Vladimir Putin is using a lot of money for his war in Ukraine. This has caused people in Moscow to be very cold because they don’t have heating or hot water.
The temperature in the capital dropped to -30°C, and the old heating system is said to not be able to handle the cold weather.
This means that over 20,000 people were left freezing in their homes for several days because of the cold temperatures.
A husband and wife, along with their dog, died from breathing in carbon monoxide while trying to stay warm in the city of Kolomna, in the Moscow region.
A video on Telegram shows windows and doors covered in ice because of the cold weather. People were burning wood on the streets to stay warm.
At the same time, pipes broke in many buildings, making things even worse for people.
There are rumors about an incident at a big ammunition factory in Klimovsk. Some people think it’s related to the problems there.
Reports say that the boiler house at the local cartridge plant in Klimovsk is broken, and it is the only source of heat for the town.
Government officials learned about the problem from social media where many residents were complaining.
On January 5, people in the town protested on the main square because the temperature in their apartments dropped to -10°C.
Some signs saying ‘SOS – We are freezing – Punish the guilty’ were seen, but officials don’t know when heating will be fixed.
A video about a protest said: “They haven’t promised anything since yesterday. ” Grandmas are very cold in their house.
“Kids wearing coats are unwell and coughing. ” The hospitals and everywhere else feels very cold.
“We need to fix this problem. ” We still don’t know who is responsible, and all we hear are excuses.
Someone living here complained: “The police came fast to stop us. ” I hope they bring back the heat as quickly as they sent the police to break us up.
In Lytkarino, a town in Moscow region, a power station stopped working. People had to make fires outside in the cold to stay warm.
Author: Chris Kodo
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Putin spends billions on war leaving Russians abandoned in -30°C
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Prof Lumumba, Peter Obi, Julius Malema in Ghana to unveil #TheNewForce presidential candidate
Some renowned African politicians and activists have arrived in Ghana to unveil the face behind #TheNewForce.
These notable personalities include; Nigerian Politician, Peter Obi, South African politician, Julius Malema, renowned activist P.L.O Lumumba, among others.
The unveiling is scheduled to take place at the Independence Square on Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 5pm.
After weeks of speculation and anticipation, The Independent Ghana took it upon itself to investigate the identity of the mysterious personality behind the mask and presents the following finding.
Deep throat sources have confirmed to us that the mysterious personality behind the movement is none other than renowned Ghanaian Businessman, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar.
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Oliver Barker-Vormawor joins #TheNewForce
Information reaching The Independent Ghana indicates that renowned lawyer and convener of the #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has joined #TheNewForce.
Mr Barker-Vormawor in the past few years has been a keen advocate for what he believes is ‘positive change.’
He has been actively involved in various demonstrations and also masterminded a number of protests.
He believes his affiliation with the #NewForce will help in shaping Ghana into a better country.
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Sunak to “exonerate” postmasters connected to Horizon controversy
The government is considering the idea of clearing the names of all postmasters who were part of the Horizon scandal.
Over 700 Post Office branch managers were found guilty of crimes because a computer mistake made it look like money was gone from their stores.
The problem has become important again after a TV show called Mr. Bates vs the Post Office aired. The Metropolitan Police have said they are now investigating the Post Office for criminal activities just days after the show.
Rishi Sunak told the media that the justice secretary is considering clearing all postmasters involved in the scandal.
He was asked if the government would take away the Post Office’s power to investigate and punish people. He said, ‘The justice secretary is thinking about this and it wouldn’t be right to make a decision before that. There is legal complexity but he is looking at these areas.
‘Everyone is very surprised and upset by the things that have happened recently. It is a terrible mistake in the justice system. ’
It happened in the 90s, but now we can see and hear about it again. It was a terrible mistake that hurt a lot of people, and it’s important that they get the justice they deserve. Compensation schemes are meant to help them get that justice.
The government has given £150 million to thousands of people so far.
‘We want to give the money to people as soon as we can, so we can make interim payments of up to £600,000. ’
‘There are three options to choose from and if you are impacted, you should speak up. ‘
At the same time, people affected by the Horizon scandal feel very upset and say it has been very difficult to get the money they should have received.
Lee Castleton used to be in charge of a small post office, but he has gone broke because he had to go to court and was told to pay a lot of money.
He said: “The victims are very upset and scared. ” It has been 25 years and £135 million has been given to some of the victims, but we have also paid over £150 million to lawyers.
“These lawyers are being very demanding and it’s tough. ” The plans are hard.
‘We are just regular people. ‘ We have lawyers on our side, but it’s really tough and feels like a battle.
“Why would the Post Office and DBT be responsible for compensating the victims. “ -
Oscar Pistorius freed from prison eleven years after killing his girlfriend
Oscar Pistorius was released from prison after serving less than nine years for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The ex-Paralympic champion, who is 37 years old, shot Reeva four times while she was in a locked bathroom at his house in Pretoria. It happened on Valentine’s Day in 2013 and she was hit in the head and body.
He could leave prison early because he had served half of his 13-year and five-month sentence for murder, which was upgraded from manslaughter in 2016.
After being inside for more than 3,100 days, he will leave his modified cell and move to a cottage in his uncle’s expensive three-story mansion in the wealthy Waterkloof neighborhood.
Arnold Pistorius, who is Oscar’s uncle and a very rich person, has hired guards with guns and dogs and put up razor wire and electric fences around his property because he is worried about possible revenge attacks.
His nephew will be watched closely by officials until his whole punishment is finished in December 2029.
Pistorius had his legs removed when he was a baby, but he went on to win two gold medals and a silver at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He later inspired many people by competing in the Olympics.
The crime was very surprising in South Africa and around the world. More than ten years later, we still don’t know if the ‘Blade Runner’ knew who he was shooting at.
Pistorius said he thought Reeva was a burglar. Her family thinks he wanted to kill the 29-year-old model and lawyer after they had a fight.
The only person who knows, and will probably be the only one, is the man himself.
He was believed to have known that someone would likely be killed when he shot at the bathroom door, but it wasn’t clear who he thought would be hurt.
After he was let go, Reeva’s mother, June Steenkamp, said she was okay with the decision to let her daughter’s killer go free. But she also said her family was the one suffering forever because of it.
Mrs Steenkamp said she is happy with the rules set by the parole board. The rules include anger management classes and programs about violence against women. She also said that these decisions have made her and Barry feel good about the South African justice system.
Barry Steenkamp, her husband, passed away in September.
Has Reeva gotten fairness. Has Oscar been in prison long enough. It’s hard to get justice when someone you love is gone forever. No amount of time in prison can bring Reeva back. We are the ones left behind, serving a long time in prison.
She said: “I just want to be able to live my last years peacefully and focus on the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, to carry on Reeva’s legacy. ”
During his last parole hearing, June Steenkamp said that her life feels like it will be full of pain and loneliness after her husband died.
She said she and Barry had ‘big dreams’ for their daughter. Their daughter was also an activist fighting against violence against women in South Africa. This was before her own death, which was very sad.
“Did Reeva’s dreams come true. ” June Steenkamp asked in a statement that day. “No way”
She said they both have been under a lot of pressure.
“My friend Barry died feeling very sad because he thought he couldn’t protect his daughter. I believe he died of a broken heart,” the statement said.
Barry Steenkamp met Oscar Pistorius last year as part of his recovery.Steemkamp said she doesn’t think her daughter’s killer is sorry, but she forgave him a long time ago because she knew she couldn’t go on if she stayed angry.
Rob Matthews, a man from South Africa, spoke on behalf of the family. His own daughter was killed in 2004, and he had become a friend of the Steenkamp family because they shared a similar pain from their losses.
Mr Matthews observed that Pistorius was granted parole just one day before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Tania Koen, the lawyer for the Steenkamp family, summed it up when she talked about whether it was fair for Pistorius to be released.
She said that even if he went to prison for a long time, it wouldn’t really change anything for Steenkamp’s family after her death.
“Mrs Koen said that for them, it’s like being in prison for the rest of their lives. “ -
Man shot during football game in the arm in Republic of Ireland
A man in the Republic of Ireland was playing football when he was hit by a bullet to the arm.
It occurred just after 21:00 local time on Saturday at a sports complex close to Rear Cross, County Tipperary.
According to Irish police, the man received on-site medical attention from emergency personnel and was then transported by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick.
The gardaí have stated that his injuries are not life-threatening.
For forensic and technical analysis, the scene has been preserved, and the police are looking for witnesses.
They are especially urging people to come forward who might have been hunting in the vicinity at the time.
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Israel-Palestinian hostility intensified by war and Hamas attack
Despite the ongoing war in Gaza and the large number of people dying, a new survey shows that many Palestinians support the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel, which started the conflict. At the same time, most Israelis support their country’s military and are not thinking much about the deaths of Palestinian civilians. They want to defeat Hamas and bring back their hostages. This is what the polls show.
For three months, I have been talking to Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem to hear what they think about the ongoing conflict.
The cafes in the western part of the city are very busy, serving foamy coffees in the winter sun. However, Israelis are constantly worried about the ongoing war in Gaza.
“Always thinking about it, we have lots of friends with kids and family who are in Gaza, and we pray for them a lot,” says Edna, a Jewish woman from Bnei Brak.
“Yesterday we went to see our friend’s son who was really hurt. ” They are not sure if he will lose both of his legs. She says he won’t do it because God wants it that way.
“We are still thinking about the people who have been taken hostage. ” “It feels like a part of ourselves is inside it. ”
On October 7th, about 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel in attacks. Over 100 out of 240 hostages who were taken to Gaza are still being held captive.
Meanwhile, Israel has attacked Gaza by air and ground, and it has caused the death of about 23,000 people, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Most of the 2. 3 million people who live in Gaza had to leave their homes because there was a lot of damage.
However, a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) recently discovered that most Israelis do not believe that Israel should comply with the US’s request to decrease the amount of bombing in crowded areas during the war.
“Professor Tamar Hermann, who is a top pollster at IDI, says that anyone who wants to know about the situation in Gaza can look it up online. She is talking about the pain and struggles of the people there. ” “But the news on TV is not showing us the same things that people see in Europe or other countries. ”
She also says that when people in Gaza were seen cheering and celebrating the attack on October 7th, it made people in Israel less sympathetic towards them.
In this military operation, civilians are not seen as innocent bystanders like they were in the past. “Prof Hermann says that people are not showing much sympathy. ”
I met Tzafir Bracha when I was on my way to the Old City. He came for a visit. He is staying with family and is one of many Israelis from southern Israel who hasn’t been able to go back home for three months. He is still feeling very shocked about what happened.
“I believe it will take a while for everyone to realize how significant and disastrous the event on October 7th was. ” “I think most of us are still feeling hurt,” he tells me. “I don’t think anyone can understand unless it happened to them. ”
Tzafir thinks that the world needs to see that Hamas must be stopped so it can’t hurt anyone anymore.
“We need to win. ” You need to find the people responsible for this and remove them from society. Only then can we truly have peace.
In the small streets of the Old City, a lot of Palestinians from the part of Jerusalem that is controlled by another group tell me they feel limited in what they can say in public. Many people say that Israel often watches social media posts.
But everyone I meet is keeping up with the war all the time.
I have an account on Instagram, it’s called X. “I keep up with people from Gaza,” Haneen, a student nurse, explains. “We are all very unhappy. ”
But she says she doesn’t believe what Israel said happened on October 7th.
Palestinians don’t believe what Israel says because they use propaganda. We know that some things are correct, but other things are not.
Most Palestinians feel the same way as her, according to a recent survey in the West Bank and Gaza conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
“Most Palestinians don’t think Hamas has done anything wrong, and most haven’t seen any videos of bad things happening. ” “Professor Shikaki says that these videos are available for everyone to see. ”
His study showed that more people in the West Bank are starting to support Hamas, even though most Palestinians still don’t support the group. Israel, the UK, and many Western countries see Hamas as a terrorist organization.
In the survey, 72% of Palestinians thought it was right for Hamas to start their attack on October 7th.
A store owner from Palestine, who doesn’t want to say his name, is trying to explain why. He says foreign media doesn’t understand the hard life in Gaza because of the blockade by Israel and Egypt since Hamas took over.
“The people in Gaza feel like they are stuck in a very small place and can’t leave, like being in a prison,” he says.
He feels hopeless about the world’s countries because they are not doing enough to stop the fighting.
“We watch hard things on the TV. ” Very hard Children die Women are being murdered. Elderly people are being killed for no reason. They didn’t do nothing. The shopkeeper says, “I can’t believe it. ”
“To be honest, I can’t understand why people would watch these kinds of things and not do anything to stop it. It’s as if they’re just watching a movie and it doesn’t mean anything to them. ”
In Jerusalem, there are many things that separate the Israelis and Palestinians I have talked to.
But, most people now don’t trust each other and are afraid of what will happen in the coming months. Both sides feel that people from different countries don’t understand their hardships. -
Son of Al Jazeera journalist killed in Gaza
The oldest son of the person in charge of Al Jazeera‘s office in Gaza was killed in a bomb attack by Israel in the south of Gaza.
Hamza al-Dahdouh, a journalist and cameraman for Al Jazeera, was on a road with other reporters when a drone attacked them between Khan Younis and Rafah.
Freelance journalist Mustafa Thuraya was also murdered.
In October, four more of bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh’s family members were also killed.
His wife Amna, his grandchild Adam, his 15-year-old son Mahmoud and seven-year-old daughter Sham were all killed in an attack by Israel.
According to Hisham Zaqout, a reporter for Al Jazeera, Hamza and a group of journalists were on their way to the Moraj area northeast of Rafah. The area had been declared a “humanitarian zone” by the Israeli army, but had recently been bombed.
Many people from Gaza ran away to this place to get away from the bombing in other parts of the area. Hamza planned to tell about what was happening and what happened after the bombings in the area, according to Al Jazeera.
Live video from Al Jazeera showed what happened after the car they were in got hit.
His father, Wael al-Dahdouh, was crying and holding his hand while standing next to his body in a morgue in Khan Younis. He was laid to rest in the southern city of Rafah.
Hamza was more than just a part of me. He meant everything to me. He was my everything. These tears are from feeling sad and missing someone or something. “These are the tears of people,” his father said during the funeral.
“I want the world to pay attention to what’s happening in Gaza. ”
Wael al-Dahdouh got hurt and his cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa was killed in a different attack while they were filming last month.
Mral-Dahdouh, who has eight kids, kept talking about the fighting in Gaza.
Hamza al-Dahdouh had a lot of people who liked his Instagram posts- one million. He wrote about his dad in his last post before he died. “You are strong and calm. ” Don’t give up hope in God’s kindness. “He said you will definitely get a reward,” he told me.
Over 75 reporters have died since the fighting in Gaza began.
More than 22,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry run by Hamas. -
How McDan fell from grace to grass and bounced back
Business mogul, Daniel McKorley, popularly known as McDan, has recounted his grace-to-grass-to-grace story.
During an interview, he disclosed that at the age of 28, he made his first $1 million, however, he lost it all at the age of 32.
“I made my first $1 million at the age of 28 years…you know one funny thing. I lost it all at the age of 32. Life is funny and there’s something called attitude,” he revealed.
He noted that his lack of proper business principles and understanding accounted for this great loss.
“To make money you need to apply certain principles, understanding and having the right attitude to make money,” he advised.
He however noted that this did not break him down as he bounced back and recovered his loss.
Daniel McKorley, popularly known as McDan, is arguably one of the big names when it comes to entrepreneurs in the country.
He was born on June 17, 1971, in the Ghanaian capital Accra, McKorley fought his way out of poverty to build the McDan Group of Companies, a transportation and logistics company with operations in freight and contract logistics.
His businesses include McDan Shipping, McDan Aviation, and McDan Logistics. It is reported that his companies are widely recognized in Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, and his own home country, Ghana.
His McDan Shipping Company, headquartered in Accra, also has branches in Tema and Takoradi. What is more, it has a presence in over 2000 major air and sea ports worldwide due to its partnership with Cross Trades and World Cargo Alliance (WCA).
The company is also the first and only Freight Forwarding Company to obtain an Air Carrier License in handling chartered cargo flights in Ghana and currently is the GSA for multiple airlines, according to the company’s website.
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I want Rishi Sunak to say this one word in Parliament
Today marks the three month anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel, and the escalation of the conflict has had a terrible impact on those in the area and beyond.
Tensions have ramped up all over the world, harming both Jewish and Muslim communities.
The UK is no exception to this and while most people are able to express their views peacefully and respectfully, we have sadly seen too many instances of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
In the month immediately following Hamas’s attack on Israel, the Community Security Trust noted a 514% increase in acts of antisemitic incidents this year compared to the same period last year, which is also reflected in data from police forces across the UK released last week.
Meanwhile, Muslim Council of Britain has also noted a troubling surge in Islamophobic attacks, stating: ‘Over the course of this devastating conflict, we have seen a surge of hate crime, with a 140% increase in Islamophobic offences in London alone’.
Mia Schem, 21, reunites with her family following her release after being held hostage by Hamas (Picture: via REUTERS) Organisations may collate their data differently, but the important thing for all of us to note is that these worrying incidents are on the rise.
Yet, amazingly, according to Hansard records, Rishi Sunak has never once uttered the word ‘Islamophobia’ in the House of Commons – he has only referred to it as ‘anti-Muslim hate’.
This doesn’t cut it. It is not good enough to redefine something – if we do not name the problem, we can’t possibly tackle it.
Sunak shouldn’t shy away from using the word, in the same way he doesn’t with antisemitism, which he has mentioned in Parliament 16 times since the war started.
It is imperative that from the Prime Minister down, the Tories need to start calling this hatred what it is – and invest time and more money in stamping out Islamophobia.
Drone footage shows wide scale destruction of Gaza after seven weeks of war
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Hundreds of people assemble in London for year’s first pro-Palestinian march
Hundreds of people who support Palestine sat down on Westminster Bridge for their first big protest in 2024.
They closed the bridge and the nearby streets after a march from St James’s Park today.
The Free Palestine Coalition had a protest asking for a stop to the fighting in Gaza.
It also said the UK should not sell weapons to Israel and should stop Israel from controlling Palestine.
They met at the park at 10am and then walked to Westminster. But the police stopped them at Big Ben.
Many of the demonstrators then slowly joined a peaceful protest that was surrounded on three sides by a line of police.
Many protesters had red paint on their hands and wore masks that looked like Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden.
The police said today that all protesters have left the area near Westminster Bridge. Police are still working in central London and are ready to handle more protests. -
National Security gets new Deputy Coordinator
Dr Osei Bonsu Dickson, has been appointed as Deputy Coordinator for National Security.
The appointment was made by President Akufo-Addo in recognition of his impressive 25-year career in national security operations and legal affairs.
Prior to assuming this new role, Dr Dickson has held various leadership positions within the Ministry of National Security.
Dr. Osei Bonsu Dickson has served in key roles such as Chief Legal Advisor, Director for Security Governance, Director for Legal, Director for Intelligence Analysis, and Director for Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the Ministry of National Security.
He also contributed to various boards, including the Financial Intelligence Center (FIC), Africa Center for Strategic Studies, and the Ghana Boundary Commission (GhBC), among others.
The appointment of Dr. Dickson has garnered positive reactions within the national security community, with experts expressing confidence in his experience and skills to advance national security initiatives.
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Two journalist killed in vehicle attack in Gaza
Two Palestinian reporters have been killed when Israel bombed their car in Gaza on Sunday. This brings the total number of people killed since October 7 to 109.
Hamza Wael Al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya were killed in a strike in the city of Khan Younis. Hamza’s father is the chief of Al Jazeera in the area.
This news is still developing. There will be more updates soon. Come back soon to get more information. -
Russians suffering greatly in order to flee war
Yaroslav is different from most 23-year-olds as he sits at the table and eats chicken soup. Yes, he seems young, but he’s also feeling anxious, like Vladimir Putin is still causing him stress.
Yaroslav used to live a quiet life with his mom and sister in the suburbs of Moscow, working at a store that sells old books. But now he had to start a new life in Georgia, and it hasn’t been easy.
In Russia, students are being pulled out of their classes and dorms, and raids are happening at vegetable warehouses, mosques, and on the streets where young men who are old enough for the military are being taken to sign up for service.
With Putin’s war in Ukraine going on for two winters now, many people like Yaroslav have left to avoid being drafted into the army. Georgia is an easy place for Russians to go because they don’t need a visa to enter or work there.
Many people decide to leave their country and go to another country by plane, train, bus, or car because they are afraid they might be forced to join Putin’s large army.
After eating soup at Shavi Lomi restaurant in Tbilisi, Yaroslav told the media about how he escaped from his home country.
How Yaroslav got away from Russia.
“Many people wanted to leave, so there were long lines at all the borders,” he remembers.
There were about 10 miles of cars waiting at the border with Kazakhstan where I was. The issue was that I couldn’t walk or ride a bike across, and I didn’t have a car.
I met a family from Uzbekistan who let me go with them after a while. I had to give them a lot of money – all of my pay. Around 60,000 Russian Rubles or 750 British Pounds. It took three days to get to the other side.
Yaroslav is half Ukrainian and has lived in Russia his whole life. He was lucky because his boss at the bookstore helped him escape.
He planned everything and he bought all the tickets. Due to the long wait at the border, I missed my plane to Tbilisi. When I finally crossed the border, I had to stay in Kazakhstan for about two weeks.
Yaroslav left Russia soon after they started calling people to join the army, in early October 2022.
He lived near the Kremlin and saw the unhappiness in the city when Putin said he was going to invade.
Talking to his Ukrainian dad, who fought in a long and bloody battle in Donetsk Oblast, helped him understand his political and moral beliefs.
Yaroslav was very mad at the Russian government, so he joined protests against war to show how he felt. But he was arrested right away.
A video showed police pulling him away by his arms and legs and it was shown on Russian state TV and online.
Yaroslav was scared of going to prison or being sent to the frontline, so he decided to leave his family in Moscow.
It took him a long time to stop worrying about Putin’s influence, but he finds it hard to talk about his feelings of leaving his old life and moving to Tbilisi.“We live close to the train station in Moscow, and I often see soldiers getting on the trains to go to Ukraine,” he says.
“It was really scary and crazy, and it happened during my last few months living in Russia. ”
“I knew they were going to the dangerous place where they could hurt my dad or my friends from Kyiv. ”
‘Maybe I could have put a bomb on the train tracks, but then I would definitely go to jail and the tracks would be fixed and the train would keep going. ‘
Yaroslav says, “Every day I lived in Russia after the invasion started, I wanted to scream. ” I kept my pain a secret. I couldn’t do or say anything in public or express my opinion in any way. It is crazy.
“Because people are scared, you shouldn’t criticize them. ” When I crossed the border, I felt free for the first time. This is when I realized how much stress I was feeling in my life.
I feel protected in Georgia. I’m not scared of the police here. In Russia, I was worried about getting arrested every day.
Living in Georgia.
For the past year, Yaroslav has been living in Tbilisi. He has been missing home and now even misses the winters in Moscow.
“He said it might sound strange because he always disliked the cold in Russia, but he now realized that he misses it. ” “It’s kind of funny what you end up missing. ”
He ran away when the border was easier to cross and the government was still trying to follow the Kremlin’s commands.
Go to the forest, a secret group made at the beginning of the mobilization, helps people like Yaroslav to avoid being forced to join the army, find safety in other countries, and not have to fight in the war in Ukraine.
“We want to help as many people as we can to not use guns,” said the NGO on their website. They also said that they have helped 21,594 people in the past 15 months.
Idite Lesom means “Go by the forest” but it’s used to mean “Go f**k yourself”. Those already sent to the front line are a top priority.
Darya Berg, who leads relief and evacuations, left Russia and now works in Tbilisi. She says, “We offer help to people in danger, but we don’t force them to do anything. ”
For instance, we talked to a man on the frontline who wants to leave but doesn’t know what to do or where to go.
We need to tell him about options, but it’s up to him to choose – like giving up to the Ukrainian military, or hurting himself so he can go to the hospital and go back to Russia.
We are showing him how to leave the area in case of an emergency and getting him a passport from another country because he doesn’t have one.
‘If caught, the punishment is severe – nearly 10 years in jail – and we make sure people know about it. ‘
Not many desertion cases go to court. Usually, men are just sent back to the battlefield.
Trying everything to get away from the war.
Darya says that many soldiers, who she calls “military slaves,” often hurt themselves so they can leave the battle.
“One of the first cases I remember was when an officer called me from a hospital and said that he asked his friend to shoot him,” she remembers.
“They both hurt each other’s legs by shooting. ” I was surprised at first, but now it happens a lot. He is in a secure place in the north part of Russia.
“Joining the military in Russia”
When Putin’s attack didn’t go as planned and he had to increase his army in September, the NGO got a lot of requests for help on their Telegram bot which is run by volunteers. -
Man in court after shooting spree in Liverpool
A 49-year-old man has gone to court for shooting people in Liverpool.
Gunshots were heard first at a shop, then outside a cinema, and at a nearby property on Wednesday night. No one got hurt.
Gunshots were heard at the News and Booze corner shop at 8:30pm. People in the area call it Sangha newsagents.
Approximately 20 minutes later, the workers at a Showcase Cinema in Stonedale retail park were scared when someone threatened them in the entrance area, and then a gun was shot into the air.
Around 10:20pm, more gunshots were heard at a house on Malpas Road.
Leslie Garrett from Ternhall Road, Liverpool, went to court on Saturday and was kept in custody.
He is accused of having a gun with the intent to harm someone, having two guns to scare people, and trying to rob someone.
He is also accused of having bullets without permission.
He was told to go to Liverpool Crown Court on February 5 and stay there. -
Robbers sentenced to 27 years in prison for stealing Ferraris and Lamborghinis
Two thieves who used a fake gun to steal from people who owned expensive cars by pretending to be interested buyers online have been sent to prison for a total of 27 years.
Mohammed Ali and Muhamed Juwara talked to the person selling a £170,000 Ferrari. They were asked to go to a house in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield, on September 20, 2022.
In court, Jonathan Dee said that Ali pointed a gun at Juwara and told him to put handcuffs on someone while they were sitting on a sofa.
Mr Juwara jumped on him and they started fighting. Ali grabbed the victim’s partner and took them away while still holding the gun.
She got to touch it and said “it feels like plastic” and then she tried to grab a vase. Their 9-year-old son, who was upstairs, ran away and Juwara yelled “the boy has left”.
Mr Dee said the two people ran away from the house when the police were called. The young boy was found safe at a friend’s house.
The people who broke in left some handcuffs, tape, and small metal balls behind. Ali was caught by the police using DNA evidence and is now in custody.
The evidence showed that he was also involved in a similar attack in Gloucestershire two months before.
On that day, Ali said he had £20 million and acted like he wanted to buy a £164,000 Lamborghini.
After he was asked to come inside the owner’s house, he showed a fake gun and said he would harm the man while tying him up.
The court was told that he asked the man to send him £100,000 and made fun of him when he could only send £7,000, saying, “I thought you were rich – is that all you have. ”
After that, he took him to Stafford, which is about 76 miles away, and left him there.
The prosecutor spoke about how the three victims were affected by the crime.
The person who owns a Ferrari said: “It has made me different. I don’t trust people who come to my house anymore and I can’t stop thinking about what happened. ”
His partner said: “I feel more nervous and I get scared easily around other people. ” I really thought I was going to die.
The person who owns the Lamborghini said that the incident really changed his life a lot. -
BREAKING: #TheNewForce presidential candidate finally unmasked
The Independent Ghana can confidently report after extensive investigation the identity of the popular masked presidential candidate captured of giant bill boards dotting the whole country.
After weeks of speculation and anticipation, The Independent Ghana took it upon itself to investigate the identity of the mysterious personality behind the mask and presents the following finding.
Deep throat sources have confirmed to us that the mysterious personality behind the movement is none other than renowned Ghanaian Businessman, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar.
He will be officially unveiled at an event dubbed The Convention, scheduled to take place at The Independence Square at 5pm on Sunday, January 7, 2024.
The event is being organized under the auspices of an NGO dubbed the New Africa Nation, which is believed to be run by the renowned Cheddar.
The Convention will feature prominent personalities such as the former African Union Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao, Kenyan lawyer and activist, P.L.O Lumumba, Nigerian politician and businessman, Peter Obi, among others.
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Russian long-range missile attack claims lives of five youngsters
Five kids, with the youngest only three years old, were killed in a Russian attack in eastern Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin sent S-300 missiles to the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. It killed 11 people and hurt eight others. The governor of the Ukrainian-controlled part confirmed this.
Vadym Filashkin said that 11 people died in a very cruel attack, including five children between the ages of three and 17.
He said on Telegram that the attack proved that Russian forces are trying to cause as much sadness as they can in our country.
Video from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine showed rescue teams looking through piles of burnt rubble in the dark.
The strike happened around 3pm on Saturday. People kept looking for survivors at night because there was a lot of damage.
President Zelensky said that Russia attacked regular people’s homes.
He said: ‘Russia needs to know that there will be consequences for their actions. ‘
The dangerous attack on Pokrovks was followed by many drones and cruise missiles sent to Ukraine overnight.
The air force said on Telegram that Russia attacked mostly the southern and eastern areas, and they were able to destroy 21 out of the 28 drones.
However, it didn’t explain what happened to the three cruise missiles.
“The enemy is attacking the frontline areas of Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions with drones,” said air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat on TV. -
Toddler dies at vacation park after being struck by truck in New South Wales
A little child was killed after being ran over by a truck in New South Walesat a vacation park.
Yesterday morning, the one-year-old needed help and emergency services were called. But, he couldn’t be saved and passed away at the hospital.
The event took place at Fashions Mount Rd by Lake Burrendong, in New South Wales.
Paramedics from NSW Ambulance were there quickly and then the child was taken by helicopter to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
A spokesperson from the police in NSW said in a statement that the child had died while doctors were trying to save them at the hospital.
The police are looking into what happened.
Lake Burrendong is a really big lake that people made, and it can be three times the size of Sydney Harbour when it’s full.
Many families and people who enjoy boating, fishing, and kayaking like to visit the holiday park.
A person from NSW said: ‘A kid died after getting hit by a car in the Mid-West area of the state. ‘
At almost 11. 00am on Saturday 6 January 2024, the police and ambulance were called to a holiday park in Mumbil, not far from Dubbo. They were told that a one-year-old baby had been hit by a car.
Police officers from Orana Mid-Western district arrived and found a one-year-old boy had been hit by a car. The kid got help from ambulance doctors and then was taken by helicopter to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead because they were really sick.
“A crime scene was set up and an investigation into the incident has begun. ”
At around 5:00pm today (Saturday 6 January 2024), the police were told that the child had passed away in the hospital.
More update on this story soon -
Bawumia visits Chef Faila; offers words of encouragement
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has offered some words of encouragement to
Chef Abdul-Razak Failatu who is attempting to break the Guiness World Record for longest hours for cooking.
The Vice President made the remarks during his visit to the chef in Tamale.
Speaking to the media, the Vice President said the attempt by both Chef Faila and event organiser Afua Asantewaa has put Ghana on the map and proves that it is possible to accomplish anything one sets their mind to.
“When I say it is possible, it means it is possible for us to be the best. It is possible to beat the best in the world. That mindset is what Ghanaians need. That possibility mindset and what Afua did in the sing-a-thon, showed that it was possible to be the best in the world.
“What Faila is also doing here is showing that it is possible to break the world record and we are here to support her so that she does it and we all going to be very happy when she does it,” he said.
Prior to his visit, the Vice President on January 1, 2023, the Vice President donated an amount of GH₵30,000 to the Chef.
Dignitaries like the former first lady, Lording Mahama, the Chief of Staff, Madam Frema Osei-Opare, etc. have all visited the place to show their support.
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London Tube strikes to begin tonight following breakdown of negotiations
London’s subway system will almost completely stop running next week because the rail workers are going on a big strike.
Services will finish early on Sunday evening and there will be very few or no services from Monday to Thursday.
Many people who travel to work will need to find different ways to get there next Friday because public transportation will not start running until later than usual.
Final discussions between the RMT union and TfL broke down on Friday afternoon.
Union members are going on strike because they are not happy with a 5% pay raise offer and other problems.
A spokesperson for RMT said: “TfL didn’t stop the strike because they didn’t make a deal that our members on the London Underground were happy with. ”
TfL could not stop the strike because they did not offer a deal that the London Underground workers were happy with.
When will the London Underground shut down.
On Friday evening, some workers will leave, but it should not cause any problems with the services.
The Tube will have problems starting when the workers go on strike on Sunday evening. More workers will join the strike next week, which will cause more disruptions to the network.
Starting from Monday to Thursday, the London Overground, Elizabeth Line and Docklands Light Railway will have some disruptions.
Here’s a schedule of when workers will go on strike and what will happen each day.
On January 5th and 6th, engineers and maintenance workers are going on strike. They will also not work any extra hours until January 12th.
Workers who control the London Underground and its power and control systems will go on strike on January 7-8.
On January 8th, all London Underground staff went on strike.
On January 9, workers who send signals and control services will go on strike.
On January 10th, all the staff at the London Underground went on strike.
On January 12th, communication workers and service controllers will go on strike.What will happen to London Underground services?
TfL said that people who want to use the Tube on those dates will have big problems.
Here’s what the transportation group says will happen.
On Sunday, January 7th, trains will stop running earlier than usual. Customers should finish their Tube trips by 5:30pm.
From Monday, January 8 to Thursday, January 11, there will be big problems with the Tube and hardly any trains will be running.
Tube services will start late on Friday, January 12. They should be back to normal by 12pm.
Even though engineering and maintenance workers are going on strike on January 5 and 6, TfL doesn’t think that the services will be affected very much because the staff’s jobs are important.
The London subway won’t be running because of a strike.
Glynn Barton, who is in charge of making sure things run smoothly for TfL, wants to make sure that Londoners are not bothered too much by any changes. He recommends that people check their travel routes before they go.
He said: “We’re not happy that RMT wants to go on strike because we offered a 5% raise. ”
We have talked with our trade unions and told them that this is the best offer we can give while still being able to run our business safely and in a way that lasts.
We want the RMT to talk to us so that there are no problems for people in London. We want to tell people who are going somewhere during the strike to check before they go.
RMT boss Mick Lynch said that subway workers will not agree to bad offers and their working conditions being constantly made worse.
He said: “TfL’s decision to not bring back staff travel benefits and have two different levels of workers is not okay. ”
“Our members are ready to take action and we ask TfL to have important talks to avoid problems in the city. ”
Meetings took place this week to try to solve the argument. -
Woman dies in massive apartment tower fire in London
A woman was found dead in a fire at a building in Hackney.
Yesterday morning, firefighters went to Nisbet House, a tall building on Homerton High Street in east London.
A fire damaged part of a flat on the ground floor. Firefighters found a woman in her 40s inside, and she was declared dead at the scene.
The police are looking into what started the fire, but they don’t think it was done on purpose.
The fire department came to the place around 8:20 am on Saturday. They used six fire trucks and 30 firefighters to put out the fire. They got the fire under control by about 9:40 am.
A person from the fire department said: “Unfortunately, a woman died in a fire in a Hackney apartment. ”
“A fire damaged part of a flat on the ground floor. ” A lady was discovered in the apartment and was declared dead there.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “We have told her closest family and we are thinking of them during this hard time. ”
They are trying to find out what caused the fire. It is not thought to be suspicious. -
Kenya to switch motorbikes to electric “boda-boda” taxis
Moses Lugalia has started using an electric motorbike instead of a petrol one as Kenya’s electric vehicle movement grows.
The main reason the 27-year-old motorbike taxi rider wants to switch to an electric bike is to save money as fuel prices continue to go up.
Motorbike taxis are very common in Kenya and other African countries because they are cheaper than cars and can be better for getting around in the heavy traffic in Nairobi.
Mr Lugalia has been driving a motorbike taxi in Nairobi for five years, taking people and things to different places.
He used to spend about 1,000 Kenyan shillings per day, which is a little over $6 or £5, on fuel for his petrol bike.
Nairobi drivers usually make around $10-15 every day, according to the Boda-Boda Association of the country.
Ever since he started using an electric system, Mr. Lugalia says he only spends $1. 42 This means he is making more money and it makes him really happy.
“Since petrol is expensive, I can save a lot by using my electric bike,” Mr. Lugalia said happily.
Instead of putting petrol in his bike, Mr. Lugalia now changes the electric battery once or twice a day at one of the many swap stations in Nairobi. A full battery will let him drive for about 80km (50 miles), which is almost a whole day’s work.
“Mr Lugalia says that electricity is the way forward for Kenya,” he said to the media.
The Kenyan government also believes so. William Ruto, the President, started a national program for using electric vehicles on 1 September 2023.
Motorbikes and tuk-tuks are being used to make transportation more eco-friendly and reduce pollution in the air.
The government wants boda-boda drivers to consider using cheaper fuel to save money.In Kenya, there are around three million boda-boda riders, and the UN thinks that about five million people rely on their money.
Riding a boda-boda is a good, quick, and cheap way to travel.
Many motorcycles are old, not taken care of, and create a lot of pollution. Although they don’t produce as much carbon dioxide as cars, they release a lot of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, which can hurt the air and the climate.
Nairobi is one of the busiest cities in the world with a lot of traffic. During busy times, the number of people in the city goes up from 4. 5 million to over six million.
The traffic jams every day can be really bad for people who travel to work – the vehicles make about 40% of Nairobi’s dirty air, and about 20% of the world’s pollution that makes the Earth warmer, according to the Clean Air Fund.
Other big reasons for climate change are cutting down trees, farming, making things in factories, and burning trash in the open.
Africa doesn’t produce a lot of greenhouse gases, only about 2% to 3% of the world’s total. But it is affected the most by climate change, according to the UN Environment Programme.
However, the Kenyan government believes that moving towards eco-friendly transportation is important in order to help achieve its climate targets. It aims to have over 200,000 electric bikes on the streets by the end of 2024.
E-bikes usually release 75% fewer harmful gases into the air.
Only 2,000 boda-boda drivers have changed from using petrol to using electric power.
“Kenya is a great place for electric motorbikes to be sold. ” About 85% of the electricity comes from sources that can be renewed like water, sun, heat from the earth, and wind.
In the past few years, Kenya has had very bad droughts, which have affected its hydro-power. But there is a lot of potential to increase its use of geothermal, solar, and wind energy.
A few new companies in Kenya have started making and selling electric motorcycles in the last three years.
They are working with lenders to provide affordable loans, so boda-boda drivers can buy their own motorcycles.
Mr Lugalia sold his old gas bike and used some of the money to put a deposit on an electric bike. Then he paid the remaining $1,500 in small payments every day for a year.
He fully owns the bike, but not the battery.
“That wouldn’t be a smart decision for the business,” says Steve Juma, co-founder of the electric bike company Ecobodaa, because the battery is the priciest part of an electric bike.
It would nearly double the price.
The sellers still own the batteries and have made many places in the city where you can swap them, like in malls, gas stations, and fast food places.
Mr Lugalia says he can easily find a place to switch batteries. He uses an app on his phone to open a cabinet. Then, he puts his used battery in a locker and gets a new fully charged one from a different locker.
But if you leave the city, things are different. Many boda-boda drivers I talked to in Nairobi are not interested in going outside the city because it’s not worth it for them.
“I’m not ready to use green energy because I can’t go to a place where I can’t charge the battery,” a man said.
Some people didn’t want electric bikes because they thought they cost more than petrol ones. Some people think that the distance an electric bike can go – between 60 and 80 kilometers – is not enough.
The government wants to replace traditional boda-bodas with e-motorcycles in Kenya to make the streets quieter.
The electric vehicle infrastructure is not very developed outside of Nairobi, so there is a lot of work still to be done.
The government thinks that businesses, which are already investing in Nairobi, can also play an important role in other places.
“We believe that if we improve the roads and buildings in Nairobi, more investors will want to invest there,” said Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Kipchumba Murkomen, in an interview with the BBC.
Some companies have already said they will do big things in the future.
Masalule Kituyi from Roam said his company will make 8,000 electric motorcycles next year.
Spiro, a company that works in some African countries, wants to build 3,000 places in Kenya where people can charge or swap their batteries.
In 2024, a Nairobi start-up called Arc-Ride plans to make 1,000 electric cars and create over 300 places to charge their batteries in Nairobi.
Only 1% of the people who drive in the industry are women, but Arc-Ride thinks electric bikes could get more women to join. Some people have been asked to try out their new e-boda motorcycles, and Carol Kamal is one of them.
She learned about news, but couldn’t find a job. So, she became a boda-boda driver instead.
She really liked the electric boda-boda because it was quiet and worked well. Now she is saving money to buy one. -
Togbe Afede lashes out at Ghana’s past and present leaders over ‘failed’ Ghana
Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State has lashed out at Ghana’s past and present leaders over the sorry state of the country.
He said the country has failed because of Ghana’s corrupt, despicable, etc. leaders.
“The Ghana we have today is obviously not what our founding fathers dreamt of”, the Paramount Chief of Asogli state, Togbe Afede XIV, has lamented.
“We have failed woefully but have pretended otherwise,” he emphasised.
He contended that instead of giving hope, Ghana’s leaders have created a frightening sense of helplessness among the populace, especially the youth.
Referring to a statement he made during a courtesy visit by the Speaker of Parliament in December 2021, he reiterated his concern that if Ghana were a company, it would have filed for bankruptcy.
He pointed to the nation’s recourse to the IMF for a bailout and the implementation of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), resulting in defaulting on debts, causing substantial losses for government bondholders, and painting a gloomy economic outlook.In his view, the nation has been brought to the brink by “despicably dishonest, corrupt, reckless, arrogant, and divisive leadership”.
He says Ghanaians are also victims of bad fiscal and monetary policies.Thankfully, he attributed the nation’s relative peace and stability to the resilience and patience of Ghanaians, and prayed that it remains so.
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171 Boeings grounded by US regulators due Alaska Airlines jet incident
The US government has told some Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to stop flying because a part fell off one during a flight.
The FAA has said it will inspect 171 planes.
On Friday, an Alaska Airlines plane had to land suddenly after taking off from Oregon.
United Airlines checked some of its 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes as required by the FAA.
The airline said that taking some airplanes out of service was going to make about 60 flights canceled on Saturday.
Before, the FAA said it would “force certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes used by US airlines or in US territory to stop flying for a while”.
They said that each aircraft needs to be inspected for about four to eight hours.
Turkish Airlines has called back five planes to make sure they are safe.
On Friday, the Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, was at 16,000 feet (4,876 meters) when it started to quickly descend because of an emergency.
The plane landed safely in Portland with 177 passengers and crew on board.
The person in charge of the National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday that no one was sitting next to the part of the transport being looked at.
“We are very lucky that this didn’t turn into something more sad,” Jennifer Homendy said.
She said the door that came off the plane might be in Cedar Hills, Portland. She asked anyone who finds it to call the police.
At the same time, the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK said there were no 737 Max 9 planes registered there.
“We have sent letters to airlines from other countries asking if they have done safety checks before flying in UK airspace,” a message said on X, which used to be called Twitter.
Pictures sent to news sources of the damaged area showed the night sky visible through a hole in the airplane, with insulation material and other stuff also visible.
The reason for the building problem is not known yet, and no one got hurt.
Evan Smith, who was on the plane, heard a loud bang and air masks came down from the ceiling.
“They said a kid’s shirt was pulled off and blown out of the plane, but his mother held onto him so he wouldn’t go with it. ”In a recording, the pilot asks air traffic control to change course.
“We need help right away,” she said. “We need to go back because we are losing pressure. ”
Based on pictures, the damaged area was at the back of the plane, behind the wing and engines.
The part of the airplane body that was damaged could be used as an extra emergency exit by some airlines, but not by Alaska.
Terry Tozer, who used to be a pilot, said that the part should have been fastened in place if it wasn’t being used as an emergency exit.
He said to BBC News that the passengers wouldn’t have known it wasn’t a real window from inside the plane.
If this part had been lost, it may not have changed how the plane flew, but it would have been very dangerous for anyone sitting close by.
Alaska Airlines’ CEO Ben Minicucci said that 65 planes will be kept on the ground for now. They will only fly again after they have been checked and fixed to make sure they are safe.
A recent update mentioned that over 25% of those planes were checked and they are safe to fly because no problems were found.
Boeing said it agreed with the FAA’s choice. and was working with the National Transportation Safety Board to understand what happened with Alaska Airlines.
“We care a lot about safety and we feel really sorry for how this event has affected our customers and their passengers,” Boeing said.
This is the newest issue with Boeing’s most popular airplane. It was not allowed to fly for nearly two years after crashes in 2018 and 2019. -
Japan earthquake: Woman in her 90s discovered alive five days later under debris
A woman who is 90 years old was found alive under a collapsed building five days after a big earthquake hit central Japan.
Rescuers found her in a damaged two-story building in the town of Suzu.
A big earthquake with a magnitude of 7. 5 hit the coast of Japan’s sea on Monday. It caused a lot of damage to the towns on the Noto peninsula.
Over 120 people have been found dead, and 200 more are missing.
The newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported that 100 people were sent to the town of Suzu to rescue two women who were trapped underground.
The newspaper said that the old lady was talking and awake, but she might have hypothermia. They got this information from the local police.
At the same place, rescuers also found a woman in her 40s who was not breathing and her heart had stopped beating, reports said.
The first 3 days of a rescue are very important because after that, it’s unlikely to find people alive. The two women were discovered several days after the window was closed.
The military in Japan is using helicopters to help people in isolated areas. They are also using the helicopters to bring supplies to those areas because many roads are still closed.
As said by NHK, it might be difficult to rescue people because of the expected rainy weather in some areas affected by the earthquake on Sunday. Officials are cautioning that even a little rain could cause more landslides.
They also said that it will get very cold on Sunday and it might snow in the mountainous areas of Ishikawa prefecture until Monday.
Over 30,000 people are living in shelters run by the government.
As of Saturday, about 23,200 homes had no power in Ishikawa, and over 66,400 didn’t have running water.
Hiroshi Hase, the governor of Ishikawa, said that the area is in big trouble during a meeting about handling disasters.
He said it will take a long time to fix the water because there are many pipes with holes.
Some nursing homes and places that help elderly and disabled people are also without electricity and running water.
Japan has a lot of earthquakes, and there have been more of them near Noto since the end of 2020. Over the last three years, there have been over 500 small and medium earthquakes in that area. -
Israel claims Hamas command in northern Gaza has been destroyed
The Israeli army says it has finished taking apart Hamas’s leadership in the northern Gaza Strip.
Army representative Daniel Hagari said that Palestinian fighters are now only active in the area occasionally and without leaders.
He said Israel had killed about 8,000 fighters in northern Gaza. The BBC cannot confirm this number by themselves.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are working to stop Hamas in the southern and central parts of Gaza.
According to the health ministry run by Hamas, Israel has killed more than 22,000 people since the war started. On Saturday, it reported that there were over 120 deaths in the last day.
The land has been destroyed and almost all of the 2. 3 million people have been forced to leave.
Israel’s attack began after gunmen from Hamas surprised attacked southern Israel on 7 October. They killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 people as hostages.
More than 120 people are still there after some were let go in a truce last year.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said again on Saturday that Israel will keep fighting to get rid of Hamas, bring back our hostages, and make sure Gaza can’t hurt Israel anymore.
We have to set aside everything. Mr Netanyahu said in a statement that they will keep fighting until they win completely.
At the same time, six people from Palestine died when Israeli soldiers attacked the city of Jenin in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Palestinian news reported that a lot of Israeli soldiers went to the area for the raid.
Apart from the raid, Israeli planes also bombed a group of people in the West Bank. This happened after an Israeli military vehicle hit a bomb and one officer died.
Jenin has experienced many Israeli attacks in the last 18 months, and they have gotten worse since the war in Gaza began on 7 October.
In the north of Israel, Hezbollah shot many rockets at Israel on Saturday. They said it was to retaliate for the killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut.
Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a possible attack by Israel in the capital of Lebanon.
The Iranian-supported Lebanese group says it attacked an air traffic control center in Meron with 62 rockets. The Israeli army said it saw about 40 rockets being fired from Lebanon and it fired back.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said he wants to make sure the fighting in Gaza doesn’t spread and to stop a never-ending cycle of violence.
Mr Blinken was talking in Greece at the beginning of a trip that will last for a week in the area. He went to Jordan and will meet King Abdullah on Sunday. Then he will go to Qatar. -
11 people killed by rockets in Ukraine-Russian war including children – Officials
A Russian missile attack in eastern Ukraine killed 11 people, including five children, according to a local official.
The governor of Donetsk region said that S-300 missiles hit the town of Pokrovsk, which is in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
“The enemy is cruelly attacking innocent people, trying to cause as much suffering as they can,” Governor Vadim Filashkin wrote on Telegram.
In a video, President Zelensky said Russia’s troops attacked homes in the evening.
Mr Zelensky said Russia should suffer consequences for their attacks.
Russia has not said anything yet.
Pokrovsk is 70 kilometers (43 miles) away from Donetsk city, where Russian forces are in control.
Before the war, there were about 60,000 people living there. Despite being warned about the dangers, some people have been coming back to their homes.
In August, nine people died and many others were hurt in a Russian missile attack on the town.
Earlier this week, Ukraine sent over 70 flying robots into Russia after Russia started a big attack from the air. This caused people to leave their homes in the southwest city of Belgorod. -
Mahama is yet to congratulate me on my 2020 victory- Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has indicated that he is yet to receive a congratulatory message from former President John Dramani Mahama following his victory in the 2020 elections.
Speaking in an address ahead of Ghanas Constitution Day, the President noted that four years after his victory, the former President is yet to congratulate him.
“On a lighter note, three years on, I am still waiting on my main opponent in the 2020 election to congratulate me on my victory.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo delivered an address ahead of January 8, 2024, Constitution Day.
Among others, he highlighted the significance of Ghana’s democracy and the need to continually defend it and consolidate the gains of the last three decades.
2024 marks the 4th anniversary of the day marked as a statutory holiday.
Additionally, the President spoke on the need for a clean and fair election come December 2024, stressing that he was ready to do all it takes to ensure the process benefits Ghana above any party or candidate.
“In the end of it all, there should be no lingering doubt about the legitimacy of the election and the winning candidates of the conclusion of the process should receive the unalloyed support of all. That is how we can strengthen our democracy and the peace and stability of our nation,” he stated. -
Rollercoaster got stuck in midair after rider’s scarf gets caught in wheel in Australia
A rollercoaster car had to be emptied and people had to get out 60 meters in the air because someone’s scarf got stuck in a wheel.
Adventurous people were about to experience a scary drop on the DC Rivals HyperCoaster at Warner Bros Movie World in Australia. But the ride suddenly stopped on Friday.
The problem was only seen when a worker with very good eyes noticed the scarf stuck in the wheel.
The ride operator stopped the ride from far away when it was going up a hill just to be safe, according to managers.
It took about three hours to get everyone off the train. They had to put on special gear and be helped down some emergency stairs beside the track.
The ride is really tall at 200 feet and it’s also the tallest, longest and fastest ride in the southern hemisphere.
A Warner Bros Movie World spokesperson said that the ride and safety systems worked as they should, and all the guests are safe while the ride is stopped in a safe area.
Our team guided the guests down the hill using the lift, which is something we practice and all they have to do is walk down the stairs to get on the ride. Because the lift hill is really high, we gave the guests a harness to keep them safe.
The ride was shut down after the accident but it will be open again on Saturday.
The spokesperson said: “We know it’s annoying when rides stop, and that’s why we don’t allow people to bring loose items on the rides. We want guests to follow the instructions of our staff. “ -
Breaking: Face behind #TheNewForce to be unveiled
The much anticipated moment of unveiling the face behind #TheNewForce is just around the corner.
On Sunday, January 7, 2023, the curiosity of Ghanaians who are eager to know the face behind the movement would be satisfied at an event scheduled to take place at The Independence Square.
Ghanaians woke up a few months ago to billboards featuring a man in a suit with his face covered by a mask erected in various parts of the country. The said billboards sparked controversy nationwide.
Countless speculations have circulated regarding the identity of the individual behind the mask, with some members of the public suggesting that it could be Lawyer and Convenor for the #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor.
Alternatively, others have speculated that the mastermind behind the movement might be Ghanaian businessman Nana Kwame Bediako, renowned as Freedom Jacob Caesar or Cheddar.
Well, the revelation is set to unfold tomorrow. The said event comes off at 5pm, at the Independence Square.
It will feature prominent personalities such as the former African Union Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao, Kenyan lawyer and activist, P.L.O Lumumba, Nigerian politician and businessman, Peter Obi, among others.
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Trump mimics Biden’s stuttering over anniversary of January 6
Former President Donald Trump didn’t talk about the third anniversary of the January 6 Capitol riot and made fun of President Joe Biden, who had called him a ‘loser’ in a speech earlier that day.
Trump had an event in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Friday. A few hours later, Biden gave a speech in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, criticizing his predecessor for his part in the deadly insurrection.
Trump spoke for almost two hours, saying the words ‘insurrection’ and ‘J6’, but he did not talk about the anniversary directly on Saturday.
Trump criticized Biden, saying that he stumbled over his words when he tried to call him a danger to democracy in Pennsylvania.
“Did you watch him. He was having trouble speaking the whole time. ” “He’s a danger to democracy. They are using the government as a weapon. ” “He’s a danger to democracy,” exclaimed Trump.
He said Biden can’t read or say ‘democracy’ and then he imitated the president, which got a reaction from his fans.
Trump copied Biden by pretending to have trouble finding the way out after a speech, and saying ‘he can’t walk off the stage’.
Besides not talking about the third anniversary of January 6, Trump only briefly mentioned related issues. Trump said his enemies are accusing him of causing a rebellion, he believes the crowd at the J6 event was the largest, and he thinks that no one in history has been treated as badly as the people who were arrested for the rebellion.
Trump talked mostly about his enemies and told his supporters to vote for him in the Iowa Caucus on January 15 during his rally.
In a brief speech in the afternoon, Biden strongly criticized Trump and compared his own campaign to General George Washington leading troops to win in the Revolutionary War.
Biden said Trump wants to attack democracy now and in the future.
Biden said that the first rally for the 2024 campaign had started with a group of people who were involved in the January 6 riot singing from prison on a phone, while videos of the riot played on a big screen behind him. -
Mothers in Gaza use terrible method to quiet the cries of malnourished children
A mother hears her baby crying for food, so she grabs an empty pot nearby.
“Everything is going to be okay,” she said softly, pretending to mix a meal to help her child feel better. The food will be ready in a little while.
Living in the war-torn Gaza, the woman knows that there is no food for her hungry baby, and she doesn’t know when there will be any.
Many Palestinians are scared they will starve because they are constantly being attacked. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 93% of people are dealing with serious hunger and not enough food, leading to high levels of malnutrition.
There isn’t enough food and water, and shelters are almost full. Without fuel, there is no electricity.
“There’s a big fight happening, everyone knows that. ” “But there is a big problem with hunger that the world hasn’t noticed,” said charity worker Yusuf Kalam in an interview with Metro. couk
He saw security points and aid trucks waiting for a long time at the Rafah Border in Egypt, near Gaza.
Yusuf, who works as a manager at Muslim Aid, says: “People in Gaza are unsure if they should wait for help or leave and risk their safety. ”
“Many people are gathering on the roads, in churches, and in schools because there is not enough shelter available. ”
“Many people in Gaza feel like they are not getting enough help and that the world has left them behind. ” But actually, help is available, it’s just not reaching the people who need it.
The Rafah border is not a big business area, it’s a place for people to walk across. The roads and buildings there are not ready for the many trucks and help for people in Gaza that are trying to arrive.
Since fighters from Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Gaza has been completely surrounded, and there is not enough water and electricity.
In other places, there were videos of food being set on fire, said to be done by Israeli soldiers.
Human Rights Watch found out that people in Gaza are being starved on purpose as a way of fighting.
Yusuf said that kids are going to bed without enough food to eat. Someone told me about a mother who had an empty pot. She kept stirring it until her hungry baby fell asleep.
There are other stories I’ve heard that are too scary to tell. Some individuals felt really upset after seeing something at the Rafah crossing. They are not sure if they should wait for help or take a dangerous journey to a border with their families.
I met a woman whose daughter is still in Gaza. The mother had to leave because she had a different passport, but her daughter did not have to leave. She can’t reach her because there are problems with the connection, and it’s making everyone unsure of what to do.
500 people are staying in a school that was only built for 100. Illnesses are spreading. When people don’t have enough food, their bodies become less able to fight off sickness.
MP said that the family stuck in a church in Gaza only have one can of corn left.I heard that some people are pooping in the street because they have nowhere else to go. People are gathering on the streets.
Yusuf, who is 33 years old, had trouble sleeping when he came back to London after working for a few days at the border. His little girl woke up at night and he hugged her tightly in the dark.
“I suddenly remembered detailed pictures of the events in Gaza,” he remembers. I was trying to calm my crying daughter and put her to sleep in a quiet room, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the loud noises and scary things that parents in Gaza have to deal with every day. I feel really messed up and scared.
“I have never seen anything like the situation in Gaza in the ten years I have been working in the humanitarian sector. ” Please simplify the following text. “Rewrite this text in simple words:’”
Yusuf has to stop thinking about his feelings and respond to disasters at work.
This year, he went to Gaziantep after big earthquakes happened in southern Turkey and northern Syria. There, he said the scene looked like the end of the world. However, he said that in Gaza, things felt different. The disaster happened because of people, not nature.
“In Turkey, people didn’t feel as hopeless or abandoned,” he says. “What I’m seeing now is the very worst of people. ” I have never seen something so sad and hopeless. The fighting is getting worse and there are still so many people dying, it’s really shocking.
These are actual people who are in danger. They breathe the same air as us and their bodies are made of the same things.
Yusuf and his coworkers at Muslim Aid got help from people who gave donations. They used the donations to get food, water, and ambulances and bring them to Gaza.
British aid workers put life-saving medicine and equipment and room for a stretcher in vans. Each one had a clear sign that said ‘ambulance’ so they wouldn’t get involved in any fighting.
During his time in Egypt, Yusuf heard about people suffering, but he also heard about people being kind to each other. He heard about doctors using phone flashlights for surgeries, aid workers working non-stop, and donors giving all they could to help end suffering.
Muslim Aid got £20,000 from a man in the UK who donated all his money to help them.
“In the dark, when it feels like there’s no hope, Yusuf says you can see a ray of light. ”
‘That light is us – as people – helping each other. It’s easy to feel discouraged by what’s happening or the politics, but if you pay attention to the good news, you can feel hopeful.
NGO people meet in Westminster to ask for a ceasefire right away.
Humanitarian breaks have helped aid to reach Gaza, but there is still fighting since a weeklong stop in fighting ended on December 1, 2023.
Muslim Aid, Oxfam, and Amnesty International are asking for fighting to stop so that people can stop suffering. Aid workers want to find new ways to quickly feed the hungry people in Gaza.
The entire city has been ruined. Soon, people will ask what will happen next in Gaza. Yusuf is asking how we can help these people find new homes and rebuild their lives. He wants to know what that process will be like and when it will happen.
Right now, the most important thing is to make sure that people stay alive until we figure out the answers to those questions. We’ve seen 20,000 people die.
When do we decide that we have had enough. -
Japan earthquake death toll reaches 126 as more survivors extricated from debris
A lot of people have died in Japan after some big earthquakes, and rescuers are still finding people alive in the rubble.
Today, they found a woman in her 90s who had been stuck since the big earthquake started five days ago.
The TV news showed rescue workers using plastic to keep her out of public sight.
Today, a man was saved from a building that had fallen down. He had been stuck there for 3 days.
Unfortunately, a boy who was five years old got hot water spilled on him during the earthquake and he passed away on Friday.
He was getting better, but then he got worse again, according to officials in Ishikawa, the area most affected.
Rescue efforts are still happening, but they are being slowed down by more shaking that could cause more damage.
A man is searching for his family in a city called Anamizu, in Japan. The city was hit by an earthquake and some of the houses have fallen down. The man is walking in front of one of those houses. The fifth of May, 2024. On Monday, a big earthquake destroyed houses, damaged roads, and caused boats to be tossed around in the water. It also led to warnings about a possible tsunami.
Some roads are already cracked, and there’s a worry that they might collapse, especially if it rains or snows tonight and on Sunday.
Wajima city has had 69 people die, which is the most, followed by Suzu with 38. Over 500 people got hurt, and at least 27 of them were hurt badly.
More than 200 people are believed to be missing right now.
On Tuesday, January 15th, we saw houses ruined near the ocean in Suzu, Ishikawa, Japan. On July 2, 2024. Several big earthquakes hit the western part of Japan, causing a lot of damage to buildings, cars, and boats. Officials are telling people in some places to stay away from their homes because there might be more earthquakes.
The earthquakes made a big fire in Wajima town. There were also landslides and other fires in the area.
The University of Tokyo’s earthquake research institute found that the western coast of Japan moved up to 820ft closer to the sea in some places.
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, did something unexpected by sending a message of sympathy to the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida. The news was reported by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, a government spokesperson, said that Japan was thankful for all the messages they got, including the one from Mr.
He said Japan hasn’t received a condolence message for a disaster in almost 30 years, since 1995.
Yesterday, it was announced that Japan will get $100,000 (£78,600) from the US to help, and they will also receive more assistance in the future.
Electricity is slowly coming back in the areas near the ocean, but there is still not enough water. This is made worse because the systems providing emergency water are also broken.
Many soldiers are bringing water, food, and medicine to over 30,000 people who lost their homes and are staying in auditoriums, schools, and other buildings.
On Tuesday, a plane from the coast guard that was carrying help for the area affected by the disaster crashed into a plane carrying passengers on the runway at a Tokyo airport.
Five out of the six people on the coast guard plane died, but all 379 people on the passenger plane survived, even though it was on fire. -
Official jet of Justin Trudeau breaks down again
The airplane of Canada’s leader, Justin Trudeau, stopped working while he was on a trip to Jamaica. This is the second time in four months that he has had trouble during his travels.
The Canadian military had to send another plane with a repair team to fix the problem.
Mr Trudeau went to the Caribbean island for a vacation with his family.
In September, Mr. Trudeau had to stay in India for two extra days because of a problem with the plane.
The Prime Minister had to fly on a military plane for safety and went to Jamaica on 26th December.
CBC news reports that the issue was found on 2 January.
The next day, another plane took a team to fix the first one, according to a spokesperson from Canada’s defense department.
He came back on 4 January like he was supposed to.
Both planes were new CC-144 Challenger aircrafts owned by the Canadian Armed Forces.
Mr Trudeau has had a lot of problems while traveling in the past few years.
In September, his plane had a problem and was delayed when he was leaving Delhi after a G20 meeting.
In 2019, while running for re-election, a bus carrying reporters crashed into the wing of an airplane rented by Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal party.
Later that year, he had to use a different plane to go to a Nato meeting in London because the first plane was broken in an accident.
However, there was a problem with the extra airplane, so the prime minister had to use another one to go back home. -
‘Good Samaritan’ suffers cutlass wounds while intervening in fight between 2 mentally challenged men
A 21-year-old pragyia rider Kwaku Fafa has found himself in critical condition following an attack by an individual believed to be suffering from mental health issues. The assailant inflicted cutlass wounds on the young rider, raising concerns about the safety of individuals in the community.
The victim reportedly faced the attack while attempting to intervene in a brawl between the assailant and another mentally challenged individual in Ajumako, Central Region.
The alleged attacker has been identified as Kwame Anin and the other mentally challenged individual involved in the altercation as Kofi Abomi.
According to Oheneba Ademah, Kofi Abomi accused Kwame Anin of having anal sex with him. This led to their argument turning into a fight.
Residents in the area have also accused the attacker of indecent behaviour and unwarranted assaults on people.
He said Kwame Anin through his modus operandi peeps through bathrooms when women are bathing to watch their nakedness.
If caught or confronted, he will either assault you or attack you physically.
What broke the camel’s back was his alleged sexual encounter with Kofi Abomi.
Kweku Fafa, who was at the time around the area, attempted to separate them, but Kwame Anin allegedly inflicted cutlass wounds on him.
Fafa was quickly rushed to the hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment.
Doctors have, however, disclosed that he may lose an eye due to the nature of his injuries.
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Juju man foils attempt to kill Chief
Efforts by some aggrieved elders in Gomoa Amoanda, Central Region, to orchestrate the killing of the town’s Chief and seven others were thwarted when the spiritual practitioner hired to carry out the act revealed the plot to the Chief.
Details uncovered by GHOne News indicate that two dissatisfied siblings, Kwame Baah and Ewudzi, along with their two nephews, Safohene Joe and Akweylabi, allegedly conspired to enlist the services of a spiritual practitioner to eliminate the recently installed Odzikurow of Gomoa Amoanda, Nana Osuapem Kwawbudu (III), and his council of elders.
Allegedly, the accused individuals reportedly paid GHC5,000, providing pictures of the chief and elders, and pledged an additional GHC2,000, along with a cow and two sheep, as a promised payment contingent upon the successful completion of the intended harm by the spiritual practitioner.
Sources add that, subsequent to the suspects delivering all the necessary items to the spiritual practitioner, the intermediary who facilitated their engagement with the juju man approached the palace and filed a report to the chief and his council of elders, just a day before the planned incident.
The juju man also informed the Gyaasehene of Amoanda that some people had contracted him to kill them and he actually named them.
The suspects were arrested on Friday, January 5, 2024, at about 10:00pm by the Youth of the community at their hideout.
The Odikro of Gomoa Amoanda, Nana Osuapem Kwaw Budu III in an interview condemned the reprehensible actions of the disgruntled elders.
He vowed to have them banished from the town as their conduct could not be entertained in the town.
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Anger over a Russian move against Ukrainian youngsters
Ukraine is angry about a new rule signed by President Putin that allows Russian citizenship to be given to Ukrainian children who go to live in Russia.
In March, the International Criminal Court ordered the arrest of President Putin because Russia was sending children away against their will.
The Ukraine government said the order was against the law.
However, Russia says it is taking the children away from danger.
On 4 January, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a decision to speed up the process for foreigners and people without a country to become Russian citizens.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said that Ukrainian children without parents can quickly become Russian citizens if the president allows it or if the institution taking care of them asks for it.
The rule says that a child’s legal guardian or the head of a Russian organization in charge of the child can apply for their citizenship.
The Ukrainian government believes that Russia is trying to fix its population problem by taking children from Ukraine. This is against the laws of Ukraine and other countries, and it is also not fair to the children.
The ministry said that the decree shows that Russia is trying to make Ukrainian children act like Russians, and that they are also committing crimes against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s human rights leader, Dmytro Lubinets, says that Russia is giving citizenship to the children so that they won’t be seen as Ukrainians moved to Russia.
The Ukrainian government found out that more than 19,000 Ukrainian kids were sent to Russia since the big attack started in February 2022.
According to the Children of War database in Ukraine, only 387 kids have been brought back.
In November 2023, the BBC’s Panorama TV show said that a friend of Mr. Putin adopted a child taken from a Ukrainian children’s home.
Sergey Mironov, a 70-year-old leader of a Russian political party, is listed as the adoptive parent of a two-year-old girl who was taken in 2022 by the woman he is now married to, according to documents seen by Panorama.
In March, the International Criminal Court said that Mr Putin might have committed war crimes in Ukraine and they want to arrest him. The ICC said he was in charge of taking children from Ukraine to Russia in a way that was against the law.
Maria Lvova-Belova, a person from Russia who helps children, was accused of the same things. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said it’s not right to use children as prizes in war, and that Putin might be brought to trial. -
Young Brits exposed to radicalization on internet after Hamas attack
Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, the UK’s Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit has seen a 12-times increase in hateful social media content being reported to police officers who specialize in dealing with this type of content.
The unit now spends more time checking if extreme and hateful social media posts break the law against terrorism, rather than just focusing on IS propaganda and online reactions to attacks in the UK.
The team got over 2,700 tips from people using an online form after Hamas attacked Israel and Israel responded with air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
There is a lot of hate that is increasing and it is making young Britons more vulnerable to being radicalized by computer programs.
The BBC was the only ones allowed to see the team’s work. The police officers told me that they are seeing a lot of antisemitic content being shared by young people in Britain who they have not noticed before.
They said that there is a lot of hate coming from young people acting recklessly online.
One person said the time from October 7th is noticeable because there was a lot of content being shared. The BBC isn’t saying the officers’ names because of their job.
Their boss, Matt Jukes, who is in charge of Counter Terror Policing, is worried because his team has to deal with the worst online content, but social media companies are not doing enough to stop the spread of hateful content.
Algorithms are systems that suggest new stuff to you based on what you like and interact with. This means that some people may be influenced by the posts they see on social media and start believing in more extreme ideas, even if they didn’t think that way before. It’s not just about showing what they already believe.
Jukes says that people who used to have to look for this material in the past are now receiving it without having to search for it. “Before, people had to go to specific places or websites to find hateful and extreme material. But now, this kind of material is being sent to them, even when they’re not looking for it. ”
‘Posts that are thoughtless and driven by strong feelings’
People who send in posts to the team don’t know much about what happens after that.
I am told that the team checks posts and online content to see if they might break UK terrorism or other terror laws.
They are searching for posts that are very intense and shared a lot, rather than posted alone. The concern is about posts on social media that promote terrorism and could encourage people to commit violent acts or adopt extremist beliefs.
Currently, this includes posts that show support for Hamas and glorify or show support for acts of terror, one of the officers explains.
They showed me a few different pictures from X, TikTok, and a messaging app, with the usernames blurred out. The messages ask for help to join Hamas and give them money to travel. Hamas is seen as a terrorist organization by the UK and other governments. Some people write mean things about Jewish people online.
“People are using X, Instagram, and TikTok platforms. ” An officer says that many of the posts are just written words. “Young people often make impulsive, emotional posts on social media because they feel at ease using these sites. ”
They say that many of the profiles have never shared this kind of content before. They think that people who are not aware are starting to share very mean anti-Jewish ideas.
People who post like this come from different places and backgrounds, and are generally younger.
“We have seen a lot more material that is against Jewish people than material that is against Islam. ” “It’s very noticeable,” another officer says. “We received material from far-right groups that strongly support Israel. ”Since October 7th, I’ve found and looked into posts on social media that are against Islam and are racist. Some of these posts were made by accounts that don’t support the pro-Palestinian movement, and there were also hurtful comments about Jewish people from accounts that don’t support Israel. I have seen the same thing online as several human rights groups and campaigners have said about an increase in hate against Muslims and Jewish people on social media.
In 2017, a lot of online posts were praising and celebrating terrorist attacks that happened in the UK, like the ones at London Bridge, Manchester Arena, in Westminster, and at a mosque in London’s Finsbury Park. However, police officers say that there have been a lot more ongoing reports since the latest Israel-Gaza War started, and the discussions have been much more intense than before.
They have found 630 possible cases that may have broken laws about terrorism or hate crimes.
I’ve been told that 150 of those cases have been sent to the police for more investigation or action. Around 10 cases have been given to the counter terrorism teams in the Met, and others have been given to local police or regional counter terrorism units for investigation.
The police say that TikTok, X, and Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, have been helpful and fast in deleting very bad content when they are told about it. However, they say it’s been harder to deal with posts that are not clearly breaking the rules of the social media sites.
People are saying mean and awful things. “But many of the things we’re dealing with are right on the edge,” a police officer says.
“You have an area where there could be content, opinions, and material that is not very pleasant. ” When does it become a crime. The team has to decide.
As of October 7th, TikTok has put a lot of effort into keeping its users safe. TikTok has made it clear that it is against hate and hatespeech. They are working on new ideas to show different videos and stop the same ones from being shown all the time.
Meta, the company that has Instagram, explains in its “community standards” how it uses both technology and people to find and delete content that goes against its rules. This includes content that attacks people because of their religion, ethnicity, or where they come from. The social media company will delete any pictures made by a dangerous group or person, unless the user is sharing it to report news or condemn it.
“Algorithms – a way to make people extreme in their beliefs. ”
What about all the hate that is in the middle. It’s not extreme enough to be against the law, but it still makes people talk badly with each other and might make some people become more extreme in their beliefs.
Matt Jukes says that he noticed a big divide online recently.
“People feel good when they see positive things on the internet. ” Many other people in their own little world feel the same way.
Younger people who use social media a lot may be at a higher risk. There are advantages to that; it could be said that they are more connected than ever before, they are seeing different perspectives and content, and many of them are more involved and excited. For some people, it could be dangerous to see extremist things on it.
Right now, social media companies are responsible for handling mean posts. This also depends on the people who make the rules for the sites and the people who use them.
The new Online Safety Act makes social media companies responsible for illegal content.
The biggest question is about what to do with algorithms that are accused of encouraging hate and making harmful language seem normal.
Jukes says it’s amazing that there’s a mix of terrorism threats, hate crimes online and offline, and interest from state actors in the upcoming year.
These intense and harmful talks that aren’t breaking any laws could have a big effect on how people talk to each other in public. Not only in this war, but also in the elections happening around the world this year. -
GWCL meter thief receives 15-month jail sentence
A 33-year-old individual found guilty of stealing a water meter owned by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Richard Afful was convicted by a magistrate court in Tema after being found guilty.
Facing charges of theft, Richard Afful was found guilty on January 4, 2024.
He stole the water meter at Community 11 in Tema.
The convict was arrested on December 24, 2023 by the police in Community 11 for stealing the water meter and after investigations was arraigned on January 4, 2024 at the TDC Magistrate Court presided over by Benedicta Antwi.
Afful pleaded guilty to two counts preferred against him and was accordingly convicted.
The convict was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment on count one and three months imprisonment on the second count.
He was also fined an amount of GHc10,000.
He will spend an additional four months in prison in default.
All the sentences are to run concurrently.
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Direct Auditor-General to audit SML/GRA contract not KPMG – OccupyGhana tells President
Pressure group OccupyGhana has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to permit the Auditor-General to conduct the audit of the contract between Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
According to OccupyGhana, the President’s decision to appoint KPMG, a revenue and assurance audit firm, for the task was deemed unconstitutional.
The group asserted that this action overlooks specific provisions intended to address such situations, potentially leaving open avenues for legal challenges.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) entered into the contract to bolster revenue assurance in the downstream petroleum sector, as well as the upstream petroleum production and the value chain of minerals and metals resources.
However, a media report has questioned the deal which led the President to order an audit by KPMG.
In a statement dated January 5, 2024, the pressure group explained that the 1992 constitution, in article 187, anticipated situations where public interest in the financial matters of public institutions (such as GRA) might require special audits.
“That is why article 187(8) specifically provides that when such matters arise, the Council of State should advise the President that an ‘Article 187(8) Public Interest Audit’ is required.
Indeed, and in practice, the President may seek and then obtain that advice,” it said.
“Then, the President would request the Auditor-General to conduct the audit. This provision in article 187 is so critical and significant, that the Constitution specifically sets it down as the only instance where a president has the power to request the independent Auditor-General to do anything,” the statement explained further.
OccupyGhana, therefore, urged the government not to spend time and money on an audit that might turn out to be unconstitutional and therefore worthless adding that the country loses nothing but gains everything if the Auditor-General was allowed to conduct the audit in accordance with the article stated above.
The Pressure group further opined that allowing the Auditor-General to audit the contract would give him the power to disallow payments found to be contrary to law and then to surcharge any expenditure disallowed upon the person responsible for incurring or authorising the expenditure among others.
“We therefore urge the Council of State to seize the initiative and send its advice to the President forthwith. We also urge the President to revoke the appointment and mandate of the private audit firm, and to comply with article 187 on the matter,” the statement said.
However, it urged the Auditor-General to conduct the special audit on his own motion because he is empowered to do so under section 16 of the Audit Service Act if the President failed to comply with the constitution with regards to the auditing of the contract.
Attached below is a copy of the statement;
OCCUPYGHANA PRESS RELEASE
Accra, 5 January 2024
DEMAND FOR AN ARTICLE 187(8) PUBLIC INTEREST AUDIT BY THE AUDITOR-GENERAL INTO GHANA REVENUE AGENCY AND STRATEGIC MOBILISATION LIMITED CONTRACT
OccupyGhana has seen and read a letter dated 2 January 2023 and emanating from the Office of the President that directs that an audit be conducted into the contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML). This contract has attracted a lot of public interest in recent days.
While we welcome both a public interest audit and the announced parliamentary inquiry into this matter, we are concerned that the President’s choice of a private audit firm to conduct this audit could be unconstitutional as it ignores direct constitutional provision made and meant to address such situations.
In article 187, the Constitution anticipates situations where public interest in the financial matters of public auditee institutions (such as through GRA) may require special audits. That is why article 187(8) specifically provides that when such matters arise, the Council of State should advise the President that an ‘Article 187(8) Public Interest Audit’ is required. Indeed, and in practice, the President may seek and then obtain that advice. Then, the President would request the Auditor-General to conduct the audit. This provision in article 187 is so critical and significant, that the Constitution specifically sets it down as the only instance where a president has the power to request the independent Auditor-General to do anything.
It is said that ‘if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well.’ We should not spend time and money on an audit that may turn out to be unconstitutional and therefore worthless, leaving room for legal challenges. Ghana loses nothing but gains everything if the Auditor-General is allowed to conduct this special audit in accordance with article 187(8) of the Constitution. The several advantages with complying with the constitutional provision include, critically, giving the Auditor-General the opportunity under article 187(7)(b) to disallow payments found to be contrary to law and then to surcharge (1) ‘any expenditure disallowed upon the person responsible for incurring or authorising the expenditure,’ and/or (2) ‘the amount of any loss or deficiency, upon any person by whose negligence or misconduct the loss or deficiency has been incurred.’
We therefore urge the Council of State to seize the initiative and send its advice to the President forthwith. We also urge the President to revoke the appointment and mandate of the private audit firm, and to comply with article 187 on the matter. We finally urge the Auditor-General that if the Council of State and/or the President fail(s), neglect(s) or refuse(s) to comply with article 187, the Auditor-General should commence and conduct the special audit on his own motion as he is empowered to do under section 16 of the Audit Service Act.
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Israel faces significant obstacles “day after” Gaza strategy
Three months ago, when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel was not ready for it.
I didn’t expect the attack, had a hard time controlling it at first, and then attacked the Gaza Strip with a basic plan to get rid of Hamas.
Further out, there was a big empty space. But that’s starting to change.
As Defence Minister Yoav Gallant explained to reporters on Thursday, his plan for “the day after” is just a few main ideas, but they are important to look at.
He says the same thing as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about security. Israel will do whatever it needs to in Gaza to keep itself safe.
This happens when the plan talks about the four main parts of the civilian square. Then it becomes a little unclear.
Israel has been controlling what comes into Gaza for the last 20 years and will keep doing so.
Israel, Egypt, and the United States will team up to find ways to better protect the border between Egypt and Gaza. They want to fix the problem of tunnels for good.
The plan includes a big part for foreign countries like the US, Europe, and Arab nations in making a group that will work on fixing the problems in the Gaza Strip.
In simpler terms, those countries will be responsible for rebuilding the entire damaged area. And give money for it.
Many countries in the EU and Gulf States have had their hospitals, schools, and universities destroyed in the last three months. This does not make them interested in investing more.
If Israel gets rid of Hamas, there could still be more violence later on, causing more damage.
The hard-working US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is currently visiting the region for the fourth time since October 7th. As he goes to different Arab cities, will leaders be happy or excited about the suffering in Gaza.
So far, Arab leaders believe that we cannot talk about what will happen “the day after” until there is a ceasefire and the devastating impact of the war on people has been taken care of.
However, Sanam Vakil and Dr. Neil Quilliam from the British think tank Chatham House, suggest that Arab governments should not delay.
“If we don’t plan and invest in Gaza, there could be lawlessness, no political leadership and a lot of hunger, sickness and death. ”
What about the lack of Palestinian political leadership.
In Gallant’s plan for “four corners,” the Palestinian part is unclear.
“The group in charge of the area will use the current administrative system in Gaza to improve and make it better. ”
According to the news, Israel will have to agree to all appointments to local committees.
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmud Abbas, don’t have a role right now.
For Palestinians, the plan reminds them of when Israel tried to set up non-political “Village Leagues” in the late 1970s to control local matters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and lessen the power of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
According to Amjad Iraqi, a senior editor at Israeli +972 Magazine, Israel cannot imagine a situation where Palestinians have political power.
“They’re trying to copy the system they have in the West Bank in Gaza, but with someone who isn’t part of a political group. “Creating groups made up of important people from Gaza would also cause a separation between Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Palestinians have been afraid of an Israeli plan to keep them separate and weak, so they can’t have their own strong country.
The West Bank and Gaza have been apart from each other since Israel was created in 1948, but Palestinians think of them as important parts of who they are and will strongly oppose any effort to separate them.
“Gaza is not its own country,” said Palestinian analyst and former PA spokeswoman Nour Odeh. “They both want their own country and to be free from Israel’s power and control. ”
American officials are still looking at the Gallant plan, but they are not very excited about it. They also say that it’s not an official proposal from Israel yet.
For weeks, the Biden administration has been saying that the Palestinian Authority should be involved, even though Mr Netanyahu disagrees. He thinks the PA shouldn’t be involved because they didn’t condemn Hamas’s attacks on October 7th.
Travelling with Mr. Blinken, a high-ranking official from the State Department said the US still wants the Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
He also said it would be difficult for the US to find Arab countries willing to work with Israel because some members of Mr. Netanyahu’s government want Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza.
This is still the Palestinians’ biggest worry, made worse by strong talk from some of Mr. Netanyahu’s political friends and government documents from unknown places.
Lately, people are worried because there are reports that the government is talking to African countries in secret to take in migrants from Gaza.
Many people in Gaza are now living in the southern part of the Strip. Some of them have moved several times since October 7th. It is worrying to think that they might have to leave Gaza and not be able to come back.
But, other people also have doubts about Mr. Gallant’s plan, not just the Palestinians.
Some of the strongest opposition is already coming from strict members of Mr. Netanyahu’s own difficult coalition.
Some people think it was a big mistake for Israel to leave the Gaza Strip in 2005. They believe the only way to keep the area safe is for Israel to take control of it again and let Jewish people who used to live there come back.
MrGallant seems very direct about this.
“No Israeli people will live in the Gaza Strip. ”
However, the strict believers think that rebuilding Gaza and letting the Palestinians stay will only cause more problems in the future.
Ohad Tal, a member of the hardline Religious Zionist Party, said that we might go back to October 7th in two, five, or ten years.
Letting money come into Gaza to fix the houses will just end up with them using the money for something else. Instead of making Gaza a nice place, they turned it into a big center for terrorists.
The argument in Thursday night’s cabinet meeting showed that Mr. Netanyahu’s government is divided on when and how the Israeli military should investigate the 7 October attacks.
These differences are probably going to get stronger as Israel and the world try to figure out what to do with Gaza when the war is over. -
NPP Primaries: Allegations of ‘mafia tactics’ surface against prominent MPs in bid to oust opponents
In the lead-up to the NPP primaries, a wave of controversy has swept through the party, with serious allegations of ‘mafia tactics’ being deployed by prominent Members of Parliament (MPs) to sideline their contenders.
In the midst of swirling controversy over alleged ‘mafia tactics,’ the party is forging ahead with advanced stages of its primary processes. The party is on the verge of completing the vetting of candidates, predominantly incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) and challengers vying for their seats in the upcoming primaries.
Nevertheless, challenges have surfaced at numerous regional centers, with several candidates leveling accusations against incumbent MPs, as well as regional and constituency party executives. These allegations suggest a concerted effort to disqualify them from participating in the upcoming primaries.
Disqualified aspirants seeking NPP parliamentary candidacy have alleged that the party establishment unjustly disqualified them, with claims that such actions were taken to guarantee the incumbent MPs run unopposed in the upcoming primaries.
Here are some NPP MPs who have been accused of masterminding the disqualification of their opponent to go unopposed:
Lydia Alhassan:
A disqualified parliamentary candidate hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, Samuel Amankwah, accused executives of the party of bribery.
He explained that along the process of his campaign to represent the party in the constituency, he was presented with an offer to step down for the incumbent Member of Parliament, Lydia Seyram Alhassan.
He explained, in a video shared by Citi FM on X, that he out rightly shot down this desire of the executives because he believed the people want him to contest the seat but he was unjustly disqualified during the vetting.
“… I, Kwabena Owusu Amankwah, am going to fight for each and every one of us. Look, we are going to appeal today. I am going to see my lawyers and appeal this case because it cannot happen. This is not the JB Danquah party. This is not the JA Kufuor party. This is not the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo party. It cannot happen,” he explained.
“How can you disqualify a candidate with just two candidates contest in the race? How? How on earth? This is purely a scheme, a game and an agenda against Amankwah. This is not just against Amankwah; this is against the youth of Ghana… against the youth of Ayawaso West Wuogon, and I, Kwabena Owusu Amankwah Samuel, we will fight for you,” he said.
Ambrose Dery
Another MP accused of foul play is the Member of Parliament for the Nandom Constituency, who doubles as the Minister for Interior, Ambrose Dery.
The MP and the executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in his constituency have been accused of scheming to disqualify his contender for the party’s January 20 parliamentary primaries.
According to the disqualified NPP parliamentary candidate, Alois Mohl, the vetting committee for the parliamentary primaries told him they were not going to vet him because he failed to respond to a petition by the constituency executives.
He indicated that members of the vetting committee said they were not going to vet him because he had forfeited his membership of the party even before picking the nomination form for the primaries by his refusal to respond to the petition.
He said that the constituency executives of the party accused him of supporting an independent candidate and campaigning against Ambrose Dery during the 2012, 2016 and 2020 parliamentary elections, an allegation he had previously denied.
Alois Mohl indicated that he did not respond to the said petition because he felt it was just a letter which had no evidence of him campaigning against the current MP.
He said that he was forced to pick the nomination form for the primaries at the national office of the party because both the regional and constituency executives of the party were bent on preventing him from contesting Ambrose Dery.
“… you have accused me of campaigning against our parliamentary candidate in 2012, 2016 and 2020, but you took no action. And in 2023 there is an opportunity for anyone who wants to become an MP to pick a form and then you now want to invoke these proceedings, that clearly is bad fate,” he said as he was addressing the press after his disqualification on January 5, 2024.
He added that the “body language of the executives” indicated that they had already decided not to allow him to contest Ambrose Dery.
Ursula Owusu
The Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, who doubles as the MP for Ablekuma West Constituency, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has also been accused of scheming to remove her contender for the parliamentary candidature of her constituency for the 2024 elections.
Sylvia Manu, an NPP parliamentary candidate aspirant for Ablekuma West, has accused Ursula Owusu-Ekuful of masterminding her disqualification during vetting ahead of the parliamentary primaries.
According to a report by starfm.com.gh, Sylvia Manu, a grassroots politician, said Ursula Owusu worked through her friend and NPP National Women’s Organizer, Kate Gyamfua, who was the Chairperson of the vetting committee, to ensure that she (Sylvia Manu) was dropped from the race to enable Ursula win the contest.
She further alleged that the MP tried to induce her to step down from the contest.
“On Wednesday, a night before the vetting, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful sent Grace Acheampong the Greater Accra Women’s Organizer to come and see me with cash so that I step down from contesting the primary. She said Ursula asked her to tell me to name my price and I will be sorted so that I drop from the race. I told her to go and tell Ursula that I won’t step down and that I don’t like even her one cedi, because I am not ready to betray delegates of Ablekuma West who have reposed their trust in me. I know this was recorded because I saw Grace recording me and I also spoke my mind.”
She added: “When I appeared before the vetting committee, Kate Gyamfuor said she knows me and I have really worked in the NPP, but for the past two years, the work that I have done in the constituency is not remarkable and she’s not pleased with my level of work and so on that basis, she as the chairperson of the vetting committee was disqualifying me. She asked me to go and work much more in the constituency and contest the next time around. But I know all this is because I did not step down for Ursula, they have found a means to disqualify me.”
Okyere Baafi:
Micheal Okyere Baafi, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, has been accused of foul play as his contenders in the primaries have been removed for what some are describing as meagre reasons.
According to a report by rainbowradioonline.com, the Eastern Regional Vetting Committee disqualified the contestant who filed nominations to contest Okyere Baafi in the New Juaben South primaries, Yaa Ansah.
The report indicated that Yaa Ansah was out of the country during the original date scheduled for the vetting but was allowed to meet with the vetting committee on, Thursday, January 4, 2024.
She was however disqualified after a petition was submitted before the committee over impersonation allegations.
Yaa Ansah’s disqualification means Michael Kofi Okyere Baafi will run unopposed for the New Juaben South Constituency parliamentary primary.
The Eastern Regional NPP Secretary, Tony Osei Adjei speaking to journalists on the matter said “Some members said their names had been used and top-printed on Madam Yaa Ansah’s forms, which they did not authorize. The committee was petitioned, and we called the petitioner, and he agreed that he wrote the petition. We asked Yaa Ansah, who said the petitioner consented to using his name, which the petitioner insisted he didn’t. So, there was an issue of impersonation, and we had to hold on to her vetting and refer the matter to the national level for redress.
“As it stands now, she has been disqualified by the vetting committee. So, unless there is an appeal or whatever, if she pulls through successfully, the MP [Michael Kofi Okyere Baafi] will go unopposed.”
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Researchers lodge complaint with CHRAJ, alleging administrative negligence by Enchi Forestry Officers
Two researchers based in Germany have formally requested the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to launch an investigation into allegations of administrative negligence, failure, and omissions reportedly committed by officers of the Forestry Commission in the Enchi district, located in the Western Region of Ghana.
The petition underscores concerns about the conduct of the forestry officers and seeks a thorough examination of the alleged shortcomings.
In their formal complaint, Sulemana Issifu and Dr. Jacob Sarfo asserted that officers of the Enchi Forestry Commission neglected their duties, enabling illegal miners to wreak havoc on the Tano Aniwa Forest. They contend that such actions violate the Forestry Commission Act (571) and should warrant appropriate punitive measures.
They are therefore urging CHRAJ to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged negligence of the Enchi Forestry Commission officers. Their primary aim is to establish the veracity of the claims and, if proven, recommend the appropriate sanctions in accordance with the law.
In their petition, the urged “CHRAJ [to] investigate the conduct of the officers of the Forestry Commission to establish the truth or otherwise within the remit of article 218 (b) of the 1992 constitution and other relevant laws.”
Below is the full petition.
1. We are citizens of the Republic of Ghana, currently domicile in Germany, and collectively have expertise in microbial ecology, agroecology, sustainable agriculture, climate change, and plant-microbe interaction. We are also the Directors of Research for the Ghanaian-based not-for-profit organisation, Centre for Climate Change and Food Security.
2. Cognizant of our responsibilities under article 41 of 1992 constitution, we invoke your investigative powers under article 218 (b) and bring forth this petition against officers of the Forestry Commission of the Enchi district in the Western Region of Ghana for administrative negligence, failure, and omissions.
3. Per the Forestry Commission Act (571), the commission is mandated to protect all forest reserves against destruction, illegal exploitation, pillage, and desecration.
4. This petition is triggered because it is our belief that officers of the Forestry Commission in the Enchi district have failed to discharge their responsibilities as particularised under point 3 supra.
5. Our accusation is based on a news report filed by multimedia journalist and Ghana Journalists Association’s journalist of the year, Mr. Erastus Asare Donkor. Refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjy1Y-FSlwA.
6. Briefly, the report reveals chilling details of monumental destruction of the Tano Aniwa forest by illegal miners while officers of the commission sat by, though according to the report, they were fully aware of the environmental carnage of the forest but decided to countenance it. By this, if proven to be true, they would have violated their oaths of office, and neglected their responsibilities, making their conduct investigable to establish the facts surrounding their conduct.
7. For context, the Tano Anwia forest is one of the most important biodiversity areas of not just Ghana, but the world. The forest is home to very rare and important organisms, including birds, granting it international recognition. Refer to https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/site/factsheet/6330.
8. For further context, galamsey is an ungodly act that has beset our country, threatening our very existence as a country as it destroys and poisons the very things that sustain human lives such as the soil, water, plants, and the ecosystem as a collective. Many experts, including myself, have sounded the alarm about impending catastrophe if this trajectory continues. Refer https://www.myjoyonline.com/sulemana-issifu-galamsey-a-looming-ecological-catastrophe/
9. We contend that time is rife for every state institution, including CHRAJ to use its powers to assist to tame this demon called galamsey, before our beloved country gets extinct. In this regard, all state institutions sleeping on the job must answer for their negligence before competent bodies like CHRAJ.
10. Consequently, we demand as follows:
a. CHRAJ investigate the conduct of the officers of the Forestry Commission to establish the truth or otherwise within the remit of article 218 (b) of the 1992 constitution and other relevant laws;
b. if 10 (b) supra is true, CHRAJ investigate if their conduct is animated by corruption and other malfeasances;
c. CHRAJ impose sanctions, where necessary and applicable.
11. In conclusion, we believe CHRAJ has both the power and responsibility to join the fight against the ungodly act of galamsey, and that, this will be the first step to exercising that power and responsibility for the safety of ourselves and the next generation.
12. We are ready to assist CHRAJ to get to the bottom of this matter should we be called upon and look forward to hearing from you soon on this grave matter of national character.
13. Accept our assurances of the highest order.
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Ministers banned from voting in Congo over violence and fraud
Three government leaders and four state leaders were not allowed to participate in the recent election in the Democratic Republic of Congo because they cheated and used force.
They are not allowed to run in the elections along with 81 other candidates.
However, the announcement did not talk about the election where President Félix Tshisekedi won by a lot.
The other party says the whole election was unfair and wants it to happen again.
However, out of the 19 candidates who are against the current government, only one has taken their case to court. The important people say they don’t trust the courts and want to protest, but they haven’t said when.
The December 20th election had a lot of problems with getting everything organized and in place. Some parts of the big country needed an extra day because the event had to last longer than planned.
Almost two out of three voting locations opened later than they were supposed to, and about 30% of the machines used for voting didn’t work on the first day, as reported by a group of people who were watching and monitoring the voting process.
Many people waited a long time to vote. A lot of people got tired and left.
In a statement, the electoral commission said 82 candidates were disqualified for cheating, stealing, hurting election workers and voters, and breaking equipment.
Among those barred are:
Antoinette Kipulu Kabenga is in charge of teaching people job skills.
Didier Mukanzu is the minister in charge of regional integration.
Nana Manuanina Kihimba works for the president.
Gentiny Ngobila is the leader of Kinshasa province.
They have not said anything about the accusations yet.
The winners of the election have not been announced yet, but all the votes for the 82 people running have been cancelled.
Around 100,000 people ran for office in the elections that took place on December 20th. The winner of the presidential election has been announced.
The commission also said that elections would not happen in two of the country’s 484 areas where people vote. Voting was not allowed in 16 more areas in the east because armed groups were there in the region with a lot of minerals.
Despite the issues, election leader Denis Kadima has said before that the president was chosen by the Congolese people.
Mr Tshisekedi, who is 60 years old, was chosen as the leader for a second time. He got 73% of the votes, while the person closest to him in the election, Moise Katumbi, got 18%.
Approximately 17 million out of the 41 million registered voters actually showed up to vote.
President Tshisekedi will take an oath for his second term on 20 January. -
Hawa Koomson denies orchestrating attack on Cape FM journalist
Minister of Fisheries and Member of the Awutu Senya East constituency in the Central Region, Mavis Hawa Koomson, has refuted accusations connecting her to the reported assault on journalist David Kobina of Cape FM.
The reported incident transpired on January 4, subsequent to a vetting process for parliamentary aspirants held at the Central Regional Coordinating Council in Cape Coast.
In an official statement, the Minister dismissed the accusations as unfounded and deliberately concocted by her adversaries with the intent of damaging her reputation and exploiting a political advantage.
She rejected the allegations and urged the respective stakeholders to refrain from making premature judgments and to allow thorough investigations into the allegations.
“We categorically reject the claim that individuals associated with our team were responsible for this regrettable act. Mavis Hawa Koomson has consistently advocated for a peaceful and constructive political environment, and our team does not endorse or engage in any form of violence. We call on the Ghana Journalists Network and all stakeholders to allow the investigative process to unfold and refrain from premature judgments. Our thoughts remain with Mr. Kwabena, and we hope for his way to recovery.”
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Fair Wages and Salaries Commission targets strike-free Year in 2024
The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has affirmed its unwavering commitment to effectively addressing and resolving salary-related disputes within the public sector. With a focus on fostering labor harmony, the FWSC is poised to play a pivotal role in mitigating conflicts and ensuring fair compensation practices across various public service entities.
This commitment comes in the wake of recent industrial actions by public sector workers concerning conditions of service and other associated issues.
In an interview, Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Benjamin Arthur, emphasized the need for a collaborative approach to strengthening ties between public sector workers and the government.
“When we have a lot of chaos in the country, especially on the industrial relations front, it takes us back, which is not a good thing at all. It strains relationships and delays development and so obviously, if we want to go forward, we do not wait for disputes to arise before we begin to put in place dispute resolution mechanisms.”
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Moment Asiedu Nketiah flapped his hands like a butterfly to welcome Alan Kyerematen
In a moment of unexpected warmth and camaraderie, the atmosphere at the funeral of the later Enoch Teye Mensah, popularly known as E.T Mensah shifted when Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of the party, greeted Alan Kyerematen with a unique and lighthearted gesture.
As the seasoned politician approached, Mr Nketiah, surprised the crowd by playfully flapping his hands like a butterfly.
In a video that quickly gained traction on social media, Asiedu Nketiah, encountering Alan Kyerematen at the funeral service of the late legislator for Ningo-Prampram, Enoch Teye Mensah, was captured engaging in a lighthearted moment. The footage showed Nketiah playfully flapping his hands in a butterfly-like motion, directing attention to Alan Kyerematen amid shared laughter.
The playful gesture from Asiedu Nketiah elicited laughter from fellow NDC dignitaries who witnessed the light-hearted exchange between Alan Kyerematen and Asiedu Nketiah.
The Butterfly is the symbol for the political movement, Movement for Change.
While addressing and educating Ghanaians on his political movement, Alan Kyeremanten explained that, the butterfly is the symbol of transformation, the symbol of renewal and growth.
He believes his movement would cause a radical change in the Ghanaian political space and will carry the flag of Ghana high.
Alan Kyerematen formed Movement of Change briefly after his failure to secure the flagbearer seat for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
While exiting the NPP to form his own political movement to contest as an independent candidate, he explained that he had to leave because the party has deviated from its founding principles and beliefs.
Come December 7, 2024, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen would be competing against NDC’s John Dramani Mahama and the NPP’s Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and any other candidate that may turn up to contest for Ghana’s highest office.
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Hawa Koomson calls for re-election; says NPP has done a lot
Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Madam Mavis Hawa Koomson, is vigorously making her case for re-election, highlighting her extensive credentials and notable achievements within the constituency.
Expressing her aspirations for a fourth term in Parliament, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development emphasizes that she has already made a substantial impact in numerous developmental areas within her constituency and asserts her continued dedication to addressing constituents’ needs.
Addressing the media following her vetting in Cape Coast, she highlighted her investments in education, health, road infrastructure, water, and security, among other sectors, with the aim of enhancing the overall quality of life for the constituents.
“I am putting up a police regional headquarters for the Central East Police Regional Command in my constituency to enhance security,” she said.
“I’m also providing boreholes to provide potable water to areas without pipe borne water until they are finally connected.”
Considering the vast area of her constituency, it was difficult to notice the development projects she had undertaken, but they existed and she was poised to add more, Madam Koomson noted.
She indicated that with her experience, affable personality and achievements, she stood tall among her contenders.
She is being contested by Mr Bernard Ayeh Danquah and Mr Eric Kwaku Boateng.
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Bangladesh reports arson attacks day before election
There are reports of many fires being deliberately started in Bangladesh, the day before the people vote in the elections.
A Buddhist temple was burnt and trucks were attacked on a big road, after a train was set on fire on Friday.
The fire department says there were at least fourteen cases of deliberate fires in just a few hours, according to local news.
Many opposing parties are not taking part in the election. PM Sheikh Hasina is expected to win for the fourth time in a row.
The police have arrested a well-known opposition leader, Nabiullah Nabi, and six other members of his party for their suspected involvement in the fire on a train in Dhaka. The fire killed at least four passengers.
Samanta Lal Sen, a leader at the Dhaka hospital helping the people hurt in the fire, says eight people are very badly hurt.
The news in the area says that the Buddhist temple in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, was attacked early on Saturday.
The BNP party has told people not to vote and they have asked everyone to not work for two days.
The Awami League said the BNP is trying to cause trouble in the election by scaring and hurting innocent people.
