TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Ghana wont suffer food insecurity Ken Ofori-Atta assures

    Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has assured Ghanaians that appropriate measures are in place to avert a potential food crisis in the country.

    Delivering the 2022 mid-year in Parliament, he noted that these measures to forestall food insecurity included a temporary ban on grain (maize, rice, and soya) exports.

    He pointed out that government will adopt the promotion and use of organic fertilisers on farms as well as the cultivation of crops such as roots, which require less fertiliser.

    Ken Ofori-Atta said the government will also increase surveillance of food and input prices that will help pick early warning signals of potential food crisis in order to take prompt remedial action.

    He, therefore, told lawmakers that other measures include; the finalisation of modalities for the haulage of produce from farm gates in food growing areas to the market centres by the government.

    The minister during the presentation of the 2022 mid-year budget review said the emergency measures were necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine tensions, which combined to disrupt supply chains and increased transportation costs.

    These, he said are threatening food security globally.

    “But, what the people of Ghana care to see is what their government is doing about it to ease the impact here.

    “To enable households and farmers cope and support stable food supply, Government has taken the following immediate measures:

    * place a temporary ban on grain (maize, rice, and soya) exports;

    * promote the use of organic fertilizers and cultivation of crops such as roots which require less fertilizer;

    * monitor food and input prices to pick early warning signals of potential food crisis in order to take prompt remedial action; and

    * finalise modalities for the haulage of produce from farm gates in food growing areas to the market centres,” the minister outlined.

    Meanwhile, the finance minister during the presentation in parliament announced plans to increase investments in agriculture as well as support the youth to start agri-related businesses to help boost productivity while creating jobs.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • Collection of road tolls to be re-introduced on selected roads Finance Minister

    Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has announced that government is seeking to re-introduce road tolls on some selected roads to generate revenue for the payment of some debts.

    He stated that site works are expected to commence in September 2022 on the
    Accra Tema Motorway and Extension PPP Project (27.7km) which is currently at the procurement stage.

    “The Government of Ghana has made a strategic decision, in line with the Public Private Partnership Act, 2020 (Act 1039) to procure the Accra-Tema Motorway and Extensions Project through GIIF with a mandate to deliver a GIIF-led PPP financing solution, where maximum funds are raised from the market, but majority ownership of the project remains with GIIF on behalf of the Ghanaian Government,” he said.

    The minister also revealed that the draft Concession Agreement (CA) between GIIF and MoRH is currently under review by GIIF, MoRH, the Office of the Attorney-General and the Ministry of Finance after which the collection of road tolls will begin.

    “When completed, the CA is expected to be approved by the PPP Committee, Cabinet and Parliament. The completed road will be tolled to recover the whole life cost of the completed infrastructure as well as pay lenders and provide a return for equity investors. The Government of Ghana shall provide funding through GIIF to take equity in the Special Purpose Vehicle to be created by GIIF for the project,” he told Parliament on July 25.

    Meanwhile, road tolls were abolished in the 2022 budget after an announcement by the Finance Minister in November 2021.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • Police confirm multiple victims in British Columbia shootings

    Police have confirmed multiple victims in an early morning shooting spree in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

    Emergency alerts issued shortly after 06:00 local time (13:00 GMT) warned of “multiple shooting scenes” in downtown Langley, a city about 25 miles east of Vancouver.

    A lone suspect has been taken into custody.

    Police did not identify a motive in what remains an active investigation.

    A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spokesperson said there had been “several victims” in Monday’s attack, but did not immediately say how many.

    Homicide investigators are on the scene. The victims were homeless and police believe the attack was targeted.

    Roads in the area have been closed as the investigation continues.

    Two black SUVs, one riddled with bullet holes in its windshield, were spotted in a ditch near the shooting site, according to Reuters.

    Police were also seen setting up a forensics tent near a white vehicle that had cardboard covering up its license plate.

    Map: Langley, British Columbia in Canada

    Source:bbc.com

  • White House downplays recession fears ahead of upcoming GDP report

    President Joe Biden‘s advisers are downplaying recession fears ahead of a highly anticipated report that could show the economy shrinking for a second consecutive quarter.

    While there is no steadfast rule governing what defines a recession in the US, it is commonly understood to be two consecutive quarters of GDP shrinking. But a small group of economists on the Business Cycle Dating Committee officially define when the US economy is in a recession, and they define a recession as involving “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.”

    Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese argued Monday that if this week’s report from the Commerce Department shows a second consecutive negative quarter of gross domestic product it does not mean the US is in a recession. Using an argument that the White House used regarding an inflation report earlier this month, Deese said the second quarter data — which reflects the April through June period — will be “inherently backward-looking,” and pointed to the jobs created in that time frame.

    “Never in the history of our country have we had a recession where the economy was creating jobs, period, let alone creating 400,000 jobs,” Deese told CNN’s John Berman on “New Day.”

    Deese and Biden’s other economic advisers are trying to use that squishy definition to argue that the economy is resilient, even if last week’s CNN poll showed the public’s view of the economy is the worst it’s been since 2011.

    “Certainly in terms of the technical definition, it’s not a recession. The technical definition considers a much broader spectrum of data points. But in practical terms what matters to American people is whether they have a little economic breathing room, they have more job opportunities, their wages are going up — that has been Joe Biden’s focus since coming into office,” Deese said.

    Deese said despite the high gas and grocery prices the nation’s economy is “demonstrating resilience in the face of very significant global economic challenges.” Gas prices have dropped in recent weeks, having dropped about 55 cents over the last month, according to AAA.

    “If you look at the labor market, if you look at what consumers are spending, what businesses and households are investing, you continue to see this resilience,” Deese said. “But that’s no reason for complacency. We need to act. We need to act on things like prescription drugs and things like semiconductors right now.”

    He urged Congress to take immediate action to bring down costs for American families, including by lowering prescription drug prices and bolstering US computer chip manufacturing, which he noted would help bring down costs for automobiles.

    “These are very uncertain times,” Deese said. “And when you go and pull up at the gas station or pull into the grocery store and see these high prices, they not only create hardship but they create uncertainty for what things are going to be like in the future.”

    The US is expecting a number of key economic indicator reports this week aside from the second quarter GDP numbers coming Thursday, including Tuesday’s consumer confidence survey and Friday’s Personal Consumption Expenditure index. The Federal Reserve also meets on Wednesday to discuss interest rates.

    Other top Biden administration officials continue to insist the economy is not in recession amid widespread inflation. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen argued Sunday the economy is in “transition” and there is a “slowdown.”

    “This is not an economy that’s in recession, but we’re in a period of transition in which growth is slowing,” she told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

    Source: BBC

     

  • Kofi Adams threatens to drag Agric Minister before Privileges Committee

    ie Member of Parliament for the Buem constituency, Kofi Adams is threatening to haul the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Owusu Afriyie Akoto before the Privileges Committee.

    He contends that the Minister peddled falsehood on the floor of Parliament when he made contradictory remarks on two different occasions on whether or not equipment was imported into the country for the cultivation of maize.

    Speaking to Citi News, Kofi Adams called on the Minister to apologize or face the Privileges Committee.

    “I will be applying to the Speaker for the Minister to be referred to the Privileges Committee unless he comes back to withdraw his earlier answer and apologize before I initiate that process. But clearly, we have to test the provisions in our standing orders and the constitution.”

    Recently, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu demanded the urgent summoning of the Minister for Food and Agriculture over the state of the poultry industry in the country.

    According to him, the scarcity of ingredients like maize for poultry feed and other teething challenges is gradually crippling the sector.

    The ongoing war in Ukraine has left Ghana and the rest of the world short of important grains.

    President Nana Akufo-Addo has publicly expressed concern about the shortage of fertiliser and its relationship with the production of grains.

    Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Friday, June 17, 2022, Mr. Iddrisu bemoaned the current state of the poultry industry and underscored the need for urgent action.

    “There is a seeming problem with the poultry industry in Ghana. Poultry farmers have difficulty accessing what they call poultry feed,” the Minority Leader said.

    He noted that the closure of some poultry-related businesses because of some difficulties had come to his attention.

    “We are already an unacceptable net importer of poultry when we have the capacity and capability to produce the poultry that we need,” Mr. Iddrisu said.

    He noted further that the poultry industry “remains a major source of employment apart from satisfying the protein needs of Ghanaians.”

    In 2021, chicken imports were estimated at 350,000 metrictonnes.

    According to forecasts for 2022, imports of chicken could rise to 400,000 metric tonnes.

    Source: Citinews

  • Police probe FPU officers alleged harassment of Foase District Police Commander

    Police in the Ashanti Region have begun investigations into an incident where three police officers with the Formed Police Unit (FPU) allegedly harassed the Foase District Police Commander, Supt. Albert Quansah.

    Citi News understands the FPU officers also threatened to end the life of Supt. Quansah following an altercation after he saw them conducting a motor check on the Atwima Yabi-Dida stretch on 20th July 2022.

    Citi News sources say the police commander upon seeing the officers from the FPU conducting the search in the middle of the road cautioned them against the exercise.

    One of the officers, only identified as Corporal Boakye reportedly felt offended and then refused to listen to the police commander and engaged in an argument with him.

    The source further disclosed that during the heated argument, Corporal Boakye cocked his service rifle and threatened to kill the Foase District Police Commander.

    Three officers from the Foase District Police Headquarters then proceeded to the FPU snap checkpoint at Yabi and met Corporal Boakye together with the rest of the team who were on duty.

    Supt. Albert Quansah was said to have instructed Corporal Boakye to hand over his service rifle to him, but the latter refused.

    The source added that, following the incident, 11 officers from the FPU led by one Chief Inspector Ohene Karikari Ernest then stormed the Foase District Police Headquarters later in the day and allegedly harassed the district commander.

    Chief Inspector Ohene Karikari Ernest then allegedly threatened to kill the district commander if he harasses any of the FPU personnel.

    Citi News sources say one Supt. K. K Kawudie led five armed personnel from the FPU base in Kumasi to the Foase District Police Headquarters to also “intimidate” the district police commander, where the said officer also allegedly threatened to cut short the life of the district commander.

    Source: Citinews

  • Pakistan’s largest city battered by torrential rain as climate crisis makes weather more unpredictable

    Public services in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, have been suspended and businesses are being urged to close, as torrential rains cause deadly flash flooding and infrastructure damage, leaving at least 15 dead since Saturday.

    On Sunday night, more than 60 millimeters (2.3 inches) of rain fell in Karachi, equivalent to an entire months’ worth of rainfall in just a matter of hours.

    For several months every summer, Pakistan struggles to contend with heavy monsoon rains, but in recent years experts say climate change is accelerating existing weather patterns.

    On Sunday, Pakistan’s climate change minister, Sherry Rehman, issued flash flood warnings for residents in more than 14 cities and townships.

    Since the monsoon season began last month, more than 300 people have been killed by heavy rains across Pakistan, according to its National Disaster Management Authority.

    In Karachi, capital of Sindh province and home to almost 16 million, entire neighborhoods have been partially submerged. Photos show people wading knee-deep in muddy floodwater, with vehicles left stranded by the deluge.

    Infrastructure including bridges, highways and roads have been damaged, disrupting traffic and upending the lives of millions across the city. Many have stocked up on fuel for their generators in case of power outages.

    “Climate change is a threat. We are a coastal city. It’s happening so fast and we will bear the brunt,” said Afia Salam, a climate change advocate in Karachi. “People need to see the situation beyond individual events like a bridge falling or a road getting flooded.”

    People drive across a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan on July 21, 2022.

    Climate crisis and poor infrastructure

     

    Pakistan often experiences heavy rains from July through September, but experts say the rains have only increased in both frequency and intensity.

    “The rapidity of these events is increasing and our response is not keeping pace,” said Salam. “We are being reactive to individual events. Strategies need to be put in place.”

    And the poorest and most vulnerable are on the front line of crisis.

    Karachi, the country’s financial capital, boasts luxury hotels, malls and upmarket gated communities. But disparities in wealth and development remain, and an estimated 50% of its residents are “forced to live in informal settlements,” according to the World Bank.

    “Karachi’s infrastructure is highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters,” according to the World Bank.

    The crisis is exacerbated by poor flood management and ineffective disaster response, experts say.

    Other provinces, including Balochistan in the southwest, have also experienced extreme rainfall in recent days. At least 87 people have been killed in the province due to “heavy rainfall, floods and infrastructure collapse” this month alone, according to a report from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

    Two people — a woman and a child — died on Sunday after a roof collapsed in the province’s Jaffarabad district, according to Naseer Nasar, PDMA director general.

    At least eight dams in Balochistan have been breached, while nine bridges have been damaged, the PDMA report said. More than 700 livestock have died due to flooding, it added.

    Earlier this month, torrential rain caused widespread flooding in Karachi. Most underpasses were flooded, and there was nowhere to pump the water out to, according to the chief minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah.

    Karachi’s main streets, which house financial institutions and bank headquarters including Pakistan’s central bank, were flooded and rescue services were using boats to reach stranded people.

    Laborers carry produce as they wade through a flooded road after heavy rainfall, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, July 21, 2022.

    Extreme weather impacts millions

     

    Extreme weather events in South Asia are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change, with temperatures in parts of India and Pakistan reaching record levels during a heat wave in April and May.

    A deadly cholera outbreak linked to contaminated drinking water had infected thousands of people in central Pakistan in May, as the country grappled with a water crisis exacerbated by the scorching temperatures.

    Pakistan hit by deadly cholera outbreak as heat wave grips South Asia

    Residents in Pir Koh, a remote mountainous town in Balochistan province, had no access to clean drinking water. The lack of rain had caused nearby ponds to dry up, with their only source of water being a pipeline that had “rusted and contaminated the water supply,” said local resident Hassan Bugti.

    A 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said they had medium confidence that heat waves and humidity stress would become more “intense and frequent,” and “annual and summer monsoon precipitation will increase.”

    India and Pakistan are among the countries expected to be worst affected by the climate crisis, according to the IPCC.

    Source:CNN

  • Parliamentarians urged to desist from bailing perpetrators of defilement cases

    Queen-mothers of Ayawaso North Constituency have called on parliamentarians, assemblymen and community leaders to desist from acting as middlemen and bailing accused persons of defilement and rape cases for fear of losing votes.

    Hajia Rukaya Suleiman, the Kotokoli Queen-mother, said the act was putting their efforts in vain and the perpetrators made to escape the law at the mercy of the victims.

    The Queen-mother made the call during an educational campaign organised by Inerela Ghana, a nongovernmental organisation for the people of Maamobi a suburb of Accra.

    She said this was a criminal offence punishable by law but the constant bailing of the accused by powers-that-be did not serve as a deterrent to others, thereby, causing the number of rape and defilement cases to increase in the Constituency.

    Hajia Rukaya called for the collaboration between queen mothers, the Police, and non-governmental organizations to educate the youth in the area to help reduce such cases.

    Participants were educated on Sexual- based Violence Against Women & Girls (VAW/G), laws pertaining to domestic violence, child marriage and the need for counseling.

    Mrs Pauline L. Essel, Deputy Chief Investigator, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and License Counselor, educated the people on the various forms of abuse and the need to look out for the signs when the need be.

    She urged women not to allow themselves to be abused in any manner as it was not good for their health.

    Lawyer Cephas Essiful Ansah, CHRAJ Legal Officer and Board Member of Inerela Ghana taking participants through portions of the 1992 constitution, the Criminal Offences Act 1960, and the Children’s Act Domestic charged them to feel empowered by these laws and report any form of abuse meted out to them.

    Participants were also educated on the mandate of the Domestic Violence Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU)to enable them to take advantage of it.

    Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ms Mavis Adjei, Nima Divisional Head of DOVVSU in a presentation said women and girls were the most affected by acts of domestic violence due to ill-treatment in marriages.

    She said domestic violence refers to physical, sexual and psychological acts which occur in families including; battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, marriage-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices that were harmful to women.

    ASP Adjei urged women to report any form of abuse to the DOVVSU to make the accused persons face the full rigour of the law.

    Mrs Mercy Acquah-Hayford, the Country Coordinator of Inerela Ghana, explained that the engagement followed a previous meeting with the community leadership to find a lasting solution to the high rate of domestic violence in the community.

    It was also to encourage and empower the women to report abuse cases to the Police.

    She said victims of abuse were discouraged and frightened from reporting cases of domestic and sexual violence to the Police due to reverence given to their men, somehow due to suppression.

    Inerela Ghana is a non-governmental organization that works with a network of religious leaders living with HIV that empowers themselves and others to live positively and openly as agents of hope and change in and beyond their faith communities.

    Source: GNA

  • Nottingham Forest in talks over Stuttgart midfielder Orel Mangala

    Nottingham Forest are negotiating with Stuttgart over a deal to sign midfielder Orel Mangala.

    Forest have been incredibly active this summer as they prepare themselves for their long-awaited return to the top flight, with recent signing Jesse Lingard the 12th new face at The City Ground – and there are plans to add to that.

    Sources have confirmed to 90min that the next player on the radar is 24-year-old Mangala and talks are well underway in an attempt to thrash out a deal that could be worth a total of €15m.

     

     

    Forest are looking to pay €12m up front and are happy to include add-ons to take the deal closer to Stuttgart’s asking price.

    Mangala has impressed during his five years on the books at Stuttgart and was rewarded with a maiden appearance for Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad back in March, turning out in friendlies against both Ireland and Burkina Faso.

    He was dropped for this summer’s international break and Mangala’s agent recently revealed that the midfielder’s primary focus is not money, but a platform to get himself back into Martinez’s plans for the upcoming World Cup.

    “Orel needs playing time. The World Cup is his goal,” representative Mehmet Eser told SWR Sport recently.

    “For the next step, the perspective of the project must be right. The money is secondary.”

  • Train strikes: People told not to travel by rail during walkouts

    People are being told only to travel by train if necessary during the latest national strikes by rail workers.

    Some 40,000 members of the RMT union working at Network Rail and 14 train operators will walk out on Wednesday.

    It comes after talks over pay, jobs and terms and conditions failed following the biggest rail strikes in 30 years over three days in June.

    Network Rail said only 20% of services will run and some places will have no trains at all on Wednesday.

    For example, there will be no trains into or out of Blackpool, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.

    In a bid to minimise disruption, Network Rail has published a special timetable for Wednesday, with trains set to start later and finish earlier than usual, between 07:00 and 18:30 BST.

    On Wednesday, the last trains from London will leave for Edinburgh at 14:00, for Birmingham at 16:03 and Manchester at 15:40.

    RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the union would continue to try to reach a deal with Network Rail ahead of Wednesday.

    “If we could get a breakthrough then we wouldn’t have to take strike action but there’s a big gap between the parties at the moment,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

    “So I’m not going to raise false hopes but we are constantly in dialogue with all of the elements of the industry.”

    Library of BirminghamGetty Images
    A strike at Avanti West Coast will disrupt travel to Birmingham the day before the Commonwealth Games begin in the city

    All train operators, including Transport for London, will be affected by the strike as Network Rail’s signallers control train movements across Great Britain.

    The knock-on effects of the disruption are expected to roll in to Thursday, Network Rail said. Further RMT strikes are also planned for 18 and 20 August.

    Wednesday’s strike will disrupt travel to the Women’s Euro 2022 semi-final in Milton Keynes and comes a day before the Commonwealth Games begin in Birmingham.

    On Saturday, there is a separate walkout by train drivers’ union Aslef at Arriva Rail London, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.

    This is also the first day of the English Football League season.

    England captain Leah WilliamsonGetty Images
    Wednesday’s strike will disrupt travel to the Women’s Euro 2022 semi-final in Milton Keynes

    Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I’m afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week as the RMT seems hell-bent on continuing their political campaigning, rather than compromising and agreeing a deal for their members.”

    Passengers with an advance, off-peak or anytime ticket for 27 or 30 July can travel the day before or up to and including 2 August, Network Rail said.

    They can also change their tickets to another date, or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.

    Those with season tickets for a month or longer who choose not to travel on 27 or 30 July can claim compensation through the delay repay scheme.

    Source: BBC

     

  • Talented kid Ernest Nuamah scores for the second time in a row in the 3rd minute for Nordsjaelland

    FC Nordsjaelland teenager Ernest Appiah Nuamah scored his second goal of the season in Denmark and for the second successive time it was registered in the third minute of a match. 

    The 18-year-old, turning out to be razor-sharp, found the back of the net on three minute as Nordsjaelland went on to win 3-1 at Brondby. 

    He was replaced after 72 minutes and his position taken by Benjamin Nygren.

     

    On the opening weekend of the Danish Super Liga last week, he found the back of the net as they won 2-0 at OB.

    Last season, scored one goal in nine league appearances. 

    Source: GhanaSoccernet

  • Fatawu Issahaku misses penalty as Sporting CP lose to Sevilla in pre-season friendly

    Young attacker Fatawu Issahaku missed a crucial penalty as Sporting CP were defeated by Sevilla in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.

    The Ghanaian went for power and ended up hitting the bar as Sevilla won the shootout 6-5 to claim Troféu Cinco Violinos at the expense of Sporting.

    In the 15th minute, Jesus Corona put the Spanish side ahead.

     

    And it took until the 85th minute for Sporting to equalise through Paulinho to force a penalty shootout.

    Issahaku, who started on the bench, was introduced three minutes to the end of the game, taking the place of Nuno Santos.

    The 18-year-old was the only player who failed to convert in the shootout.

     

    Source: GhanaSoccernet

  • Covid in China: Xi Jinping and other leaders given domestic vaccine

    President Xi Jinping and other top politicians have been given domestically produced Covid vaccines, China has said.

    The news was released as part of a campaign to increase vaccination rates, especially of boosters.

    The deputy head of China’s National Health Commission, Zeng Yixin, said it showed the leadership’s confidence in the Chinese vaccines.

    Health information about these figures is not usually shared with the public.

    Mr Zeng said the country’s leaders had “all taken the home-grown Covid-19 vaccination jabs“.

    He added: “This has fully displayed that they attach great importance to the epidemic prevention and control work and highly trust the home-grown Covid-19 vaccines.”

    Officials are trying to increase vaccination rates, which are considered too low for the country to reopen safely.

    China continues to follow a “zero Covid” strategy, including mass testing, strict isolation rules and local lockdowns.

    While there have been far fewer deaths than in many other countries, this approach is facing growing opposition as people and businesses continue to face the strain of restrictions.

    President Xi has repeatedly said that there is no alternative to zero Covid.

    China has seen 2,167,619 cases and 14,647 deaths since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    This compares with 23,088,074 cases and 181,398 deaths in the UK.

    An outbreak of Covid in Shanghai in April saw the city placed into lockdown for more than two months.

    During the outbreak, concerns were raised over low vaccination rates. Officials said just 38% of those over 60 had received a booster, while only 15% of over-80s had been given two doses.

    Recent figures show that across the country, 90% of people have now had two jabs.

     

    Source: BBC

  • Asante Kotoko to travel to Turkey for pre-season

    Ghana Premier League champions, Asante Kotoko, will travel to Turkey for pre-season ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

    The Porcupine Warriors will spend two weeks in the European country preparing for the defence of the title they won last season. The team will leave Ghana on August 15, 2022 and will be in Turkey till August 30.

    Asante Kotoko will play a series of friendlies against some Turkish clubs before returning to Ghana for the start of the league in September.

    The Ghanaian giants were in Dubai last season for pre-season.

    Meanwhile, reports surrounding the future of their coach, Dr Prosper Ogum remains in limbo following reports he has resigned.

    Cameroonian forward Frack Etouga Mbella has returned to Ghana despite interests from several clubs abroad.

    Source: Ghanasoccernet

     

  • Egypt court seeks live TV execution of woman killer

    A court in Egypt has called for a legal amendment to allow live broadcast of the execution of the killer of a female student.

    Egyptians were horrified after video footage went viral last month purportedly showing Mohammed Adel stabbing to death Nayera Ashraf, who rejected his advances, outside her university.

    In a letter to parliament, the court that sentenced the 22-year-old to death said the broadcast of even a part of the proceedings could achieve the goal of deterrence.

    Egypt does not broadcast executions, which are always carried out by hanging inside prisons.

    A 2015 United Nations survey said nearly eight million Egyptian women were victims of violence.

    Source: BBC

  • Kofi Adams has threatened to bring the minister of agriculture before the privileges committee.

    Kofi Adams, a member of parliament from the Buem constituency, has threatened to summon Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the minister of food and agriculture, before the Privileges Committee.

    He claims that when the Minister stated conflicting things on two separate times about whether or not machinery was imported into the nation for the production of maize, he was spreading misinformation on the floor of the House of Representatives.

    Kofi Adams urged the Minister to apologize or face the Privileges Committee in a statement to Citi News

    “Unless the Minister withdraws his previous response and apologizes, I will be requesting to the Speaker that the Minister be referred to the Privileges Committee.
    However, it is obvious that we must put both the constitution’s and our standing rules to the test.

    Recently, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu demanded the urgent summoning of the Minister for Food and Agriculture over the state of the poultry industry in the country.

    According to him, the scarcity of ingredients like maize for poultry feed and other teething challenges is gradually crippling the sector.

    The ongoing war in Ukraine has left Ghana and the rest of the world short of important grains.

    President Nana Akufo-Addo has publicly expressed concern about the shortage of fertiliser and its relationship with the production of grains.

    Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Friday, June 17, 2022, Mr. Iddrisu bemoaned the current state of the poultry industry and underscored the need for urgent action.

    “There is a seeming problem with the poultry industry in Ghana. Poultry farmers have difficulty accessing what they call poultry feed,” the Minority Leader said.

    He noted that the closure of some poultry-related businesses because of some difficulties had come to his attention.

    “We are already an unacceptable net importer of poultry when we have the capacity and capability to produce the poultry that we need,” Mr. Iddrisu said.

    He noted further that the poultry industry “remains a major source of employment apart from satisfying the protein needs of Ghanaians.”

    In 2021, chicken imports were estimated at 350,000 metric tonnes.

    According to forecasts for 2022, imports of chicken could rise to 400,000 metric tonnes.

    Source:The Independent Ghana

     

     

  • Eurotunnel and Dover queues: Drivers warned of summer of Channel traffic delays

    People hoping to cross the Channel to France this weekend are being warned it will be very busy again, after three days of queues and delays.

    And that pattern could continue with drivers warned by the AA they could face a summer of repeat delays.

    Vehicles are flowing freely on Monday after a weekend that saw miles of tailbacks build up in Kent.

    Kent Resilience Forum’s Toby Howe said it was a “very vulnerable situation” and took little to cause congestion.

    Queues of lorries have begun to build at Dover, although the port said traffic was flowing normally.

    Despite the improved traffic flow a major incident declared over the weekend has remained in force.

    Ferry operator DFDS told passengers there were “queues of around an hour” for French border checks, while P&O Ferries said queues had picked up.

    Over the weekend traffic built up on the roads leading to the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone and Port of Dover after the M20 motorway through Kent to the south coast was closed to cars from Maidstone to Folkestone because of Operation Brock, which sees lorries diverted to park on the motorway.

    With the motorway shut, car drivers were diverted to smaller roads which then got jammed with miles of tailbacks.

    Some people reported sleeping overnight in their cars, while one tired family said the last three miles of their journey took 21 hours.

    Mr Howe said things were back to “business as normal” but remained “on a knife edge” with not much needed to create congestion.

    He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the coming weekend was expected to be the second busiest getaway weekend of the summer holidays and, with traffic crossing the Channel back to pre-pandemic levels and additional checks at the border since the UK left the European Union, it took “very little to cause those tailbacks”.

    He said on Friday the Port of Dover had issues with a lack of resources, which was compounded by a crash on the motorway.

    “You only need another crash on the road or maybe a train breakdown or a power failure somewhere for it to then become a big problem.”

    Mr Howe said there needed to be more infrastructure in place to take traffic off the roads, such as lorry parks.

    “We shouldn’t really have to have queues of traffic due to all of this, so we need more infrastructure in place,” he said.

    The AA’s head of roads policy Jack Cousens said it had been an “incredible weekend of traffic jams” but warned the group was concerned “we could be in for a repeat of this congestion across the summer”.

    John Keefe, director of public affairs for Getlink – which operates the Eurotunnel between Folkestone and Calais, said the issue over the weekend had been caused by the expected “very heavy traffic of passengers” getting away on holidays alongside an unexpected amount of truck traffic, which would normally have crossed to France earlier but had been delayed by an accident on the motorway.

    He said there were several factors that could help ease the situation, including bringing in digital technology to speed up border checks, increasing the resilience of the road network – with two of the UK’s biggest ports served by the same motorway – and improving the Channel tunnel railway network.

    Mr Keefe added: “There are definitely solutions. These solutions are not new. They’ve been on the table for many, many years.

    Lorries and cars queuing on the M20 near FolkestonePA Media
    Lorries and cars queuing on the M20 near Folkestone on Friday

    “But hopefully something like this will actually focus attention.”

    The Dover delays led to a war of words between French and UK officials, with both sides blaming the other.

    The UK government said French authorities failed to provide enough border staff to check passports at Dover over the weekend, while the French transport minister Clement Beaune highlighted additional border checks brought on by Brexit.

    Travel journalist Simon Calder said we were seeing the impact of leaving the EU for the first time during peak summer travel season as passenger numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels.

    Whereas in the past passport control had been able to wave travellers through with a flash of their passport at their discretion during busy times, he said, now they had to check and stamp every passport.

    Mr Calder said on average it was taking about a minute and a half for them to process a family of four.

    Over the weekend the Port of Dover said it handled almost 142,000 passengers.

    National Highways re-opened the coastbound M20 between junctions 9 and 11 in Kent shortly after 01:00 BST on Monday, but it remains closed to non-freight traffic between junctions 8 and 9 as part of Operation Brock.

    Dover MP Natalie Elphicke said the “entire discreditable episode” highlighted the need to make Kent’s roads as resilient as possible.

    She called for more investment in border systems and upgrades to the A2 and lorry parks.

    Source: BBC

     

  • Applications for a scholarship for tertiary study are now open at Izwe Savings & Loans.

    Senior High School (SHS) graduates with top grades and genuine financial need are encouraged to apply for the Izwe Scholarship Fund to pursue undergraduate or comparable tertiary programs of their choosing for the 20222023 academic year.

    “The fund is activated annually to help selected candidates through their whole tertiary education as part of Izwe’s continuous commitment to positively influence lives through sponsored education,” said the company’s chief executive officer, Raymond Kwakye Bismarck.
    The scholarship aims to empower our young people to influence change and contribute to Ghana’s development through building their capacities.

    Scholarship Benefits

    The scholarship fund is available for the minimal amount of time required by the student’s preferred educational institution for them to finish their academic program.
    The recipient of the scholarship will be able to pursue their chosen degree since the requisite academic user fees and authorized course textbooks will be paid for.

    Eligibility

    Applicant must be a Ghanaian SHS graduate in need of financial support for tertiary education. They must have a Senior High School certificate with a maximum grade of aggregate 10 and not be older than 22 years of age. Applicant must have also gained admission to any of the public tertiary universities in Ghana. First-year students currently at any public university who meet the criteria above can also apply.

    How To Apply

    Applicant must complete an application form at www.izwe.com.gh including a brief motivating write up (500 words) on why the applicant should receive the scholarship. Finally, evidence of eligibility detailed above is required (i.e. SHS certificate from School attended & result slip, birth certificate, Letter of admission to tertiary institution etc).

    Deadline for Submission of Application: 25th August 2022.

    About Izwe

    Izwe Savings and Loans Plc is a subsidiary of the Izwe Africa Group, which is now headquartered in Mauritius and operates in Zambia and Kenya with Support from South Africa.

    After operating in Ghana for over a decade, Izwe, a non-bank financial institution, specialises in personal finance loans, business loans, asset-backed finance, savings & investment and offers tailored to the needs of people from all walks of life including entrepreneurs, traders, teachers, soldiers, healthcare workers, business owners and any small to medium sized enterprise.

    Source:The Independent Ghana

     

  • Poultry industry suffers from alleged dumping

    Important players in the poultry industry are concerned about rumors that imported frozen chicken is being dumped onto the Ghanaian market. They give a number of explanations for their concerns, including the product’s low price compared to the heavy taxes levied on it and other significant factors.

    Despite a 35 percent tariff and other duties placed on imported frozen chicken over the last four years, the cost of the product has been relatively inexpensive when compared to domestically produced chicken.

    The trading and distribution of imported frozen chicken in Ghana are governed by a network of independently operated cold storage facilities.

    According to data from the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk Sharing-System for Agriculture Lending (GIRSAL), a kilogram of imported chicken cost GH14.56 in 2018, compared to GH19.16 for a kilogram of domestically produced chicken at the time.
    In 2019, the cost of a kilo of an imported variety was GHC 12.63, while the cost of a kilo of a native breed was GHC 21.11.

    In December 2020, a kilo of imported chicken was sold at GH¢12.73 against GH¢23.12 for domestic chicken. Last year, a kilo of imported variety was sold at GH¢15.31 with the cost of the locally produced type at GH¢25.54 per kilo.

    Currently, a kilo of imported variety is sold at an average price of GH¢25 with the domestic type selling at an average of GH¢48.20.

    Are we experiencing dumping?

    The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) has indicated that the allegation of dumping is undebatable not only considering the pricing mechanism of imported chicken despite the high taxes, but more importantly the low value of the type of chicken imported into the country; mostly without premium parts such as breasts and fillets.

    “When you have high taxes on imports, the expectation is that such products do not become that cheap compared to what is produced here without taxes. The type of parts which are imported here thighs, wings, feet, neck which constitute almost 95 percent of imports against premium parts such as breast and fillets, also calls for suspicion,” CEO-CAG, Anthony Selorm Morrison, told the B&FT.

    A study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine a nutrition-oriented NGO based in Washington DC indicates that the highest fat, calories and cholesterol content of frozen chicken comes from the skin, wings, thighs and drumsticks.

    The need to focus on domestic production and revitalisation

    Mr. Morrison said it is important for government to refocus on the poultry industry to save it from current production woes.

    “Poultry farmers continue to sell their farms; the price of feed products keep escalating, which is affecting the cost of production. Government must intervene,” he said.

    Current poultry industry situation

    Indeed, 85 percent of commercial poultry production focuses on eggs for the local market, as most farmers only concentrate on broiler production for sale during festive seasons.

    Rising domestic demand for chicken is met by imported frozen chicken, which come as pre-cuts ready to use and is cheaper than locally produced chicken mostly the thighs, wings, feet, neck and back.

    The three largest exporters of poultry products into Ghana are: the Netherlands 35 percent of imports; Poland, 23 percent; and the USA, 22 percent.

    With a national demand for chicken in excess of 360,000 tonnes per year as of 2021, local producers are only able to produce about 60,000 tonnes per annum with about 90 percent of such being layers.

    The Ministry of Finance has said the country spends an average of US$200million on chicken imports annually, with some US$721million spent on chicken and meat imports since 2020.

    The volume of frozen chicken imported into Ghana has reached an annual average of 290,000 metric tonnes since 2021, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

    Key sector challenges

    The poultry sector continues to battle with high cost of production. Current feed-cost constitutes 60-70 percent of production cost mainly driven by maize and soya prices, data from GIRSAL has indicated.

    The prevalence of unattractive packaging is also a bane, as most birds are sold live as whole chicken.

    Source:The Independent Ghana

  • Ukraine war: Russia denies causing global food crisis

    Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, on a diplomatic offensive in Egypt, has dismissed claims that Moscow caused the global food crisis.

    In a speech to Arab League ambassadors in Cairo, he said Western nations were distorting the truth about the impact of sanctions on global food security.

    He accused Western nations of trying to impose their dominance over others.

    Much of the Arab world and Africa is badly affected by grain shortages caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    Mr Lavrov will go on to visit three African nations to rally support amid anger over the war.

    Mr Lavrov said that Western nations’ “aggressiveness” in imposing sanctions on Russia indicated one simple conclusion: “It is not about Ukraine, it is about the future of the world order.

    “They say everybody must support a rules-based world order, and the rules are written depending on what specific situation the West wants to resolve in its own favour.”

    Earlier, Mr Lavrov held talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

    Egypt has significant ties with Russia, which supplies wheat, weapons and – until the invasion of Ukraine began – large numbers of tourists.

    After his talks with Mr Shoukry, Mr Lavrov told a joint news conference that the West was prolonging the conflict even though it understood “what and whose end it will be”.

    It is the first stage for Mr Lavrov of a brief tour of Africa taking in Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo-Brazzaville.

    In an article published by local newspapers in the run-up to his tour, Mr Lavrov said his country had always “sincerely supported Africans in their struggle for freedom from the colonial yoke”.

    He added that Russia appreciated Africans’ “balanced position” on the issue of Ukraine.

    Ukraine and Russia usually supply more than 40% of Africa’s wheat, the African Development Bank says.

    Egypt is normally a big consumer of Ukrainian wheat. In 2019, it imported 3.62 million tonnes of it, more than any country.

    But in his article, Mr Lavrov rejected the accusation that Russia was “exporting famine” and blamed it on Western propaganda.

    He added that Western sanctions imposed on Russia had exacerbated “negative tendencies” in the international food market that stemmed from the coronavirus pandemic.

     

    Source: BBC

     

  • Elon Musk denies affair with Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s wife

    Tesla boss Elon Musk has denied having an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder, Sergey Brin.

    Mr Musk’s comments came after the Wall Street Journal reported that his friendship with Mr Brin had ended over the alleged affair.

    Replying to a link to the story posted on Twitter, Mr Musk referred to the report as “total bs”.

    Mr Musk went on to say that he is still friends with Mr Brin and that they were “at a party together last night!”

    Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said that Mr Musk was engaged in a brief affair late last year with Ms Shanahan.

    This prompted Mr Brin to file for divorce earlier this year and ended the long friendship between the two high-profile technology billionaires, the paper also said.

    But Mr Musk tweeted “I’ve only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic”.

    @elonmusk/Twitter
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    At the time of the alleged affair in December, Mr Brin and his wife were separated but still living together, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a person close to Ms Shanahan.

    In a separate tweet, Mr Musk said “WSJ [Wall Street Journal] has run so many bs hit pieces on me and Tesla I’ve lost count.”

    Even though they have a prenuptial agreement, Mr Brin and Ms Shanahan are currently negotiating a divorce settlement, which could be as much as $1bn (£830m), the paper said.

    Nicole Shanahan and Sergey Brin attend the 2020 Breakthrough Prize Red Carpet at NASA Ames Research Center on 3 November, 2019.Getty Images
    Nicole Shanahan and Sergey Brin got married almost four years ago
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    Ms Shanahan is a California-based attorney and founder of legal technology company ClearAccessIP and the Bia-Echo Foundation, according to her LinkedIn profile.

    The Bia-Echo Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that promotes “reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet”.

    Mr Musk, who is also the boss of rocket firm SpaceX, is well known for how he operates his many companies but he has also attracted press interest in his private life.

    In tweets earlier this month he appeared to confirm reports he had twins in late 2021 with Shivon Zilis – an executive at his technology company Neuralink.

    Mr Musk is currently embroiled in a legal fight over his abandoned plan to buy Twitter for $44bn.

    Earlier this month, the social media platform sued him after he announced he was walking away from his proposed takeover of the firm.

    Mr Musk is the world’s richest person, with an estimated fortune of more $240bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

    According to the same index, Mr Brin is worth around $95bn, making him the eighth richest person in the world.

    Ms Shanahan, Mr Brin and Google did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.

    Source: BBC

  • Tunisia vote marks a death of a dream for some Arab Spring protesters

    After dismissing parliament and largely ruling by decree a year ago, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied is asking people to vote on Monday on a controversial constitutional referendum that will increase his powers. While he has some support, many Tunisians see this is a betrayal of the Arab Spring.

    Wael and Jewaher locked eyes and ran towards each other. He had just been released from a police cell, and she’d spent the last 20 hours outside, singing protest songs while she waited for his release.

    As they hugged tightly, someone in the crowd handed him a fresh T-shirt to replace the torn one he’d been wearing since his arrest at an anti-referendum protest the night before.

    Tunisia is no stranger to demonstrations. Back in 2011 the Arab Spring was born here, before spreading across the Middle East.

    Mohamed Bouazizi, a young man without a job, was selling vegetables on the street to make ends meet. When the police told him he had to stop, he set himself on fire. It was an image of desperation which resonated so deeply that crowds of people began to gather together. They too were sick of economic hardship, political corruption and their autocratic ruler.

    Arab Spring protests in Tunisia in 2011Getty Images

    Now though, the country’s freedoms are moving in reverse. A year ago, in July 2021, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied made sweeping changes. He sacked the prime minister, dissolved the government and suspended parliament. On Monday Tunisians will vote on a new constitution that gives him even more control over the country.

    That’s why Wael and Jewaher are demonstrating once again.

    “We were in a parliamentary system,” Wael tells me. “Now we are in a presidency, a system for Kais Saied to hold all the power in his own hands.”

    The pair protested together in the original Arab Spring marches in 2011, as a young couple, not yet married. Now they have a son, Yasar, which translates in English to “left”, in honour of their political views.

    “We have been protesting for 11 years for the same demands,” explains Jewaher. “That is what’s frustrating. It’s a pattern we have to repeat. Here every year we have to protest for our freedom and dignity and rights.

    “The regime is in power with the force of the police, with the force of dictatorship, with the force of violence. So nothing ever really changed”.

    Saied Supporters
    To many of Kais Saied’s supporters, he is a saviour

    But to focus only on the protests doesn’t show the full picture here.

    In the narrow alleys of Tunis’s bustling Medina market, among piles of gold leather sandals and colourful rugs hanging overhead, people have firm ideas about what’s best for their future. Once again they’re poor and struggling, but they see Kais Saied as a saviour – not a dictator.

    Even though the new constitution has been internationally criticised for not protecting people’s rights, they’re still voting for it.

    I meet Mohsen strolling with his son among the fountains in the square. He is, like many here, a big supporter of the president.

    “Kais Saied is a straightforward man, he loves Tunisia,” he tells me. “I like the constitution very much, it will improve the situation in the country. I will be the first one to go and vote”.

    “I will vote yes, yes, yes,” exclaims Ali, standing among the racks of traditional women’s clothes in his shop. “The president will improve our conditions, I pin high hopes on Kais Saied’.

    Saida Shoe Shop Owner

    Saida, surrounded by shoes at her market stall, has no doubts.

    “He’s a good person. I have faith in him. He does not do bad things. He does not steal or anything. I hope all people are like him. He’s working to improve the situation, he’s purging the state. I will go and vote yes in the referendum so that the country moves forward. This is for the future of our kids”.

    For some people, Kais Saied’s power grab has been life-changing. Two months ago the president granted himself the ability to fire judges at will, and immediately dismissed 57 of them.

    Mohamed Al Kenzari sleeping

    Mohamed al Kenzari and two of his colleagues are among them, and now they’re on a hunger strike to protest at the way they’ve been treated. I meet them at the judges’ club in Tunis, where they’re now living in a darkened room filled with posters promoting their cause.

    Mohamed hasn’t eaten for 33 days, and is now so weak he can’t stand up. He lies on a mattress on the floor, covered by a thin pink floral sheet.

    “I’m so exhausted. You try to resist as much as you can, but nobody feels you. You call for your rights, but nobody feels you,” he tells me, and starts to cry. He says he won’t end his strike until the decree which led to the judges’ dismissal is reversed.

    More than 80% of Tunisians have registered to vote in the referendum on Monday 25 July. In many ways, this is a ballot on democracy, rights and freedoms, and whether they continue to have oxygen here.

    And for the people who demonstrated a decade ago – sparking a movement that enveloped a region – it simply signals the death of a dream.

    President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced out, and a new chapter began for Tunisians.

     

    Source: BBC

  • “You cant get it wrong with your Hearts choice”- Hearts of Oak reacts to Black Galaxies win against Benin

    Hearts of Oak has commended its players in the Black Galaxies camp after their impressive win against Benin in the first leg of the 2023 CHAN Qualifiers.

    The MTN FA Cup champions currently have five players in the camp of the Black Galaxies: Gladson Awako (captain), Mohammed Alhassan, Seidu Suraj, Dennis Korsah and Daniel Afriyie Barnie as they all featured in the game against Benin.

     

    Ghana took a big step in qualifying to the next stage following a 3-0 win against the Local Squirrels of Benin in the first leg played at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.

    Goals from Hearts of Oak trio Daniel Afriyie Barnie, Mohammed Alhassan and Gladson Awako ensured the Black Galaxies go in to the second leg on July 30, 2022 with a big advantage.

     

    Hearts of Oak in a post on their social media handles indicated- “You can’t get it wrong with your “Hearts”choice.

    The Black Galaxies will travel to Cotonou for the second leg on Saturday July 30, 2022.

    The winner of the tie will face Nigeria in the final round of qualifiers.

    Source: GhanaSocernet

     

  • Brazil election: Bolsonaro launches campaign

    Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has officially launched his re-election campaign, as he trails his main rival badly in opinion polls.

    Thousands of the far-right president’s supporters gathered at a stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where he was nominated.

    He promised to retain a welfare programme that makes cash payments to poorer Brazilians.

    His left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is widely known for his policies to lift people out of poverty.

    Mr Bolsonaro’s candidacy was officially endorsed by his right-wing Liberal Party. The election is due to take place on 2 October.

    During the rally at Maracanãzinho stadium, Mr Bolsonaro told his supporters, “The army is on our side.”

    “It’s an army that doesn’t accept corruption, doesn’t accept fraud,” he added. Gen Walter Braga Netto, former defence minister, has been nominated as Mr Bolsonaro’s vice-presidential candidate.

    Lula, who previously served as president from 2003-10, was officially nominated by the left-wing Workers’ Party on Thursday. Some opinion polls suggest he leads Mr Bolsonaro by as many as 20 percentage points.

     

     

    Source: BBC

  • Pope Francis: The pontiff’s ‘pilgrimage of penance’ to Canada

    The Pope is making a historic visit to offer a formal apology on Canadian soil for the harms done by Catholic-run residential schools across the country.

    Pope Francis, 85, has called the visit a “pilgrimage of penance”, and has said he hopes it will help heal the wrongs done to indigenous people in Canada by the Roman Catholic Church.

    His itinerary includes stops in the provinces of Alberta and Quebec and the northern territory of Nunavut.

    Absent from the Pope’s visit, however, is a stop in British Columbia, where the discovery last summer of evidence of some 200 unmarked graves on the grounds of a former residential school led to nationwide calls for reconciliation.

    The Pope will be in Canada until Friday.

    Why is the Pope visiting?

     

    Canada has grappled with the path to reconciliation – repairing the relationship between indigenous people, non-indigenous people and the government – in recent years.

    In 2015, abuses suffered by residential school survivors were highlighted in a landmark report by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

    The government-funded schools were part of a policy meant to assimilate indigenous children and destroy indigenous cultures and languages.

    Some 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were taken from their families during this period and placed in these schools.

    The Roman Catholic Church operated up to 70% of residential schools. There were more than 130 such schools scattered across the country, the last closing in 1996.

    The TRC report highlighted the stories of school survivors. Many were subjected to abuse, illness and malnutrition and the TRC called the residential schools system a central element of a policy of “cultural genocide”.

    One of the report’s “Calls to action” was a request for the Pope to apologise for the Catholic Church’s role in running the schools.

    In May 2021, evidence, using ground-penetrating radar technology, of the unmarked graves of children at a former school site were found in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, a First Nations community in British Columbia.

    The discovery received international attention and sent shockwaves across Canada.

    Other First Nations began conducting similar searches near the sites of residential schools and, to date, evidence of over 1,000 graves has been found.

    These findings intensified calls from indigenous leaders for a formal apology from the Pope.

    In April, he apologised to an indigenous delegation who had travelled to the Vatican, saying the residential schools caused him “pain and shame”.

    He promised to meet indigenous communities in Canada and to assist with reconciliation efforts.

    What is the Pope’s schedule in Canada?

     

    A mix of public events and private meetings make up the bulk of the Pope’s itinerary.

    The pontiff’s first stop is in Alberta, where he will visit the former site of Ermineskin Indian Residential School – one of the largest in Canada – in Maskwacis, a First Nations community south of the city of Edmonton.

    “For survivors from coast-to-coast, this is an opportunity – the first and maybe last – to perhaps find some closure for themselves and their families,” Chief Randy Ermineskin said in a statement.

    “This will be a difficult process but a necessary one.”

    In Edmonton, the Pope will attend Mass and visit the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, the first national parish for indigenous peoples in Canada.

    The facade of the Sacred Heart Church in Edmonton, which will host the Pope on his visit to CanadaurPhoto via Getty Images

    Pope Francis is also expected to visit Lac Ste Anne, the site of a major annual pilgrimage Рone of the largest Catholic gatherings in western Canada Рin a prominent First Nations and M̩tis community.

    On Wednesday, he will deliver a public address in Quebec City following a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon, the first indigenous person to hold that position.

    Pope Francis will celebrate Mass the following day in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, a pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics on the Saint Lawrence River, with 15,000 guests expected to be in attendance.

    The Pope’s visit will end with a flight to Iqaluit in Canada’s northern territory of Nunavut, where he is expected to speak privately with residential school survivors and attend a public community event.

    A ‘significant’ visit after decades of activism

     

    Canada’s indigenous leaders welcomed the Pope’s apology in Rome, but many hope the pontiff will now expand on his historic remarks.

    Crystal Gail Fraser, a Gwichyà Gwich’in assistant professor of history and native studies at the University of Alberta, said the Pope’s visit was “significant”, and followed decades of activism and calls for accountability from indigenous communities.

    The discovery of the unmarked graves, she added, is a big reason why the trip is happening now.

    Ms Fraser, who also sits on the governing circle of Canada’s National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, said she will be looking for more than just an apology from Pope Francis.

    “Like many other times in Canadian history, we have seen apologies come and go,” Ms Fraser said. “So for me, I’m going to be looking for the actions of the Catholic Church next.”

    This includes compensation for survivors and releasing documents about former staff and clergy who operated the schools, she said.

    “We’re still in the pursuit of truth,” Ms Fraser said.

    Some indigenous leaders want the Catholic Church to renounce a doctrine issued as a series of papal bulls – official documents issued by the Pope – and dating from the 1400s, saying it was used as “legal and moral justification for colonial dispossession” of indigenous people.

    Pope Francis has also been criticised for failing to include Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc on his itinerary despite a formal invitation.

    The Union of BC Indian Chiefs accused the Pope of showing “blatant disregard” for meaningful acknowledgement of harms done in residential schools.

    But given the Pope’s “advanced age and the size of Canada”, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, tasked with planning his visit, said it focused on “a targeted group of communities” despite several requests to visit sites across the country.

    Pope Francis has recently faced health issues, and has been using a wheelchair since May. Ongoing problems with his knee forced him to cancel a recent trip to Africa.

    Source: BBC

  • Barcelona ‘agree’ Chelsea transfer hijack after missing out due to “having no money”

    The Catalan giants were pipped to a deal for Koulibaly, who became the Blues’ second summer capture in a £33m switch earlier this month. Chelsea always appeared to be in pole position to land the coveted defender, with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claiming that he had told Koulibaly that he couldn’t let him join Barcelona as they had “no money”.

    But the La Liga outfit are set to go head-to-had against Chelsea again in the race for Kounde, who looks set to finally leave Sevilla this summer.

    According to SPORT, Barcelona have ‘agreed terms’ on a four-year deal with Kounde, who had seemingly been on the verge of a move to Stamford Bridge. The Blues failed in an attempt to bring the 23-year-old to the Premier League last year but rekindled their interest after losing the services of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

    The report goes on to outline that Barcelona’s bid will fall short of the £55m package that Chelsea have tabled for Chelsea but the Spanish giants intend to pay the entire sum up front and believe that Sevilla will ‘accept the terms’ of their offer.Kounde’s arrival would be the latest big-money deal that Barcelona have pulled off this summer despite concerns o. The Spanish giants have been busy in the transfer market, with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski arriving for a combined sum of around £90m. Christensen and Franck Kessie have also moved to the Nou Camp on free transfers.

    Source: Msn.com

  • Oak Fire: Wildfire grows as firefighters battle punishing heat

    A fast-moving wildfire in California continues to grow in size, firefighters say, as they struggle through sweltering temperatures.

    The Oak Fire has now burned 15,603 acres of land and is still “zero per cent contained”, California’s fire department said on Sunday night.

    But it added that the fire activity is not as extreme as previous days, and firefighters are making progress.

    More than 6,000 people have been evacuated and 10 structures destroyed.

    A further 3,271 structures – both homes and businesses – are under threat, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported.

    At a community meeting on Sunday night, an official said they hoped the blaze, which started on Friday, would start to be contained “very soon”.

    A state of emergency was declared in Mariposa County on Saturday, and will allow the state to access some federal assistance to tackle the fires.

    The scale of the blaze marks an ominous start to California’s wildfire season and officials have warned that a combination of drought, climate change, and overgrown vegetation are posing significant challenges and increasing the chances of the fire spreading rapidly.

    Much of the United States is sweltering through a heatwave and heat advisory warnings are in effect in more than a dozen states. Temperatures in Mariposa County hit 100F (38C) on Sunday, and are expected to stay high for the next few days.

    trees on fireGetty Images

    Yosemite National Park, which lies to the north-east of where Oak Fire is burning, is home to some of the largest and oldest sequoia trees in the world. The redwoods were threatened by another blaze earlier this month, but firefighters managed to save them.

    The US Forest Service said on Friday it is taking emergency measures to protect the trees, including removing low-lying vegetation that can fuel fires and other measures.

    Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

    The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

    Several European governments have struggled to contain dozens of separate wildfires which have ripped across the continent in recent weeks.

    Source: BBC

  • Ukraine war: Russian investigator says 92 Ukrainians charged

    Moscow has charged 92 members of the Ukrainian armed forces with crimes against humanity, the head of Russia’s investigative committee has said.

    Alexander Bastrykin told government news site Rossiiskaya Gazeta over 1,300 criminal investigations had begun.

    He also proposed an international tribunal backed by countries including Iran, Syria and Bolivia – traditional allies of Russia.

    As well as the 92 who have already been charged by Russia, some 96 people, including 51 armed forces commanders, are wanted, Mr Bastrykin said.

    The Ukrainians were involved in “crimes against the peace and security of humanity”, he told the newspaper.

    The BBC has been unable to verify claims made in the interview and Kyiv has not commented.

    But this month, Ukraine said it was examining more than 21,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression allegedly committed by Russian forces since the start of the invasion in February.

    And in May, the first war crimes trial since the invasion began took place in Ukraine, where a court jailed a Russian tank commander for life for killing a civilian.

    The International Criminal Court (ICC), which has described Ukraine as a “crime scene”, has also sent a team of investigators and forensics experts to Ukraine.

    The Kremlin denies all war crimes, or that it has been targeting civilians. It has regularly blamed Ukraine for shelling its own infrastructure and killing its own civilians – accusations which have been widely dismissed by international leaders.

    When asked in the interview whether a UN-backed trial could take place, Mr Bastrykin accused the West of openly sponsoring “Ukrainian nationalism” and said such a thing “is extremely doubtful”.

    Moscow has repeatedly made the false claim that Ukraine is overrun by neo-Nazis as justification for what it calls a “special military operation”.

    Mr Bastrykin instead proposed that an international tribunal should be set up with countries that have “an independent position on the Ukrainian issue” – in particular Syria, Iran and Bolivia.

    Syria and Iran both voted against a UN resolution in March condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while Bolivia abstained.

    Along with hundreds of Ukrainian military and political targets, Mr Bastrykin said investigations are under way into Ukrainian health ministry employees who he accused, without providing evidence, of developing weapons of mass destruction.

    Suspected mercenaries from the UK, the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Georgia are under investigation, he told the newspaper.

    In June, two Britons and a Moroccan who were captured while fighting for Ukraine were sentenced to death by a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine.

    Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saaudun are accused of being mercenaries, but the Britons’ families have insisted they are long-serving members of the Ukrainian military.

     

    Source: BBC

  • A drive-by shooting left 8 people under the age of 21 injured in Atlanta, police say

    Eight people between the ages of 16 and 21 were shot early Sunday morning while standing outside a gas station in Atlanta, according to police.

    A group of around 12 people was gathered at the parking lot of a Shell gas station when a vehicle drove into the parking lot and shots were fired from inside the car, a police spokesperson told CNN affiliate WXIA-TV. A total of 8 people, including six women between the ages of 16 and 21 years old, and two men, 18 and 21 years old, were shot.

    In a statement, the Atlanta Police Department said that the shooter or shooters remain unknown at this time and the incident remains under investigation.

    All of the victims arrived at a hospital shortly after the shooting, according to the police statement. A driver flagged down a police car at around 1:00 a.m. Sunday and told officers four people in the car had been shot, the statement said. Police escorted the victims to Piedmont Hospital.

    Two other victims of the same shooting also arrived at Piedmont Hospital to receive treatment. These six victims were in stable condition, police say.

    Another two victims first arrived at Emory Hospital in critical condition and were transferred to Grady Memorial Hospital.

    Source: CNN

  • I pleaded with Mahama for 4 and half years to erect tombstone on Mills’ grave – Koku Anyidoho

    Koku Anyidoho, the founder of the Atta-Mills Institute has reacted to criticisms that he has arrogated the name of former President John Evans Atta-Mills to himself without recourse to his Mills’ family.

    He has also been accused of engaging with the government to refurbish the Asomdwee Park, the final resting place of the late President without recourse to the family of Professor Mills.

    In a radio interview Monday morning, Anyidoho dismissed the criticisms and said for four and half years while former President John Dramani Mahama was in office [July 24, 2012 to January 6, 2017], he pleaded with President Mahama to erect a tombstone on Mills’ grave but he was ignored.

    He said when he initiated moves to plead with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo when he succeeded President Mahama to erect the tombstone and rehabilitate the Asomdwee Park, NDC folks told him to wait till Mahama was in power again so he could be it.

    Mr Anyidoho commended President Akufo-Addo for agreeing to his request for the state to rehabilitate the park to a status befitting the stature of the late President Mills.

    He gave an assurance that he would ensure the regular maintenance of the park.

    Source:graphic.com.gh

  • 71-year-old man mauled to death by dogs; owner arrested, sheriff’s office says

    Freddy Garcia was walking to a neighborhood store in Fresno on July 18 when he was fatally attacked by the pack of dogs, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

    Samuel Cartwright, 47, who owned all seven dogs, was arrested and charged in connection with the mauling, the sheriff’s office said. It is unclear if Cartwright has an attorney at this time. CNN has reached out to the district attorney’s office for more information.

    “All seven dogs — who are a pit bull mixes — were captured by sheriff’s deputies and Animal Control,” the sheriff’s office added.

    Cartwright was booked into the county jail on Thursday and charged with “attack by dog resulting in death,” a second-degree felony, according to jail records. His bail is set at $100,000.

    Prior to his arrest, CNN affiliate KTRK spoke with Cartwright, who said the dogs do not belong to him and that he called animal control as soon as he spotted them on his property.

    “There’s 20 dogs around here right now. If you drive down this back street, there will be 20 loose dogs running around,” he said. “People just dump them around here. The dogs go wherever they can find food.”

    Garcia’s granddaughter, Ivon Fajardo, mourned her grandfather in the interview with KTRK.

    “He was youthful. He was full of life. He liked to dance. He liked to sing. He was really joyful,” Fajardo said in Spanish. “We would get together on the weekend and enjoy each other’s company. Now, that he’s not here. It’s not going to be the same.”

    Sheriff Eric Fagan said in a news conference Tuesday that Garcia had done nothing to provoke the animals.

    “He was walking down the street. He was not in anyone’s yard, he was walking to the store when he was attacked,” he said. “He had nothing in his hands. The dogs just attacked him for no reason and no provocation whatsoever.”

     

    Source: CNN

  • 4 inmates captured within hours of escaping Tennessee detention center

    Four inmates who escaped a minimum-security housing unit in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are back in custody, just hours after their getaway Saturday, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

    The search for the inmates — William Atkins, Johnny Bryant, Justin Lynn Conner and Trevor Lynn Hall — began around 5:30 a.m. Saturday when corrections officers with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office discovered the men were missing during a head count.

    An investigation revealed the inmates had breached an exterior door, the sheriff’s office said in a news release, and scaled the barbed wire fence along the facility’s perimeter.

    Atkins and Bryant were captured at a local motel just a few hours into the search, the sheriff’s office said in an initial statement. By Saturday night, Conner and Hall were also apprehended in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, and Jackson County, respectively, a second news release stated.

    Chief Deputy Austin Garrett of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office praised the work of his agency and others who assisted, including the FBI, US Marshals and the Chattanooga Police Department.

    “Within 24 hours of the reported escape, all four inmates were taken back into custody due to the exhaustive and extensive investigation conducted by HCSO personnel and our federal and local partners,” Garrett said in a statement.

    “I am extremely proud of the efforts of our personnel who have worked tirelessly throughout the day to ensure the swift apprehension of these four wanted fugitives was accomplished.”

    Source: CNN

  • Woman on fishing boat off Florida coast stabbed by 100-pound fish

    A 73-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital after being stabbed by a 100-pound sailfish that an angler was trying to reel onto a boat off the Florida coast, officials said.

    The sailfish began to charge at the boat and then jumped out of the water and stabbed the woman in the groin while she was standing next to the boat’s center console, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

    It happened so fast, the woman didn’t have time to react, she told a responding officer.

    The two men on the boat applied pressure to the wound right away, according to an incident report filed last week.

    The woman, identified as Katherine Perkins, was in a good condition in hospital Sunday, a spokesperson at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital told CNN.

    The boat was about two miles offshore from the St. Lucie Inlet when the incident took place.

    Sailfish have long bills, similar to those of marlins and swordfish. They are considered by many to be the fastest fish in the ocean, according to the Ocean Conservancy.

    The sailfish was estimated to weigh 100 pounds, according to the sheriff’s office report.

    Source: CNN

  • Three dead in graduation shooting at top Philippines university

    ManilaThree people died in a shooting at a university graduation ceremony in the Philippines’ capital region on Sunday, including a former mayor from the volatile south of the country, police said.

    Local Quezon City police chief Remus Medina said the shooting appeared to have been an assassination of the former mayor of the southern Lamitan city, Rose Furigay.

    The suspect, wounded in a shootout with a campus security officer and arrested after a car chase, was now in custody and being interrogated, Medina told reporters.

    “He looks like he was a determined assassin,” Medina said, adding he was found with two pistols.

    Quezon is part of the Manila capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities home to more than 13 million people.

    Funeral workers carry a victim's body at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon city, Philippines, Sunday, July 24, 2022

    Furigay was shot as she was about to attend the graduation of her daughter at the law school of Ateneo de Manila University, one of the country’s most prestigious, Medina said.

    The suspect, who had no relatives at the graduation, was also a native of Lamitan city in Basilan province, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a pro-Islamist State extremist group known for its banditry and kidnapping.

    The two others killed were a campus security officer and an unidentified male, the police said.

    Ateneo canceled the graduation ceremony after the shooting.

    In the Southeast Asian nation, shooting incidents are sporadic, with owners required to have permits to carry guns in public. Private security officers in the Philippines carry either handguns or shotguns, and firearms are a common sight in shopping malls, offices, banks, restaurants and even schools.

    “We commit our law enforcement agencies to thoroughly and swiftly investigate these killings and bring all involved to justice,” Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement.

     Source: CNN

  • China executes man who set fire to his ex-wife during livestream

    A man who killed his ex-wife by setting her on fire during a livestream was executed in China on Saturday, state media reported, marking the end of a case that prompted horror and outrage across the country.

    Tang Lu was executed by a court in the southwestern Sichuan province, according to Global Times, citing the Intermediate People’s Court of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture.

    Tang was allowed to meet his family before the execution, Global Times reported.

    Tang’s ex-wife, Lhamo, was a farmer and livestreamer in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture. State media reported that Tang had a history of physical abuse toward Lhamo, and the couple divorced in June 2020.

    He repeatedly sought her out and asked to remarry in the following months, but was turned away.

    Then, in September 2020, Lhamo was livestreaming a video of herself when Tang appeared behind her, poured gasoline over her and set her on fire. She died two weeks later. Tang was arrested soon after the attack, and sentenced to death in October 2021.

    'This could happen to any of us': Graphic video of men stomping on a woman's head shakes China to the core

    The case was widely covered in national and international media, raising discussion about the abuse and mistreatment of women in China — and how the country’s legal system often fails to protect victims while easily pardoning perpetrators.

    Until 2001, when China amended its marriage law, abuse wasn’t considered grounds for divorce.

    China enacted its first nationwide law prohibiting domestic violence in 2015, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that defined the offense for the first time, and covers both psychological abuse as well as physical violence.

    However, critics say there are still gaps in the law — it does not cover same-sex couples and makes no mention of sexual violence.

    The debate on violence against women and gender inequality in China has continued since Lhamo’s death.

    Recent controversies have included several explosive rape allegations involving high-profile names last year and an assault on several women in a restaurant last month after one of them fended off a man’s sexual harassment.

    Source: CNN

  • Parents and 6-year-old girl killed in suspected triple homicide at Iowa state park

    Two parents and their 6-year-old daughter were found dead at an Iowa campground Friday, and a 4th person died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, in what authorities are investigating as a triple homicide.

    Cedar Falls residents Tyler Schmidt and Sarah Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, 6, were identified as the three victims whose bodies were found Friday morning at a campground at Maquoketa Caves State Park, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said.

    Officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Division of Criminal Investigation also found a camper was unaccounted for and discovered the body of Anthony Orlando Sherwin, 23, west of the park, the department said. Sherwin, who is described as the suspect, appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the department said.

    Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green said in a Facebook post Sarah Schmidt was his neighbor and worked for the city’s public library.

    “Like many of you just hearing the news, I’m devastated,” Green wrote. “I knew Sarah well, and she & her family were regular walkers here in the Sartori Park neighborhood. I was working with her this week on a public library tech presentation for (July 26).”

    He said the Schmidts’ 9-year-old son survived the attack and is safe.

    “Details will be forthcoming about services and other memorials, and I will ensure the community knows about this,” he added. “Please offer some extra grace to the Schmidts’ many friends, neighbors, and coworkers as we try to process this horrible tragedy. The Cedar Falls Library will be closed tomorrow for the sake of the staff who loved and worked with Sarah.”

    The deaths led to an evacuation of the state park, located about 60 miles east of Cedar Rapids. The park is closed to the public until further notice, police said.

     

    Source:CNN

  • 2 killed and 5 others injured during shooting at Los Angeles park

    Two people were killed and at least five others were injured in a shooting Sunday at a park in the Los Angeles neighborhood of San Pedro, officials said.

    Investigators believe the shooting began as a dispute between two parties at Peck Park, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Kelly Muniz said during a news conference. “We’re continuing to clear the park for evidence and potentially additional victims,” she said.

    An informal car show was taking place at the park at the time, authorities said.

    Four men and three women were taken to a local hospital, fire officials said earlier, and two of those people were pronounced dead.

    “We’re investigating that there could be more than one shooter,” Muniz said. No one was in custody as of early Sunday night.

    Source: CNN

  • Police say the fundraiser for the homeless man was a scam. Now GoFundMe has refunded the money

    GoFundMe has made refunds to thousands of people who donated money to a feel-good story that police say turned out to be an elaborate scam.

    A New Jersey couple and a homeless man are accused of concocting the scheme, which raised more than $400,000.

    “All donors who contributed to this GoFundMe campaign have been fully refunded. GoFundMe always fully protects donors, which is why we have a comprehensive refund policy in place,” said GoFundMe spokesman Bobby Whithorne. The campaign had attracted some 14,000 donors.

    The scam

     

    The couple, Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico, and the homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., face charges of second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.

    The couple had said they met Bobbitt when he gave his last $20 to McClure, who was stranded on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, so she could put gas in her car, then started the GoFundMe campaign as a way to thank him.

    Kate McClure and Johnny Bobbitt Jr.

    “The paying-it-forward story that drove this fundraiser might seem too good to be true,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said at a news conference last month. “Unfortunately, it was. The entire campaign was predicated on a lie.”

    After fees, the proceeds of the campaign netted about $367,000, all deposited into McClure’s accounts, Coffina said. Bobbitt received $75,000, and within months McClure and D’Amico had “squandered” their share to buy a car, high-end handbags and trips, Coffina said. They also used it at casinos, he said.

    ‘Make people feel bad’

     

    Coffina stressed that while Bobbitt, a veteran, deserves thanks for his service to the country and sympathy for his situation, he was fully complicit in the crime, making media appearances to help “promote the fraudulent campaign.”

    According to Coffina, McClure and D’Amico first met Bobbitt at an off-ramp near a casino they frequented, at least a month before the GoFundMe campaign went live.

    Kate McClure and Mark D'Amico, and Johnny Bobbitt Jr.,

    They went back to the spot a month later, Coffina said. D’Amico took a picture of McClure and Bobbitt that became the face of the GoFundMe campaign that they started hours later, Coffina said.

    Investigators reviewed more than 67,000 text messages in the case, including one McClure sent to a friend that read, “Okay so wait the gas part is completely made up, but the guy isn’t. I had to make something up to make people feel bad.”

    In other texts, the couple discussed their inability to pay bills and their mounting debts.

    Fighting fraud

     

    GoFundMe’s spokesman stressed the crowdfunding site is committed to fighting fraud.

    “It’s important to understand that misuse is very rare on our platform,” Whithorne said. “Campaigns with misuse make up less than one tenth of one percent of all campaigns. We have a zero tolerance policy for fraudulent behavior. If fraud occurs, donors get refunded and we work with law enforcement officials to recover the money.”

    According to its website, the company has a Trust and Safety team that reviews GoFundMe campaigns around the clock and works to prevent fraud. It also guarantees a refund for donors in case “something isn’t right” with a campaign, the site says.

    CNN’s Madeline Holcombe, Dakin Andone, Evan Simko-Bednarski and Olivia Kiely contributed to this report.

     

    Source: CNN

  • Midfielder Majeed Ashimeru scores in Anderlechts 2-0 victory over Oostende in Belgium

    Ghana international midfielder Majeed Ashimeru registered the maiden goal of the fresh season for Anderlecht as he struck the opener in their 2-0 triumph over KV Oostende in Belgium on Sunday.


    The 24-year-old started the game alongside his Ghanaian compatriot Francis Amuzu and he drew first blood for the Royals 6 minutes before half-time.

    Ashimeru profited from a very nice assist from Adrien Trebel to smash the ball home for the opening goal of the game.

    The ex-WAFA man was replaced after 76 minutes minutes while Amuzu also came off with 9 minutes left to play.

    Source: GhanaSportsonline

  • Woman who collected $400,000 in viral GoFundMe scam sentenced to one year and a day in prison

    Katelyn McClure pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception in the second degree. On Thursday, she was sentenced and ordered to pay restitution and to serve three years of supervised release, according to court documents.

    She collected $400,000 in a GoFundMe scam. Now she faces 4 years in prison

    In 2017, McClure claimed she ran out of gas and was stranded on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. The homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., supposedly saw her and gave her his last $20 for gas.

    McClure and her then-boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, posted about the “good deed” on social media, including a picture of her with Bobbitt on a highway ramp. They also started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the homeless veteran, saying they wanted to pay it forward to the good Samaritan and get him off the streets.

    The story went viral and made national headlines, with over 14,000 donors contributing. The scammers netted around $367,000 after fees.

    Prosecutors said the then-couple spent the money on a BMW, a New Year’s trip to Las Vegas, gambling in casinos, Louis Vuitton handbags, and other items. Bobbitt, who received $75,000 from the fundraiser, according to prosecutors, took civil action against D’Amico and McClure and the scam soon became public.

    The investigation revealed the real story. According to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina, the couple first met Bobbit at an off-ramp near a casino at least a month before the GoFundMe campaign went live. Investigators reviewed texts the couple sent discussing the scam and their money troubles, including one McClure sent to a friend that read, “Okay so wait the gas part is completely made up, but the guy isn’t. I had to make something up to make people feel bad.”

    Bobbitt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft by deception in 2019 and was sentenced to a five-year special probation period that includes drug treatment. D’Amico also pleaded guilty and agreed to a five-year term in New Jersey state prison, as well as restitution of GoFundMe and the donors, in 2019.

     

    Source: CNN

  • Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta likely to lose job as minority in parliament seek vote of censure

    The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, risks losing his job as the Minority caucus in parliament is gathering signatures to kick start a vote of censure proceedings against him.

    The move seeks to invoke article 82 of the constitution which provides the procedure of removing a Minister of State through proceedings in parliament.

    The finance minister has been in the news since the government made a U-turn to seek a bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The U-turn came after his earlier outspoken stance against Ghana going for an IMF program.

    Many have since called for his removal from office, arguing that doing so could help boost investor confidence.

    So far, the Minority in Parliament is reported to have secured over 100 signatures of colleagues to further their quest to secure his removal.

    If the motion is admitted, the Minister for Finance will be the second in recent times to have such a motion filed against him following that of the Minister of Health which is still pending in the house.

    Source:citinewsroom.com

  • Myanmar junta executes leading democracy activists

    Myanmar’s military junta executed two prominent pro-democracy activists and two other men accused of terrorism, state media reported Monday, following a trial condemned by the UN and rights groups.

    Veteran democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy, and former National League for Democracy lawmaker Phyo Zayar Thaw were executed, along with Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported, without giving a date.

    Their deaths mark the first judicial executions in the country in decades, and human rights groups fear more will follow. According to Human Rights Watch, 114 people have been sentenced to death in Myanmar since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021.

    Ko Jimmy and Phyo Zayar Thaw were accused by the military of being “involved in terrorist acts such as explosion attacks, killing of civilians as informants,” junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun previously told CNN. They were sentenced to death in January 2022, and last month Zaw Min Tun confirmed their appeals had been denied.

    Civilian cases have been tried in military courts with proceedings closed to the public since the military seized power last year, ousting the elected government and reversing almost a decade of tentative democratic reforms.

    Myanmar could see first executions in decades as junta says death sentences of two activists upheld

    Rights groups say these secretive military tribunals deny the chance to a fair trial and are designed for speedy — and almost certain — convictions, regardless of evidence.

    United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said in a statement Monday he was “outraged and devastated” by the executions.

    “My heart goes out to their families, friends and loved ones and indeed all the people of Myanmar who are victims of the junta’s escalating atrocities,” he said. “These individuals were tried, convicted, and sentenced by a military tribunal without the right of appeal and reportedly without legal counsel, in violation of international human rights law.”

    Acting Asia director for Human Rights Watch, Elaine Pearson, called the executions “an act of utter cruelty,” that “followed grossly unjust and politically motivated military trials.”

    “This horrific news was compounded by the junta’s failure to notify the men’s families, who learned about the executions through the junta’s media reports,” Pearson said in a statement Monday.

    A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said earlier the UN was “deeply troubled” by the decision to execute the men, calling it a “blatant violation of the right to life, liberty and security of person,” referring to an article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    Amnesty International said it has recorded an “alarming” increase in the number of death sentences in the country since the takeover that it said were designed to “sow fear.”

    Phyo Zayar Thaw, a lower house member for the National League for Democracy in Naypyidaw on August 24, 2015.

    “The death sentence has become one of many appalling ways the Myanmar military is attempting to sow fear among anyone who opposes its rule, and would add to the grave human rights violations, including lethal violence targeted at peaceful protesters and other civilians,” the organization said on Twitter in June.

    An Amnesty report from 2021 said the last judicial execution in Myanmar known to have taken place was in 1988. There have been numerous death sentences in the country since, but they’ve usually been “commuted through mass pardons,” Amnesty said.

    CNN has been unable to independently verify when the last execution by the state was carried out in Myanmar.

    Prominent activists

     

    Phyo Zayar Thaw, 41, was formerly a lawmaker in Myanmar’s lower house of parliament for the then-ruling National League for Democracy — the party of ousted state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

    Before becoming a politician, Phyo Zayar Thaw was a popular hip hop artist and a founding member of pro-democracy youth organization Generation Wave. He was imprisoned in 2008 by the previous military regime for his activism.

    In November 2021, Phyo Zayar Thaw was arrested during a raid on an apartment complex in Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon. He was accused of planning attacks on junta targets and charged under the Counterterrorism Law and the Public Property Protection Act, according to local media.

    Ko Jimmy became a prominent student activist in Myanmar during the mass popular uprising against the then-military regime in 1988. He spent about 15 years behind bars for his activism and involvement in the 8888 demonstrations and 2007 Saffron Revolution.

    Myanmar political prisoner Kyaw Min Yu, center, and his wife Ni Lar Thein, left, upon their arrival at Yangon international airport following their release from detention on January 13, 2012.

    According to local media, Ko Jimmy was detained in October 2021, accused of organizing guerrilla attacks on junta targets and charged with treason and terrorism offenses. He was also wanted by the regime for allegedly inciting unrest because of social media posts criticizing the coup.

    Since seizing power, the military junta led by Min Aung Hlaing has embarked on a bloody crackdown against any opposition to its rule. Nearly 15,000 people have been arrested and more than 2,000 killed by military forces in that time, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

    The military has been accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes by the US, UN and other international bodies as it attempts to assert control over the people, who continue to wage a mass resistance campaign.

    “The junta’s barbarity and callous disregard for human life aims to chill the anti-coup protest movement,” Human Rights Watch’s Pearson said Monday.

    “European Union member states, the United States, and other governments should show the junta that there will be a reckoning for its crimes.”

     

    Source: CNN

  • GWCL grants amnesty to customers in arrears

    The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has granted amnesty to all customers who owe the company or have issues with their connections.

    The amnesty is to enable various customers pay their arrears.

    In a statement on dated Sunday, July 24, 2022, the management of GWCL said the amnesty will start from August 1 to 31, 2022.

    Below is a list of customers to benefit from the GWCL’s amnesty:

    1. Customers with two or more months arrears, will be amnestied to enable them settle all outstanding bills before the end of August 2022, or risk having their names published in the national dailies.

    2. All customers with issues on their bills should contact the nearest district office for rectification.

    3. Citizens who have illegally connected water to their properties are being advised to report themselves to any regional or district offices of the GWCL for their services to be regularised.

    4. All customers are encouraged to take advantage of this period to right the wrongs or will have to face the rigors of the law.

    5. All GWCL collection/pay points are opened during normal working hours and customers can also pay their bills via mobile money channels with all the telecommunications networks.

    Source: Graphicsonline

  • Ashanti Regional NPP MPs call on constituents to exercise restraint in addressing issues

    Members of Parliament (MPs) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from the Ashanti Region have urged their constituents to exercise restraint and use dialogue to resolve issues surrounding roads and other projects in the region.

    The focus of the appeal was to explain how hard their MPs are pushing to get government attention to continue all the good projects started in the region and also the bad roads that need immediate attention.

    The caucus further condemns the attacks that were melted on Kyei Mensah-Bonsu last Monday when he visited some projects in the Suame constituency in the Ashanti region.

    Addressing Journalists on the unfortunate incident that occurred in Suame involving the Majority Leader, the MP for Asante Akyem Central and chair of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi called on the people who took part in that incident to go to their leaders and apologize.

    The Chairman of the caucus, Mr Anyimadu, therefore, gave the assurance that all the road projects and the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Projects (IPEP) started by the NPP government would be completed to bring about confidence in the ruling government.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • Atta Mills tomb hasnt been desecrated Akufo-Addo

    President Akufo-Addo has debunked claims that the tomb of former President John Evans Atta Mills has been desecrated.

    According to him, such claims are false. He, thus, entreated the general public to disregard any claim to that effect.

    This comes after the family alleged that the government has allowed the Atta Mills Institute to tamper with the grave of the former President without informing them.

    Speaking during the commissioning of the Rehabilitated Asomdwee Park and the 10th Anniversary of the death of President Atta Mills, President Akufo-Addo said the public should reject such claims.

    He stressed that the legacy of the former president will not be forgotten.

    “There have been unfortunate accusations leveled by some persons against Government about the supposed desecration of the tomb of the late President in the process of rehabilitating the Park.”

    “Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is good to note that these false, malicious statements have been firmly dispelled and debunked by the Coastal Development Authority, through the agency of its CEO, Mr. Jerry Ahmed Schaib, in a public statement under his hand,” he added.

    Applauding the president for his contribution to building the Asomdwoe Park, the Chief Executive of the Atta Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho, said he will ensure the “regular maintenance of the park.”

    Professor John Evans Atta Mills previously served as Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings, and he stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

    He is the first sitting Ghanaian head of state to die in office and was subsequently laid to rest at the Asomdwoe Park.

    John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 24, 2012.

    Source: Citinewsroom.com

     

  • Ghana forward Bernard Tekpetey scores as Ludogorets draw 2-2 against CSKA Sofia

    Ghanaian forward Bernard Tekpetey scored his second goal of the season for Ludogorets against CSKA Sofia which ended in a 2-2 draw.

    Tekpetey scored in the closing minutes of the game to secure a point for the Bulgarian champions.

    Brazilian Cauly scored the opening goal of the game with just some few minutes to end the first half for CSKA Sofia.

    Ivaylo Chochev increased the lead for CSKA Sofia in the 73rd minute before Georgi Rusev reduced the deficit for Ludogorets in the 75th minute.

    The Ghana international got the equalizer for Ludogerets in the 80th minute with a nice effort from 25 yards.

    Source: GhanaSoccernet

  • Tamale project is a flyover, not an interchange Richard Manuribe

    Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirant for Nkwanta South, Richard Manuribe has described the recently-inaugurated project in the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale as a flyover and not an interchange as claimed by the government.

    He said several debates had established that the infrastructure was not an interchange as suggested.

    He added that the government had subsequently also admitted that the infrastructure does not qualify as an interchange.

    “As to whether it is an interchange or a flyover, that debate has been settled.

    “You saw desperate attempts by people in government to christen it an interchange,” Richard Manuribe stated in an interview on Peace FM.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • It’s unfortunate violence is used as a tool to secure political attention -Prof Aning

    Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Kwesi Aning, has decried the use of violence as a tool to draw the attention of government officials to address the pertinent social needs of citizens.

    According to the Professor, Ghana is currently experiencing a political credibility crisis where citizens have lost faith in politicians due to their failure to deliver on their mandate. As a result, they tend to resort to violence to get their plights addressed, which he said was unfortunate.

    The Professor also intimated that citizens perceive violence as a legitimate tool to secure the attention of political actors, since they tend to respond quickly to their needs when force is applied.

    “Politics has been hallowed out to such an extent that those who govern have lost the respect of those who are governed,” he said on Saturday, July 23, 2022, on Newsfile.

    He also mentioned that politicians themselves have glorified violence and tend to respond quickly to threats of, and actual acts of violence, which sends the signal to citizens that through violent means they can quickly get responses to their problems.

    “When the language of violence has a direct correlation to politicians listening – first coming to power and even the threat or actual use of violence leads to politicians, government acting, then the citizenry understands and perceive violence as a legitimate tool for getting political and developmental results and that’s unfortunate,” he added.

    His comment was part of discussions on the incident which happened in Suame, when Majority Leader and MP for the Constituency was hooted at by residents over deplorable roads.

    On Friday, July 15, 2022 some residents  of the constituency mounted road blocks to protest the poor state of their roads. Some of the residents threw objects including sachet water at him.

    “Away, away” the angry youth chanted.

    Meanwhile, the MP has accused an NDC group in the community of instigating the youth against him.

  • Right to Dream Academy thump Hacken to lift 2022 Gothia Cup:VIDEO

    Right to Dream Academy U17 beat Swedish side BK Häcken 4-2 on penalties to win the prestigious 2022 Gothia Cup.

    It was the third consecutive title for the Old Aprade side and the fifth in total.

    The Ghanaian side took an early through Moussa Cissé when his shot slipped through the hands of the goalkeeper.

    But BK Häcken snatched the equalizer in the last minute of the first half.

    After the break, Cisse scored in the early stages to give Right to Dream the lead once again.

    Striker Cissé completed a hat-trick  to put  Right to Dream 3-1 up.

    Häcken fought back to reduce the deficit and come back into the game but they were left dejected  when Right to Dream scored the fourth.

    WATCH HOW RIGHT TO DREAM WON THE 2022 GOTHIA CUP:

    Source: GhanaSoccernet

  • Paa Kwesi Fabin: New Aduana Stars coach reveals Kotoko approached him to replace Ogum

    Paa Kwesi Fabin has revealed that Asante Kotoko approached him to replace Prosper Narteh Ogum, who is said to have resigned.

    Fabin claims he turned down the proposal because he had already committed to Aduana Stars.

    On Wednesday morning, the Ghana U-17 coach was officially confirmed as Aduana Stars coach, and later that day, news of Ogum’s shocking resignation broke.

    “Two Asante Kotoko board members contacted me when Dr Prosper Narteh Ogum resigned from his post but I told them I have signed for Aduana FC,” Fabin said.

    Ogum is said to have verbally informed the club that he wishes to resign. The former WAFA manager wants out due to the club’s lack of transfer activity.

    Ghanasoccernet sources have revealed that the club have not accepted Ogum’s decision and are still in talks with him in the hope of convincing him to stay and lead them next season.

    However, Amoa-Abban disagrees with the club’s current stance as he wants Ogum fired.

    “Asante Kotoko is under the stewardship of a great management team led by Nana Yaw Amponsah. The success on and off the pitch last season is a testament to this fact.”

    “The coach [Prosper Narteh Ogum] should be fired,” he posted on Twitter.

    “No one is bigger than the club. Asante Kotoko remains supreme,” he added.

    Source: GhanaSoccernet