military headquarters in the southern Kherson and eastern Luhansk territories, which Russia holds in part.
The Russian president attended a military command meeting in the Kherson region to hear commanders’ reports and to consult with other senior officers about the circumstances in the provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, both of which Moscow has annexed.
Additionally, Putin went to the Luhansk region’s national guard headquarters, which Moscow annexed last year.
The Kremlin did not say when Mr Putin attended the meetings or what comments he made.
Last November, Russian troops were ordered to withdraw from the city of Kherson and surrounding areas in the south of Ukraine.
Russia’s top commander in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, said it was no longer possible to supply the city and other parts of the west bank of the Dnipro River that it sat on.
The announcement marked one of Russia’s most significant retreats and another humiliating setback for Mr Putin.
The Kherson region was illegally annexed in September, along with three other Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. The international community has not recognised the annexations.
Flagbearer aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed concern over the state of second-cycle education in the country following reports of a school converting a toilet facility into a washroom.
A recent report of students of the Ghana Secondary School (GHANASCO) in Tamale using toilet cubicles for accommodation has triggered uproar across the country.
Dr Duffuor has added his voice to the issue describing it as heartbreaking.
The former Finance Minister finds it difficult to fathom that “at this stage in the life of Ghana, after 66 years of Independence, some of our Senior High School children are being compelled to sleep in toilets because of the destruction of school facilities as well as the inability to rapidly replace/repair dilapidated structures.”
“Ghana Secondary School (GHANASCO), Tamale, is nothing short of, sordid,” he explained.
The headmaster of the school has since been asked to step aside.
But in an April 18 communique, Dr Duffuor insisted that it should not end there.
“While the rod is not being spared vis-a-vis the interdiction of the Headmaster, let the Policy Makers honestly work towards providing adequate facilities to support the educational transformation process.
The US Navy has dispatched a destroyer to a disputed island in the South China Sea that Beijing has militarized in order to assert its claim to the territory.
The voyage took place as the Chinese military began its third day of a show of force surrounding Taiwan, a thousand miles away, close to the northern entrance to the South China Sea, in retaliation to a quick trip to the United States by Taiwan’s president.
An announcement from the US Navy’s 7th Fleet on Monday claimed that the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius had come within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly islands, also known as the Nansha Islands in China.
Mischief Reef, which lies in the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone, is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. But Beijing has asserted its claims to the island by building it up and placing military infrastructure on it.
The US contends such actions are in violation of the Law of the Sea Convention.
“Features like Mischief Reef that are submerged at high tide in their naturally formed state are not entitled to a territorial sea. The land reclamation efforts, installations, and structures built on Mischief Reef do not change this characterization under international law,” the US 7th Fleet statement said.
China claims almost all of the vast South China Sea as part of its territorial waters, including many distant islands and inlets in the disputed body of water, many of which – like Mischief Reef – Beijing has militarized.
A spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command said the US destroyer “illegally intruded” into Chinese waters near Mischief Reef, whichBeijing calls Meiji Reef.
“China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their nearby waters,” Air Force Senior Col. Tian Junli said in a statement.
The US destroyer’s so-called freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) defended the rights for vessels of any nation to operate in the area, the 7th Fleet statement said.
US warships regularly conduct such FONOPs in the South China Sea and Monday’s was the second in three weeks by the Milius, which on March 23 sailed near the Paracel Islands, known as the Xisha Islands in China, in the northern part of the South China Sea.
“The United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows – regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events,” the 7th Fleet said in Monday’s statement.
After the March FONOP, Beijing claimed the US had violated its sovereignty while “undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said.
Monday’s US FONOP came as Chinese forces entered their third day of large-scale military exercises around the island of Taiwan, the self-governing democracy to the north of the South China Sea that China’s ruling Communist Party claims as its territory despite never having ruled it.
Beijing launched the operations around Taiwan on Saturday, a day after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a 10-day visit to Central America and the United States where she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Beijing had repeatedly warned against Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy and had previously threatened to take “strong and resolute measures” if it went ahead.
Popular Ghanaian actress Xandy Kamel has made it clear that she will no longer forgive those who body shame her.
The actress, who has been a victim of body shaming in the past, revealed that she has had enough of people causing her emotional pain.
In an interview with Zion Felix, Xandy Kamel stated that body shaming is a form of bullying and that it is not right for people to judge others based on their appearance because it is hurtful to be constantly criticized for something that one has no control over.
The actress went on to say that she has decided to take a stand this year and will not forgive anyone who body shames her. She said that she has resorted to cursing such people because she wants to make it clear that their actions are not acceptable.
“For me, I will do all kinds of banter with you but I won’t body shame you. I won’t insult you because of childlessness, I won’t insult you because of marriage, so there are things I don’t do.
“But if you do it to me, I swear to God we will go spiritual. This year, that is what I have said, so this year is all about cursing.
“You see, say whatever you want to say but don’t body shame me, because one, you don’t know my health records, you don’t know whatever I am going through, like, you don’t know anything about me, I haven’t wronged you so why would you body shame me? Insult me and go fine, but don’t body shame,” she said.
Body shaming has become a growing concern in recent years, with many people speaking out against it. Celebrities in particular are often targeted, with their every move and appearance being scrutinized by the public.
Palestinian officials reported that an Israeli soldier shot and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the Aqbat Jaber refugee camp close to the occupied West Bank city of Jericho on Monday as tensions in the area remained high.
The ministry stated that Mohammad Fayez Balhan was “killed by live occupation bullets in the head, chest and abdomen,” and that two further persons had been hurt by live ammunition and taken to a hospital in Jericho for treatment.
Israeli forces claimed they entered the camp to apprehend a “terror suspect.”
“During the activity, violent riots were instigated in a number of locations,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. “As the soldiers left the area, suspects opened fire toward them, hurled explosive devices and Molotov cocktails. The soldiers responded with live fire and .22 caliber ammunition. Hits were identified.”
Tensions in Israel and the occupied West Bank have spiraled in the aftermath of recent Israeli police raids on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh warned that images of Israeli forces storming the mosque had “created an incredible mood of anger among every Palestinian, wherever they are – in Gaza, in Ramallah, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Syria,” and called on Israel to deescalate the situation.
“There is a mood of anger that is there in the heart and mind of every Palestinian,” he said in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Over the last week, dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon, Gaza and Syria into Israeli territory, followed by Israeli retaliatory strikes.
On Friday, a vehicle hit a group of tourists in Tel Aviv, killing one Italian national, in what Israeli authorities described as a terror attack. Two sisters, aged 15 and 20, with dual British-Israeli citizenship were also killed Friday in a shooting attack in the West Bank. On Monday, the mother of the women, Lucy Dee, succumbed to wounds sustained during the shooting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the shooting as a “severe terrorist attack.”
“On behalf of all citizens of Israel, I convey heartfelt condolences to the Dee family on the passing of the mother of the family, Leah (Lucy), who was murdered in the severe terrorist attack in the Jordan Valley last Friday, together with her two daughters Maia and Rina,” Netanyahu said in a statement Monday.
Netanyahu on Friday instructed Israeli police “to mobilize all border police units in reserve and the IDF to mobilize additional forces in face of terrorist attacks,” according to his office. The Israeli military said it was on high alert, calling up an unspecified number of reservists amid what it described as “very volatile times.”
Also on Monday, thousands of Israeli settlers staged a march to Evyatar, an illegal settler outpost in the occupied West Bank that has been a flashpoint for Israel’s settler movement. Far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Givr, among those who have spearheaded a campaign to legalize the outpost, was among the protesters.
Evyatar sits on a hilltop, along a corridor linking Tel Aviv to the Jordan Valley, known locally as Jabal Subeih. Palestinians who say they own land in the site have been holding counter-protests.
Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians close to the nearby town of Beita led to nearly hundreds of injuries, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 216 people were injured in the clashes, including 22 people hit by rubber bullets which, they say, were fired by Israeli forces. Three people were transferred to hospital, it also said.
In a statement, the IDF said “a violent riot” had been instigated near Beita, adding that “rocks were hurled at the soldiers, lightly injuring two IDF soldiers” and “security forces at the scene responded with riot dispersal means.”
Asked about video shared on social media that appeared to show Israeli forces throwing tear gas canisters at journalists in the area, the Israel Police released a statement saying it “appears that the security forces failed to adhere to the established rules and guidelines” in ensuring freedom of the press.
Palestinians in Beita, which is just south of Nablus, say they own the land at Evyatar.
Israeli settlers left Evyatar in 2021 after a deal with the government of then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The buildings remained as part of the government’s deal with the settlers.
“The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, belongs to us,” Knesset member Ariel Kallner, of Netanyahu’s Likud party, told CNN. “I think that those who live here, the Arabs and so on, they can live here. But it’s our land.”
Under international law, both the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered occupied territory and settlements there illegal, which Israel disputes.
Nabil Abu Radina, a spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the march as an “invasion of settler militias, led by ministers from the Israeli occupation government.” Abu Radina also demanded than “immediate and quick intervention” by the US government to “stop this madness for which the entire region will pay the price.”
Mr Richard Asante Amoah, Lead Executive of CISCM, noted that the government should support them to get an integrated supply chain executive instrument that would support them to have a full force in regulating the sector.
He also advised businesses to join forces during this time of economic difficulties to gain value which would also boost the country’s financial strength.
Mr Amoah made the remarks in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a health walk and free medical screening held at the Legon City Mall to begin the celebration of this year’s World Supply Week.
The walk, which was held in collaboration with the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) and the Legon City Mall, was to create awareness on occupational health and safety among workers.
The Lead Executive of CISCM said the organisation prioritised the health of its workers hence the need to engage other partners to make this occasion a memorable one.
According to him, being medically sound would not only make them fit, but would go a long way to enhancing the productivity of individuals in the sector.
“This is a critical initiative from us as the executive committee and as an institute. As part of the week’s celebration, we will also engage industries and have the women converge with an interaction as to how women can participate in the integrated supply chain manage, he said.”
As part of the celebration, there would be a “Women in Supply Chain forum” to encourage more women in integrated supply chain leadership, after which the celebration would be climaxed with an induction ceremony.
The event had support from McDan group, EPP Group and Bethel Logistics Company Limited.
With only a few weeks until the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), gospel singer Piesie Esther, who is up for seven awards, including “Artist of the Year,” has once more expressed confidence in taking home the big prize that evening.
The ‘Waye Me Yie’ hitmaker has received unprecedented support from the gospel fraternity with the likes of Celestine Donkor openly campaigning for her to win in all categories which are Vodafone Most Popular Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Gospel Song, Best Gospel Artiste, Best Female Vocalist, Best Songwriter, and Best Music Video.
Piesie Esther together with some musicians thrilled fans at the Ho Sports Stadium during the VGMA Xperience Concert last Saturday.
Speaking to GhanaWeb’s Doreen Abanema Abayaa, she narrated how important it is for her to sweep away awards for the gospel industry. She was quick to credit God for her achievement.
“I have seven nominations. I feel so good and I bless God for that. To Celestine Donkor, thank you so much sis, thanks for the support. I really do appreciate it,” she said.
She added that hopes are high in winning all seven awards. “By the grace of God, I have to. Gospel is winning and so I have to win,” she hammered.
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, has called on the International Monetary Fund to increase concessional financing to Africa to ensure that the most vulnerable members receive timely financing assistance.
He asked the Fund to modify the access thresholds, including expanding access limits and relaxing eligibility criteria for PRGT (Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust) resources.
He made the call at the 2023 Africa Consultative Group Meeting with the Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva.
Dr. Addison said “It is in this context we welcome the Fund’s decision to temporarily raise the annual and cumulative limits in the General Resources Account (GRA) to 200% and 600% of quota respectively for a period of 12 months. Nevertheless, we underscore the importance of aligning PRGT access limits with those of the GRA to enhance Fund support to PRGT-eligible members facing acute debt challenges, while strengthening the fundraising efforts to bolster the PRGT resource envelope.”
Dr. Ernest Addison further asked the IMF to engage closely with other international financial institutions and creditors to strengthen the multilateral framework for dealing with Africa’s debt distress in a timely manner.
“The G20 Common Framework (CF) should be enhanced to deliver swift, predictable, transparent, and equitable debt resolutions while permitting debt service suspension during negotiation to offer instantaneous relief to debtors.
“We also underscore the need for the newly created Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable to remain focused on accelerating debt restructuring processes and making the G20 Common framework more efficient,” he proposed.
Dr. Addison urged the Fund to continue to provide tailored capacity development and surveillance support, in conjunction with other international partners, which are indispensable in the continent’s reform agenda towards addressing debt challenges and creating fiscal space to tackle long-standing snags to sustained economic growth and development in member countries.
Convenor of the Individual Bondholders Forum, Senyo Hosi, has reiterated calls to the government to reduce its cost.
He urged government to lead by example as it calls on the general public to receive haircuts.
According to him, the main opposition to the government’s second round of domestic debt restructuring is due to the fact that since the first round the government has done nothing to address concerns about its mammoth size, neither has it reduced its expenditure as suggested by labour.
He said the government’s refusal to impose on itself the same austerity measures it is imposing on Ghanaians has largely fueled the mistrust and opposition to the government’s latest policy which he believes is particularly favourable to pension funds.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Senyo Hosi said it was about time government started heeding to the demands of the general public in order to soften the strong opposition to its policies and projects.
“For pension funds I think that they have to sit down and the president should listen small on this kind matter. There’s a theme going on that ‘Mr. President, we’re not seeing you live by example. Your government is also not being seen to be sharing in the pains that Ghanaians are going through.’ One of our members called me and he was livid, angry, what is his problem?
“He has gone to sit down, he’s flying to South Africa, he’s sitting down in the plane, and here are junior members of SOEs sitting in business class to South Africa, less than six hours. Plenty of them, sitting in business class, what’s wrong with you?
“You owe people you can’t pay, but you’re sitting there and then you’re flaunting spending their money in their face. It’s a bit insulting. These are petty petty things. If you pass a rule today, just like most corporates do, I’m telling you, go to the British Embassy, you’ll see what flights the staff there fly. Most of them fly economy going back to London but Ghana people who fly economy, middle officers, everybody business class.”
He has urged the president to issue a directive preventing government officials from flying business class for trips six hours and below.
“I mean, show something. The president should issue a directive this business class nonsense must stop. The truth of the matter is most of these people sitting there when before government they couldn’t even spell business class, but every day you see them and that is it.
“You know it’s ok, you’re going to America, plenty hours, okay. You’re going somewhere less than six hours, six hours or less, a directive, everybody including ministers, everybiody has to fly economy. When people start seeing signs like these everybody goes ok you’re also trying something,” he said.
A Pastor, Peter Ofori, is facing the law for allegedly accusing a woman of being a witch.
He was arrested for allegedly assaulting 63 year old Francisca Dzisi and branding same a witch, on November 25, 2022.
After investigations, it was found out that, three brothers of Madame Francisca who was branded a witch were also accomplices.
Two out of the three brothers were also arrested and charged and have been brought before the Kpando Magistrate Court.
On February 27, 2023, accused persons two and three, James Dzisi and Emmanuel Dzisi, pleaded not guilty and were granted a GHS 5000 bail each with two sureties each.
A bench warrant was then issued for Accused person one and four who are Pastor Peter Ofori and Professor Komla Dzisi who has not appeared in court since the case was called.
On April 3, 2023, lawyer for the accused, Emil Agbakpe, argued that, Accused person one (Pastor Peter Ofori) was charged alone and was not in court when he was discharged and also Accused person four (Professor Komla Dzisi) has not been arrested and cautioned to be in court and failed to appear before the court.
He also argued that, there are two ways to institute an arrest of a person; one is by criminal summon against the person and the second is bringing an arrested person before the court.
He said Accused person one and four have not been told to come to court and refused for which reason it’s improper for the prosecutor to write their name on the charge sheet as though confirmed.
However, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Ben Awunyo, stood his ground to defend that, Accused person one was brought to the court and was granted bail and then asked to appear before the court when called upon, while Accused person four has not yielded to all signals used by the police to summon him before the court hence the plea to issue a bench warrant which has been issued on the 7th of February 2023 against Accused person one and four.
The presiding magistrate, Her Ladyship Gifty Cudjoe, adjourned the case to the April 18, 2023 to enable her go through the case file.
A Sydney court denied bail to an Australian man who was accused of engaging in foreign interference by collecting money from alleged Chinese intelligence officers, citing the individual’s close ties to China as a flight risk.
Alexander Csergo, according to Magistrate Michael Barko, was a “sophisticated, worldly businessperson” who, prior to his Friday arrest, had been on Australian intelligence’s radar for some time.
Considering that Csergo had spent a considerable amount of time in China, Barko felt that the prosecution’s case against him was solid.
Csergo is alleged to have arrived back in Australia this year with a “shopping list” of intelligence priorities he had been asked for by two people he had suspected since 2021 to be agents for China’s Ministry of State Security, the court heard.
The pair, named in court only as “Ken” and “Evelyn,” first made contact with Csergo through LinkedIn.
This shopping list had been discovered by Australian intelligence authorities three weeks after Csergo returned to Sydney, the court was told.
Csergo had been allegedly asked to handwrite reports about Australia’s AUKUS defense technology partnership with the United States and Britain, the QUAD diplomatic partnership, iron ore and lithium mining, Barko said.
A marketing executive, Csergo, 55, was arrested in the beachside suburb of Bondi on Friday.
He is the second person charged under Australia’s foreign interference law, which criminalizes activity that helps a foreign power interfere with Australia’s sovereignty or national interest. It carries a maximum 15 year prison sentence.
Csergo appeared in court via video link from Parklea Prison where he is being held as a high security prisoner. His mother and brother were in court.
Csergo had told Australian intelligence agents in an interview that when he met Ken and Evelyn in Shanghai cafes and restaurants, the establishments had been empty and he suspected they had been cleared, Barko said.
He developed a high level of anxiety and was in “survival mode,” he had told the Australian authorities.
Csergo had exchanged around 3,300 WeChat messages with the pair, and had accepted cash payments in envelopes, Barko said.
Barko raised concerns for Csergo’s safety, saying some people may not want him to give evidence against China.
Csergo’s lawyer, Bernard Collaery, had sought bail, saying the reports Csergo had written were based on publicly sourced information and the case against his client was “shallow and unsubstantiated.”
Prosecutor Conor McCraith disputed this, saying it was not all open source because he had engaged covertly with two others to prepare reports. He also said Csergo had not come to Australian authorities with his concerns about Ken and Evelyn, and had instead invited Ken to come to Australia.
Collaery said making cash payments was a common business practice in China, and Csergo undertook the consulting work during the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai as a source of income.
“Of course he believed Ken and Evelyn were keeping tabs on him. That’s how it works in China, he became very worried about it,” Collaery said.
Csergo had worked in China since 2002 in data marketing, including for a major international advertising agency.
Collaery said Csergo’s career had come “tumbling down” since his arrest and he had no intention to return to China and instead planned to pursue the Australian government for damages for ruining his career.
Collaery told media outside the court the case was a “civil liberties” issue and raised concerns about the scope of the foreign interference law introduced in 2018.
“If you work as a consultant in any foreign country… and you undertake consulting work that may relate to Australia’s foreign influences or national security… you can be guilty of foreign interference,” he told reporters.
Reggae-dancehall artist Shatta Wale has also reacted to the recent trends of celebrity lookalikes in the country and their relevance.
Shatta Wale admonished the celebrity lookalikes to channel their energies into other areas including taking to creating content on social media platform, TikTok.
“The lookalike boys, I am advising you people to find a path. If you don’t have any idea to live the life that you want to live, emulate Jacqueline Appiah and Made In Ghana and others, they are on TikTok creating content,” he lamented.
He warned one of the young boys to desist from responding to Medikal, who had raised issues with their trade.
Shatta Wale also slammed the media as being the people fuel the lookalike craze. He threatened to assault the lookalikes and to damn the consequences because the police and government’s laxity on issues was also to blame.
“Those lookalikes they are our junior brothers, junior brothers to Medikal and I, we will teach them how to make money but not with this stupidity you people are trying to teach them.
“Don’t wake up and let some stupid radio presenter and some nonsense blogger write some thrash about you and you also come and defend it as a means to an end,” he fired.
The blatant murder of a former politician and his brother in front of live television cameras while they were being held by the police has reignited resentment about the hazy border between politics and crime in the state with the most population.
Despite having a population of more than 240 million, Uttar Pradesh has long been one of India’s poorest states due to a reputation for organized crime and corruption.
However, what happened on Saturday was very alarming and has India’s attention.
Atiq Ahmed, a former lawmaker and convicted criminal, was gunned down alongside his brother Ashraf at point blank range by at least one gunman who posed as a journalist in an incident that was broadcast live.
A former Samajwadi Party member of India’s parliament, Atiq was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison last month following a long dual career as both a politician and a mainstay of Uttar Pradesh’s criminal underworld.
The murder in the city of Prayagraj took place while police were escorting the pair for a medical check-up, the state’s Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma told reporters.
Dramatic footage showed the two handcuffed brothers surrounded by a press gaggle as a gunman fired multiple shots.
Three people who were posing as journalists at the time have been arrested for questioning, Sharma added.
The extrajudicial killing has sparked widespread concern about the state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh as well as fears of retaliation.
Gilles Verniers, a political science professor at Ashoka University in New Delhi, whose research has focused on electoral and party politics in Uttar Pradesh, told CNN Saturday’s incident represents “a break-down of the very concept of the rule of law.”
“The larger significance is what this means for the rule of law and the transformation of the meaning of the rule of law from a system of justice that is supposed to follow due process and be impartial and not be arbitrary into a form of self justice in the hand of the executive that is fundamentally arbitrary, violent and partisan,” Verniers said.
Following the incident, internet services were temporarily suspended across the city of Prayagraj, also known as Allahabad.
Internet shutdowns have become increasingly common in India, including as recently as last month when authorities blocked access to the internet in Punjab for days as police searched for a Sikh activist who was on the run.
The government has repeatedly attempted to justify blocking internet access on the grounds of preserving public safety amid fears of communal violence. But critics say the shutdowns are yet another blow to the country’s commitment to freedom of speech and access to information.
Long before he was a politician, Atiq was known for his criminal underworld links, a duality that is not uncommon in the rough and tumble of Uttar Pradesh’s political scene.
At the age of just 17, Atiq was accused of murder. A decade later, he was elected as a member of Uttar Pradesh’s legislative assembly where he served five times, from 1989 to 2004. He also served as a member of India’s national parliament from 2004 to 2009.
“He used politics to his own advantage to further not only his political career but also his criminal estate and criminal activities,” said Vikram Singh, formerly the Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh who had several dealings with Atiq, including arresting him under the Gangsters Act in 2007.
He came from humble beginnings, as the son of a horse cart driver, and rose to be “something akin to the godfather,” Singh told CNN, adding that the list of crimes Atiq had been accused of throughout his life ranged from murder and robbery to extortion and land grabs.
In March, Atiq was sentenced to life in prison for the 2006 kidnapping of Umesh Pal, the prime witness in a 2005 murder case for which Atiq was himself the main suspect, CNN affiliate News18 reported.
Atiq’s death came a week after police shot and killed his son Asad. Asad was the main suspect in the February murder of Umesh Pal – the man Atiq was convicted of kidnapping, Reuters reported.
Police in Uttar Pradesh have killed more than 180 suspected criminals during encounters over past six years, according to Reuters.
Questions have been raised as to whether police gave adequate security to the two brothers who were surrounded by reporters.
Atiq and his brother were being escorted by police for what Singh said was a routine medical check-up when they were shot.
“The police security should have been fool proof and fail proof which it was not,” Singh said. “The shoot out that happened is unacceptable.”
CNN reached out to Uttar Pradesh police for comment on the situation but did not receive a response prior to publication.
Following the incident, the Uttar Pradesh state government announced it will form two three-member Special Task Forces (SIT) to investigate the killing of Atiq and his brother.
But the murders have raised questions about the governance of Uttar Pradesh, particularly from opponents of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party which currently holds political power in the state.
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal state and president of the Trinamool Congress Party, claimed in a tweet Sunday that the incident illustrated a “total collapse of law and order in Uttar Pradesh.”
Mahua Moitra, a member of parliament with the Trinamool Congress Party who has vocally criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past, tweeted that the “BJP has turned India into a mafia republic.”
Noting that the two brothers had been shot dead “in front of a zillion policemen and cameras” she declared “this is the death of the rule of law.”
The state’s former chief minister, the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, suggested the death of his former party member prompted concerns about public safety under BJP rule.
“When someone can be killed by firing openly amidst the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public,” Yadav tweeted.
Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party, who also previously served as the state’s chief minister, said the shooting gave way to “serious question marks” over the functioning of the government, headed by the BJP’s Yogi Adityanath.
Responding to allegations about the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said people should “not pay heed to rumors.”
Meanwhile India’s Minister of Information Anurag Thakur suggested opposition party criticism of the attack was also hypocritical.
“These same mafia leaders used to attack common people, kill and loot them,” he told reporters. “Never heard any of these politicians speaking against it.”
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has stated that Ghana’s Parliament is not of the view that the size of the Akufo-Addo government is too big.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah argued that the recent approval of six new ministerial nominees by parliament following their vetting by the appointments committee, underscores his position.
Despite the house being a hung parliament, all the six ministerial nominees got majority votes from across the aisle.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah told Accra-based Joy News when asked about the clamour by the opposition and civil society organisations for the downsizing of the government: “The understanding I have is that parliament does not even share that view”.
“You saw what happened in parliament the last time; literally that question was put on the table”, he said in reference to the plenary vote on the six nominees.
The Ofoase Ayirebi MP said: “Despite all the conversations, the last time it was put on the table, you saw the numbers. So, parliament, as a body, does not even share that view”.
According to him, the extra MPs appointed as ministers do not cost the state extra money.
“It doesn’t cost the taxpayer any extra because they are paid as Members of Parliament,” Mr Nkrumah reiterated.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah, however, said the government was ready and open to possible ways of cutting down on expenditure.
“There’s already been action on various levels, and I’ve mentioned that the doors are not closed to further cuts as are being examined. And as we go through and as we examine some more, there are places where some more cuts can be done. It makes sense to make those cuts,” he noted.
Grand Papa of Hiplife Reggie Rockstone has said he would have taken the business part of music more seriously were the Hiplife revolution, which he led, happening today.
He revealed this in an interview on ‘The Big Show’ on Class 91.3 FM on Saturday, April 15, 2023.
A listener to the show texted in asking Reggie Rockstone if he would have done things differently, with the advantage of hindsight.
“Yes,” Rockstone readily answered. “Because there’s always room for improvement. I believe in that.”
“One, I would have put the business side of it much higher because it’s called show business (showbiz),” he added, confessing that because the passion and ease of music creation “was just a gift God gave me, I never thought about it from the business side of things.”
“Today, knowing the world and how things have been positioned, I would have probably looked at it from a more business standpoint,” the businessman noted.
That said, he second-guessed himself arguing that: “Who’s to say that if I had done it from a business standpoint, I would have given my all?”
“Maybe the freeness of it; the very selflessness of it is what made it get to the people,” he emphasised.
Returning to the importance of viewing music, in this case Hiplife, as a business venture, he considered the economic boost the genre and its attending revolution could have given Ghana if it had been mindfully engineered.
“I do realise that economically, it could really have helped my country,” he said.
However, the ‘Agoo’ hitmaker observed that: “It has done immensely well for young people in Africa and Ghana and so I can see it creating more jobs and employment because I mean look what Hiplife did [over time].”
He marveled at the discovery of “amazing talents” and how “people have been able to create and earn a living [from] this [genre].”
“You know, you get to travel all over the world,” he added, citing artites like: “Sarkodie… Black Sherif…”
“All these came from a certain place – a seed that was sown and I’ve lived long enough to see what it has become,” he remarked contentedly.
Furthermore, the Grand Papa cited the phenomenon of Africans in the Diaspora making music with the continent’s stars.
“Beyonce making music with Shatta Wale,” he mentioned.
“These are great feats and we should never undermine what it is that we have done,” he noted.
“And not just me,” he admitted. “I was just chosen to lead but collectively, we all contributed to what it became.”
The music pioneer posited that before the ascendency of Afrobeats, it was Ghana leading the music charge with Hiplife.
“We were the once who inspired young Black Africans all over Africa!” he strongly said.
Reggie Rockstone argued that “just as Dr Osagyefo” Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President, an iconic Pan-Africanist, “paid his dues, we paid our dues with this musical collection” and “today, Afrobeats is worldwide and its making millions of dollars.”
“We’re eligible for a slice of that pie,” he added. “Because we worked for it.”
Reggie Rockstone came to prominence in the early 90s having successfully amalgamated Ghana’s Highlife with Hiphop from America – creating Hiplife – together with his friend and music partner DJ Rab Bakari of blessed memory.
According to Italian police, a sizable shipment of cocaine was discovered floating off the eastern coast of the island of Sicily.
Guardia di Finanza, the Italian Financial Police, said in a statement on Monday that during a regular surveillance flight on Sunday, police observed nearly 2 tons of the drugs floating in the Mediterranean.
According to authorities, the drugs were meticulously packaged in 70 waterproof floating containers that were connected and included a signaling light system. The haul, they continued, had an estimated street value of €400 million, or roughly $440 million.
“The identification and subsequent seizure of this quantity of drugs, one of the largest ever carried out in the national territory, likely prevented the drug from being recovered by criminals for subsequent illegal sale in the national territory, which would have yielded very high earnings,” the statement read.
Guardia di Finanza said they believe the floating packages were left by a passing cargo ship to be retrieved and brought ashore by traffickers.
The financial police said they dispatched boats from the Sicilian municipality of Catania and provided air cover from multiple units to ensure the safety of the officers involved in the operation. They added that they are continuing to search the area for any more floating packets.
In February, more than 3 tons of cocaine floating in the ocean were seized by authorities in New Zealand, in one of the country’s biggest ever drug busts.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has retrieved half of its total debts after embarking on a nationwide revenue mobilisation exercise to recover all unpaid bills amounting to GH¢5.7 billion from its customers.
The one-month exercise, targets domestic users, businesses, organisations, ministries, departments and state agencies for power already consumed from 2022 to this year.
ECG announced that it would embark on a revenue mobilisation exercise from March 20 to April 20, 2023, to recover all debts owed by all categories of customers, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
Consequently, the company was temporarily closing down all its administrative offices to deploy its staff to be collectors on the field during the one-month period.
However, the engineers, technical staff and the operations, as well as the customer care units, are to be at work to attend to customers.
Managing Director of ECG, Samuel Dubik Mahama, explaining the rationale for deploying all administrative staff to be collectors for the ECG said the debt situation had reached worrying levels, thus it had become important to ensure that it was improved to preserve the integrity of the company.
He said while the company had an idea about the debt situation, the picture was better painted after ECG upgraded its digitalization process, hence the need to reverse the situation before it negatively affected its operations.
He pointed out that GH¢500 million was used to offset debt of some public institutions including GH¢200m for Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Ghana Police Service GH¢120 million among others.
According to him, ECG is considering GH¢1.2 billion tax offset using the debts of some state institutions to clear tax obligation owed Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The ECG boss was confident that if all the over 4.5 million consumers with prepaid and postpaid being 50 percent pay their bills, ECG will make GH¢2 billion a month as a company.
He mentioned that at the time he assumed office, the company was making about GH¢125 million a month and recording over 100% revenue losses.
In order to curb revenue losses, he implemented end-to-end digitalization which has increased revenue significantly.
As part of the reforms, he said bulk vendors increased from 400 to over 1,000 leading to a revenue increase.
Quota vending jumped from GH¢100million to GH¢200million a month
He revealed that revenue from quota vending rose from GH¢4.6 million to GH¢13 million a day which translates into a monthly increase from GH¢100 million a month to over GH¢200 million a month.
The headmaster of Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in the northern regional capital of Tamale has vehemently denied reports that the authorities of the school have converted a toilet facility into a residential block for students.
In a video, Douglas Haruna Yakubu maintained that the school has excess capacity to admit more students into its boarding facilities.
Addressing the originator of the video, he stated: “What he saw, which I want to use the word advisedly, he was told to see, is that these buildings which were constructed by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in the 60s have some attachments; toilet facilities. But I tell you, that right from the late 70’s these toilet facilities have not been used as toilets.
“Myself, I am an old boy and I left here in 1983. The same place that he took those pictures, I was sitting there learning. We used to carry tables and chairs to [those places], candidates just like isolated places so sometimes as they go, they carry their mattress to go and lie there.
“You can’t come and dramatize these things in our school and say that we have converted, did I ever tell you that we have converted a toilet facility into a dormitory? It’s not possible so please, it is not true. I am getting angry,” the headmaster said.
His statement follows the publication of a viral video on social media where some students of the school were seen purportedly using a number of toilet spaces as sleeping places.
The video shows student mattresses and chop boxes spread across the toilet cubicles.
But speaking to the media on Monday, Mr Yakubu refuted assertions that the school had converted toilet facilities into student accommodation.
“In this school, we are running the transitional track system where some students are home, others are in school and the purpose of this is to ensure that we have accommodation in both boarding house and then the classroom.
“So, we have enough [accommodation space], so as we sit, we can even admit more day students into our boarding house. How can we convert toilet facilities into dormitories? We have more than enough,” he emphasized.
Fresh details regarding how galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang entered the country has emerged.
According to the Criminal High Court in Accra presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo that, Aisha Huang, re-entered into Ghana through the Aflao Port after she was repatriated in 2018.
The notorious Chinese galamsey queen according to investigators said she came back to the country because she missed her husband, whose name was given as Prince Amoah.
“When we asked her why she came into Ghana, she stated that she had missed her husband, whose name she gave as one Prince Amoah, and that she had come to visit him,” the 10th Prosecution Witness told the court.
Aisha Huang is facing four charges namely; undertaking a mining operation without a licence, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, illegal employment of foreign nationals, and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entering.
She has pleaded not guilty and has since been remanded into prisons custody while the trial is ongoing.
In court on Monday, April 17, 2023, an Inspector of the Ghana Police Service, currently seconded to the Ministry of National Security as a Detective, Simon Nyaho, explained to the court how Aisha Huang re-entered the country upon his team’s investigation.
He told the court that on September 6, 2022, his team was tasked to investigate the circumstances under which the accused person re-entered the country and the activities she was engaged in since her re-entry.
“We secured a court order to enable us conduct a further search of the residence of the accused person,” Detective Nyaho told the court as he read his witness statement to the court.
He added that at Aisha Huang’s residence “we found 19 bottles of substances which was later confirmed by the Ghana Standards Authority to be mercury, 200 pieces of AA cartridges and a warehouse containing toiletries, groceries, excavator parts and other Chinese consumables.
“We also took custody of two metal safes earlier retrieved from the residence of the accused person by Officers of the Defence Intelligence.
“I together with my team interrogated the accused person and she stated that she re-entered Ghana through the Aflao Port,” Detective Nyaho told the court.
Detective Nyaho who is the 10th Prosecution Witness in the ongoing trial said “When we asked her why she came into Ghana, she stated that she had missed her husband, whose name she gave as one Prince Amoah, and that she had come to visit him.”
The Witness told the court that after interrogation “we took a statement on caution from the accused person dated 28th September 2022, and with the permission of the court I wish to tender it in evidence.”
He said the two passport were handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service.
Further Investigations
Detective Nyaho said he knew the accused person En Huang also known as Ruixia Huang after she was handed over to his office on September 2, 2022 for further investigation, by the Ghana Immigration Service who had earlier on caused her arrest.
According to him, she was handed over together with the following items; yellow fever vaccination card, COVID 19 vaccination card, Non-Citizen Ghana card application form with its payment receipts, and two passports from the Peoples Republic of China.
“One of the passports had the name En Huang with passport number G39575625,” and “The date of birth on the passport is 7th July 1986, issued in Ningxia, China on 14th January 2010 and it was to expire on 13th January 2020.
“The place of birth indicated in the passport is Nei Mongol. It has a picture of the accused person,” the Witness told the court.
He said “The second passport had the name Ruixia Huang with number EE9994609,” and “The date of birth on the passport is 7th November 1975, issued in Fujian, China on 14th January 2019 and is to expire on 13th January 2029.
“The place of birth indicated in this passport is Fujian. This passport also has a picture of the accused person,” Detective Nyaho noted.
Evidence
The witness while being led by Mercy Arthur, a Principal State Attorney, identified certain documents retrieved during investigations and same were admitted into evidence.
The documents tendered in evidence are a Yellow fever vaccination card bearing the name Huang Ruxia and a non-Citizen Ghana identity card bearing the name En Huang.
A covid 19 vaccination card bearing the name Huang Ruxia and an Application form for a non-citizen identity card also bearing the name En Huang
Aside from that, Aisha Huang’s three separate ailment receipts bearing the name – Huang En and investigation cautioned statement of the accused person.
EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, reports that the mouth of the witness was sealed by counsel for Aisha Huang, led by Lawyer Miracle Attachey.
Students at the University of Khartoum in Sudan‘s capital have been confined inside campus buildings for more than three days as gunfire and artillery fire have been raining down around them.
The country has been gripped by fierce fighting between the army and a paramilitary group since it broke out on Saturday. The university area is a particularly hotspot because of its proximity to the General Command of the Armed Forces, where warplanes are circling overhead and nearby buildings are on fire.
Al-Muzaffar Farouk, 23, one of 89 students, faculty members, and staff taking refuge inside the university library, said, “It is frightening that our country will turn into a battlefield overnight.”
Food and water are running low, but leaving is not an option – one student has already been killed by gunfire outside. Khalid Abdulmun’em had been trying to run to the library from a nearby building when he was struck, said Farouk.
The students retrieved his body and brought it inside “despite the bullets that were falling on us,” he added.
The university confirmed Abdulmun’em’s death in a Facebook post, saying he had been shot in the campus’ surroundings. In a separate post on Monday, the university urged humanitarian organizations to help evacuate dozens of people stranded on campus.
Khartoum has been wracked by violence and chaos in a bloody tussle for power between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military leader, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The two leaders have traded blame for instigating the fighting and breaking temporary ceasefires. Meanwhile, civilians are paying the price, with at least 180 people killed and 1,800 others injured, according to UN officials on Monday.
“I can see outside smoke rising from buildings. And I can hear from my residence blasts, heavy gunfire from outside. The streets are totally empty,” said Red Cross staffer Germain Mwehu from Khartoum.
“In the building where I stay, I saw families with children, children crying when there are airstrikes, children horrified,” Mwehu said, adding that people had little to no access to food or medicine given the fierce fighting outside.
Children are among those killed; a 6-year-old child died on Monday after the RSF shelled a hospital in Khartoum and damaged a maternity ward. Medics were forced to evacuate, leaving patients behind – some just newborns in incubators.
At least half a dozen hospitals have been struck by both warring sides, according to Sudan’s Doctors Trade Union.
Even diplomats and humanitarian workers have been targeted.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed there was an attack on a US diplomatic convoy on Monday.
“Yesterday, we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on. All of our people are safe, but this the action was reckless, it was irresponsible and, of course, unsafe,” Blinken said in a press conference on Tuesday.
The European Union ambassador to Sudan was also assaulted in his residency on Monday, though he is now doing fine, according to a spokesperson for the EU’s top diplomat.
And three workers from the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) were killed in the western region of Darfur, prompting the WFP to temporarily halt all services in the country.
In statements early Tuesday morning, the two rival factions pointed fingers at each other.
The RSF accused the army of conducting airstrikes on residential neighborhoods and of attacking the EU ambassador’s headquarters in Khartoum; meanwhile, the army accused the RSF of targeting the ambassador’s residency, and of targeting the WFP’s headquarters in Darfur.
The UN and various foreign leaders have called for peace, with Blinken speaking separately with Burhan and Dagalo on Tuesday.
Blinken “expressed his grave concern about the death and injury of so many Sudanese civilians,” and argued a ceasefire was necessary to deliver aid, reunify separated families, and ensure the safety of diplomatic and humanitarian staff, according to a readout from the US State Department.
In his own statement, Dagalo said the RSF “will have another call” to continue dialogue. Burhan’s office also confirmed he had spoken with Blinken about the critical situation in Sudan.
The foreign ministers of G7 nations, comprised of some of the world’s largest economies, urged the factions to “end hostilities immediately” in their joint statement from Japan on Tuesday.
Volker Perthes, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Sudan, said on Monday the organization has been trying to convince the two rival parties to “hold the fire” for a period of time, and asked them to protect embassies, UN offices, humanitarian and medical facilities.
Both sides had agreed to a three-hour ceasefire on Sunday, and again on Monday, with fighting resuming afterward, Perthes said.
But both Burhan and Dagalo have since accused the other of breaking that ceasefire.
When CNN spoke to Burhan on Monday afternoon, the sound of gunshots rang out in the background despite the supposed ceasefire – and Burhan claimed Dagalo had violated it for the second day.
A spokesperson for the RSF rebutted the accusation, claiming that they had been trying to abide by the ceasefire, but “they keep firing which leaves no choice” but for the RSF to “defend itself by firing back.”
A Kenyan woman who was seeking to smuggle some cocaine through the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has been arrested. This is according to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC).
According to a statement by the Commission dated Monday, April 17, 2023, 35-year-old Njeri Mary was arrested on Saturday, April 15, 2023, during routine checks when she arrived at the airport from a South African Airways Flight from Nairobi to Accra via Johannesburg.
“The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) arrested a Kenyan national last Saturday 15 April 2023 for smuggling 11.04 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) worth Three Hundred and Nine Thousand One Hundred and Twenty United States Dollars ($309,120) with a weight of 11.04kg.
“The suspect, Njeri Mary, 35, was apprehended by NACOC officials during routine checks at the arrival hall after disembarking from a South African Airways flight from Nairobi to Accra via Johannesburg,” the Commission said.
The statement said the cocaine which was concealed in some concealed food packages was confirmed by the suspect as being part of her luggage and have since been sent to the Ghana Standard Authority for analysis.
“A search of her luggage revealed packages of Cremora food that contained the concealed drugs. Preliminary questioning revealed that she had confirmed possession of the consignment in her luggage, and she was later arrested for further investigation.
“The exhibits have been sent to the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) for analysis and report, while the suspect is being held in prison pending further investigations and prosecution,” the statement said.
While assuring the public about its commitment to fighting drug trafficking, the Commission emphasised that the “possession and transportation of illicit drugs without lawful authority is illegal and punishable under sections 40 (1) and 41 (1) of Act 1019 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020.”
The grant programme, which is part of the Feed the Future Ghana Market Systems and Resilience (MSR) Activity, targets financial institutions and other non-bank financial institutions to leverage private lender capital to supports improved access to finance, inputs supply and business development services that drive agriculture-led economic growth.
The MSR’s Innovative Finance Grant Window will support development and economic growth in targeted crop value chains in maize, shea, Bambara beans, soybeans, cowpea, groundnut, moringa, mango, and vegetables and their value addition in 17 designated districts across the Northern, Northeast, Upper West, and Upper East regions.
Mr Raymond Denteh, the Agribusiness and Financial Services team leader of the MSR, announced this at a public roadshow in Accra.
He said the programme was aimed at harnessing private lender resources to enhance access to finance, input supply, and business development services that boost agriculture-led economic growth.
“The Innovative Finance Grant Window targets three main categories namely, Financial Institutions including commercial banks, micro-finance institutions, rural banks, and non-bank financial institutions including impact investors, financial technology companies, as well as agric service providers including input and business development service providers,” he stated.
Mr Denteh explained that the grants were designed to reduce the cost of agricultural lending, improve the liquidity of financial service providers, and encourage more agriculture service providers to offer targeted financial services to SMEs in USAID’s 17-district zone of influence within Ghana’s four northern regions.
Mr Cecil Osei, the Deputy Chief of Party for the programme, speaking to the media, indicated that the Innovation Finance Grant Window would incentivise Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to mobilise $18.5M in credit and capital by the end of the project.
“It will provide incentive payments to FSPs that increase access to finance for Micro-Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and increase uptake of inputs to intensify agricultural production in northern Ghana,” he said.
On eligibility, he announced that applicants must be those who actively provide financial services in Northern Ghana within the USAID’s 17- district zone of influence and do not have any active exclusions in the United Nations, World Bank, or other international compliance databases.
“Eligible applicants must be officially registered and must be working in compliance with all applicable civil and fiscal regulations, including but not limited to pertinent local laws and status, and must have a National Tax Identification Number and any requisite permits, licenses, and registrations required,” he said.
Meanwhile, a statement from the USAID has announced series of public roadshows being held in Accra, Tamale, Bolgatanga and Wa from April 14 -20, 2023 to announce the grant process to prospective applicants.
The roadshows would help prospective applicants understand the purpose, eligibility requirements, and grant application processes.
The Ghana MSR Activity is a five-year activity implemented by a consortium of partners led by Agricultural Cooperative Development International (ACDI) and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (VOCA), focusing on strengthening commercial relationships between market actors namely outgrower businesses, smallholder farmers, producers, processors, buyers, input suppliers and lenders to expand agribusiness in the northern regions.
The MSR supports inclusive economic growth and works to fully engage women, youth, and people with disabilities in all its programming and grant funding opportunities.
Ghana’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) has given the assurance that it won’t go contrary to its agreement with the government regarding
Deputy Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress, Joshua Ansah, reiterated labour’s opposition to government’s proposition to include pension funds in the debt exchange programme.
He stated that during the first round of domestic debt exchange programme, the government and labour unions had signed a memorandum of understanding exempting the pension funds of labour unions from the exchange programme.
He noted that as far as labour unions are concerned, the terms of the MoU are still valid and must prevail in this reintroduction of the debt exchange programme targeting their pension funds.
According to Joshua Ansah, labour unions will remain unyielding in their opposition to the inclusion of their pension funds and have instead called on the government to implement the strategies labour suggested as an alternate solution to raising and saving money for the government.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he said, “Labour Unions in Ghana know only one thing, and that thing is that there has been an MoU signed between us and the government represented by the Finance Ministry and the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations that pensions funds have been exempted from this exercise. That is all what we know.
“We will not do anything contrarily to the already existing MoU between us and the government represented by the Finance Ministry. Yes, we have signed an MoU and we said in that MoU that labour would assist government in finding the best way in also raising some funds in this very exercise.”
Speaking about labour’s suggestions to government, he said government has largely turned a deaf ear to their proposals.
“While we said that was that, we have a lot of suggestions we have made to the government. Anytime we make a suggestion to the government aside the pensions, it’s like that suggestion is a no-go area for the government. One we said that the size of the government is too big and government must try everything to reduce the size of government to make some savings over there.
“Two, we said that there are some expenditure that goes waste in this very country and government must check that one also. We said that government functionaries are not sacrificing enough. Always workers sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, but we don’t see that from the government.
“We also said that if you’re able to collect taxes effectively in this very country, there’ll be no need for us to go to IMF for any bailout. It’s like we have not looked inside our own country and check what can we do to overcome these challenges. But because there’s something that is easy way to go like the workers’ pensions, I think government is focusing too much on the workers’ pensions,” he said.
After a day of fierce combat that saw hospitals attacked by missiles as they fought to save lives and left at least 180 people dead in the country, Sudan’s military leader denounced what he called a “attempted coup.”
According to Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is participating in the brutal power struggle that has seized Sudan for three days, the paramilitary organization Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is in charge of “an attempted coup and rebellion against the state.”
The country’s military and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, began clashing on Saturday. Hemedti told CNN on Sunday that the army had violated a UN-mediated interim humanitarian ceasefire.
Burhan, who alongside Dagalo ousted Sudan’s long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and played a key role in the military coup two years later, said his former ally had “mutinied” against the state, and if captured, would be tried in court of law.
On Monday, residents in the capital Khartoum endured sounds of artillery and bombardment by warplanes. Clashes re-erupted around the Army Command building and the Presidential Palace in the capital Khartoum, eyewitnesses said, as fighter jets hovered over the capital, and ground anti-aircraft defenses fired at the planes.
An eyewitness sheltering in the Sudanese capital told CNN that Monday has been the heaviest day of shelling since the outbreak of violence began on Saturday.
Heavy bomb blasts were heard in the city of Bahri in the north of the capital Khartoum, witnesses added.
Hospitals in the country – which are short of blood supplies and life-saving equipment – are being targeted with military strikes by both the Army and the RSF, according to eyewitness accounts to CNN and two doctors’ organizations, leaving medical personnel unable to reach the wounded and to bury the dead.
One doctor at a Khartoum hospital – whom CNN is not naming for security reasons – said his facility has been targeted since Saturday. “A direct strike hit the maternity ward. We could hear heavy weaponry and lay on the floor, along with our patients. The hospital itself was under attack.”
CNN has reached out to the Sudanese military and the RSF for comment.
Another doctor at the same al-Moallem Hospital told CNN that hospital staff stayed on site under bombardment from the RSF for two days, before being evacuated by the Sudanese military. “We were living in a real battle,” the doctor said. “Can you believe that we left the hospital and left behind children in incubators and patients in intensive care without any medical personnel? I can’t believe that I survived dying at the hospital, where the smell of death is everywhere.”
International leaders have urged for calm.
The European Union ambassador to Sudan was assaulted in his residency in Sudan, the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell said on Monday.
“A few hours ago, the EU Ambassador in Sudan was assaulted in his own residency,” Borrell said on Twitter, without providing further details on the incident, which he described as a “a gross violation of the Vienna Convention.”
He added that “security of diplomatic premises and staff is a primary responsibility of Sudanese authorities and an obligation under international law,” he said.
Borrell also said the EU is working to persuade the leadership of the two rival parties to “consider humanitarian pause” in Sudan.
The sound of gunshots rang out in the background as Burhan spoke to CNN on Monday, despite an agreed-on ceasefire at 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET). He claimed that for a second day, the RSF’s leader had violated that agreed ceasefire.
“Yesterday and today a humanitarian ceasefire proposal was put forward and agreed upon. Sadly, he did not abide by it. You can hear right now the attempts to storm the Army headquarters, and indiscriminate mortar attacks. He’s using the humanitarian pause to continue the fight,” he said.
When asked about that allegation, a spokesperson for the RSF told CNN that the RSF was trying to abide by the ceasefire, but “they keep firing which leaves no choice” but for the RSF to “defend itself by firing back.”
Hemedti said Monday his group will pursue the leader of Sudan’s Armed Forces Abdel Fattah al-Burhan “and bring him to justice,” while Sudan’s army called on paramilitary fighters to defect and join the armed forces.
Verified video footage shows military jets and helicopters hitting the airport; other clips show the charred remains of the army’s General Command building nearby after it was engulfed in fire on Sunday.
Residents in neighborhoods east of the airport told CNN they saw warplanes bombing sites east of the command. “We saw explosions and smoke rising from Obaid Khatim Street, and immediately after that, anti-aircraft artillery fired massively towards the planes,” one eyewitness said.
An eyewitness, Amal Bakhit, spoke to CNN alongside her cousin Asiel Mohamed. Both women are United States residents, but recently traveled to Khartoum to visit family, and are now stuck inside the country.
She said shelling on Monday was the heaviest since the fighitng began. “It’s been going on since early morning today. Today was the heaviest artillery we have heard during the past three days. We couldn’t sleep,” she said.
Bakhit said that people in Sudan are used to hearing artillery and gunshots since 2018 when widespread unrest rocked the country, but the past several days have not been the same.
“This time it’s different because it’s between two forces, and we seem not to be ready for that. This is war. We are not prepared for that.” she said.
Amid the chaos, both parties to the fighting are working to portray a sense of control in the capital. The armed forces said Monday the Rapid Support Forces are circulating “lies to mislead the public,” reiterating the army have “full control of all of their headquarters” in the capital Khartoum.
Sudan’s national state television channel came back on air on Monday, a day after going dark, and is broadcasting messages in support of the army.
A banner on the channel said “the armed forces were able to regain control of the national broadcaster after repeated attempts by the militias to destroy its infrastructure.” Although the armed forces appear to have control of the television signal, CNN cannot independently verify that the army is in physical control of the Sudan TV premises.
A banner on the channel said “the armed forces were able to regain control of the national broadcaster after repeated attempts by the militias to destroy its infrastructure.”
In the Kafouri area, north of Khartoum, clashes and street fights broke out at dawn Monday, prompting residents to begin evacuating women and children from the area, Sudanese journalist Fathi Al-Ardi wrote on Facebook. In the Kalakla area, south of the capital, residents reported the walls of their houses shaking from explosions.
Reports also emerged of battles hundreds of miles away in the eastern city of Port Sudan and the western Darfur region over the weekend.
As of Monday, at least 180 people have been killed and at least 1800 others were injured in the ongoing clashes, according to Volker Perthes, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Sudan.
The WHO has warned that doctors and nurses are struggling to reach people in need of urgent care, and are lacking essential supplies.
Water and power cuts are affecting the functionality of health facilities, and shortages of fuel for hospital generators are also being reported,” the WHO added.
In the CNN interview, Dagalo blamed the military for starting the conflict and claimed RSF “had to keep fighting to defend ourselves.”
He speculated that the army chief and his rival, al-Burhan, had lost control of the military. When asked if his endgame was to rule Sudan, Dagalo said he had “no such intentions,” and that there should be a civilian government.
Amid the fighting, civilians have been warned to stay indoors. One local resident tweeted that they were “trapped inside our own homes with little to no protection at all.”
“All we can hear is continuous blast after blast. What exactly is happening and where we don’t know, but it feels like it’s directly over our heads,” they wrote.
Access to information is also limited, with the government-owned national TV channel now off the air. Television employees told CNN that it is in the hands of the RSF.
The conflict has put other countries and organizations on high alert. The United Nations along with its humanitarian partners will temporarily shut down many of its more than 250 programmes across Sudan amid the intense hostilities taking place in the country, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said Monday in a statement.
This comes after the UN’s World Food Program temporarily halted all operations in Sudan after three employees were killed in clashes on Saturday.
UN and other humanitarian facilities in Darfur have been looted, while a WFP-managed aircraft was seriously damaged by gunfire in Khartoum, impeding the WFP’s ability to transport aid and workers within the country, the international aid agency said.
Qatar Airways announced Sunday it was temporarily suspending flights to and from Khartoum due to the closure of its airport and airspace.
On Sunday, Dagalo told CNN the RSF was in control of the airport, as well as several other government buildings in the capital.
Meanwhile, Mexico is working to evacuate its citizens from Sudan, with the country’s foreign minister saying Sunday it is looking to “expedite” their exit.
The United States embassy in Sudan said Sunday there were no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation yet for Americans in the country, citing the closure of the Khartoum airport. It advised US citizens to stay indoors and shelter in place, adding that it would make an announcement “if evacuation of private US citizens becomes necessary.”
The 2023 nominees for the Ghana Music Awards USA have been announced and the list is full of talented artists from a variety of genres.
This year’s nominees include well-known names such as Stonebwoy, Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, and Black Sherrif, as well as emerging artistes like Vanilla, Naana Blu, and Rcee.
One of the most highly anticipated categories is Artiste of the Year, which features some of the biggest names in Ghanaian music like Black Sherrif, Stonebwoy, Piesie Esther, Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, Camidoh, and Kidi all in the running for the coveted award.
Each of these artistes has made a significant impact on the Ghanaian music scene over the past year, and it will be exciting to see who comes out on top.
The Gospel Artiste of the Year category features several well-known artistes, including Piesie Esther, Celestine Donkor, Obaapa Christie, Diana Hamilton, Joe Mettle, Sonnie Badu, and MOG Music and the list goes on and on.
Scroll below to see who made the list for other categories:
Two Russian individuals who identify themselves as former Wagner Group leaders have admitted to a human rights advocate that they murdered children and people in Ukraine.
The allegations were made in video interviews with Gulagu.net, a human rights organization that works to end corruption and abuse in Russia.
Former Russian prisoners Azamat Uldarov and Alexey Savichev, who both received pardons from Russian presidential decrees last year, according to Gulagu.net, discuss their conduct in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion in the videos that have been broadcast online.
CNN cannot independently verify their claims or identities in the videos but has obtained Russian penal documents showing they were released on presidential pardon in September and August of 2022.
Uldarov, who appears to have been drinking, details how he shot and killed a five- or six-year-old girl.
“(It was) a management decision. I wasn’t allowed to let anyone out alive, because my command was to kill anything in my way,” he said.
According to Gulagu.net, the testimonies were given to founder and Russian dissident Vladimir Osechkin over the span of a week. It said Uldarov and Savichev were in Russia when they spoke.
“I want Russia and other nations to know the truth. I don’t want war and bloodshed. You see I’m holding a cigarette in this hand. I followed orders with this hand and killed children,” Uldarov said, describing his motivation for the interview.
The Wagner Group is a Russian private mercenary organization fighting in Ukraine, headed by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin.
It has recruited tens of thousands of fighters from Russian jails, offering freedom and cash after a six-month tour. It’s estimated by Western intelligence officials and prison advocacy groups that between 40,000 and 50,000 men were recruited.
Uldarov said in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Soledar and Bakhmut – which have seen some of the fiercest fighting – Wagner mercenaries “were given the command to annihilate everyone.”
“There is a superior over all the commanders – it’s Prigozhin, who told us not to let anyone get out of there and annihilate everyone,” he added. CNN has previously reported on former Wagner fighters making similar claims.
At one point in the interview, Savichev described how they “got the order to execute any men who were 15 years or older.”
He also talked about getting orders to ‘sweep’ a house. “It doesn’t matter whether there is a civilian there or not. The house needs to be swept. I didn’t give a f**k who was inside,” he said.
“Whether a hut or a house, the point was to make sure that there wasn’t a single living person left inside,” he said. “You can condemn me for this. I will not object. It’s your right. But I wanted to live, too.”
Savichev said Wagner fighters who did not follow orders were killed.
In February, CNN spoke to two former Wagner fighters who described how recruited Wagner convicts are pushed to the front lines in a human wave, reminiscent of World War I charges. Deserters, or those who refuse orders are killed and there was no evacuation of the wounded, they said.
Wagner Group chief Prigozhin, when asked about the men and the contents of the 1.17 hour-long video, said he had not yet had the “technical ability to watch the entire video.”
However, he added, in his response on Telegram: “Regarding the execution of children, of course, no one ever shoots civilians or children, absolutely no one needs this. We came there to save them from the regime they were under.”
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said in a tweet Monday that the group must be held accountable.
“Russian terrorists confessed to numerous murders of Ukrainian children in Bakhmut and Soledar. Confession is not enough. There must be a punishment. Tough and fair. And it will definitely be. How many more crimes like these have been committed?” he said.
In January, US Treasury Department designated Wagner Group as a significant transnational criminal organization, and imposed a slew of fresh sanctions on a transnational network that supports it.
The US Department of State concurrently announced a number of sanctions meant to “target a range of Wagner’s key infrastructure – including an aviation firm used by Wagner, a Wagner propaganda organization, and Wagner front companies,” according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama has confirmed that former PresidentJohn Dramani Mahama has been paying his own electricity bills.
Mahama in an exclusive interview with TV3 in 2022 said that all he receives from the government is his monthly pension and that all other bills the state must cater for have not been attended to since he left office in 2017.
Mahama said he is footing a myriad of bills, including light, fuel, office rent, and travel expenses.
Responding to a question in an interview with Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on April 17, 2023, Samuel Dubik Mahama, explained that the electricity company collates all former presidents’ bills and sends them to the Chief of Staff for payment, however, when they received former President Mahama’s bills, they realized that he had already been paying his own bills.
The MD admitted that the fault lies with the electricity company for not doing their job well. He further explained that they are supposed to read the former president’s meter and send the bills to the Chief of Staff for payment.
“We collate all former president’s bills and we send them to the Chief of Staff for payment.
“Let me break it down, former President Kufour’s bills are with us, we gave them to the Chief of Staff and she has worked on them. We also had former President John Mahama’s own…we tried to get in touch with him, and when we got the bills, for him, he has already been paying his own bills…Yes, he pays his own bills.
“So, from now onwards we are going to have discussions with him so that moving forward it would be absorbed.
“I won’t put the blame at his doorsteps or make it political, it is my office, we were supposed to read his meter and take action by informing him that we will handle it, so, we now have put those structures in place after a very comprehensive conversation with the Chief of Staff.
“She told us her peace of mind and she told us exactly what we have to do because a lot of people would like to drop the problem at the political doorstep which is wrong,” he said.
Dubik Mahama emphasized that the issue is not political and they do not want it to sound political.
The news of Mahama paying his own electricity bills has been met with mixed reactions from the public. Some have praised him for his sense of responsibility, while others have criticized the ruling government for denying the former statesman his entitlements.
John Dramani Mahama served as president of Ghana from 2012 to 2017 and continues to be an active political figure in the country.
Nigerian superstar singer, David Adeleke, professionally known as Davido, has revealed that his father bribed him to go to school.
The 30BG boss and son of Nigerian business magnate Adedeji Adeleke made this disclosure in a recent interview.
According to him, although his father loved education and wanted him to go to school, he wasn’t interested.
He said he initially left school and even ran away from home, but he was eventually forced to return to complete his education when his father made him a juicy deal.
The deal was that if he attended school from Mondays to Fridays, his father would build him a world-class studio and provide him with money to shoot music videos on weekends.
“I was forced back to uni. I was kind of bribed,” he said.
“My dad is just big on education. The first place I came to when I ran from home was London. From there I came back to Nigeria and my dad wanted me to go to school ask so I was like ‘What is in it for me?’.
“He said if I go to school, he has a land not far; he will build me a studio. But I should go to school from Mondays to Fridays and on weekends, work in the studio during the weekend. It was a world-class studio. He will give me money to shoot some videos. He added.
Nigerian afrobeats star, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has revealed that he made his first one million naira at the age of 17 and handed all the money to his mother.
The 22-year-old musician disclosed this in recent interview with Z100 New York.
“The person who I knew needed it more was my mum. So, I handed everything I made to her. I know it was cool to drive around the city as a 17-year-old in a cool whip. But I can’t drive a cool whip when my mum didn’t have a car or my mum has to borrow my keys. You know, I had to put her on first,” he said.
“Passing all of that to her, whatever investment she makes… I made my first million [naira] at 17 but I made more than a million. But it’s cool to be in that stage to be able to provide for your family.”
Speaking further, the Calm Down crooner said his biggest achievement is being able to provide for his family and create opportunities for others
“Someone created an opportunity for me to bless the world this much. So, I can’t imagine how much the people I helped are going to bless the world. You know, I go hard not just for myself. I go hard for them. As doors open for me, I wanna open doors for them,” he added.
Daddy Lumba has projected that Kuame Eugene would become a worldwide sensation with his songs while declaring that he’s now his successor.
This claim was made by the legendary Highlife performer, who is recognized as Ghana’s finest musician of all time, during Kuami Eugene’s visit to DL106.9 FM in April 2023.
“I have now handed over to Kuami Eugene (laughs). May God bless you Kuami. May he enlarge your territory and make possible all your dreams.
I have hope in you and very soon you will be able to conquer the whole world with your music. Keep it up,” Lumba said.
Kuame Eugene has warned his lookalike sternly to take precautions because he is currently stepping beyond his bounds.
In a recent interview with MX24 TV, Kuami Eugene stated that his lookalike should cease till it goes wrong because he is a brand and a corporate entity.
He claimed that while he initially gave him permission to take ‘enjoy’ himself, it appears that both he and the other impersonators of other well-known Ghanaian artistes are now abusing the privilege; in response to a loud public complaint about the disruption these imitations are making.
He stated; “In those days people used to dress and act like the superstars they admire but I never saw one of them going on stage to go and perform his songs.
“That’s like maximum disrespect so it’s another story when you love the person and wants to rep the person on social media but when it gets to a level when it’s becoming too much.
You see what’s going on and you’re enjoying it, that’s why I said people are just selfish because he’s enjoying that fame and that attention at this particular time nothing is stopping him.
Until the whole thing ends bad and then they’ll regret it because I’m a brand and a whole business and I’ll just say trust me it looks good but if you’re enjoying it won’t last.”
Abigail Adjiri made history by winning the 14th season of TV3’s Talented Kidz reality show last night, April 17, 2023.
As a vivacious girl who is hearing impaired, Abigail’s excellent rise as a dance wizkid broke the glass ceiling and made a statement about determination.
Abigail, a pupil at the Vitnaya Academy in Prampam, did not allow her condition to come in the way of her gift as a dancer who possesses massive energy and skill to woo fans.
The 7-year-old Abigail emerged as the winner against her stiff competitors: Thatness Kids Models and MFC Dancers, who emerged as first and second runners-up, respectively.
As winner of the Season 14 edition of the Talented Kidz show, Abigail Adjiri received a cash prize of GHS 15,000, an educational tablet, and GHS 2,000 worth of products from the title sponsor, Indomie.
Due to her hard work, which she puts in week in and week out, almost everyone has unanimously agreed on her emerging as the winner of the night.
The Talented Kidz show has helped to unearth several top talents which include the likes of Dj Switch, Tutulapato, Awal, Nakeeyat, and Samuel Owusu.
A Chinese acrobat has died after falling to her death during a performance on Saturday.
The woman, surnamed Sun, fell during a flying-trapeze performance in the city of Suzhou in central Anhui province.
Footage shared widely online shows the gymnast falling onto a hard stage after a routine went wrong with her acrobatic partner, who is also her husband.
Ms Sun fell from a significant height after he failed to catch her with his legs during a stunt.
She was taken to hospital where efforts by doctors to save her life failed. The popular news website The Paper reported that she leaves behind two children.
Officials say an investigation is underway into the incident.
According to The Paper, Ms Sun and her husband, surnamed Zhang, had worked together for many years and had often performed without safety belts “for the sake of looking good”.
The footage has horrified people in China, and although social media users in the country have acknowledged that acrobatics carry a high level of risk, they have also voiced their concerns about the industry’s lax safety measures.
Some on the Weibo social network have commented that they have seen similar performances take place in the country without a safety mat or net, and are calling for better regulation in the industry.
There has also been significant debate in the media over who is to blame.
The local Culture and Tourism Department says that the performance troupe behind the act had not gained sufficient approval to carry out the act in the first place, and that they would be “dealt with accordingly”.
The Paper shared archive footage of the couple, who are often seen performing stunts at high altitudes and simply relying on each other’s strength for survival.
It says that the decision not to use safety belts spanned from working in a “highly competitive” industry, with them earning “relatively more money” by performing riskier acts.
A contestant on the 2023 edition of Britian’s Got Talent shocked viewers and the judges on Sunday with his act.
Thomas Vu, 35, left judges speechless when he set himself on fire during his set while solving a Rubik’s cube.
The professional stuntman before his performance said that “I want to show the world that the Rubik’s Cube can be very interesting.”
Vu also told the audience before he began that he had to have a fail-safe after a certain point because there was a genuine risk he could burn.
He was then covered in a fire-retardant gel and then went on to solve a Rubik’s cube while he was on fire while judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Toniolo and Amanda Holden and the audience looked on in shock.
Epixode has revealed that he does not make much money from shows.
In an interview, the versatile Ghanaian musician told host Kwame Dadzie that a lot of the gigs come with benefits other than money.
“Eighty percent of the stuff, sometimes some of the negotiations you do, don’t come with money, relationships are even sometimes bigger than the money so looking at it from that perspective I will say I have even gained more things that are even bigger than I have charged,” he noted.
He, however, said that since he released the ‘Atia’ song, he has earned more money from his gigs than he did previously.
“Now they are putting respect to it that at least you have a team. At least, you need to step out clean,” he noted.
Epixodealso added that sometimes he does barter with companies that book him for shows.
The versatile Ghanaian artiste has released a song titled ‘O’bra’ which features Santrofi.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has for the umpteenth time accused the Akufo-Addo led administration of gross economic mismanagement.
He says government must take full responsibility for the economic hardship Ghanaians are facing and focus on expenditure reduction.
“Ghana is currently on her knees for a bailout with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amidst intensifying hardships, rising cost of living and a depreciating cedi,” he said.
Mr Mahama, contesting the flagbearer position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), was addressing party executives in the Krachi East Constituency on his campaign tour.
He urged the Government to focus on social intervention programmes and reduce expenditure, taking into consideration that the present IMF programme would be different from all bailouts the country had ever engaged in.
“This will be the first of its kind the nation embarks on an IMF programme with debts restructure”.
He said the NDC’s greater concern was that the Government rejected every reasonable and constructive suggestion from others on working together for economic improvement.
“Government must stop blaming the Ukraine-Russia war for the economic hardship in the country and explain the exact challenges to the citizenry,’’ he said.
Former President Mahama is expected to visit Krachi, Nkwanta North, Nkwanta South and end his campaign tour at the Akan Constituency in the Kadjebi District.
Ghanaian musician and record producer, Quamina MP has disclosed that his doppelgänger has impersonated him on several occasions which has also affected his brand.
Speaking on the trending debate of individuals claiming to be lookalikes of other Ghanaian musicians, including Kuami Eugene, King Promise, Mr Drew, and Medikal, the “Wiase” hitmaker revealed that he had suffered a similar fate.
Quamina MP, 29, said his look-alike did not only imitate his style and mannerisms but took to performing his songs at events including a D-Black event that got him kicked off the stage and a slew of headlines.
“I saw a news headline that said Quamina MP sacked from stage at Kasoa during D Black’s event and it shocked me. I was wondering if I was there or not,” he narrated “And the guy really looks like me so I was doubting if it was really me. The guy was performing when a bouncer carried him off the stage and the headline was very bad at least if the people knew it was my lookalike then it’ll not be bad PR”
While impersonating an artiste may seem harmless to some, it can have serious consequences for artists who rely on their image and brand to build a successful career.
The award-winning artiste mentioned that the situation had escalated resulting in the lookalike performing on stage and scamming fans in the process
“Just last week in Koforidua, I was supposed to perform at a show in a secondary school, before I got on stage the lookalike had gone to perform in my name” he cited
Moreover, impersonators can damage an artiste’s reputation by giving subpar performances or engaging in inappropriate behaviour.
They can also infringe on the artist’s intellectual property rights by using their image or music without permission.
“I was told that the students were angry after he performed for a few minutes and left before I came. This is the issue I have with my lookalike and he is also creating skits which malign my brand,” he lamented.
However, Quamina MP and his team are yet to reach out to the impersonator to ask him to desist from using his name or brand for public performance.
Protesters took to the streets after a homeowner shot and wounded a teenager who had gone to the wrong home to pick up his siblings in Kansas City, Missouri, police said Sunday.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was “shot twice and struck in the head and arm,” his family’s attorneys said in a statement.
Protesters marched as they chanted, “justice for Ralph” and “Black lives matter,” and carried signs reading, “Ringing a doorbell is not a crime” and “The shooter should do the time,” footage from CNN affiliate KMBC shows.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting on the evening of April 13 and arrived to find a teenager who had been shot by a homeowner outside a residence, according to Kansas City Police.
The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition Sunday, police said.
“Despite the severity of his injuries and the seriousness of his condition, Ralph is alive and recovering,” civil rights attorneys S. Lee Merritt and Benjamin Crump, who have been retained by Yarl and his family, said in the statement.
Police learned the teenager’s parents had asked him to pick up his siblings at an address on 115th Terrace, but he accidentally went to a home on 115th Street, where he was shot.
“Ralph Yarl was picking up his younger brothers when he mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong house. A man shot Ralph twice and now he’s in critical condition. His family needs support during this tragedy,” Crump tweeted.
The homeowner – who has not been identified – was taken into custody and placed on a 24-hour hold, then released while police work to get a victim statement and gather more forensic evidence.
Under Missouri law, a person can be held for up to 24 hours for investigation of a felony, at which time they are required to be charged or released, Graves said at the news conference.
Attorneys for the wounded youth’s family issued a statement demanding “swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.”
Asked whether the shooting may have been racially motivated, the police chief said, “the information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That’s still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognize the racial components of this case.”
Protesters gather in Kansas City after Ralph Paul Yarl’s shooting.KMBC
Graves sought to assure the Kansas City community Sunday the police department is committed to the case.
“We recognize the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process. The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve,” Graves said.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said there will be a thorough investigation and review by the prosecutor’s office.
“As a parent, I certainly feel for the mother of the victim and others in the family. My heart goes out to them,” the mayor added.
Teen was a band section leader
A GoFundMe started by Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Ralph’s aunt, to help the family raise money for medical expenses had garnered more than $1 million in donations by Monday morning.
Ralph had been looking forward to graduating from high school and visiting West Africa before starting college, his aunt wrote in the fundraiser.
The teen is a section leader in a marching band and could often be found with a musical instrument in hand, Spoonmore wrote. Most recently, Ralph earned Missouri All-State Band honorable mention for playing the bass clarinet, according to a North Kansas City Schools’ newsletter in February. He also plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra, his aunt wrote.
He is a member of his school’s Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team and is a 2022 Missouri Scholars Academy alumni, she wrote.
“Last summer, Ralph attended Missouri Scholar’s Academy, where he got a full college life experience,” Spoonmore wrote. “His goal is to attend Texas A&M to major in chemical Engineering. When asked how he plans to get into this university, he said, ‘Well, if they have a scholarship for music or academics, I know I can get it.’ “
“Life looks a lot different right now. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable,” the GoFundMe post reads.
It was a great scene when Dennis Princewell Stehr, known professionally as Mr. Probz journeyed to Ghana to finally meet his family in Ghana after long years of losing connection with them.
The Dutch music producer, singer and singer-songwriter go linked up with his biological father’s side through music and social media. The family in Ghana established contact with Mr. Probz after the passing of Probz’s grandma.
The death of Mr. Probz’s grandmother caused the reconnection of the musician that lead to his historic homecoming to finally meet his biological father for the first time in Accra, Ghana and unite with the rest of the family.
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Mr. Probz’(originally born in Germany) meteorically rose to international fame in 2013 with the release of “Waves” which became a number 1 hit song in 51 countries around the world and his music has generated billions of streams.
In the years after his breakthrough, Mr. Probz continued touring the world while working with artists, such as Chris Brown, Akon, 50Cent, Anderson. Paak, and many more.
The widespread exposure led his Ghanaian family on his biological father’s side to recognize him and track him down.
For many years, his father had unsuccessfully and without knowing tried to find and contact his son, Dennis Princewell Stehr, while his family in Ghana had independently joined the search.
Through his music and social media, they finally established contact with the singer.
Ultimately it was the passing of his grandmother, that caused the reconnection and the reinforcement of the bond on all sides of the family which led to the unexpected homecoming of Dennis and for him to finally meet his biological father for the first time in Accra and reunite with the family.
While in Ghana he received his father’s blessing and visited his grandmother’s final resting place to show his respect.
Dennis said: “The homecoming event was a life-changing and healing experience for me as well as for the whole family.”
CHECK OUT BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS OF MR PROBZ WHEN HE MET THE FAMILY IN A ROUSING WELCOME CEREMONY
Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Michael Okyere has emphasised that government has no intention of collapsing businesses.
On the contrary, he says government will continue to engage businesses over their grievances relating to the new tax measures introduced by the government.
The Ghana Union of Trader’s Association (GUTA) and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) argue that the revenue measures are counterproductive hence the need for government to reverse them.
Speaking to Joy News’ Blessed Sogah on the sidelines of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) Business Forum in Cape Town – South Africa, Michael Okyere Baafi says the intention of government is not to kill any businesses.
“The intention of government is not to cripple or sabotage businesses. That’s not what government has in mind. Government’s interest is to encourage people to do business and also when they do businesses and when they grow, those businesses are supposed to pay more taxes to government so that we can be able to undertake projects like very good infrastructural projects like roads, other things that will benefit car users and users of social services in the country,” he said while announcing that a series of dialogues will continue in order to find common grounds with private sector.
Touching on the opportunities provided by AfCFTA, Michael Baafi stressed that Ghanaian businesses must position themselves to leverage the wider market provided by the area.
Africa’s private sector is currently in Cape Town, South Africa to participate in the 2023 AfCFTA Business Forum – the first one to be held in person.
Convened by the AfCFTA Secretariat under the patronage of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the conference is scheduled to take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 16 – 18 April 2023.
An eyewitness has given a detailed account of how three suspected armed robbers were murdered.
The incident that led to the death of a small-scale miner and the subsequent burning of three armed robbers at Moseaso in the Wassa Amenffi West Municipality keeps community folks thinking.
The incident happened on Sunday morning April 16, 2023 where the three-armed robbers gunned down a worker of a small-scale mining company in the area during an operation at a galamsey site.
Community folks heard of the gunshot, went to the scene and realized a community member, Frank Arthur was gunned down.
The news of the incident quickly spread throughout the town, and the community was outraged. They mobilized and launched a manhunt for the robbers. After an intense search, they managed to apprehend three out of the four suspects.
However, instead of turning the suspects over to the authorities, the community members decided to take matters into their own hands and set the robbers ablaze.
According to an eyewitness who was part of the robbery victims, who gave his name as Tikwaa, said they were returning from site with gold “when we got to a curve, we realized they had raised a barrier on the road and two out of four who were wielding guns started shooting into our car. We were in the car but Arthur was in the bucket of the car so he sustained gunshot wounds, without our knowledge”.
“We were ordered out of the car and buried our faces on the ground. So they went in to take the black(gold) from the car. As they were about to move, they told us that one of our brothers was shot so we should take him to the hospital, so we took him into the car to the Moseaso clinic”, he added.
Speaking to Ghanaweb in an interview, the owner of the small scale mining site Mr. Richard Adjei said Francis Arthur, 51 was his senior brother and the care taker of the site adding that, “because of my tight schedules, Arthur has been taking care of the site for me ever since we started operations”.
On that fateful day, Mr. Adjei said he went to see his brother in the morning to inform him that soldiers will be coming to site so they should go to the site and bring the “black” home.
“I was in the washroom few minutes after that when I received a called that Arthur had been shot so I quickly moved my car to the clinic where they were sending him for treatment and but when I got there, I realized they were sending him to the Asankragwaa Catholic Hospital rather, so I followed up. On our way to the hospital, we met a group of soldiers who also delayed for about thirty minutes, so Frank Arthur was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital”.
According to Mr. Adjei, robbery incident has been very rampant in the Moseaso community. These robbers are a group made up of indigenes of Moseaso and Dunkwa in the Central Region. Those who have been burnt were part of six robbers who were imprisoned for three years, came back and are still in the robbery business.
He added that, “one the burnt robbers robbed somebody of his money two months ago, he was arrested by police and bailed, and is till robbing”
