The Australian government has gone to the aid of some shea butter processors in Sagnarigu.
A total of 150 women shea butter processors in the Sagnarigu Municipality in the Northern Region received the support to increase their production and enhance their livelihoods.
The support formed part of a $373,000 grant launched in 2022 by the Australian Government to support some selected African countries including Ghana.
The beneficiaries have been presented with start-up kits such as processing roasters, basins, mini-water storage tanks, buckets and oil extraction cooking pots.
They have also benefited from capacity building on financial management, savings, and record keeping.
The women are beneficiaries of the “Increasing Productivity and Profitability of Women-Owned Small-Scale Businesses” project implemented by Children Believe, a child focus organisation in Ghana and the Markaz Al Bishara Child Development Programme.
Visit
The support was made known when the Second Secretary at the Australian High Commission in Ghana, Harriet Williams, and some other development partners visited Katariga and Tampe-Kukuo in the Sagnarigu Municipality, to interact with the project beneficiaries.
The visit was also to interact with the project partners to identify gaps that were created during the implementation and how to sustain the project.
Speaking to the media during the visit, Ms Williams said “I must say I am very impressed with what I have seen, I know a lot of works have gone into these and I wish to thank Children Believe for a good work done. We will continue to support, especially in the area of women empowerment.”
The Country Director of Children Believe, Esenam Kavi Desouza, said the participation of women in profitable small-scale businesses was essential to ensuring that their rights were recognised and to enable them to have control over their personal lives, while exerting influence in their homes and communities.
She also said though shea butter production was the main livelihood for over 900,000 rural women in Ghana, they benefited less from the final value of the commodity, hence the need for the implementation of the project.
In 48 months, more than 136 people died on the Accra Tema motorway. With the current state of the road, more people are still at risk of their lives every day, and they can avoid serious injury or death. According to the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Department, at least 39 people died in accidents in 2018, while 150 were injured.
On the roads, 107 incidents were also recorded in 2018. Out of 75 accidents that were recorded in 2019, 91 people sustained injuries and 36 died. Data on motorway accidents also show that 22 people died and 74 were injured in the 80 accidents that were recorded in 2020. Reports indicate that there were at least 105 motorway accidents in 2021, resulting in 39 deaths and at most, 39 injuries.
The 57 years old road shows more weariness than a human 57 years old. As if screaming for help, it showed signs of fatigue and lay helplessly, as heavy trucks drove by with their huge tyres. This cracked up the large potholes and other problems that had been left over 50 years of neglect and insufficient repairs.
The weather has left the current condition of the motorway in a state of flux and it is uncertain what its future holds. The motorway is no longer a fast and easy route to Accra or Tema. It has been ravaged by serious potholes and cracks that drivers must navigate to return home.
Every time they choose to use the Tema–Accra motorway, users face obstacles. On the 19-kilometre stretch between Accra and Tema, drivers must carefully navigate around 400 potholes. This is far more than what it takes to complete a game of chess. The dangers that come with it are much more severe. Tema Motorway, Ghana’s only motorway linking the Volta Region, Tema metropolis and Togo by road to the capital of the country.
Today’s motorway is like a circus. Passengers bump up every second the car hits a crack.
Cracks and potholes Investigative reporters, Redeemer Buatsi and Prosper Prince Midedzi spent two and half days traversing the motorway on foot from the Tetteh Quarshie roundabout to the Tema tollbooth. They recorded over 417 potholes on both the Accra-Tema and Tema-Accra lanes. Many potholes had iron rods sticking out of them. The reporters observed cars trying to negotiate around potholes and edging dangerously towards other road users.
Accidents, dangers The bitumen on the concrete road has separated from the concrete surface like oil from water. This created huge bumps similar to those created by unprofessional speed bumps by members of the community on busy roads in their area. It is not clear what engineering led to fixing the concrete cracks using bitumen. It is clear, however, that such thinking has increased the discomfort and added to the hurdles of drivers on the road.
Redeemer and Prosper recorded 432 patches in their two-and-a-half-day eyewitness inspection. Some have become speed bumps while others have developed into larger and more dangerous potholes.
U-Turns Over 55 illegal U-turns were also recorded during the two-and-a-half-day survey. Driving a U-turn is a 180-degree manoeuvre to reverse the direction of the journey. There are only two legal U-turns strategically positioned at the ends of the motorway. The illegal U-turns violate highways traffic regulations and poses great danger to drivers and other road users. Unsuspecting drivers may not be able to take safety precautions and thus prevent an accident when suddenly confronted an illegal U-turn.
Illegal Bus Stops Motorcyclists using the motorway park incongruously on the roads. The reporters recorded 33 illegal bus stops along the Motorway. Taxi drivers and commercial drivers, also known as “trotro”, park anywhere they like on the busy highway to pick and drop off passengers.
An Okada rider at the KICC spot said that every week there is an accident because of illegal bus stops. The attention of the law enforcement agencies and other duty bearers is urgently needed to end this threat to the highway.
One of the ‘trotro’ drivers, Mr Kwame Asare, said that even if he does not stop at the illegal bus stops to pick passengers, his colleagues would. ‘We are all doing the wrong thing for survival’, he said.
Road Traffic Act Section 19 of the Road Traffic Act (Act 683) says: “A person who parks their motor vehicle entirely or partially on the verge of a road or on any land between two carriageways, which is not a footway or pedestrian crossing, or in a place reserved to the physically handicapped, commits an offence.”
This offence will result in a summary conviction and a sentence of “a summarized conviction to a fine not surpassing 250 penalty units (GHȼ3,000), given that one penalty unit equals GHȼ12 or to a term not exceeding 12 months or both.”
However, the authorities and police have not enforced the law enough, even though they are aware that motorists continue to violate it.
The reporters met with a police officer, who had arrested a “trotro driver” at ‘Under Bridge’. This is one of those spots where drivers stop randomly. The police officer said he had impounded the vehicle. However, there were other drivers doing the same wrong thing, but with only one policeman, the situation was helpless.
Ghana Highway Code The Ghana Highway Code of Conduct, Section 35 states that “Leave enough distance between you and the vehicle in the front so you can pull up safely if the vehicle suddenly slows down or stops abruptly.” It is best to not get closer than the recommended stopping distance. In good conditions, however, a gap of 1 yard per mph may be sufficient on open roads. The gap should be wider on wet roads. If an overtaking vehicle fills in the gap, you should drop back.
Responding to section 35 of the Ghana Highway Code of Conduct, Inspector Kingsley Addo, Head of the Accident Investigative Unit of the Tema Motor Transport and Traffic Department stated that “Most motorists don’t know how to use the motorway.”
In November 1965, the Accra-Tema motorway opened to traffic to connect Tema and Accra. It was constructed under the leadership of Dr Kwame Nkrumah (the first President of Ghana). It was built in the style of the Autobahn, a German motorway.
Rehabilitation The motorway was rehabilitated to its original condition in August 2009. It cost GHȼ500,000. Part of the Motorway was to be reconstructed using epoxy cement. Eight weeks of rehabilitation were required to remove and replace concrete slabs that had become damaged and repair the asphalted shoulder of the motorway. The motorway was made safe again for motorists in the 2009 rehabilitation work.
Plans for expansion After years of public outcry over the poor condition of the motorway, many promises have been made to improve it in the past.
Recently, Roads Minister Kwasi Amoako Atta claimed that the motorway would be redeveloped to become a 10-lane urban highway, with 5 new interchanges. Potholes continue to develop every day and are being repaired with bitumen. According to Empire Parking Lot Services (a construction and repairs company based in the United States), it is cheaper to repair asphalted roads over concrete ones, but it is technically not safe to repair concrete floors with bitumen since these are completely different materials.
Efforts to get the Roads Ministry and the Urban Roads department to comment on the issues proved futile. However, one thing is clear, the Tema-Accra motorway continues to deteriorate, posing serious threats to the thousands of Ghanaians who ply it daily.
Before the alleged assault, there was a “disturbance or altercation,” according to detectives.
On Monday, March 20, soon after 6 a.m., Mr. Moraru was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have named Stefan Stelian Moraru as the victim of the attack (Picture: Metropolitan Police)Police were called to Chandos Avenue at 6am on Monday.
His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Latest London news
A post mortem held on Tuesday, March 21 established a cause of death as single stab wound to the heart.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, of the Metropolitan Police, said: ‘I would like to appeal to any witnesses who were in the area of Chandos Avenue and Whetstone High Street, N20 on Sunday, 19 March at approximately 10.30pm.
‘Our enquiries suggest there was a disturbance or altercation on Chandos Avenue at or about this time and we are seeking any witnesses to this.
‘I am particularly interested in anyone who may have had a dashcam when travelling through either of these roads at the time.’
Homicide detectives from Specialist Crime are leading the investigation. At this stage, there have been no arrests.
The elderly wife of a billionaire from the Porsche family dynasty has filed for divorce, citing a ‘dementia-like condition’ as the cause of their split.
Claudia Porsche, 74, is said to have filed for divorce from Wolfgang Porsche, 79, who claims that her illness has caused significant behavioral changes.
Since 2007, Wolfgang and Claudia have been dating. They got hitched in 2019. The assets owned by the Porsche family are worth approximately £18 billion.
Claudia Porsche, a grandmother and former adviser to the German government, has been unable to move independently for months and has reportedly been living with her daughter for almost two years.
Wolfgang Porsche married his wife Claudia in 2019 after getting together in 2009 (Picture: Getty)
Four housekeepers are employed to make sure they have everything they need around the clock.
Her mental awareness is said to have undergone a rapid decline during this period, which sources close to the family claim has made living together impossible for the couple.
German media reports that following the split, Wolfgang has been getting closer to his friend of 25 years, 59-year-old Gabriela Prinzessin zu Leiningen, in recent months.
Born in Austria, Wolfgang is the youngest son of Ferry Porsche, who founded the sports car brand in Stuttgart in 1930.
As an executive and member of the supervisory board, he played a key role in the development of the Porsche company.
His oldest brother is Ferdinand ‘Butzi’ Porsche, who designed the first Porsche 911 in 1964.
Wolfgang currently lives in Zell am See, Austria, and has four children- two to director and screenplay writer Susanne Bresser, whom he married in 1988 and divorced in 2008.
In Ghana, one person dies every hour from Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) related diseases that are preventable.
As a result, the United Nations (UN) is calling on authorities to, as a matter of urgency, salvage the situation by increasing investment in the WASH sector to make safe water accessible to every member of the public.
The Chief WASH, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ghana, Mr Ramesh Bhusal, who made the revelation at an engagement with the media ahead of UN’s 2023 Water Conference, said poor sanitation conditions posed serious public health risks, therefore prioritising WASH services in the country would help save lives.
He stated that Sub-Saharan Africa was far behind the global average, where one in three people still relied on unprotected water sources and two to three persons used unsafe sanitation facilities.
The sanitation situation in Ghana, he said, was very poor with only 25 per cent of the population having access to basic services, about 57 per cent using shared public facilities and 18 per cent openly defecating.
According to MrBhusal, water was vital to every aspect of human survival and well-being, the economic development and prosperity of every nation.
He, however, expressed regret that”this fundamental human right is not within the reach of many.”
While there were reasons to celebrate remarkable achievements the world had made in improving access to water and sanitation, he noted that the progress made so far was “generally slow and highly inequitable,” especially for Sub-Saharan Africa.
He expressed the fear that due to Ghana’s proximity to the Sahel Region and position as a safe haven for people displaced from the Sahel, the country was going to face more problems relating to the already inadequate WASH services, especially in the Northern regions.
Touching on what the UN was doing to support Ghana’s WASH sector, DrBhusal revealed that the UN in Ghana was supporting the government to realise access to safe and sustainable WASH services by all, including children and their families through capacity building, modelling innovative service delivery approaches and system strengthening through evidence-based policy, strategy and guidelines.
“The overarching aim of the UN in Ghana is to ensure no child goes to school without functioning WASH facilities and no women have to give birth in health facilities without functioning toilets and washrooms,” he added.
A representative of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Water Research Institute (WRI), Dr Anthony Yaw Karikari, on his part described Ghana as water-stressed country, saying, the proportion of people living in communities where there was scarcity of water kept growing.
He stated that with the increase in human activities, especially illegal mining around rivers, water sources were becoming polluted and could not be used for drinking and other purposes without treatment.
Though Ghana had made some strides of establishing institutions with supportive policies and legislative frameworks, he said implementation and enforcement appeared to be challenging.
In furtherance, Dr Karikari stated that water management systems for planning, developing and managing water sources were critical for reforming the sector and ensuring water security for all.
National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has reiterated calls on the government to cut down on its expenditure in the wake of the current economic crisis.
“Mr. President cut down on the waste, the waste in your government is too much. They told us two years ago that they were going to cut expenditures yet we see an increase in waste” he said.
Speaking to TV3 on Wednesday morning (March 22, 2023), Mr. Gyamfi cited the National Cathedral project as one of the “wasteful expenditures” of the government that needs to stop.
“The government is wasting the public purse on a needless National Cathedral. Do we need a national cathedral in the midst of this economic crisis?”
“Cut down on the bloated size of the government and we can make huge savings,” he added.
He also called on government to eschew corruption and punish persons involved in corrupt practices.
Databank Research has predicted a slowdown in economic growth this year on the back of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
“Economic compression is inevitable under an IMF programme, we anticipate an economic slowdown from an austerity path chartered by an IMF deal and forecast growth between 2.3 per cent to 3.3 per cent in full year 2023, lower than the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2022,” Databank Research said in its February 2023 Report titled “In the woodland – Banking on the IMF to Discover Path”.
The government set the overall real GDP growth of 2.8 percent, Non-Oil Real GDP growth of 3.0 per cent, and end-December inflation rate of 18.9 per cent.
It said the slump in the growth rate would be influenced by agriculture, industry and services.
The report said, “We expect the agriculture sector to compress slightly, growing at 3.7 per cent, as increased illegal fishing operations and high feed costs continue to hamper the fishing and livestock subsectors”.
Databank Research said growth in the industry sector would be muted at one per cent as the manufacturing subsector was expected to contract due to high input costs and currency pressures.
“We foresee weaker growth of 3.5 per cent in the extractive sector due to the uncertain outlook for oil and gas as global geopolitical tensions continue to undermine the outlook for oil and gas. Again, a resurgence of COVID-19 in China, the biggest oil consumer, poses a downside risk to oil demand,” the report said.
The report said the services sector was forecast to grow by 3.9 per cent as elevated price levels would stifle consumer demand primarily in the trade and
hospitality subsectors, while the debt restructuring would hamper the financial sector’s profitability and growth.
However, the report said the reduction in electronic levy to one per cent might entice more electronic transactions and robust data demand to drive growth in the ICT subsector.
Russian retaliation would result from British intentions to send depleted uranium (DU) munitions to Ukraine, the Kremlin has warned.
“Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left,” the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, told reporters.
Naturally, Russia is able to respond to this.
Shoigu’s response, when asked if this meant that a nuclear war was imminent, was, “It was not by chance that I told you about steps. There are getting less and less.
Now, it was made public that armour-piercing rounds with DU were included in the Challenger 2 battle tanks that are being shipped from Britain to Ukraine.
Defence Minister Baroness Goldie said today: ‘Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium.
‘Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armoured vehicles.’
DU shells were used by US and British troops in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, as well as in the Balkans during the 1990s.
A Challenger II Main Battle Tank at Royal Tank Regiment HQ, Tidworth, Wiltshire (Picture: PA)Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said: ‘Another step has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left.’ (Picture: AP)
It is a particular health risk around impact sites, where dust can get into people’s lungs and vital organs.
DU is used in weapons because it can penetrate tanks and armour more easily due to its density and other physical properties.
In response to Russia’s warning, a MoD spokesman said this evening: ‘The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour piercing shells for decades. It is a standard component and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities.
‘Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform.’
CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said the offer of DU-laden tanks will ‘not help the people of Ukraine.
She added: ‘Like in Iraq, the addition of depleted uranium ammunition into this conflict will only increase the long-term suffering of the civilians caught up in this conflict.
‘DU shells have already been implicated in thousands of unnecessary deaths from cancer and other serious illnesses.
‘CND has repeatedly called for the UK government to place an immediate moratorium on the use of depleted uranium weapons and to fund long-term studies into their health and environmental impacts.
‘Sending them into yet another war zone will not help the people of Ukraine.’
The news comes as the secretary general of Nato has said there were ‘signs’ indicating Russia has asked for lethal aid from China.
Launching his annual report for 2022, Jens Stoltenberg said: ‘We haven’t seen proof that China is delivering lethal weapons to Russia.
‘But we have seen some signs that this has been requested from Russia and it is something that is being considered in Beijing by the Chinese authorities.’
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Russia for his high-profile visit yesterday, and met President Vladimir Putin soon afterwards.
Few details have been released on what the two leaders will discuss, but a 12-point peace plan for the war in Ukraine was published by China less than a month ago.
Mr Stoltenberg, who was speaking at the Nato headquarters in Brussels, said: ‘Our message has been that China should not provide lethal aid to Russia.
‘That would be to support an illegal war, and only prolong the war, and support the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia.’
Ghanaian musician Shatta Wale has slammed some Ghanaians for spreading the word that he is the reason Medikal has parted ways with his long-time manager, Flow Delly.
According to him, since he started having ties with Medikal, some industry persons have been propagating false information about him.
He explained on Hitz FM’s U Say Wetin show that although Medikal has got a new team, he is still cool with Flow Delly, unlike some reports suggest they have become enemies.
Shatta Wale said he is no stranger to such lies because “I look like a hawk, but I don’t catch chickens,” adding that, “I am not saying this should happen but even if Medikal is not with his wife they will say it’s Shatta who caused it.”
“I will say Medikal and Flow are brothers, and they are all doing good, but I cannot pinpoint where all this matter is coming from.”
Talking about his influence on Medikal’s personal life and music career, Shatta had this to say:
“I don’t dictate for him. He is a whole big man, and he has said it in a way that people will understand that if you want business I have people who can do that… Medikal is a businessman, and he is not saying he has sacked Flow Delly and I know he is working with distributors outside Ghana, and he is okay [SIC].”
Shatta, however, urged Ghanaians to understand separation does not necessarily mean Medikal’s relationship with Flow Delly has turned soar.,
“Maybe he [Medikal] has a team that he is trying to project his career, but he is letting people know that he has moved on. He and flow are cool. I know they spoke not long ago and Flow is my brother, and he knows I won’t vouch for anything like that…,” Shatta told Prince Tsegah.
On Tuesday, South Africans observed Human Rights Day. President Cyril Ramaphosa used his keynote address to criticize the EFF’s unsuccessful shutdown attempt on Monday.
In his address to the nation from De Aar in the Northern Cape, Ramaphosa accused unnamed parties of trying to “diminish this democracy”, and wanting to “abuse the rights of others, intimidate them, compel them to participate in a protest, compel them to participate in days when they should not go to work.
“I am happy that the majority of South Africans did not heed the call, but they exercised their rights as South Africans,” he added.
He also emphasised that a country cannot claim to respect human rights if it does not ensure that all citizens have access to basic necessities such as land, housing, food, water, healthcare, and education.
The event is held annually in remembrance of the Sharpeville Massacre, which took place on 21 March 1960.
During the protest against Pass Laws, which required black South Africans to carry identification documents at all times, police opened fire on a crowd of around 7,000 people, killing 69 individuals.
The day is also a commemoration of the Langa Massacre, which occurred on 21 March 1985, when state police killed 35 people during a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre.
Human Rights Day serves as a reminder of the country’s past struggles and the ongoing fight for equality and justice for all.
The day provides an opportunity for South Africans to reflect on the progress made towards upholding human rights and the work that still needs to be done to ensure that every individual’s human rights are protected.
A global initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General to ensure that all countries are protected by early warning systems, by 2027, is being fast-tracked into action on the ground, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday.
UN chief António Guterres convened an Advisory Panel of top UN agency officials which met for the first time to inject more “political, technical and financial clout to ensure that Early Warnings for All becomes a reality for everyone, everywhere”, said WMO in a press release.
Tuesday’s panel included development banks, humanitarian organisations, civil society representatives, insurance and information technology companies.
The record-breaking Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which has caused severe disruption to critical services in southeast Africa, and fuelled a dangerous cholera outbreak, once again shows the importance of early warning systems that can save lives and livelihoods from increasingly extreme weather, the agency said.
Stepping it up
The months ahead will see stepped up coordinated action, initially in 30 particularly at-risk countries, including Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. Additional countries are expected to be added, as this vital work with partners gathers pace.
At the same time, the UN’s existing life-saving actions and initiatives will continue and be reinforced, “ensuring the Early Warnings for All campaign turns its pledges into life-saving reality on the ground for millions of the most vulnerable people”, said WMO, harnessing the power of modern mass communications.
Results time: Guterres
“Now it is time for us to deliver results. Millions of lives are hanging in the balance”, said Mr. Guterres.
“It is unacceptable that the countries and peoples that have contributed the least to creating the crisis are paying the heaviest prices,” he added.
Need for improvement
“People in Africa, South Asia, South and Central America, and small island states are 15 times more likely to die from climate disasters. These deaths are preventable. The evidence is clear: early warning systems are one of the most effective risk reduction and climate adaptation measures to reduce disaster mortality and economic losses,” said Mr Guterres.
In the past 50 years, the number of recorded disasters has increased by a factor of five, driven in part by human-induced climate change which is super-charging our weather.
If no action is taken, the number of medium or large-scale disaster events is projected to reach 560 a year – or 1.5 each day – by 2030.
The occurrence of severe weather and the effects of climate change will increase the difficulty, uncertainty, and complexity of emergency response efforts worldwide.
Preventable deaths
Half of all the world’s countries currently do not have adequate early warning systems and even fewer have regulatory frameworks where warning systems are linked to emergency plans.
“The unprecedented flooding in Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar from Tropical Cyclone Freddy highlights once again that our weather and precipitation is becoming more extreme and that water-related hazards are on the rise,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.
“The worst affected areas have received months’ worth of rainfall in a matter of days and the socio-economic impacts are catastrophic.”
“Accurate early warnings combined with coordinated disaster management on the ground prevented the casualty toll from rising even higher. But we can do even better and that is why the Early Warnings for All initiative is the top priority for WMO”, he said.
Beneficial all round
He added that improved hydrological and weather services will also be “economically beneficial for agriculture, air, marine and ground transportation, energy, health, tourism”.
WMO and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) are spearheading the Early Warnings for All initiative, along with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
“The operationalization of this initiative is a clear example of how the UN System and partners can work together to save lives and protect livelihoods from disasters”, said Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR.
‘Moral imperative’
“Inclusive and multi-hazard early warning systems that close the ‘last mile’, are among the best risk reduction methods in the face of climate-related hazards and geophysical hazards such as tsunamis.
“Achieving this is not only a clear target in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction but a moral imperative as well”.
Ghanaian star rapper Edem has shared another flyer appearing to announce he will be competing to serve in a political office on the ticket of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Born Denning Edem Hotor but professionally known as Edem Goget’em, he shared this new flyer on Twitter, Wednesday morning, March 22, 2023.
This comes after he shared a flyer seeming announcing his venturing into politics on the ticket of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Tuesday.
While on both flyers he maintains the sparkling white long-sleeve shirt, black trousers and dark shades, unlike the initial flyer on which he had hands in pocket, this new one shows the rapper and businessman crossing arms. He included his social media handles also.
Again, on the NDC flyer tweet, he wrote: “Big announcement tomorrow 4 PM.”
For a caption on the NPP flyer tweet, he wrote: “4 PM: I take a stand.”
It is not known if the multiple award-winning entertainer is simply courting controversy for attention either for his brand or an upcoming song or he is truly venturing into politics.
Below are some of the comments left under his NPP flyer tweet:
During his presence at a contentious trial that has provoked turmoil, Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on Monday 20th March 2023 asserted that he had escaped an assassination attempt. President Macky Sall has refuted allegations that his pursuit of a contentious third mandate would be in violation of the Constitution.
Sonko, a ferocious opponent of President Macky Sall, is undergoing medical care after he was allegedly sprayed with tear gas and assaulted by police on Thursday as they escorted him to a courthouse.
Sonko said on Facebook that night that he was having “severe dizziness,” lower abdomen discomfort, and breathing issues.
“We sent the product that was sprayed on me to France to find out what it was,” Sonko said from a private clinic in the capital Dakar on Monday.
“It is an assassination attempt,” he added.
The authorities have not responded to the allegation.
Violence, arrests
Violence has flared in several cities since the opposition leader’s trial opened last Thursday and more than 400 people have been arrested, according to El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, head of communications for Sonko’s Pastef party.
Sonko is being tried for allegedly defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, a member of President Sall’s party.
Convictions in either the defamation trial, which has been postponed until 30 March, or a separate 2021 rape case that has not gone to court, could prevent Sonko from contesting the 2024 election.
Sall has denied Sonko’s accusation that the judiciary is being used to exclude him from the vote.
In the town of Bignona, a Sonko stronghold in the south, a young man was shot dead, Yankhoba Dieme, president of a local departmental council, told French news agency AFP, with an administrative official confirming the demonstrator’s death.
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A firebrand speaker who finished third in the 2019 presidential election, Sonko enjoys support from young people. His detractors accuse him of being a populist.
A political debate
Macky Sall has rejected claims that it would be unconstitutional for him to seek a third mandate. He refused to confirm whether he plans to do so in an interview published Monday.
The opposition claims that Senegal’s constitution prohibits Sall, who was elected in 2012 and again in 2019, from running in the next election, scheduled for February 2024.
Senegal’s constitution was revised in 2016 to shorten presidential terms to five years from seven. It states that “no one can exercise more than two consecutive terms”.
In an interview with French magazine L’Express posted online Monday, Sall argued that when the Constitutional Council was consulted before the revision, it considered his first term to be outside the scope of the reform.
“Legally speaking, the debate has been settled for a long time,” he said in the interview.
“Now, should I run for a third term or not? It’s a political debate, I admit it.
“I have not yet given my answer. I have an agenda, a job to do. When the time comes, I will make my position known, first to my supporters, then to the Senegalese people.”
Roadside signage announcing initiatives to foster “resilience” among pastoralist communities may be seen all throughout the dry landscape of northern Kenya. Frequent droughts, animal sickness, insecurity, and structural exclusion all have an impact on pastoralists’ means of subsistence in this area.
The numerous externally sponsored programs and hundreds of millions of dollars invested over the past few decades have all been motivated by the idea of resilience, which is the ability to alter or recover swiftly from challenges.
On the drylands, resilience projects frequently encourage pastoralists to “modernize” their production or give up keeping cattle entirely. These pastoralists typically operate in groups. Projects may involve breeding better livestock, reseeding grasslands, building fodder banks, modernizing market infrastructure, or providing livestock insurance. A variety of “alternative livelihoods” programs are integrated with investments in water resources, roadways, and other infrastructure.
The value of this approach is under scrutiny amid one of the most severe droughts of the past century in northern Kenya. Over 2.5 million livestock have already perished for lack of food and water, and human lives are threatened. At least 4.5 million people are in need of external assistance. Decades of investment in “resilience” clearly hasn’t been working. The question now is whether there are different ways of supporting pastoralists’ ability to prepare for and respond to droughts and other shocks.
Over the past four years, we have been studying how Borana pastoralists in Isiolo county in northern Kenya manage drought, conflict and other uncertainties. In recent years, the area has suffered recurrent droughts, alongside locust and animal disease outbreaks.
Pastoralist livelihoods are increasingly vulnerable. Land is being encroached from all sides by neighbouring groups and conservation areas expanded. Building resilience has become increasingly essential.
Our research has pointed to the importance of local networks of mutual support, solidarity and redistribution that enable pastoralists to adapt to changing circumstances. These types of “moral economy” practices could be the basis for drought preparedness and response.
We have concluded from our research that, instead of the deluge of external interventions, ways must be found to build resilience from below, drawing on local practices and networks.
Why top-down projects haven’t worked
Our research has found that there are three main reasons that existing project interventions are failing to protect populations from recurrent drought and other shocks.
Misplaced narratives: Behind these interventions is the idea that pastoralism is outdated and that alternatives to livestock keeping must be found. Since the colonial era, controlling livestock movements and settling pastoralists have been central to policy prescriptions. Calls to encourage pastoralists to change their ways are always accentuated during and after major droughts.
Pastoralists, the argument goes, would do better if they settled in one place and farmed. The biases against pastoralism are very evident in education programmes, water investments for irrigated farming and livelihood diversification projects outside the pastoral economy.
Yet, despite the drought and the loss of animals, pastoralism can make the best use of highly variable dryland environments, where alternative ways to make a living are extremely limited. Supporting rather than abandoning pastoral systems makes much more sense.
Poor project design: All too often, development projects don’t fit the local context. Fancy new livestock markets promoted by donors are frequently in the wrong place, while dispersed “bush markets” are more accessible and cheaper to use. Many boreholes function for a while, but the cost of repairs is often high and so they fall into disrepair. The roads may go to the wrong places, diverting trade and transport from places that matter.
Not all development efforts are wasted. Take the new A2 highway built by the Chinese from Isiolo to the Ethiopia border town of Moyale and beyond. This has reduced travel times dramatically, allowing hay to be transported for hungry livestock across the region. Also, maintained government boreholes, now often with solar pump facilities, have been essential for keeping animals alive during the drought.
But the idea that resilience can be generated through a technical or financial fix is prevalent. In so many cases the same interventions that failed a few decades before are just being repeated with new branding.
Ignoring the social context: Since devolution in Kenya in 2010, there has been emphasis on decentralised activities led by county governments. Many groups and committees have been established by a plethora of projects. Too often these are focused on implementing an externally designed activity or feeding information upwards. This creates a lot of confusion.
Such projects seldom engage with the social context, involving local networks or mobilising local expertise and experience. Frequently the projects fold as soon as the funds dry up.
Towards resilience from below
In the drylands, drought is part of normal life in a highly variable environment. Climate change is making matters worse, as droughts are more prolonged and the pattern of rainfall changes. And shrinking access to land and water due to encroachment of other land uses make drought impacts harsher.
Yet, as our research has shown, herders have a long-established repertoire of drought responses. This is not just passive “coping”, but is well planned.
Pastoralists’ practices combine livestock movement, sharing and distribution of animals through loans, splitting herds and flocks, supplementary feeding and watering, careful herding, negotiating access to farmland or conservation areas, shifting species compositions, selective marketing of animals, and diversification to other income sources to support the herd or flock.
Rather than creating new resilience projects, separate from local practices, why not build on these responses?
Pastoralism, as described by researcher Emery Roe, can be seen as a “critical infrastructure”, where “high reliability professionals” ensure that the system doesn’t collapse. Such professionals are central to pastoral systems. They connect herders through diverse social networks; for example with motorbike transporters, those who offer credit, and local specialists such as healers and forecasters.
Our work in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia is exploring more deeply who these “high reliability professionals” are and what they do to transform very uncertain conditions into a more stable, reliable supply of goods and services, so helping to avert disasters.
Three years into the next [NDC] administration, the reality, according to Bernard Oduro Tacky will dawn on President Akufo-Addo for him to know the mess he presided over in his tenure.
That would be the time, the Chartered Economist says Akufo-Addo, will apologise to Ghanaians.
He has been telling Dr. Prekese on Onua FM’s drive time show, Efie Ne Fie, Monday, March 20, 2023, that when the President leaves office, that would be when he would know the real deals that were happening around him.
For instance, after realising his successor is ruling effectively with 60 ministers, that would be when he will know he shouldn’t have drained the public purse for the many ministers he appointed without results.
Mr. Oduro Takyi says President Akufo-Addo as it stands may not appreciate the truth which he may term as mere criticisms but will know the truth after leaving office.
As reported by the distraught son of an 88-year-old woman, she died 28 days after her caregivers stopped giving her food or drink.
According to her son, Sarene Taylor, 88, was admitted to an unnamed hospital a month ago after having a stroke; the physicians informed the family that there was nothing else they could do but begin end-of-life care.
He claimed it has to do with the “ethics” of his mother being returned to a care facility after being abandoned to die in the hospital.
He had no criticism of nurses or care staff but branded his mum’s end-of-life ‘inhumane’ and not something you’d expect in 2023.
Mr Taylor said: ‘I understand end-of-life care, and the carers and district nurses do a fantastic job, but to deny a human being food and water is disgraceful and we as a society need to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
He added: ‘The family thank everyone for their kind messages and loving support during these past weeks.’
Sarene Taylor died in a care home almost a month after carers stopped giving her food or water (Picture: Daily Post)Rob shared the heartbreaking news on Twitter (Picture: @rural_wales)Her son Rob has described the devastating situation his family was left in after his mother Sarene was put on end-of-life care (Picture: Daily Post)
In an emotional video days before his mother’s death, Mr Taylor described the devastating situation his family were left in.
He said: ‘My mum, 88-years of age, had a fantastic life, but sadly four weeks ago today, she was admitted to a hospital in North Wales, with what we found out to be a stroke.
‘I obviously went up to be with her and spend time with her – on the Monday which is three weeks gone – and this Monday the doctor told me that there was nothing more they could do for her sadly and all fluids and food were withdrawn and she was put on end-of-life care.
‘I spent quite a lot of time with her – and then on leaving and waiting for the phone call, because I had to go somewhere else unfortunately, I then discovered I had caught Covid, so I couldn’t immediately go back – on the Wednesday, just gone three weeks ago – I was told we had to take her from the hospital. So arranged for her to be taken back to the care home.
‘This is not a story about illegality or legality, it’s about ethics. My mum is still alive – 24 to 25 days in without any food, any water, no IV drip, nothing – she’s still alive – and it’s inhumane and absolutely harrowing to the family and inhumane.
‘That such a precious lady has been allowed to lie on a bed in a care home – in fairness being seen once a day by a district nurse and they do an outstanding job, it’s nothing against them or the care home – but it’s the ethics that she is just left to die, slowly from dehydration and malnutrition in front of our very eyes.
Doctors told Sarene that she had to stay at a care home for the final days of her lifeThe mum from Wales died after 28 days without food or water
‘This is how you would treat people back in the 11th and 12th century – not 2023. It’s absolutely harrowing.
‘There is nothing we can do, absolutely nothing we can do – and they have been wonderful, it’s just that it’s incredible that she’s probably suffering and it’s heartbreaking, it’s absolutely heartbreaking for us.’
Andrea Hughes, Director of Nursing for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s East Integrated Health Community, said: ‘We offer our sincere condolences to Mrs Taylor’s family for their very sad loss.
‘While we cannot comment on individual cases in any detail, we were in daily contact with Mr Taylor about his mother’s care and we are investigating concerns that he has raised.’
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Heléna Herklots CBE, said: ‘I would like to offer my condolences to Mr Taylor and his family following the loss of his mother.
‘Mr Taylor has contacted me and I am in the process of seeking further details from him about his mother’s experiences. As such, I am unable to comment further at this stage.’
In the course of one night, Russian drone attacks against Kyiv’s civilian infrastructure claimed the lives of three persons.
Two dorms and an educational center in the city of Rzhyshchiv were partially destroyed in the attack, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Telegram.
It further stated that although one person had been saved and two others had been hurt, four more likely remained trapped beneath the debris.
28 vehicles and more than 100 rescuers were dispatched to the location to aid in the hunt for survivors.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Twitter: ‘Over 20 Iranian murderous drones, plus missiles, numerous shelling incidents, and that’s just in one last night of Russian terror against Ukraine.’
Suggesting Russia did not want peace in Ukraine, he added: ‘Every time someone tries to hear the word “peace” in Moscow, another order is given there for such criminal strikes.’
The Kyiv Regional Military Administration had earlier on Wednesday reported that seven people had been wounded in the latest attacks by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian military said it had shot down 16 out of 21 drones launched at Ukraine overnight by Russia.
Russia did not immediately comment on the latest reports of combat.
The strikes came hours after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to the city on Tuesday.
It stole some of the attention from Xi Jinping’s state visit to Moscow, where he gave a strong political boost to Vladimir Putin with a pomp-filled state visit to Moscow.
Mr Kishida, who is to chair the G7 summit in May, met Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, and paid tribute to those killed in Bucha, a town that became a symbol of Russian atrocities against civilians.
He laid flowers at a church in the town for victims and said: ‘I would like to represent the people in Japan, and express my deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones, were injured as a result of this cruel act.’
Ukraine also launched drone strikes on the port of Sevastopol in annexed Crimea, damaging the main Russian government offices.
Sea drones attacked the city with thunderous explosions as Ukraine warned the strikes were a prelude to a new offensive.
The port of Sevastopol was closed to all shipping after the early morning attack.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has pledged government’s unflinching support for the people of Gonja.
He declared that the Government of Ghana will fully cooperate with the newly enskinned and outdoored Overload of the Gonja Kingdom in his quest to develop the kingdom.
He assured the new Yagbonwura, Bii-Kunuto Jawu Soale, that his development vision would receive government cooperation.
The Vice President gave the assurance when he took his turn to speak during the outdooring of the newly enskinned Overload of the Gonja Kingdom at the Jakpa Palace in Damongo held on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.
He underscored the need for peace and unity as a necessary condition for the fight against poverty and the quest for development.
“I want to assure him that the Government will give him the utmost cooperation in fulfilling that vision for the development of the Yagbon State…We should always remember that our enemy is poverty, and we should make sure that we come together to have development, the development we cannot have without peace. And therefore, we need to hold peace as a very high-level objective and work towards getting peace among ourselves,” he said.
The Vice President added that the creation of the Savannah Region, inhabited mainly by the Gonja people, has led to marked development in the area, which bears ample testament to the commitment of the Government to developing the area.
After a pomp-filled state visit in which the two presidents displayed their “no-limits friendship,” Xi Jinping informed Vladimir Putin that “change is coming” as he left the Kremlin on Tuesday.
“Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years,” Xi declared through an interpreter as they shook hands as the Chinese president exited the imperial palace. Together, we are bringing about this transformation.
Before saying goodbye and adding, “Please take care, dear friend,” Putin said, “I agree.”
On Tuesday, the Russian president briefly stood on the sidewalk and waved as Xi’s limousine departed.
His plane left Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after being seen off by a guard of honour playing the Russian and Chinese national anthems, the RIA Novosti news agency said on Wednesday morning.
After hosting Xi over a seven-course private dinner for more than four hours the previous night, Putin greeted him for talks involving top officials from both countries.
Xi walked slowly up the opulent red-carpeted staircase of the Grand Kremlin Palace as guards in 19th century-style parade uniforms snapped to attention.
Putin was waiting to greet the Chinese leader in St George’s hall where walls are covered by white-marble plaques with gold engravings of the names of military units and soldiers awarded the order of St George, a top military award established by Catherine the Great.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping leave after a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow (Picture: Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)The leaders toast during their dinner at The Palace of the Facets, a building in the Kremlin (Picture: AP)Xi and Putin shake hands as the Chinese President leaves (Picture: AP)
In a tightly choreographed ceremony filled with imperial grandeur, the two leaders entered the huge chandeliered room from opposite sides and shook hands in the middle to the sound of the Russian and Chinese national anthems.
They walked past a line-up of officials from both countries to sit down for talks. Putin and Xi both wore black suits and dark red ties.
The pageantry of the visit, reflected the importance of Xi’s three-day visit to Russia that gave a strong political boost to Putin days after The Hague issued an arrest warrant against him.
The International Criminal Court accuses him of alleged involvement in snatching thousands of children from Ukraine.
Moscow, which doesn’t recognize the court’s jurisdiction, dismissed the move as ‘legally null and void’.
But the warrant further ramped up the pressure on the Russian leader as the fighting in Ukraine has dragged into a second year.
The leaders showcased their ‘no-limits friendship’ (Picture: AP)
After the talks, Putin and Xi issued joint declarations pledging to further bolster their ‘strategic cooperation’, develop cooperation in energy, high-tech industries and other spheres and expand the use of their currencies in mutual trade to reduce dependence on the West.
They said they would develop military cooperation and conduct more joint sea and air patrols, but there was no mention of any prospective Chinese weapons supplies to Russia that the US and other Western allies feared.
Xi appeared more relaxed than Putin in first Moscow meeting, experts say
Western officials will have pored over every detail of the talks between two of the world’s most powerful but secretive leaders.
Body language experts say Chinese President Xi Jinping came across as more relaxed and commanding than his Russian counterpart at Monday’s televised first meeting of Xi’s state visit.
Karen Leong, Managing Director of Singapore-headquartered Influence Solutions, said Xi had pre-empted Putin by a split-second in reaching out for their set-piece handshake, suggesting that ‘even though he is the one visiting Moscow, he is the one who is going to be taking the lead in this relationship’.
Louise Mahler, a body language and leadership behaviour expert based in Melbourne, Australia, took a similar view, noting that Xi had placed his hand on top of Putin’s, something that could also indicate a measure of dominance in the exchange.
When they sat together for polite exchanges through translators, greeting each other as ‘dear friend’, Ms Mahler said Putin had slouched, twitched his leg, clenched his fist and looked at the floor, suggesting underlying agitation.
Xi, meanwhile, appeared ‘settled and confident’.
Ms Leong noticed the same tics in Putin, contrasting with an outwardly relaxed demeanour.
‘If you juxtapose it with Xi, Xi is the composed statesman,’ she said. ‘He has a lot of gravitas, great eye contact, he is looking at Putin as an older brother looks … (at a) more junior, younger partner.’
Putin, 70, is in fact a few months older than Xi, and has been in power more than twice as long.
Ms Leong said Xi had offered a sign that he too had been feeling some pressure, blinking unusually frequently during the sit-down.
Kim Hyung-hee, director of the Korea Body Language Lab, said the tight grip of the handshake and the occasions where the men tried to avoid eye contact showed that there was plenty at stake for both.
‘They have high expectations about the meeting. You can see tension there – and you know there’s no real friends in politics.’
Putin and Xi made long statements after the talks to a selected audience of officials and reporters from their pools. They didn’t take questions.
Xi stayed at a brand-new Chinese-owned Soluxe Hotel set in a lavish riverside park in northern Moscow that features trees and plants from all over China.
He used a Chinese-made Hongqi limousine for driving around Moscow.
Renowned Ghanaian fashion icon, Osebo The Zaraman, in a Facebook Live video, once again ignited his lighthearted fashion feud with the popular spiritual leader, Ajagurajah.
The fashionista made it clear that he has over 640 shoes in his collection, which he believes is more than enough to defeat Ajagurajah in their playful fashion war.
It seems that the friendly beef between the two celebrities has taken on a life of its own on social media, with fans and followers eagerly anticipating each new instalment in the ongoing saga. Osebo’s latest salvo is sure to make the beef even more interesting as he continues to assert his dominance over his worthy adversary.
Speaking to his legion of fans and followers during the Facebook Live video, Osebo could not contain his excitement at the prospect of finally settling the score with Ajagurajah.
Despite the intense competition between the two celebrities, Osebo was quick to emphasize that the feud was all in good fun.
We’re just trying to make people laugh, he explained. We want to put smiles on the faces of Ghanaians, and that’s what we’re doing.
For his part, Ajagurajah has yet to respond to Osebo’s latest taunt, leaving fans on tenterhooks as they wait to see how the spiritual leader will respond.
Fans express excitement over Ajagurajah and Osebo’s beef
Nana Sarfo Kantanka said:
Tomorrow pls give him Kente with combat shoes paaa
Nana Sarfo Kantanka commented:
We are the Osebo family,Odefo) Ajagurajah contest us,but we respect his fashions too
Ed Sheeran says he “didn’t want to live any more” after the deaths of his friends SBTV founder Jamal Edwards and cricketer Shane Warne in 2022.
Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, the star said he had dealt with depression “throughout my life” and felt the feelings resurface last year.
“You’re under the waves drowning. You’re just sort of in this thing. And you can’t get out of it.”
He worried his thoughts were “selfish”, given that he is a parent to two girls.
“Especially as a father, I feel really embarrassed about it,” the 32-year-old said.
Sheeran credited his wife, Cherry Seaborn, with encouraging him to seek help.
“No one really talks about their feelings where I come from,” he said. “People think it’s weird getting a therapist in England.… I think it’s very helpful to be able to speak with someone and just vent and not feel guilty about venting.
“Obviously, like, I’ve lived a very privileged life. So my friends would always look at me like, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad.’
“The help isn’t a button that is pressed, where you’re automatically OK,” he continued. “It is something that will always be there and just has to be managed.”
Image caption, Jamal Edwards gave Ed Sheeran his first big break in 2010
Edwards, who gave Sheeran his first big break, died suddenly from a heart attack in February 2022 after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol, a coroner concluded.
Sheeran said the tragedy convinced him to kick a drug habit he had developed in his 20s.
“I remember just being at a festival and being like, ‘Well, if all of my friends do it, it can’t be that bad,’” he said. “And then it just turns into a habit that you do once a week and then once a day and then, like, twice a day and then, like, without booze. It just became bad vibes.
“I would never, ever, ever touch anything again, because that’s how Jamal died,” he added. “And that’s just disrespectful to his memory to even, like, go near.”
Image caption, Sheeran and Seaborn married in 2019
Shortly after Edwards’ death, Sheeran’s wife was diagnosed with a tumour which could not be operated on until after she had given birth to their second daughter, Jupiter.
“You feel so powerless,” Sheeran recalled. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”
Seaborn ultimately carried the baby to term and had successful surgery in June 2022, the morning that Sheeran headlined Wembley Stadium, Rolling Stone said.
The emotional toll of those events can be seen in a trailer for Sheeran’s forthcoming Disney+ documentary, The Sum Of It All.
In one scene, the star is pictured crying on stage, as he grapples with Edwards’ death and Seaborn’s health condition, while simultaneously facing a lengthy copyright trial.
“I’ve never seen him cry on stage,” Seaborn observes in the clip. “He hasn’t had the time to process and be at peace with his thoughts.”Figure caption,
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Sheeran has previously revealed that his new album, Subtract, was completely re-written against the “backdrop of grief and hope” he experienced last year.
Originally intended to be a collection of acoustic songs recorded over a 10-year period, he scrapped the project and started again, using songwriting to “make sense” of his feelings.
He made the record with The National’s Aaron Dessner, who previously co-produced Taylor Swift’s lockdown albums Folklore and Evermore.
Dessner told Rolling Stone he’d encouraged the star to show “a more vulnerable” and “elemental” side to his music.
As he had done with Swift, the musician started sending Sheeran instrumental tracks to craft into finished songs.
“I had these instrumentals, and I would write to them in the backs of cars or planes or whatever,” Sheeran said.
“And then it got done. And that was the record. It was all very, very, very fast.”
The star added that he recorded a second, entirely separate, album with Dessner which has no firm release date at present.
He also revealed the existence of a collaborative album with reggaeton star J Balvin, as well as forthcoming music with Pharrell, Shakira, David Guetta and Justin Bieber.
In fact, he told Rolling Stone he has five more albums in mind using another category of symbols.
He plans to work on the last one in that series on and off for the rest of his life, “adding songs here and there. And just have it in my will that after I die, it comes out”.
Based on some research he conducted a while back, the music legend found out only 5% of people pursuing music in Ghana are making some kind of money or can be said to be gainfully employed.
“Most of them are doing it with passion hoping that something will happen. Until today, most of the people pursuing music are not approaching it as business and as soon as you start to approach it as business, then you start to ask questions like if it is viable, especially doing music full time in Ghana.” He said this in an interview with Kokonsa Kester on Y107.9FM’s Weekend Rush.
He emphasized that because most musicians do not ask questions, they don’t know whether or not doing music is viable, and the requisite capital needed to invest in their crafts. Because most musicians lack this knowledge as purported byRex Omar, they are unable to project the short-term, middle-term and long-term.
“If your break-even point is 5 years, you need to know how much to invest in it to be able to break even. And if the answers and numbers are not tallying then it is not viable,” he mentioned.
He emphasised the fact that a lot of musicians who have made a name for themselves in the industry can have only the name but in most cases, it does not reflect in their finances.
He believes this is because music is driven by passion alone and people who do not know this and are not very careful, will only continue to follow the passion, gain the big name, grow old and have nothing to show for the music they made.
“Unfortunately, this very society will start to lambast you that you didn’t live a profitable and fulfilling life. They will say you spent all you had on women. When the whole situation is that Ghana is a small market and we have very few independent record labels that have the requisite capital and knowledge to even break artistes,” he said.
He added that although it is a difficult situation, the young ones who are passionate about music do not want to heed such pieces of advice.
“If you’re not careful, some people who are already in the music industry thinking and hoping they will make it will also pounce on you because of the passion they have but, if you put emotions aside and look at it with the business approach, you’ll realize that very few musicians are making money off music,” he highlighted.
Ghanaian actor, Mawuli Gavor has celebrated his birthday with the announcement he is expecting a child with his wife, Remya, following their union in September 2022.
The couple who appeared loved up in photos, couldn’t hide their joy at becoming parents. Mawuli had his hands wrapped around his wife’s belly in their maternity photoshoot which has garnered several congratulatory messages.
“A year older. The best is yet to come. #OfficiallyOutnumbered #BestBirthdayEver,” he captioned the photos released on March 22.
The actress’s wife, Remya Gavor who is of Indian and Austrian descent made headlines when it was announced that she was going to be walking down the aisle with the ladies-man, Mawuli Gavor.
Following their union, Mawuli has constantly flaunted his better half on his social media pages.
Barely 24 hours after rapperEdem took to his Twitter page to indicate his intention to contest in the National Democratic Congress parliamentary primaries, some colleagues and music lovers have endorsed his bid and pledged to support him.
Ahead of a ‘big announcement’ on March 22, 2023, regarding which constituency’s race Edem would be joining, a large number of Ghanaians on social media welcomed the rapper’s move on Tuesday, March 21, with a call on young men and women to take up leadership positions in the country.
A section of the public who are not in favour of the rapper’s move, however, predicted a major disappointment for the first-timer who has shown interest in politics.
Edem joins the list of young showbiz personalities who want to be parliamentary candidates on the ticket of the NDC for the 2024 general elections.
Since @iamedem posted this artwork, I have seen comments like “ei Edem too?”, “what is happening?”, “why are all the entertainment people getting into politics?”
We see lawyers, teachers, doctors, assume political positions but we don’t ask such questions when they do. pic.twitter.com/B8d416wGMS
Edem standing for MP? I won't be surprised to see Shatta Wale on an NPP flyer next 4 years if he finally gives up on the Grammy dreams. pic.twitter.com/qOILJGjZOM
I totally support you. I know this is a difficult decision to make but you will overcome it. Congratulations for declaring which political party ideas you believe in. Save journey on this new chapter.
The likes of John Dumelo, Fred Nuamah, Baba Sadiq have all declared their intentions and announced their respective constituencies.
While actors Dumelo and Nuamah are eyeing the Ayawaso West Wuogon ticket, Baba Sadiq of 3Media Networks will be running for the position at the Okaikoi Central Constituency.
Meanwhile, the NDC has announced May 13, 2023, for both presidential and parliamentary primaries.
Parliamentary aspirants will pick a form at a cost of GH¢5,000 and pay a non-refundable filing fee of GH¢40,000 while presidential aspirants would pay GH¢30,000 for forms and GH¢500,000 as a non-refundable filing fee.
Barnsley scored two late goals in a 4-2 League One victory over South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday to end their opponents’ 23-match unbeaten league run as they dropped down to second.
The game burst into life in the 10th minute when Mads Andersen slipped the ball through to Devante Cole on the left-hand side of the area and the striker beat goalkeeper Cameron Dawson with a low, angled shot.
James Norwood increased Barnsley’s lead two minutes later with a low strike from just outside the area after receiving the ball from Cole.
Wednesday reduced the arrears when a long ball from Will Vaulks found Michael Smith on the right and he sent over a low cross which was turned into the net from close range by Lee Gregory just after the half-hour mark.
It was 2-2 when Barry Bannan’s ball over the top found Marvin Johnson on the left and his low cross was finished by Gregory – who completed his brace – from close range after 74 minutes.
When Luca Connell’s ball into the area caused problems for the Wednesday defenders, Max Watters fired past Dawson with seven minutes remaining to put the hosts ahead.
Liam Kitching added a fourth goal in stoppage time as Barnsley strengthened their hold on fourth and extended their unbeaten league run to 12 games.
In a clash between two of the seven best records in the NBA, the Boston Celtics produced an impressive 132-109 road blow-out win against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
It was shaping up as a shoot-out as both teams started red hot from three-point range, but the Kings could not keep up as the Celtics scored at least 30 points in all four quarters.
Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with a game-high 36 points on 14-of-25 shooting, adding eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. His All-Star co-pilot Jaylen Brown chipped in an efficient 27 points (10-of-16 shooting) with five rebounds and four assists.
Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis put together his 12th triple-double of the season with 16 points (seven-of-12), 13 rebounds and 12 assists, although his six turnovers were costly.
The win improved the Celtics’ record to 50-23, becoming the second team in the league to reach 50 wins this season, while their 24-14 mark on the road is bettered only by the Philadelphia 76ers (22-12).
Sacramento are still sitting pretty at 43-28, holding a five-game buffer in the Western Conference’s third seed.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell threw down arguably his biggest dunk of the season to put an exclamation point on a 115-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Mitchell ended up with a game-high 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting, including five-of-nine from three-point range, highlighted by a monstrous fast-break poster jam over Yuta Watanabe as both leapt off two feet and met chest-to-chest.
After missing 10 days due to an eye injury, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen looked right back to his best with 12 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, with eight of his rebounds coming on the offensive end.
The victory improves Cleveland’s record to 46-28, and while they have been a disappointing 17-20 on the road, they have now won four of their past five away from home.
Top pick Banchero flirts with first triple-double
Orlando Magic top draft pick and overwhelming Rookie of the Year favourite Paolo Banchero nearly posted the first triple-double of his career in a 122-112 home win against the Washington Wizards.
The 20-year-old finished with 18 points (six-of-nine shooting), nine rebounds and eight assists for his second close call of the month. It comes 10 days after he put up 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in an overtime win against the Miami Heat.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 30 points (12-of-22 shooting), six rebounds, three assists and two blocks, continuing what has been arguably the best season of his eight-year NBA career.
The Minnesota Timberwolves could receive a massive boost for their Wednesday clash against the Atlanta Hawks with Karl-Anthony Towns upgraded to questionable.
Towns, who earned his second All-NBA selection this past season, was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and a career-high 5.3 assists per game before suffering a calf strain on November 28.
Nearly four months have passed since he last suited up for the Timberwolves, and with co-star Anthony Edwards also currently out injured, Minnesota’s playoff chances appeared to be hanging by a thread.
Sitting eighth in the Western Conference at 36-37, the Wolves are only one game behind the six-seeded Golden State Warriors (37-36), but are also only a half-game clear of the 11th-ranked Los Angeles Lakers in a tightly bunched play-in tournament race in the West.
Minnesota @Timberwolves Status Report in advance of tomorrow’s game vs. Atlanta:
QUESTIONABLE Edwards – Right Ankle Sprain Nowell – Left Knee Tendinopathy Towns – Right Calf Strain
But Minnesota are preparing for some reinforcements to arrive for their final nine games of the regular season, with Towns being upgraded to questionable for the first time since his injury. The team sent down backup center Luka Garza to the G League in a further indication that they are expecting their star back in action.
Edwards is also listed as questionable, likely indicating that they will return to the line-up if they successfully make it through their warm-ups without any incident.
If they cannot get up for Wednesday’s game, they will have a few more days to prepare for Sunday’s road trip to take on the Golden State Warriors.
The Wolves have gone 26-26 in the 52 games that Towns has missed this season.
Donovan Mitchell says his dunk on Brooklyn Nets wing Yuta Watanabe is up there with his best, and that it also sparked the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 115-109 win on Tuesday.
Mitchell, who finished with 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting and five rebounds, slammed over Watanabe early in the fourth quarter as the Cavs looked to repel the Nets’ rally.
The Cavs were up 96-80 with 10:55 remaining when Mitchell received the ball on a fast break from Caris LeVert, taking four steps before dunking over Watanabe who contested the attempt.
“Everyone’s reaction was like ‘that’s your best one’,” Mitchell told reporters after the game.
“It’s up there. I don’t know if it’s my best one, but it’s definitely up there.”
In a moment of celebration, Mitchell was caught out of position, allowing Mikal Bridges to score down the other end, before glancing up to the Barclays Center screens for a replay.
“I was trying to see it but I forgot we’re on the road,” Mitchell said. “They’re definitely not going to show it.
“First time I saw it was when we went back in the locker room. It was not bad.”
The poster dunk sent social media into a frenzy but it also “sparked” the Cavs according to Mitchell, pulling ahead to a 22-point lead which put the game to bed.
“It really sparked us,” he said. “It gave us a little bit of a boost. Those are defining plays. Different plays for different moments to continue to push us going forward.
“It’s not like I go into a game thinking ‘alright, I’m going to try get a dunk on somebody’, but sometimes that’s what’s needed.
“I felt good enough to try get up there and dunk it. I figured I’d try use my body and finish. It worked out.”
The result saw the Cavs firm up their grip on the four seed in the East with a 46-28 record ahead of the 42-31 New York Knicks, while the Nets are sixth at 39-33.
The Los Angeles Clippers’ hopes of a deep playoffs run may have suffered a major blow after Paul George exited their 101-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a leg injury.
George fell to the floor after his right knee collided with Luguentz Dort’s knee in the air while attempting a rebound.
The eight-time All-Star got up with help and exited the game with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said during his post-game press conference that George was still being evaluated and that he had not spoken to him.
ESPN reported George was spotted exiting the arena in the back of a cart with his right leg extended.
George scored 18 points with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals before exiting, with the loss seeing the Clippers fall to a 38-35 record in fifth in the West.
The 32-year-old is averaging 23.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season.
Team-mate Kawhi Leonard said the Clippers would take on a “next man up” mentality if George was unavailable for a significant period.
“Next man up, but we’ll see,” Leonard told reporters. “We’ve got a group of guys that still want to win and like to play basketball. We’ll see happens.”
Camila Giorgi progressed into the Miami Open second round despite blowing a 5-0 third-set lead as she edged past veteran Kaia Kanepi in the equal-longest main draw match of the year on Tuesday.
The Italian world number 44, who won February’s Merida Open, outlasted the Estonian 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) in three hours and 32 minutes.
The length was equal to the Erika Andreeva-Harriet Dart first-round match at the ATX Open last month for the longest this WTA season.
But Giorgi could have had an earlier finish, leading 5-0 in the decider before Kanepi hit back by winning the next five games, only for the Italian to rally in the tie-break, converting her fourth match point.
Giorgi, who blew match points at 5-3 and 5-4, will take on three-time Miami Open winner and 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Victoria Azarenka in the second round.
Russian 34-year-old Evgeniya Rodina produced the upset of the day’s play, beating 37th-ranked Bernarda Pera 6-3 6-4 in 73 minutes and will take on 20th seed Magda Linette in the second round.
Rodina is currently ranked 369th in the world having returned to the WTA Tour midway through last season after a two-year absence, having reached a career-high 67th in May 2019.
World number 39 Elise Mertens eased into the second round with a 6-1 6-4 win over USA’s Alycia Parks, setting up a second-round clash with eighth seed Daria Kasatkina.
World number 43 Yulia Putintseva bowed out prematurely, going down 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to Canada’s Rebecca Marino, who advanced to face sixth seed Coco Gauff.
Teenager Linda Fruhvirtova, ranked 50th in the world, also suffered a shock loss, beaten 6-2 4-6 6-4 by 172nd-ranked Canadian qualifier Katherine Sebov, while Laura Siegemund won 6-3 6-4 over 52nd-ranked Mayar Sherif
Katerina Siniakova withdrew due to injury despite winning the first set against USA’s Claire Liu, with scores at 6-3 3-3. Liu’s prize is a second-round meeting with top seed and reigning champion Iga Swiatek.
All-conquering Lyon have been crowned queens of Europe on a record eight occasions, including in six of the last seven seasons.
And while Wales skipper Ingle, 31, is relishing the opportunity to stun the holders, the deep-lying midfielder knows how tough it will be at the Groupama Stadium.
Speaking exclusively to LiveScore, she said: “It’s another massive game. We all know how good Lyon are but we’re excited for it.
“You always want to play in these big games and big moments. I’ve heard they’ve got a good crowd coming, which should make the atmosphere even better.
“It’s going to be a very tough match. I think it’ll come down to if we get our defensive shape right and make it hard for them when they have the ball because they’re very good in possession.
“Especially when they counter-attack, if we’re sloppy in possession they’ll potentially hurt us, so we have to get that right.”
Back to the Bridge
Sophie Ingle starred in Chelsea’s impressive 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in December
Blues boss Emma Hayes will be keen to take a positive result into the return tie at Stamford Bridge on March 30.
Given her side usually play their home matches at the Kingsmeadow, which has a capacity of 4,850, it is certain to be a special occasion.
A crowd of more than 10,000 roared the Blues to a 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Bridge in December, which saw them seal top spot in Group A.
Ingle, who played a key role in Chelsea’s run to the Champions League final in 2020-21, hopes a similar experience lies in store next week.
She added: “It’s going to be amazing. It was a great atmosphere with a big crowd against PSG.
“Getting to experience Stamford Bridge is great for our fans and for some it’s quite a lot closer to where they live, so it makes it a bit easier on the night.
“It’s a huge stadium and hopefully we can pack it out as much as possible.”
Fine margins
Sophie Ingle believes Chelsea are not far away from winning the Champions League
Arsenal’s 2007 triumph remains the sole occasion an English club has won the Women’s Champions League.
Yet with many of the game’s top talent now plying their trade in the WSL, it should only be a matter of time before more teams follow suit.
For Ingle, who has won more than 100 caps for her country, showing more adaptability against Europe’s best is the key.
She said: “I honestly think it’s just fine margins at this level. European football is the next step up from league football.
“It’s a different way of playing. The referees are different. There are different types of opponents we don’t play week in, week out.
Gary Neville is keen for Manchester United to have a new home, telling prospective bidders to modernise the club.
The Glazer family’s tenure in charge at Old Trafford could be nearing a conclusion, having announced in November that they were exploring options for a sale.
Last week saw visits to the club from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani’s delegation and Jim Ratcliffe, both of whom are the running for a potential takeover – though there could be as many as eight bidders.
Former United captain Neville is keen for whoever takes charge to invest significantly in the club’s infrastructure, including the construction of a new stadium.
“I think we’ve got to make sure that whoever the new owners are in the next few months, that they harness what the club’s history is about, and also take Manchester United forward into a modern era,” he told ITV News.
“You look back at the past in terms of what we are and what we should be, but also I think we need to be a modern football club, with a new stadium, a new infrastructure.
“The training ground needs to be brought up to speed and the sporting project needs to be world class.
“And there needs to be that feeling among the fans again, that everyone’s aligned on the same page – they haven’t had that for the last eight-to-10-years.”
While United are perceived to have fallen behind to their rivals off the field, significant gains have been made under the stewardship of Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch boss guided United to League Cup glory in February, the club’s first trophy since 2017, with further honours up for grabs with the campaign in the FA Cup and Europa League continuing.
Those improvements have impressed Neville, who added: “I think the thing about Manchester United for me is that the football can never be boring.
“You always have to go to a game feeling that you’re going to see something exciting.
“The lads that wear those shirts out on the pitch, they have to look like they’re engaged and they’ve got a spirit and they want to be here.
“You think about how bad it was at the end of last season to what it is now – a huge turnaround.”
Salma Paralluelo scored the only goal of the game as Barcelona edged Roma 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League.
The 19-year-old curled a left-footed effort from outside the box to beat Camelia Ceasar after 34 minutes.
Barca’s breakthrough came after the Roma goalkeeper had frustrated them with a number of fine saves.
Despite pressing for a second, last season’s runners-up could not extend their advantage in the second half.
⏰ 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧 ⏰
It's advantage Barcelona after a narrow win in Rome 🔵🔴#UWCL
The first international window after a major tournament always offers the chance of a reset, with squads freshened up whether teams have failed or triumphed.
It gives coaches the opportunity to reassess as they build towards the next competition.
In Europe, qualifying for Euro 2024 begins, so there’ll be a competitive edge to the majority of the fixtures.
It is an ideal time for newcomers to the squads to assert themselves.
Here, we look at the players aiming to do just that.
Argentina
Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the biggest trophy of them all last year, as he led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.
Now, Lionel Scaloni will be looking to see what prospects he can bring into the squad as La Albiceleste aim to retain their Copa America title in 2024.
Two friendlies against Panama and Curacao should give him the ideal chance to test out some newcomers.
Nehuen Perez is enjoying a fine season in Serie A with Udinese and will be looking to improve on his one Argentina appearance, while Manchester City youngster Maximo Perrone has received his first international call.
Perrone joined City from Velez Sarsfield in January, having only made his professional debut last year.
Brazil
Like Argentina, Brazil have a friendly – just the one – on the cards this month, though it is against World Cup semi-finalists Morocco.
That should prove a tough test for the first match of Ramon Menezes’ interim tenure.
With Brazil still reeling from their quarter-final exit in Qatar, and key players such as Neymar and Richarlison injured, Menezes has named plenty of fresh faces in his squad.
Among them is Rony, who has already scored six goals for Palmeiras in 2023, following a haul of 23 last year.
Joao Gomes, who joined Wolves in January and has already netted in the Premier League, will also be hoping to make an impression, as will Andrey Santos.
The 18-year-old is back on loan at Vasco de Gama from Chelsea but now has a chance to win his first cap.
There were no new call-ups in Gareth Southgate’s squad for England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, but Ivan Toney was something of a surprise inclusion.
That is not due to Toney’s form – only Erling Haaland (28) and Harry Kane (21) have scored more Premier League goals than the Brentford striker (16) this season – but because he is under investigation over an alleged breach of FA betting rules.
Toney was included in Southgate’s final squad before the World Cup but did not make the cut for Qatar and has not yet made a Three Lions appearance.
Given his inclusion this time around, the 27-year-old, who has averaged a league goal every 140 minutes this season, will be hoping to make his mark.
France
Kylian Mbappe is the new France captain following Hugo Lloris’ international retirement, which has left a spot to fill in goal.
AC Milan’s Mike Maignan is the natural successor though has struggled with injury this season.
Meanwhile, Brice Samba received his first call-up as one of the three stoppers.
Samba left Nottingham Forest to join Lens last year and the 28-year-old has impressed in Ligue 1.
His 78.1 save percentage is the third-best in the division out of goalkeepers to have played at least five games, while according to Opta’s expected goals on target conceded (xGOT) model, he has prevented 5.2 goals, the fourth-best total in France’s top tier.
Khephren Thuram, son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram and brother of France striker Marcus Thuram,is having a superb season at Nice and could look to force his way into Didier Deschamps plans for midfield, especially with the injury issues of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba.
Germany
As hosts of next year’s Euros, there’ll be no competitive matches for Germany this month, though Hansi Flick’s team will be looking to atone for their horror show in Qatar.
Six uncapped players have been called up by Flick for friendlies against Peru and Belgium, including Milan defender Malick Thiaw.
Kevin Schade, on loan at Brentford from Freiburg, is another newcomer in the forward line.
Marius Wolf has earned his first international opportunity at the age of 27.
He has only scored one goal and provided one assist in 24 games this season, so perhaps he will not be the player who goes on to propel Germany to glory in 2024.
Italy
Italy have three new faces in their squad, though Roberto Mancini has been lamenting what he sees as a lack of homegrown talent at his disposal.
The Azzurri, of course, won the delayed Euro 2020, only to then fail to qualify for the World Cup.
Of the three uncapped players in this selection, Mateo Retegui is certainly one to watch.
The 23-year-old, Argentina-born striker holds dual citizenship and plays in the South American nation for Tigre.
Retegui has scored 29 goals since the start of last season.
Wladimiro Falcone and Alessandro Buongiorno are the other players who could win their first caps.
Netherlands
Ronald Koeman has given five uncapped players an opportunity to impress in the first squad of his second spell in charge and Sven Botman is undoubtedly the biggest name.
The Newcastle defender was a surprise exclusion from Louis van Gaal’s World Cup squad, but the 23-year-old centre-back has been given the nod by Koeman.
Botman has helped Newcastle keep nine clean sheets in the Premier League, while he has made more blocks (15) than any of his defensive club-mates, though he will be hoping to avoid a mistake such as the one he made to gift Nottingham Forest a goal last week.
Xavi Simons, meanwhile, will be looking to make an impact further forward.
The 19-year-old has scored 13 goals and provided six assists in the Eredivisie this season.
Spain
Most of the players on this list are on the younger side, but new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has handed a first call-up to 32-year-old Joselu.
The Espanyol forward, previously of Newcastle and Stoke, is one of LaLiga’s leading scorers this season with 12 goals. Better late than never, perhaps?
Osasuna’s David Garcia is another newcomer, while Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias – who like Joselu has netted 12 times in LaLiga – was called up in place of the injured Gerard Moreno on Sunday.
Wolves will have Matheus Nunes available for their next three matches after their appeal to the FA was upheld.
Nunes, an unused substitute, was sent off late on in Wolves’ 4-2 home defeat to fellow strugglers Leeds on Saturday.
The Portugal international had been remonstrating with the officials over the decision to allow Leeds’ fourth goal, scored by Rodrigo, to stand despite what appeared to be a foul by Marc Roca in the build-up.
Julen Lopetegui confirmed Nunes was complaining about the linesman and that they would appeal the decision, with referee Michael Salisbury having incorrectly sent the midfielder off for violent conduct, which would have resulted in him missing games against Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Brentford.
The Norwegian forward has been in devastating form in his inaugural campaign in the Premier League, leading the scoring charts with 28 goals in 26 matches.
Haaland’s heroics have not just been limited to the push for the title, in which they trail Arsenal by eight points but hold a game in hand, having entered the international break with eight goals in his last two matches.
In the FA Cup against Burnley, Haaland secured his hat-trick by tucking home a rebound after Foden had struck the post, leaving the England international puzzled by his excellent positioning.
“It’s a pleasure, I don’t know how he does it. The one that I hit off the post, he always seems to be in the right place, expecting things, little ricochets, and things like that,” he told Talksport.
6 – Erling Haaland has scored more hat-tricks in all competitions this season (6) than every other Premier League player combined (5).
6 – Erling Haaland 1 – Mohamed Salah 1 – Ivan Toney 1 – Son Heung-min 1 – Phil Foden 1 – Leandro Trossard
“The way his brain works, he always seems to be in the right place to finish the ball, and to play with a player like that it’s always a massive boost for us because when it’s a tight game and it’s 0-0, there’s not a lot of chances, we’ve been relying on him to get us a goal and it’s a real pleasure to play with him.”
Despite Haaland’s stellar record in front of goal, some have queried whether City’s number nine limits the style of play that Pep Guardiola’s side have become accustomed to, but Foden does not see it that way.
“He’s helped us in a way of finding a different way to play,” he explained.
“In previous years we didn’t really have a striker, and now he’s here we’ve adapted a little bit, and we’re even still getting used to him now, so it’s good for the team, and it’s only going to help us in the future.
“It makes my job easier being an attacking player and looking at someone that wants to score goals and is always ready and in the box it makes it a lot easier.”
Hajia4Reall aka Mona4Reall has dropped a vet message for her partner, who happens to be the CEO of Quick Angels Limited, Richard Nii-Armah Quaye, as he celebrates his birthday today.
In two separate posts, the socialite who recently ventured into music heaped praises on the business mogul and applauded him for all the things he does for humanity.
Mona also disclosed she loves everything that her partner does and is doing every day just to keep the human race in constant harmony.
Even though the post might be a mere birthday wish, it is already causing a lot of stir and receiving numerous reactions on her social media pages because many netizens have started to read some meanings into the partner tag.
Some people think that the rich businessman is possibly the new sweetheart of Hajia4Reall and that he might possibly be behind her extravagant lifestyle.
Anyway, a quick search for the meaning of partner comes up with numerous meanings, including: ‘either of a pair of people engaged together in the same activity’.
This goes to show that Mona and Mccarthy might be a lot of different things.
Contrary to the hope of many Ghanaians that the country will become better very soon, Ohemaa Woyeje has insisted otherwise.
According to the ace radio presenter, the leaders in charge of the various high positions in the country are not ready to push the nation forward.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Zionfelix, Ohemaa submitted that, unlike developed countries who have plans for even unborn babies, the government of Ghana is even struggling to take care of civil servants.
Without mincing words, Ohemaa Woyeje categorically stated that there’s no hope for Ghana.
She also blamed some of the citizens for defending the incompetence of our leaders because it’s their party in power.
She used Germany as an example as to how their visionary leaders start paying social welfare to pregnant women and the government regularly increases salaries for the citizens to feel comfortab
A flyer circulating on social media indicates that multiple award-winning rapper, Ayigbe Edem, is lacing his boots to contest in the National Democratic Congress’ parliamentary primaries scheduled for May 13, 2023.
In a tweet, the rapper posted a picture of himself with NDC colours in the background and said he will give further details on Wednesday at 4pm.
This has sparked speculations that the rapper is venturing into politics.
It’s unclear which constituency the award-winning rapper is eyeing, but persons close to the development say he is likely to contest the Ketu South seat.
Edem is joining the likes of John Dumelo, Fred Nuamah and Baba Sadiq, a few entertainment personalities seeking to go to Parliament on NDC ticket.
Known in real life as Denning Edem Hotor, Edem shot to fame in 2006 after releasing his first single ‘Wotome Woshi’ where he got signed to The Last Two Entertainment Group that same year.
In 2015, he was awarded Best International Act-Africa at the Black Canadian Awards in Canada.
There is brewing tension between occupants of some resettlement communities in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region and the indigenes of Adjena and Adumasa.
The residents of the communities including Pesse, Betensin, Akrobonsu, Besssekrom and Oscar who are mostly fisher folks say they are constantly under siege from the traditional authorities and people of their host communities to vacate the current location and are also being prevented from undertaking any developmental projects in the communities.
The current occupants of the five resettlement communities who were originally located at Pawpawnya-Akwenor were relocated to their current location in 1963 during the construction of the Akosombo Dam.
The affected residents say several engagements with the Volta River Authority (VRA) to intervene in the matter have so far proven futile.
Dadematse of Akrobonsu, Dadematse Tettey Emmanuel Siaw in an interview said the chiefs and people of Adjena are claiming administrative ownership over the piece of land currently being inhabited by the settlers, a situation he said was creating boundary issues in the area.
“Since the construction of the dam displaced our forefathers in 1963, we have been denied eight more buildings [for our settlement] …the people of Adjena have also planted a signpost indicating that where we currently occupy is part of their stool lands so we should vacate the place.
“The Adumasahene, Nana Ansah Kwao II is also selling lands bordering the quarters to the people of Pesse and others in the Adjena Quarters, now we have nowhere to go to…the chief of Adumasa has authorized the piling of blocks on our land to put up buildings and I say we shall fight for our property and if the government fails to intervene, then it should be prepared for any outcome,” he warned.
Dadematse Siaw also accused the chiefs and people of Adjena of preventing members of the settler communities from undertaking any projects in the community, adding that land guards were allegedly brought into the community to fire warning shots to intimidate them.
They also accused the chiefs of Adumasa of outrightly claiming ownership of Akrobonsu and Oscar and accused him of selling portions of the lands to private developers.
Assembly member for the Adjena-West Electoral Area, Honourable Justice Maxwell Awitor who lives in one of the settler communities said layouts were created during the allocation of the plot to the settlers to allow for expansion in the future.
He stressed: “We’re facing a lot of challenges… the building that the government and VRA have given us, there are portions or layouts left so that in the future when our children grow up, they can also build on those layouts because the houses they gave us weren’t enough,” said the Assemblyman.
He particularly accused residents of Adjena-East of harassing the settlers who are in Adjena-West by claiming ownership of the lands. “If we need such lands to do something with it, then our friends from Adjena-East will cross and come and tell us that the whole town belongs to them so we don’t have any lands to build on,” he expressed.
Mr. Awitor said the houses built for the settlers were inadequate to contain entire families hence the need for more lands to accommodate the rising population.
The Assemblyman, therefore, appealed to the government, the VRA and the Asuogyaman District Assembly to intervene to resolve the issue amicably as “defending ourselves and our lands may cause another thing which the government may not like.”
However, responding to the allegations, Secretary to the Adjena Lands Management Board, Mr. Onisephorous Owiredu denied that the settlers were being harassed to quit their present location and accused them of encroaching on lands that are not part of the lands allocated to them by the VRA.
He explained that the traditional authorities at Adjena were only safeguarding their lands from illegal owners who sold the properties to developers. “Nobody can take your settlement houses from you but rather adjoining properties and lands that are being sold by unrightful sellers, that is the ones that we have to put a mark on…our grandfathers saw the wisdom in letting them stay with us all this while, would it be now that we’d sack them to go away, to where?” quizzed Mr. Owiredu.
He admitted that some youths in the Adjena community had prevented the settlers from undertaking some developmental projects outside their space but insisted that these were not sanctioned by the traditional authorities.
Chief of Adumasa, Nana Ansah Kwao II on his part called for a meeting between his side and the settlers for an amicable settlement of the impasse adding that previous efforts on his part to meet with the elders of the settler communities proved futile.
Petition
The affected communities have in a petition addressed to the management of the Volta River Authority (VRA) and copied to the DCE for Asuogyaman, the Adjenahene, Adumasahene, the chairman of the Town Development Committee (TDC) of Adjena amongst others and sighted by Ghanaweb allege that the layout of the settlement boundaries outlined by the VRA was being contested by the landlords, leaving no room for community expansion and called on the Authority to intervene.
President Joe Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan tweeted on Monday that an American humanitarian worker who was abducted in Niger more than six years ago and held prisoner by terrorists had been freed.
“I’m pleased and happy to see that American captive Jeff Woodke has been freed after more than 6 years in captivity. The U.S. expresses gratitude to Niger for aiding in his return to his family and friends in the United States. I applaud everyone in our country who has put in so much effort to secure his freedom,” Sullivan tweeted.
Support and transportation are now being provided for Jeffery Woodke. The official reported that he was freed in the Mali-Burkina Faso region, outside of Niger.
“We are working closely with partners in the region and beyond to ensure safe transport and immediate access to the best medical and psychiatric support we can offer,” a senior administration official told reporters on Monday. “Where exactly Jeff chooses to go will be a bit up to him.”
The US government has been working on efforts to secure Woodke’s release for years, relying on both intelligence and military resources, the official said. But ultimately the government of Niger was central to securing his release, the official said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the release of Woodke at a press conference at the State Department later on Monday.
“As you know, I have no higher priority or focus than bringing home any unjustly detained American, wherever that is in the world,” said Blinken. “We won’t rest until they’re all home and, like Jeffery, reunited with their families.”
The top diplomat said on Monday afternoon that he had spoken to Woodke’s family and that they would be reunited soon.
Blinken visited Niger earlier this month.
“We have certainly been in touch with them about what a priority it is, for us to secure the release of Americans like my Jeff Woodke, and that’s something that the Secretary confirmed when he was out there,” the official said, adding that Niger would be able to share more details about the release.
On his trip, Blinken announced $150 million in new humanitarian aid for the region.
“It will help provide life-saving support to refugees, asylum seekers, and others impacted by conflict and food insecurity in the region,” Blinken said in a statement about the aid which will go to Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.
Terror groups linked to al Qaeda and ISIS have been active in Niger for years.
Without saying which specific terrorist group held Woodke, the official pointed to a number of “intersecting overlapping terrorist networks in that part of West Africa.” The official added that these terrorist networks see “kidnapping and hostage taking as part of their business model frankly, and as a source of revenue and support.”
The official thanked the government of Niger which was involved in the efforts to secure his release, adding that the US did not pay any ransom to terrorists.
The US did not pay any ransom to terrorists in order to get Woodke released, the official said.
“There was no direct negotiation here between the US government and the terrorist organizations, it is worth making that clear. Certainly, we did not pay a ransom a concession to a terrorist organization here,” the official said.
“Emerging as our best line of effort among many that we have tried over the years was working to see what a very good and capable and thankfully willing partner in Niger was able to deliver in their own engagement,” the official added.
In addition to the release of Woodke, French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was abducted in 2021 in Mali, was freed Monday, according to a tweet by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Dubois was moved to Niger after his release.
“We feel joy and immense relief. Our colleague was held hostage for 711 days in Mali. His captivity was the longest for a French journalist held hostage since the Lebanon war,” a statement by Reporters Without Borders said.
Dubois was kidnapped in the Gao region north of Mali by an al Qaeda-linked group known as the GSIM.
“We thank the French authorities for having implemented the necessary means to obtain his release. It is the honour of France not to let the hostages down and to allow them to regain their freedom,” added the RWB statement.
A flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, says he is capable of operating a smooth government with fewer ministers.
According to him, the current number of ministers in the Akufo-Addo government is far too much and is taking a toll on the economy.
He says with just 54 ministers and their deputies in total; he can improve the economy and restore confidence in the people.
Mr. Agyapong was speaking in an interview with GBC URA Radio in Bolgatanga.
“We need a new leader who can win the trust of the Ghanaian people. I am very confident that the people need somebody to protect the public purse. This can be done by having a reasonable number of ministers. There are a lot of ministries that should be consolidated. The ministry of aquaculture should be part of agriculture. Transport, aviation, railway, ports and harbour should be transport. It makes no sense to have a ministry of parliamentary affairs. This is how to protect the people’s money,” Mr. Agyapong hinted.
The one-time press secretary to former President John Agyekum Kufuor envisaged a new Ghana with a generational leader who hoped to lead with compassion, courage, competence, and results-oriented.
“We have got to cut the size of our government ourselves. I believe nineteen ministers, each of them having one deputy plus the sixteen (16) Regional Ministers, making up a team of 54, should be enough for a country of fifty-one million people. Those are some of the measures I want to see. We cannot spend what we cannot earn,” Mr. Agyapong concluded.
Mr. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong is currently touring the Upper East Region in a campaign to be elected as the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party for the 2024 general elections.
According to him, the President is arrogantly refusing to listen to advice on how to reduce the expenditure of his government, but he is going around the globe begging the debtors of Ghana for debt cancellation.
He added that Akufo-Addo has particularly become tone-deaf on the matter of him cutting down the size of the government, which is a key solution to the current difficulties in the country, myjoyonline.com reports.
“Stop the arrogance relating, for example, about the refusal to cut down your government, because that is a solution. Do something about the size of your government. The fact that we even have a situation where with all this crisis, with the country suffering haircuts, the President and his government do not want to have what we call a government haircut is a tragedy because that’s what you want to do.
“That’s what, for example, the German ambassador will tell you, that you are coming to us pleading for us to help you be able to have debt forgiveness. But you are keeping the size of government that in our countries that you expect our taxpayers’ money to be used to help you, we do not keep. Then the president arrogantly tells them that they should not meddle in Ghana’s issue, a beggar with a choice.
“You’re on your knees begging for help and you still have the arrogance to be able to speak the way you do. Show some humility, go on your knees and show that you’re really in trouble and ask for help and stop showing the arrogance that you’re showing. So that’s an area that the President and his government should be able to do something. Do something about the size of your government,” he said.
The NDC general secretary said that the members of Parliament of the party, the minority caucus, will continue to oppose the approval of the five ministerial nominees who were recently appointed by the president till Akufo-Addo begins to listen to advice.
He added that the party trusts its parliamentarians to force the president to cut down the size of his government by opposing all his ministry nominees in the interest of the country.
The majority of National Democratic Congress(NDC) delegates in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency in the Central Region are massively supporting former Deputy Minister of Communication, Felix Ofosu Kwakye in his bid to become the Parliamentary candidate to lead the party to the 2024 election.
According to the delegates, they believe Ofosu Kwakye is the only candidate capable of snatching the seat from the New Patriotic Party.
They describe the former deputy Minister as a very vocal and selfless person who has done so much for the constituents even though he’s not a Member of Parliament.
They commend him for getting many young persons in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency recruited into the various Security Services and also supporting others in apprenticeship.
A huge number of delegates on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, thronged the NDC Office to offer their support to Felix Ofosu Kwakye as he filed his nomination forms.
Speaking in an interview with Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan, Felix Ofosu Kwakye confidently said, he is the only Candidate who can win the seat for NDC in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency.
According to him, the constituents are thirsty for development but unfortunately, there’s no development ongoing in the Constituency, and hence he has vowed to ensure massive development should he win the party primaries and go on to win the Parliamentary election in 2024.
Felix Ofosu Kwakye appealed to the delegates to have faith in him and elect him, promising never to disappoint them.
Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a dual citizen of the US and Saudi Arabia, was freed from prison by Saudi Arabia more than a year after his imprisonment over tweets criticizing the country, according to Almadi’s son Ibrahim, who spoke to CNN.
According to his son, who is located in the US, Almadi was freed around 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday and is currently in Riyadh as a result of a travel ban.
The US State Department reported in October that the 72-year-old had been detained in Saudi Arabia after receiving a 16-year sentence for tweets that were critical of the Saudi government.
“He is not free until he is in the (United) States,” his son said.
Neither Saudi nor US officials immediately confirmed the release of Almadi and it remains unclear whether the kingdom would lift a travel ban it had imposed to allow Almadi to return to the US.
CNN has reached out to Saudi Arabia’s government for comment.
Abdullah Alaoudh, the Saudi Director at The Freedom Initiative, a Washington-based advocacy group, welcomed Almadi’s release, saying “he should have never spend a day behind bars for innocuous tweets.”
Almadi was sentenced by Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court over 14 tweets critical of the Saudi government that he posted while in the US, a Freedom Initiative statement said, adding that some of the tweets date back seven years.
“There are far too many people in Saudi detention who don’t have the benefit of US citizenship to draw attention to their cases. Almadi was wrongfully detained, reportedly tortured, and released only after tireless campaigning by his son and international pressure,” Alaoudh said.
“Almadi’s release shows that strategic pressure works, and US officials should continue to press for release of prisoners and lifting of travel bans,” Alaoudh added.
According to him, the cost of producing goods and services in the country has become so high that manufacturers have no choice but to increase the prices of the items they sell to ordinary citizens.
Speaking in a UTV interview on Tuesday, Asani Tano said that he is particularly saddened by the increase in the prices of toilet rolls (t-rolls), which has forced many Christians to join their Muslim counterparts in performing ablutions any time they visit the toilet.
“I don’t hate the government; I’m speaking to the realities on the ground. Most of the companies under the One District, One Factory programme are manufacturing tissues so how is it that tissues are expensive now and we can’t afford them?
“To be very honest with you, most Christians are now doing ablution just as Muslims do after easing themselves. We are all doing ablution now, just because we can’t afford toilet rolls.
“I’m telling you for a fact, I’m an example… God is my witness, The cost of production in Ghana has become unbearable,” he said in Twi.
A resolution to stop a contentious crime measure in Washington, DC, that detractors have blasted as being weak on crime, was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Monday.
Republicans accuse Democrats of failing to address the crime problem, and the attempt to defeat the crime bill exposed the delicate balance the party is trying to achieve.
The Senate voted earlier this month to pass the Republican-led resolution. And while a large number of Democrats ultimately supported the resolution, an announcement by Biden that he would not veto it surprised and upset members of his party as many believe Congress should not interfere in the political affairs of the district.
The House passed the resolution in February before Biden’s veto announcement, with 173 Democrats voting against it.
The DC Council chairman attempted to withdraw the legislation from congressional review after it became clear the resolution of disapproval was on track to pass the Senate with widespread support. But that attempted withdrawal did not stop the Senate vote from moving forward.
A number of Democrats contend that public debate over the crime bill has lacked nuance, pointing to policies that run counter to the “weak on crime” messaging around the bill.
“The debate over the DC crime law has gone a bit off the rails. It lowers the carjacking maximum to 24 years, but that’s IN LINE with many states. And the bill INCREASES sentences for attempted murder, attempted sexual assault, misdemeanor sexual abuse and many other crimes,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy tweeted earlier this month.
Republicans, meanwhile, have called the DC crime bill dangerous and irresponsible.
“Congress is tasked with overseeing Washington, D.C. — a federal district where people should be safe to live and work. The district should set a nationwide example by enacting legislation that makes its residents and visitors safer — not less safe,” Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, a lead sponsor of the resolution in the Senate, said in a statement.
The controversial crime bill was initially vetoed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, with Bowser saying in a statement at the time that the bill “does not make us safer.” In a letter to the DC council chairman, Bowser expressed concern that “the council substantially reduced penalties for robberies, carjackings and home invasion burglaries.”
The council, however, voted to override the mayor’s veto. “Decades of dramatic increases in incarceration have not been a solution to rising crime,” a release from the council said on the veto override.
Separately, Biden signed a measure Monday that would require the Director of National Intelligence to declassify as much intelligence as possible on the origins of the coronavirus, as well as any links between the virus and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. White House officials had for days declined to say whether he supported the bill.
In a statement shortly after the president signed the bill, Biden said he “shares Congress’s goal” of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of Covid-19.
“We need to get to the bottom of COVID-19’s origins to help ensure we can better prevent future pandemics,” Biden said. “My Administration will continue to review all classified information relating to COVID–19’s origins, including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
A warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been issued after more than a year of widespread condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and appalling atrocities.
Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova were named as defendants by the International Criminal Court on Friday in connection with an alleged plot to forcefully transfer thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Russia rejected the allegations Friday, and a ministry of foreign affairs spokeswoman said the court has “no meaning” in Russia.
There have long been calls for the court to bring charges against Putin. It has been investigating allegations of war crimes in Ukraine since Russia first invaded part of the country in 2014. Those calls intensified with the all-out invasion last year.
Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, has talked about his efforts and the need to methodically build cases with proof. That said, the likelihood that Russia’s president will ever actually physically see the inside of a courtroom as long as he remains in power in Russia seems beyond slim.
Here’s a very broad look at war crimes and the international justice movement.
Note: Some of what’s below comes from CNN’s research library, which compiled information about the International Criminal Court.
The International Criminal Court has specific definitions for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Read about them in this guide published by the ICC.
Specifically, targeting civilian populations, violating the Geneva Conventions, targeting specific groups of people and more could be potential Russian war crimes.
Khan said there can be justified attacks in civilian areas if they are being used to launch attacks. But even then, he said, attacks in civilian areas cannot be disproportionate.
There is a method of gathering evidence from testimony, satellite images and elsewhere to meet a burden of proof.
Located in The Hague, Netherlands, and created by a treaty called the Rome Statute first brought before the United Nations, the International Criminal Court operates independently.
Most countries on Earth – 123 of them – are parties to the treaty, but there are very large and notable exceptions, including Russia and the US. And, for that matter, Ukraine.
Anyone accused of a crime in the jurisdiction of the court, which includes countries that are members of the ICC, can be tried. The court tries people, not countries, and focuses on those who hold the most responsibility: leaders and officials. While Ukraine is not a member of the court, it has previously accepted its jurisdiction.
Putin is therefore eligible for being indicted by the court for ordering war crimes in Ukraine.
However, the ICC does not conduct trials in absentia, so he would either have to be handed over by Russia or arrested outside of Russia. That seems unlikely as long as Putin is in power.
The ICC is meant to be a court of “last resort” and is not meant to replace a country’s justice system. The court, which has 18 judges serving nine-year terms, tries four types of crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes.
Court proceedings can be brought in one of two ways: Either a national government or the UN Security Council can refer cases for investigation.
Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has veto power over council actions. It was requests by 39 national governments, most of them European, that sparked the current investigation.
Khan previously told CNN, “I want to emphasize that I’m willing to speak to all sides, and not just the Ukrainian side, but also the Russian Federation, state parties and non-state parties alike. This institution is not political. We’re not part of the geostrategic or geopolitical divisions that we witness around the world.”
If justice in general moves slowly, international justice barely moves at all. Investigations at the ICC take many years. Only a handful of convictions have ever been won.
A preliminary investigation into the hostilities in eastern Ukraine lasted more than six years – from April 2014 until December 2020. At the time, the prosecutor said there was evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Next steps were slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic and a lack of resources at the court, which is conducting multiple investigations.
That perception of slow and ineffective justice will test the system of international law, Khan told CNN’s Anderson Cooper last year.
“This is a test for the court. It’s a test for me, it’s a test for the office,” he said.
The international outcry against Russia is unique, and that could give the court the ability to operate differently, according to Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University and co-editor-in-chief of Just Security, an online forum.
“It’s hard to judge the ICC’s investigation based on past practice,” Goodman said in an email after the court initially launched its investigation back in 2022. “In the Ukraine situation, the prosecutor is buttressed by an extraordinary outpouring of support from dozens of countries, which I expect will be followed by an infusion of resources.”
“For better or for worse, the ICC investigation may affect the diplomatic space for negotiations,” said Goodman, arguing Putin and other Russians might not want to risk arrest if they travel outside the country.
The investigation could also, he argued, weaken Putin at home.
“Russians may come to realize this is another reason Putin can no longer serve their country,” Goodman said.
Previous trials for war crimes were brought by special UN tribunals, such as those empaneled for the former Yugoslavia, focusing on the Serbian autocrat Slobodan Milosevic, and for the Rwandan genocide.
All of this stems from the precedent of the Nuremberg trials to bring Nazis to justice after World War II and held by the Allies, including the US, the Soviet Union, France and Germany.
So it is interesting that neither the US nor Russia are members of the ICC.
Both the US and Russia are signatories to the treaty that created the court – meaning their leaders signed it – but neither is a member.
Russia pulled out of the court in 2016 days after an ICC report published what CNN called a “damning verdict” on Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014. The court also launched a probe in 2016 into Russia’s 2008 efforts to support breakaway regions in Georgia.
At the time, France had also accused Russia of committing war crimes in Syria.
As for the US, while President Bill Clinton signed the treaty creating the court in 2000, he never recommended the Senate ratify it.
The George W. Bush administration, to a fair amount of criticism, pulled the US from being a party to the treaty in 2002. The Pentagon and many US policymakers have long opposed joining such an international court system since it could open US service members to allegations of war crimes.
“The president (George W. Bush) thinks the ICC is fundamentally flawed because it puts American servicemen and women at fundamental risk of being tried by an entity that is beyond America’s reach, beyond America’s laws and can subject American civilians and military to arbitrary standards of justice,” then-White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said at the time.
Opposing America joining the court did not mean the Bush administration opposed the court itself. It supported ICC efforts to seek justice for genocide in Sudan.
There has always been an awkwardness to how American presidents deal with the court, noted CNN’s Tim Lister in 2011. He wrote about Barack Obama applauding ICC efforts to bring justice to people like former Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, while not endorsing the court for oversight of the US.
President Joe Biden told CNN’s Jeremey Diamond on Friday that the ICC’s case against Putin “makes a very strong point,” and voiced support for the investigation into Putin’s alleged war crimes.
“I think it’s justified,” Biden said. “But the question is, it’s not recognized internationally by us, either. But I think it makes a very strong point.”
The White House issued a statement earlier Friday that welcomed accountability for perpetrators of war crimes but stopped short of a full-throated endorsement of the ICC’s arrest warrant.
The Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA) has shared in the pains of traders whose goods and properties worth millions of cedis were burnt in last Wednesday’s fire outbreak at the Kejetia market in Kumasi.
The fire, which burnt 33 shops completely, and affected 17 others, at a section of the newly built €248 million Kejetia market, started when a trader was cooking with gas in a shop, the Ghana National Fire Service, has established.
Investigations by the Fire Service also indicated that the shop was near other shops where turpentine, gunpowder and other combustibles were sold, resulting in an explosion when the fire started.
This is the second time a major fire disaster has occurred at the Kejetia market (Kumasi Central Market), following May 11, 2021, fire outbreak also affecting some parts of the market.
“The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations wishes to express its heartfelt sympathy to all victim traders whose wares and properties estimated at millions of Ghana Cedis were lost to the inferno that gutted Kejetia Market in Kumasi,” it said in a press statement.
The statement, issued by the President of GUTA, Dr Joseph Obeng, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said it was happy to learn that no one died from the fire outbreak.
The Association called for stronger police oversight in all markets across the country and said repeated fire outbreaks at both old and new markets had alarmed them.
It stated that the situation was heartbreaking and needed to be addressed because it was consuming a significant portion of their financial resources and reducing trader income and productivity.
“Effective policing of the markets by the authorities will be the best way to ensure safety and security of the marketplaces rather than only collecting levies and leaving traders to their fate,” the Association said.
On insurance, the Association said it was engaging some insurance companies to start providing policies for members of the trading community in the markets based on a memorandum of understanding that would be beneficial to all in the event of such unforeseen calamities.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President, paid a visit to the Kejetia market on Monday and expressed sympathy to the affected traders on behalf of the government.
He assured the traders that the Government would provide the necessary funding to rebuild the damaged area of the market but asked them to abide by safety regulations to stop any such fire outbreaks.
The authorities have also announced that the Kejetia Market would resume for business on Tuesday, March 21, at the areas that were not affected by the fire.
The abrupt crisis that erupted just over a week ago still poses a serious political risk, as seen by another significant industry intervention to support a bank on Thursday. This intervention was carried out under the administration’s direction rather than by the government. Additionally, it placed the administration on a more precarious limb that might break if the bank crisis worsened.
JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Truist, some of the nation’s most formidable banks, joined forces to support First Republic Bank in a $30 billion cash infusion designed to calm market jitters, prevent a chain reaction of additional bank failures, and show that the sector still has a strong foundation.
This occurred days after the White House guaranteed deposits in Silicon Valley Bank, which failed last week, and Signature Bank, which regulators closed down, using the Deposit Insurance Fund, a $100 billion facility supported by premiums banks pay to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The picture here is of the banking industry saving itself – and not of the government bailing out rich bankers whose recklessness put the savings, prosperity and peace of mind of Americans at risk.
It’s a narrative that the president badly needs to stick.
Even so, the administration’s repeated assurances that no taxpayer cash was involved – necessitated by public fury over bailouts after the 2008 Great Recession banking crisis – do set up some potential political vulnerability. While there is no suggestion yet that isolated banking upheaval could mushroom into a major systemic meltdown, any future use of public funds could hand Republicans, who are already inaccurately blasting administration moves as a “bailout,” an opening to lambast Biden.
The events of this week show how the administration is on a knife-edge over the banking crisis – large aspects of which it has no capacity to control. This daunting reality was stressed on Wednesday when problems overwhelmed Credit Suisse, a huge global player whose existing problems were catalyzed into a crisis by the turbulence in the US. It required emergency loan offers by authorities in Berne to stave off a failure that would have had global reverberations.
The situation is so politically dicey for Biden because the most prudent political move in some senses would be to allow small banks like SVB and Signature Bank to fail. Biden has based his entire political mythology on lifting up working- and middle-class Americans, despite long serving as senator for the US finance industry haven of Delaware.
But presidents face multiple and often competing demands on their attention and political capital. Any hesitation about propping up SVB last weekend might have unleashed a chain of consequences that tipped the entire sector into a crisis that would have required a far greater government intervention – and potentially taxpayer-funded bailouts. This would have had disastrous consequences for Biden’s reputation for economic stewardship and the likely reelection campaign that must, to succeed, sketch a case for an American bounce back after the worst pandemic in a century, high inflation and political turmoil.
The roller-coaster ride in the banking sector this week is all taking place in the ominous shadow of the 2008 economic crisis, which is informing a strategy that is based, above all else, on a mantra of no bailouts.
The situations in 2008 and 2023 are not the same. In the former case, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression was triggered by mountains of subprime mortgages piled up by lax lending practices and easy credit that saddled banks with trillions of dollars in almost worthless loans. The problems last week at SVB, and a subsequent bank run, were caused by managers who invested in government bonds whose prices fell because of the Fed raising interest rates to combat high inflation. In most cases, the assets backing up the bank’s actual business were sound. There is a clear distinction here between the government bailing out bankers and banks in 2008 and what is effectively a federal insurance fund securing depositors now.
Such nuance, however, is lost outside the finance industry. Banking calamities are hard to explain to the public, at least by political leaders who lack the genius for distilling an existential moment into a national rallying the way that President Franklin Roosevelt did during the 1933 banking crisis.
Politics – Biden’s secondary problem after preventing a banking meltdown – rarely reward complexity. Presidential primary campaigns, for instance, profit from simplicity and soundbites and often use fear to trigger momentum. So even a false perception that a president is handing out the cash of taxpayers who are struggling to make ends meet can be political gold.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tried yet again in a high-stakes hearing on Thursday to explain what’s happening now – and why it’s not what happened in the past. Her delicate task was to reassure Americans that the banking system is safe thanks to the administration’s efforts without inviting comparisons to 2008.
“Shareholders and debt holders are not being protected by the government. Importantly, no taxpayer money is being used or put at risk with this action,” Yellen told the Senate Finance Committee.
Her reassurances, however, will not prevent the administration’s critics from seeking to portray the government actions as tantamount to the dreaded “b” word – bailout.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, for instance, argued this week that “Joe Biden is pretending this isn’t a bailout,” and misleadingly posited that if the Deposit Insurance Fund were to run dry, all bank customers would be on the hook. And she falsely claimed that depositors at healthy banks were being forced to subsidize SVB mismanagement. But unlike Biden, the former South Carolina governor is in the enviable position of being able to criticize without having responsibility.
Another Republican potential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, twisted the situation to claim that the banks’ “woke” preoccupation with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives had caused the industry to plummet. The conceit advanced the DeSantis strategy of weaponizing a culture war to please conservative base activists. And while it didn’t correctly diagnose the current banking problems, his theory will be solidified in the minds of many Republican voters because of the power of conservative media.
Biden intimately understands the political risks he faces here. As vice president in the Obama administration, he was inside the somber meetings that made fateful decisions about government bailouts after a new president inherited the worst financial crisis in more than 70 years.
Bailouts to banks helped save the US economy but nevertheless stoked a political backlash that nurtured the Tea Party movement, which wiped out House Democrats in the 2010 midterms. It also sowed a festering sense of resentment that was a fertile incubator for ex-President Donald Trump’s economic populism and backlash politics.
Barack Obama wrote in his autobiography, “A Promised Land,” that while Americans early in his term were frustrated with the glacial recovery from the 2008 crisis, “The bank bailout sent them over the edge.”
“Across the political spectrum, voters considered the bank bailouts a scam that had allowed the barons of finance to emerge from the crisis relatively unscathed,” Obama wrote.
Biden’s political future may depend on avoiding such voter fury.
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