Japan, South Korea, and the United States have conducted a joint naval missile defense exercise in response to North Korea’s “nuclear and missile threats,” following the recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by Pyongyang.
On Sunday, the joint drill took place in international waters between South Korea and Japan, involving destroyers equipped with Aegis radar systems from all three countries, as confirmed by the South Korean Navy.
During the exercise, naval officers practiced procedures to detect and track a computer-simulated ballistic target while sharing relevant information.
In response to recent events, North Korea launched its latest Hwasong-18 missile from the east coast on Wednesday, considering it a “strong practical warning” to its adversaries. The launch followed heated complaints from North Korea about US spy planes flying over its exclusive economic zone waters and condemning the visit of a US nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine to South Korea. Pyongyang also threatened to take further actions in response.
The ICBM launch received strong condemnation from Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington, who deemed it a “clear, flagrant violation” of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, posing a serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
The South Korean Navy stated that Sunday’s joint drills provided a valuable opportunity to enhance their military’s response capabilities against ballistic missiles while fostering improved security cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and the US.
“We will effectively respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats with our military’s strong response system and the trilateral cooperation,” it added.
Efforts to enhance information-sharing on North Korea’s missiles have been underway among the US and its Asian allies.
Currently, South Korea and Japan are individually connected to US radar systems but lack direct links with each other’s systems.
In a video broadcast on the Wagner Telegram group on Tuesday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private military organisation Wagner, claimed a US citizen had killed in the troubled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
“We are advancing to the advanced positions of the PMC Wagner in the western regions of Artyomovsk,” Alexander Simonov, a pro-Kremlin military blogger, says in the video’s introduction. Artyomovsk is the Russian name for Bakhmut.
The video was captured at night and features what appears to be a mortar bombardment. “Get in the shelter,” the soldiers yell. attacks with mortars coming from the west.
Prigozhin is shown inspecting a body, and what he claims are US identification documents.
CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the documents and cannot confirm the nationality of the body shown in the video. CNN is not naming the deceased pending confirmation of his identity.
Prigozhin says, “So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we’ll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?”
A soldier claims that the man was returning fire when he died. Prigozhin replies, “He was shooting back; he died in the battle, so we will hand over his documents tomorrow morning and pack everything, right?”
Prigozhin and Wagner group frequently post videos for propaganda purposes, and often mix real footage with propaganda claims. CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment.
The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng aka Asabee has sent a strong signal to the promoters and advocates of LGBTQI issues in Ghana.
The Minister has declared that Ghana’s stance, so far as he is the Minister concerned with two spiritual sectors Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the LGBTQI is a “NO, NO, NO” for Ghana.
“This whole issue of LGB whatever you guys call it. I even deliberately refuse to know the full name. I have blocked my mind from knowing the full name. The whole thing is not spiritual because they are playing around and using Human Rights to promote it.
“Nobody is asking that they should kill anybody, that’s not the issue at all. We are only saying if you are wrong, we need to be able to tell you that you are wrong.
“…How can America which brought us the Bible and puts God first in everything they do get involved and promote the very things that God and the Bible frown upon.
“Is it that they edited the Bible and removed some of its contents or there’s something they are not telling us?”Asabee fumed.
Asabee expressed these concerns during a courtesy call on him at his Ministry in Accra on Thursday 6th April 2023, by the President of the Spiritual Faith ECKANKAR Ghana, Mr. Aspect Caiquo and his delegation.
The Minister’s team that welcomed and hosted the ECKANKAR Leadership included the Acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Madam Fati Lily Soale, the Hon. Minister’s Special Assistant, Mr. Joojo Blankson and the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry Madam Mamle Ramani.
The courtesy call, was meant among others, to formally invite Hon. Stephen Asamoah Boateng to participate in both the official launch of the spiritual seminar event on May 9th 2023 and the event proper from 25th to 27th of August 2023.
This came to light prior to some discussions and letters ECKANKAR Ghana had sent earlier to the Ministry in relation to the Spiritual ECK AFRICAN SOUL ADVENTURE SEMINAR 2023.
Asabee further lamented that Ghanaians are losing their true spiritual identity and must make efforts to realign and reconnect their true selves and with God on a different level.
He urged Ghanaians to fully participate in the upcoming Spiritual ECK AFRICAN SOUL ADVENTURE SEMINAR 2023 and explore the full benefits of spiritual growth the seminar will offer participants and guests.
He further assured the ECKANKAR Leadership of his full support during the summit.
On his part, the President of ECKANKAR Ghana, Mr. Aspect Caiquo revealed that Ghana is hosting this year’s edition of the ECK AFRICAN SOUL ADVENTURE SEMINAR for the 2nd time since 2012.
He mentioned that since the event is a religious affair, it became prudent that the team visited the ministry to formally engage the minister as a key stakeholder.
He said the event comes off at the Temple of ECK Ghana at Okponglo East Legon, located next to the Erata Hotel.
The ECKANKAR Ghana President Mr. Aspect Caiquo used the opportunity to enter into the spiritual aspects of some doctrines and teachings of the ECKANKAR Spiritual faith.
He mentioned that the organisation is one of the leading Faith-based organisations in Ghana, the ECKANKAR Ghana.
Mr. Aspect Caiquo revealed that the Spiritual Leader of ECKANKAR is Harold Klemp, the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master based in Minnesotta.
He said the event is expected to gather about 7,000 passionate and highly spiritual people from all walks of life most whom will travel from other parts of the world far and near to participate.
Mr. Aspect Caiquo also used the opportunity to present some ECKANKAR Spiritual Materials and Literature to Hon. Stephen Asamoah Boateng and his team
Citing a little background, he said ECKANKAR is an ancient wisdom for today.
Its teachings, which resurfaced in 1965, emphasize the value of personal experiences as the most natural way back to God.
“Whatever your religious background, we show how to look and listen within yourself to expand your consciousness and enjoy spiritual connectedness.
See for yourself—perhaps for the first time—how to live a happy, balanced, productive life and put daily concerns into loving perspective.
ECKANKAR has a few basic beliefs. Simple spiritual exercises are taught that lead to the experience of the Light and Sound of God.
As we practice the spiritual exercises, we learn to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
According to ECKANKAR, each of us is a Soul, a spark of God sent to this world to gain spiritual experience.
ECKANKAR studies dreams as a source of inner truth, learning how working with our dreams from a spiritual perspective can help us handle daily challenges and learn from them.”
The Ambassador of the United States of America (USA), Virginia Palmer, says efforts to protect the rights of same-sex individuals should not be misinterpreted as an attempt to advance their interests.
In its 2021 annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the US Department of State expressed concern about significant human rights issues such as “crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex persons; existence of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults.”
Speaking on Foreign Affairs with Blessed Sogah on JoyNews channel, Friday, December 10, 2022 the foreign diplomat noted that discrimination of all kinds is bad, hence the need for social protection measures to protect the minority group.
“I also want to be really clear that we are not trying to be promoting homosexuality or anything like that. We don’t want your straight children to be gay, we want your gay children to be safe and I think it is very important that any sort of threat on one group demonstrates that rights of other people can be encroached upon and discrimination of any kind frankly, is bad,” she said.
Recounting experiences of close family relations on discrimination and repression, the ambassador noted that, “My family has experienced discrimination. I think Ghanaians and African and African- Americans have all experienced discrimination.”
“When my husband and I were courting, he’s South African, it was illegal in South Africa because the immorality act made inter-racial couples illegal. But now we’ve been married almost forty years, but people are like really? How could that ever have been illegal? And I hope that someday we will feel like that about women and children who are being discriminated against. Discrimination is harmful,” she added.
On Saturday, December 10, 2022, the US ambassador praised the nation’s choice to apply for an IMF economic bailout in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM.
According to her, as a member of the board of the IMF, she will support the government’s efforts in securing a deal with the IMF.
She urged the government to step up its negotiations with the IMF
The IMF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Ghana’s finance ministry said they cannot comment beyond that the negotiations were ongoing.
Two sources said that the IMF program was expected to be an extended credit facility, which provides financial assistance to countries.
One of those sources and a third source said that major hurdles in the negotiations were overcome this week which sped up the process.
Ghana turned to the IMF for help in July, and an IMF team is currently in the country until Tuesday.
Finance Minister Kenneth Ofori-Atta has said he is hoping for a relief package of up to $3 billion, possibly over a three-year period, as the West African country faces its worst economic crisis in a generation.
The cocoa, gold, and oil-producing West African nation has said it needs the deal by the end of the year.
The government has begun restructuring its debt this week by rolling out a plan to swap $10.5 billion in local bonds with new ones, but has not yet announced plans for a foreign debt restructuring.
One source close to the matter said that the conditions for an external debt restructuring were the final hurdle and that an agreement was expected to be reached on Friday.
