Ghana has been ranked as the 2nd most attractive mining destination in Africa.
According to the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies, which measures the investment attractiveness of various mining jurisdictions, the country placed 43rd in the world.
Though it dropped in score, from 71.85 in 2020 to 61.29, the country was regarded as one of the most attractive destinations for mining in the African region by the renowned global firm.
Morocco, which did not feature in last year’s survey, is now the highest ranked jurisdiction in Africa and the second highest ranked jurisdiction globally based on policy.
The kingdom performs particularly well in the areas of the administration, interpretation, or enforcement of existing regulations, environmental regulations, regulatory duplication and inconsistencies, protected areas, and labour regulations/employment agreements.
Zimbabwe (79th) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (78th)—ranked in the bottom 10 of the survey rankings this year based on policy.
Based on their overall investment attractiveness score, four African jurisdictions were ranked in the global bottom 10 – Zimbabwe (84th), the Democratic Republic of Congo (82nd), Mali (81st), and South Africa (75th).
The top jurisdiction in the world for investment based on the Investment Attractiveness Index is Western Australia, which moved up from 4th place in 2020.
Saskatchewan moved into 2nd place after ranking 3rd in 2020. Nevada’s rank decreased from 1st last year to 3rd this year, while Alaska moved a spot from 5th in 2020 to 4th in 2021.
Arizona (5th) continues to be in the top five this year after ranking 2nd in 2020.
The United States has the most jurisdictions (4) in this year’s top 10, followed by Canada (3), Australia (2), and Africa (1).
The 2021 survey was distributed to approximately 2,200 managers and executives around the world in companies involved in mining exploration, development, and other related activities.
The index considers both policy and mineral potential and other metrics based on responses from companies operating and exploring in these jurisdictions.
‘Sugar Daddy’ KiDi finds it interesting that people hold the perception of successful musicians always laughing their way through to the top.
His assertion that it is not all rosy on the come-up for musicians, was made while he shared his story on Showbiz A-Z on Saturday April 9, on Joy FM.
During the discussion on the topic, ‘Breaking Through Ghana’s Rough and tough Music terrain’ the ‘Touch It’ singer detailed portions of his journey, chronicling the challenges he faced prior to finding his feet.
Kidi revealed that, his challenges ranged from getting his parents’ approval to do music, to joining reality shows, playing hours of guitar while singing for only 50 Ghana Cedis as remuneration, amongst others.
However, because the fans do not witness the formation stages, some hold the view that it was easy for him.
He explained that a section of the public also believe he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth due to the light complexion of his skin.
However, Kidi insists “it’s been a rough journey, it’s never been easy. Obviously, people only see the made- product, people just see when it’s done – when a song is out, the video is out, and you’re looking nice”.
A New Jersey man has been sentenced for brutally murdering three people and attempting to kill three others after becoming enraged over a Facebook post.
Jeremy Arrington, 32, was sentenced to 375 years behind bars following a 10-day jury trial for the murders of Ariel Little Whitehurst, 7, Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, and Syasia McBurroughs, 23, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.
The prison term is the equivalent of three life sentences per New Jersey law, to be served consecutively, along with additional 50-year sentences for each of three counts of attempted murder.
Under the state’s “No Early Release Act,” which mandates inmates to serve at least 85% of their prison term, Arrington will be eligible for parole in 281 years.
“Justice has been served,” said Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab. “This defendant is pure evil and clearly deserves all 375 years in New Jersey State Prison for the terrible crimes he committed on Nov. 5, 2016. These families have waited over five years for this moment, and we are all so grateful for this sentence.”
Arrington stood accused of breaking into a Newark home on Nov. 5, 2016, with a loaded gun and holding six people hostage, as previously reported. His captives included the Whitehurst children and McBurroughs – all of whom he murdered – as well as the children’s then-29-year-old mother and her 13-year-old twin siblings, prosecutors stated.
Arrington tied the victims up and began torturing them by “stabbing them with kitchen knives.”
At the time, there were nine people in the home, which was owned by the Whitehurst victims’ grandmother.
“Police were able to respond because a young girl with autism, who is unrelated to the family and was just visiting, escaped and called for help from her phone in a closet,” according to the prosecutor’s office.
Arrington fled before responders arrived at the scene.
The Whitehurst children suffered severe stab wounds and were pronounced dead at the University Hospital, while McBurroughs was shot to death and pronounced dead on the scene.
The Whitehursts’ mother and her twin siblings, a male and female, also sustained stab wounds but survived the attack.
Arrington was apprehended the next day at a Pomona Avenue residence, where he barricaded himself and claimed to have a hostage, according to the prosecutor’s office. Police learned his claims were false and arrested him shortly thereafter.
Prosecutors said Arrington initiated the violent attacks “after becoming enraged over a Facebook comment.”
“Someone in the house, it appears, may have posted the media account of the fact that Mr. Arrington was wanted on a social media platform, and it appears that that’s part of the motivation, at least, for him going to the house on Saturday,” then-acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said in 2016.
Arrington reportedly believed one of the victims reposted a social media alert by police, which named Arrington as a suspect in a previous shooting and sexual assault, according to NBC News.
Arrington was convicted of 28 criminal charges, including three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Other charges included burglary, criminal restraint, unlawful possession of a handgun, unlawful possession of a knife, and possession of a handgun and a knife for an unlawful purpose.
Assistant Prosecutor Edwab sought six consecutive life sentences for Arrington, citing the defendant’s lengthy criminal background, which included 10 arrests between 2006 and 2016, according to the prosecutor’s office. Arrington had four felony convictions and three separate pending charges on the day of the murders.
Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before arriving at the verdict, according to NBC News.
“While nothing can bring back the lives of Ariel, Al-Jahon, and Syasia, we hope today’s sentence will provide some sense of closure to their families,” said Assistant Prosecutor Chelsea Coleman.
At sentencing, Judge Ronald Wigler called Arrington’s crimes “perhaps the most horrific, heinous, cruel, and depraved murders this county has ever seen,” according to NBC News.
Arrington’s defense attorney could not be reached for comment.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, says government’s successful digitization drive is not only ensuring efficient delivery of public services, it is also contributing significantly to the fight against corruption in the public sector.
During his State of the Economy lecture last week at the National TESCON Conference, Dr. Bawumia noted that one of the reasons for embarking on a vigorous digitization drive is to reduce human contact in public service delivery in order to considerably minimise the risk of bribery and corruption in the system.
“Our approach to improving the delivery of public services is to minimize human contact as much as possible. Therefore, we embarked on an aggressive digitalization of the processes of service delivery across many public institutions with coordination from my office,” Dr. Bawumia said.
The digitization process, Dr. Bawumia noted, has made a significant impact on efficient public service delivery, boosted revenue and also helped in the fight against corruption in many sectors.
The Vice President provided detailed accounts, with figures, to prove how the minimised human contact through digitization, has reduced corruption and significantly boosted government’s revenue mobilization at the DVLA, ports, passport office, motor insurance, etc.
At the passport office for instance, Dr. Bawumia revealed that digitization of the passport application process has resulted in less human contact and a major increase in the number of passports processed annually as well as the revenue yield to the passport office.
“In 2017 the passport office processed a total of 16,232 applications with revenue of GHC1.1m. In 2021, the passport office received and processed 498,963 online passport applications with a total revenue of GHC56.7m.”
“Digitization has dealt a severe blow to corruption at the Passport Office,” Dr. Bawumia added.
At the ports, the Vice President also recounted how previously, the bureaucratic processes in the clearing of goods involved a lot of paperwork, delays, corruption, inefficiencies, frustrations and loss of revenue to government.
“Many citizens who had cleared goods at the country’s ports had horror stories about their experiences at the ports,” he said, adding that: “the introduction of a paperless port system has reduced the layers and simplified the process, reduced the time needed to clear goods and the avenues for corruption and increased efficiencies and revenue mobilization at the ports.”
“Customs revenue has increased from GHC 10.3 billion in 2016 to GHC16.1 billion in 2021. Digitization has clearly reduced corruption at the ports.”
Dr. Bawumia mentioned similar efficient service at the DVLA, with digitalization of the drivers licenses in 2019, ensuring an increase in service by 109% in 2020.
“The average cost at the DVLA is GHC500.00 and GHC550.00 for vehicle and driver licensing services respectively compared to the lower band cost of between GHC2000 and GHC3000.00 respectively under the ‘goro’ market. Thus, the digitization has saved the DVLA customer the cost of vehicle services by 200% and driver licenses service by 264%, at the minimum.”
On revenue from the the DVLA, Dr. Bawumia revealed that the DVLA “generated an average revenue of GHC71.5 million in the four years (2013-2016) prior to digitisation as compared to the average revenue of GHC168.4 in the four years (2017-2020) with digitisation.”
The Vice President also stated how the digitised Motor Insurance Database, has made it possible to help curb the menace of fake motor insurance stickers by dialing the USSD code 92057# to authenticate a genuine motor insurance.
Through digitization, the motor insurance industry, Dr. Bawumia noted, has increased from “19% in 2019 to 37% in 2020 and 26% in 2021. The value of the business undertaken increased from GHC566 million in 2017 to GHC2.3 billion in 2021.”
“Digitization has dealt a severe blow to corruption in the insurance industry with no room for fake insurance certificates.”
Dr. Bawumia also showed how the recently launched e-ticket for football matches, which started with the Ghana versus Nigeria World Cup qualifiers in Kumasi registered unprecedented gate proceeds without selling of direct ticket at the gates.
“It was a successful pilot and yielded the highest ever revenue (GHC 1,423,400) for a football match in the history of Ghana,” revealed the Vice President.
Following the digitization of several government services, these services and payments have also been converged on one platform, Ghana.Gov to ensure easy access to the public, as well as reliable tracking of payments.
Dr. Bawumia gave an update on the output of the platform, and how it is contributing to the fight against corruption.
“The platform (Ghana.gov) has so far received a total GHC55.7 billion of payments to government since its inception. It is quite likely that if these payments were made through cash, quite a bit would have ended up in private pockets.”
“Digitization has therefore dealt a severe blow to corruption involved in the collection of payments by different institutions for government.”
The Queen has revealed Covid left her “very tired and exhausted” after she caught the virus earlier this year.
The monarch, 95, was taking part in a virtual hospital visit when she described her experience to a former virus patient, whose father and brother had died with the illness.
The call to the Royal London Hospital last week marked the official opening of its Queen Elizabeth Unit.
Buckingham Palace said in February that the monarch had coronavirus.
She was said to be suffering “mild cold-like symptoms” at the time.
During her video call to the hospital, the Queen said: “It [Covid] does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it?”
Speaking to former Covid patient Asef Hussain and his wife Shamina, she added: “This horrible pandemic. It’s not a nice result.”
Mr Hussain was the third member of his family to be admitted to hospital with the virus in December 2020. While he was there, his brother and father died.
After spending seven weeks on a ventilator, he is still recovering and uses a portable oxygen machine.
Mrs Hussain told the Queen that at one point 500 friends and family from across the world were on a Zoom call praying for her husband. The monarch asked the couple: “So you have a large family, or a large influence on people?”
And referring to the restrictions on people visiting loved ones being treated in hospital at the time, the Queen – patron of the hospital – said: “Of course not being able to see your relative was very hard.”
Lunaz investor, David Beckham, has presented his son, Brooklyn and his daughter-in-law Nicola , with an all-electric Jaguar XK140 Open Two Seater (OTS) by Lunaz as a gift to mark his eldest child’s wedding in Palm Beach, FL, USA. Prices start at £350,000 plus taxes. Waiting list for next deliveries until January 2024.
This clean-air classic, bespoke commissioned by Beckham is the product of thousands of hours of work from the company’s 120 strong team of craftspeople, designers and Electric Vehicle (EV) technicians and was built entirely in-house at the home of Lunaz in Silverstone, England.
The fully restored and upcycled interior is presented in a light cream, offering contemporary expression to the car’s classic aesthetic. Like every classic by Lunaz, modern technology is discreetly hidden. Dials and switches faithfully reflect the original Jaguar design but with subtle updates to provide information on the battery level and to operate contemporary functions.
The driver will also benefit from uprated brakes, suspension and steering; making this most celebrated British automotive icon a car that can be driven and enjoyed every day.
The pair – who rekindled their romance last year – is engaged, a rep for Lopez confirms to PEOPLE.
Lopez shared the news in her On the JLo newsletter days after she was photographed wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring earlier this week.
She revealed the exciting update in a Friday evening email to her inner circle. The message to fans included a clip of Lopez admiring a huge, green diamond on her ring finger, an image of which was also shared by her sister on social media.
Affleck most recently showed support for his wife-to-be, cheering her on with his son Samuel and her daughter Emme as Lopez accepted the Icon Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March.
Lopez recently told PEOPLE what makes their connection different now compared to 18-years ago, saying, “We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things.”
The Marry Me actress, 52, shares 14-year-old twins Emme and Max with ex-husband Marc Anthony, and Affleck, 49, shares three kids with ex-wife Jennifer Garner: Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 10.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
“It’s a beautiful outcome that this has happened in this way at this time in our lives where we can really appreciate and celebrate each other and respect each other,” Lopez told PEOPLE. “We always did, but we have even more of an appreciation because we know that life can take you in different directions.”
She added, “We have been in the game in the public eye long enough to know who we are as people and what really matters and what doesn’t matter. We have kids and we respect each other. … We really live our lives in a way we can be proud of and our kids can be proud of you. We’re just operating from a place of love and respect for everyone in our lives and that is very important to us. We know what the truth is [and] we hold it sacred.”
Lopez and Affleck previously began dating in July 2002 and got engaged that November before postponing their September 2003 wedding just days before the date. They ultimately called off their engagement in January 2004.
Affleck told WSJ. Magazine in December about feeling “lucky” to have been given second chances, both in his work and personal life.
“I’ve had second chances in my career. I’ve had second chances as a human being. Life is difficult, and we are always failing and hopefully learning from those failures,” he said. “The one thing you really need to avail yourself of the opportunities provided from that growth is the second chance. I’ve definitely tried to take advantage of that. I haven’t always been successful, but in cases in which I have, they’ve turned out to be the defining aspects of my life.”
Immediately after the Academy of Motion Pictures’ decision to ban Will Smith from attending the Oscars and all Academy events for the next ten years, the actor has come forward with his thoughts.
Smith won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard at the 94th Annual Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 2022.
Weeks later, on April 8, 2022, the Academy held a meeting to determine if Smith’s award should be revoked following his altercation with Chris Rock on stage at the ceremony.
While the Academy allowed Smith to keep his trophy, they announced he would be banned from the ceremony for the next decade.
In a brief statement to Page Six, Smith said, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
Smith previously made the rounds with apologies following the incident.
In a public apology on Instagram, he wrote, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”
The actor went on to apologize to Rock directly: “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.
“I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he wrote. “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Smith also resigned from the Academy on April 1, 2022, referring to all the pain he caused. “I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.
“I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”
The UK has imposed sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters.
His daughters’ names – Katerina Vladimirovna Tikhonova and Maria Vladimirovna Vorontsova – have now been added to the UK’s sanctions list.
It is part of a “coordinated” effort with the US, who has already imposed sanctions on the two women.
The UK government has also imposed sanctions on Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s daughter, Yekaterina Sergeyevna Vinokurova.
In a Foreign Office press release, the UK government said it was further targeting the “lavish lifestyles of the Kremlin’s inner circle”, with travel bans and asset freezes imposed on the three.
According to the UK government, more than £275bn of Putin’s war chest has now been frozen by co-ordinated UK and international sanctions in recent weeks.
It added that Russia is heading for the deepest recession since the collapse of the Soviet Union as sanctions hit President Putin’s ability to wage war in Ukraine.
Parents of newly admitted senior high students are bemoaning the cost of items on this year’s prospectus compared to the tuition fees they used to pay.
With as much as ¢2,000, parents are unable to purchase the over 30 listed items on the students’ prospectus.
Schools however expect strict compliance to the prospectus as part of admission processes.
However, with the rising cost of items on the market, some parents are challenged.
Hajia Mariam is supposed to be shopping for her two teenagers who gained admission to senior high schools this year.
However, she can only afford to shop for only one.
The other child, she says, can wait till next year to enter senior high school.
“I am panicking as I buy the items. They are very expensive. I am afraid if I fail to purchase some, my ward may be denied entry. I have not even bought half of the items. The money I brought is already finished,” she said.
According to Hajia Mariam, though she visited the market with ¢1,500 she has not been able to purchase half of the items on the list.
“It is my eldest son’s item I was able to buy. Where do I get more money to purchase the remaining items on the list? she quizzed.
“The younger one will have to stay home till I get money. I am worried,” she added.
Aunt Lucy’s situation is no different from Hajia Mariam’s.
She was told by the school that her inability to provide all items will lead to her ward being denied admission.
“I am not in good financial standing. I am sending my daughter to school first. My son will stay home for a while till I am financially capable. I brought 1,800 cedis to the market yesterday. It wasn’t enough. The items sold here are all expensive.
The government should assist parents. We are suffering. We have been cautioned by the school that if we do not buy all items, we will be denied entry,” she said.
Other guardians see some items on the prospectus as unnecessary.
“Cutlass, axes and brooms are unnecessary. If all 500 students are bringing all these same items, what will it be used for? Probably the teachers are keeping it so they can sell it. If your ward fails to bring it too, he or she will be in trouble,” he said.
Another said, “Hundred dusters from 100 students, are they going to dust the whole school. Thousand cutlasses from 1000 students, are they weeding the whole school? Are there no mowers? I am sure the school authorities keep the items and sell them off. The thievery in this country is on another level,”Parents are uncomfortable with high cost of items to buy for their wards
As the total cost of items on the prospectus may be higher than admission fees, there have been divergent views from guardians.
“You only need to buy gari and a few items for your ward to attend school. President Akufo-Addo has done well with Free SHS. As poor as I am, my son attended Prempeh College. Where would I have gotten tuition fees,” a parent quizzed.
”The items on the market are very expensive. The list on the prospectus is more than the tuition fees we paid previously. The Free SHS is a bad move,” she said.
The first subvariant of Omicron, the latest major variant of the novel coronavirus, was bad. BA.1 drove record cases and hospitalizations in many countries starting last fall.
The second subvariant, BA.2, was worse in some countries-setting new records for daily cases across China and parts of Europe.
Now BA.1 and BA.2 have combined to create a third subvariant. XE, as it’s known, is a “recombinant”-the product of two viruses interacting “Frankenstein”-style in a single host.
With its long list of mutations, XE could be the most contagious form of the coronavirus yet. “From the WHO reports, it does appear to have a bit more of an edge in terms of transmissibility,” Stephanie James, the head of a Covid testing lab at Regis University in Colorado, told The Daily Beast.
But don’t panic just yet. The same mix of subvariants that produced XE might also protect us from it. Coming so quickly after the surge of BA.1 and BA.2 cases, XE is on track to hit a wall of natural immunity-the antibodies leftover from past infections in hundreds of millions of people.
Those natural antibodies, plus the additional protection afforded by the various Covid vaccines, could blunt XE’s impact. For that reason, many experts worry less about XE and more about whatever variant or subvariant might come after XE.
And rest assured, that future subvariant is coming. “COVID-19 continues,” Eric Bortz, a University of Alaska-Anchorage virologist and public health expert, told The Daily Beast.
Testers first detected XE in the United Kingdom back in mid-January. Six weeks later U.K. authorities had identified 600 XE infections. Those cases are a proverbial drop in the bucket in light of the millions of BA.1 and BA.2 cases the U.K. has tallied in the past three months. But XE stood out.
According to the World Health Organization, XE is 10 percent more contagious than BA.2, which itself is up to 80 percent more contagious than BA.1, a subvariant epidemiologist described as the most transmissible respiratory virus they’d ever seen when it first appeared in South Africa back in November.
There’s a lot of uncertainty about XE. The WHO stressed that its own finding about the subvariant “requires further confirmation.” But given what we think we know, it seems XE evolved in someone with overlapping BA.1 and BA.2 infections, when two separate but related viruses swapped genetic material.
XE isn’t the first COVID recombinant—there have been at least two others, including the so-called “Deltacron” subvariant that sprang from simultaneous Delta and BA.1 infections. But with two highly contagious parent viruses, XE stands a chance of being the fastest-spreading recombinant. Health officials have also detected XE in Thailand.
The subvariant hasn’t shown up in U.S. tests yet. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t reached U.S. shores. “It might not be detected by the standard analysis pipeline,” Rob Knight, the head of a genetic-computation lab at the University of California, San Diego, told The Daily Beast. Major new forms of SARS-CoV-2 can require tweaks to testing methods.
XE is a nasty bug, owing to potentially dozens of mutations to its spike protein, the part of the virus that helps it grab onto and infect our cells. And it’s a strong reminder that the pandemic isn’t over. Even with widespread natural immunity and highly effective and safe vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 keeps finding pockets of unprotected people-and opportunities to evolve.
But it’s not 2020 anymore. The novel coronavirus has changed, but so have we. Each successive wave of infections—Alpha then Delta then both major forms of Omicron-has seeded the population with natural antibodies that offer strong, albeit temporary, protection against the worst effects of future infection by a related form of the virus.
The leading vaccines, meanwhile, have stood up to each new variant and subvariant, especially when you add one or two booster doses.
Even as more and more countries fully reopen schools, businesses and borders, the peak death rate from a COVID wave keeps dropping in a lot of countries. Cases might go up as some new subvariant outcompetes an earlier subvariant and becomes dominant. But deaths don’t necessarily increase in the same proportion—a phenomenon epidemiologists call “decoupling.”
Decoupling is partially a function of the time between waves. Natural antibodies from past infection can begin fading after three months. But if two variants or subvariants strike within a few months of each other, the second strain collides with the immunity left over from the first strain-especially if the strains are related. Meanwhile, the second strain produces antibodies that could mitigate the worst outcomes of the next strain, assuming it arrives fast enough.
That’s why Omicron has infected more people than the previous variant, Delta, but has killed fewer. And why many experts consider XE less frightening than BA.2 or BA.1. “Immune responses to XE should be similar to that of Omicron,” Bortz said. “Those with prior Omicron infection and vaccination are going to be mostly immune.”
By the same token, a big gap between separate variants-that is, a long reprieve from COVID-might actually be more dangerous to a population than back-to-back-to-back waves of related strains.
There’s another risk. We were lucky with the major variants and subvariants before XE, in that the leading vaccines worked really well against all of them. Experts are cautiously optimistic that the jabs hold up against XE, too. “XE is, as you say, supposed to be more contagious than BA.2 [or] BA.1,” Edwin Michael, an epidemiologist at the Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research at the University of South Florida, told The Daily Beast, “but it seems not to be more severe or immune-evasive.”
But if some new variant, perhaps even a recombinant of XE and some other strain, eventually mutates in a way that helps it evade the vaccines and arrives three months or longer after the previous surge in cases, we could be in trouble.
“While thus far mutants that are more transmissible have emerged and spread, there is also the possibility of one that is both more transmissible and immune-evasive to emerge,” Michael said. In that case, neither of our approaches to building population-level immunity–vaccines and natural antibodies-would be able to prevent a devastating spike in deaths.
“We should expect several additional subvariants to come out of this, but which ones accelerate–and where–right now seems uncharted,” Peter Hotez, an expert in vaccine development at Baylor College, told The Daily Beast. “We don’t have a roadmap.”
To reduce the likelihood of the worst outcomes, we need to reduce the coronavirus’s opportunities for mutating. That means shrinking the unprotected population. How we can do this is obvious. “Vaccines are the best way to prevent serious disease,” James said.
Getting jabbed doesn’t just protect you as an individual against serious infection-it also protects the people around you from whatever new variant, subvariant, or recombinant you might mutate in the laboratory of your own body.
Currently Putin has two official accounts on the social media site: one in Russian and one in English. They have 3.6 million and 1.7 million followers respectively.
Twitter said allowing Russian government officials to post freely on the social media site, whilst simultaneously limiting the platform in Russia “creates a harmful information imbalance”.
As part of Tuesday’s action, content on more than 300 official government accounts will no longer be “recommended or amplified”. This means Twitter’s powerful algorithm will not promote these accounts.
The targeted Russian government accounts include official ministry and embassy profiles, as well as the accounts of high-ranking Russian officials.
The accounts have previously been criticised for spreading misinformation during the Ukraine war, but unlike tweets from Russian state-affiliated media outlets, they have not previously been subject to specific moderation by Twitter.
On 10 March the Russian Embassy in the UK’s official account claimed the bombing of a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol had been faked.
The claim was false. Twitter later removed tweets making the “FAKE” claim.
Last month, a BBC investigation found further misinformation spread by official Russian government accounts, as well as evidence of coordinated activity – using multiple government accounts to drive a particular narrative – which is against Twitter’s rules.
Recent posts claiming civilian killings in the town of Bucha had been staged have also been debunked.
However, Twitter says that it is Russia’s actions in Ukraine, combined with the country’s decision to block and limit social media platforms domestically, that has led to their action.
“When a government that’s engaged in armed conflict is blocking or limiting access to online services within their country, while they themselves continue to use those same services to advance their positions and viewpoints – that creates a harmful information imbalance”, says Yoel Roth, Head of Site Integrity at Twitter.
Twitter says it is applying the rules to any country that limits access to online services while engaging in interstate warfare. But the new rules, which came into force on Tuesday, initially only affect Russian government accounts.
Not ‘tit-for-tat’
Although Twitter is not banned in Russia, the site has been severely slowed down, to the point of inoperability.
However, Twitter says its action was not retaliatory.
“To be clear, this isn’t a ‘tit-for-tat’ policy, where if you block Twitter then you get de-amplified by Twitter – this enforcement will occur whether Twitter is blocked or not,” said Mr Roth.
He added that Twitter will take action on media depicting prisoners of war which have been posted by government or state-affiliated media accounts.
“If we see media that’s published by government or state media accounts that feature prisoners of war, or if the prisoner of war is being subjected to ill-treatment, things like violence, humiliation or mockery, we will require the removal of those tweets” he said.
Twitter “de-amplified” Russian state media on the platform – such as Russia Today and Sputnik – on 28 February, four days after the invasion of Ukraine began. The company previously told the BBC the action had led to a “30 percent reduction of the reach of this content”.
However the action was not enforced on official Russian government accounts.
Speaking last month, Tim Graham, a social media analyst at QUT Digital Media Research Centre in Australia, described it as a “loophole” in Twitter’s moderation policies.
“It’s certainly a blind spot in Twitter’s defences against disinformation,” he said.
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has congratulated Charles Agyin-Asare for assuming the role of Archbishop of the Perez Chapel International.
In a tweet on April 5, the Vice President said he is thankful for the life of the Archbishop as he has through his pastoral service, helped change the lives of many Ghanaians for the better.
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has congratulated Charles Agyin-Asare for assuming the role of Archbishop of the Perez Chapel International.
In a tweet on April 5, the Vice President said he is thankful for the life of the Archbishop as he has through his pastoral service, helped change the lives of many Ghanaians for the better.
The male motorist arrested for brandishing a gun while arguing with another person on a street at Winneba has been identified as a police officer with the Central Regional Police Command.
In a Facebook post, the Police noted that the said Sergeant who was arrested on April 2, has been interdicted.
His interdiction is to make way for a full investigation into the matter, according to the Police.
“The Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) has also commenced investigation into the conduct of the police officer,” the Service added.
In its update, the Police further revealed that the interdicted officer has lodged a complaint of assault against a group of persons present at the scene.
According to the Police Sergeant, he was attacked by a member of the group who wielded a cutlass.
Per the Police report, “both parties are assisting police investigations.”
Both criminal investigation and professional standards investigation, the Police say, will run concurrently.
Meanwhile, the Service has assured members of the public that justice will be served.
An Indonesian court handed down a death sentence on Monday to a teacher for raping 13 girls at an Islamic school, upholding an appeal by prosecutors for the death penalty after he had initially received a sentence of life in prison.
The case of teacher Herry Wirawan has shocked Indonesia and shone a spotlight on the need to protect children from sexual violence in the country’s religious boarding schools.
After he was sentenced to life in jail by a court in the city of Bandung in February, prosecutors who had called for the death penalty filed an appeal.
“(We) hereby punish the defendant with the death penalty,” the judge said in a statement on Monday posted on the Bandung High Court’s website.
Ira Mambo, Herry’s lawyer, declined to comment on whether there would be an appeal, citing a need to see the full ruling from the court.
A spokesperson for the local prosecutor’s office also said it would wait to receive the final ruling before commenting.
Between 2016 and 2021, Herry sexually groomed 13 girls, who were between 12 and 16 years old, and impregnated eight of his victims, a judge said in February.
Indonesian officials, including the country’s child protection minister, had also backed calls for the death penalty, though the nation’s human rights commission, which opposes the death penalty, said it was not appropriate.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim majority country, has tens of thousands of Islamic boarding schools and other religious schools that often provide the only way for the children of poorer families to get an education.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, has cautioned vegetable farmers against the use of contaminated wastewater in growing crops because of adverse health implications for human beings.
He explained that some wastewater contained heavy metals and other micro-organisms.
“If we use such water to grow crops, especially vegetables that are eaten raw, they go directly into the human system,” he cautioned
He advised farmers to dig boreholes to serve as a source of water for watering crops because that is better, compared to using contaminated water.
Prof Asare-Bediako gave the caution in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after a public lecture on the theme, ”Prescription for Better Environment and Prevention of Spread of Non-Communicable Diseases: The Perspective of the Geoscientist,” at Sunyani, as part of activities marking the 10th-anniversary celebration of the UENR this year.
He said: ’The type of water used in watering some of the vegetables is worrying, and that’s where we contract food poisoning because heavy metal contamination also contributes to the other health implications.’
He noted it was difficult to identify vegetables on the market grown with contaminated water that contained heavy metals, saying that made it more dangerous to the health of the consumer.
Prof Asare-Bediako also spoke against the ways vegetables were preserved at the markets before being sold to consumers, saying “they become even more contaminated at the markets,”
He advised the public to always purchase vegetables from known sources.
Prof. Emmanuel Arhin, a geoscientist of the Department of Geographic Science, School of Geo-Sciences, UENR, who gave the lecture on the theme said the lack of essential elements and excesses of toxic elements that humans were exposed to lead to health problems such as non-communicable diseases.
According to him, “research suggests that identifying the geo-availability of elements holds the key to control the prevention of many environmental health diseases.”
The incident occurred at Karao village, Kombewa division Seme Sub-county within Kisumu county.
Caleb Okuom, who is the area chief, said he got the information through one of the village managers, Martin Omware.
Okuom said Omware told him the suspect, identified as Dan Otieno, who arrived home drunk, had attacked his mother and tried raping her.
He said: “The accused arrived home while drunk then he started assaulting his mother and attacking her with an intention of raping her.”
The area chief added that immediately he was informed about this, he acted swiftly with the help of village elders, arrested Otieno and handed him over to Kombewa police station.
Area OCPD, Hellen Rotich, told K24TV that the suspect was detained at Kombewa police station and arraigned in court on Wednesday March 30.
Boko Haram militants may have worked in partnership with Nigeria’s notorious kidnapping gangs to attack a busy passenger train earlier this week, Kaduna state’s governor has said.
At least eight passengers were killed and several others were abducted for ransom in the audacious attack on the high-speed rail link between the capital, Abuja, and the northern city of Kaduna on Monday.
The various factions of the Islamist Boko Haram group mainly operate in the north-east of the country and the kidnapping gangs in the north-west.
But Nasir el-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna state, said the authorities had received intelligence reports that the attack would be carried out with the Islamist insurgents teaming up with the kidnappers.
They blew up the rail track using guns and explosive devices.
The governor said an operation was under way to rescue those who were abducted but he ruled out any payment of ransoms.
The army has been battling the Islamist insurgency in the north-east for 13 years – and in the last few years has failed to stop the sophisticated criminal networks that run huge money-making kidnapping operations.
Actress, Yvonne Nelson, has asked President Akufo-Addo whether he is impressed with the current state of the country.
In an Instagram post, she quizzed “Mr President, are you happy with Ghana so far?”
According to Yvonne Nelson, Ghanaians are not happy with the current living standards and the growth of the Ghanaian economy.
“We are NOT!” she simply wrote on March 31.
Prior to her recent post, the actress while speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, entreated government to shelve the implementation of the Electronic Transactions Levey (e-levy).
She said members of the general public are not pleased with its introduction.
“The e-Levy, Ghanaians do not like the idea, so why don’t we listen to Ghanaians. They are not happy about it, it’s really that simple,” she said.https://www.youtube.com/embed/kndD5LlzchA
It is uncertain whether her question to the President is in connection with the levy, that may be implemented from May this year, according to Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Her post comes after a Majority-sided Parliament on March 29, approved the passage of the Bill.
The bill was passed into law by President Akufo-Addo on March 31.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin is optimistic the Black Stars will emerge victorious in the games against Portugal, Uruguay and Korea Republic at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, to ensure the Black Stars’ victory, a new strategy must be adopted by the technical team and the players must be determined to win.
The Effutu MP noted that the growth of the senior national team is imperative as the Black Stars’ performance against Nigeria at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi and Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja was not up to standard.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Saturday, he said: “Going to Qatar will require a new strategy, a new attitude and I believe the technical team should be ready. It is not our first time participating in the World Cup.
“We had an opportunity in South Africa to make it to the final stage and we blew it, unfortunately.
“To me, we can match up to them (Portugal, Uruguay and Korea Republic). Ghana has done it before. It is just a matter of being determined. Those days when we were doing well, the Starlets, Satellite, Meteors – we were meeting those countries and beating them.”
He added: “What is new? We have a record of beating Uruguay, South Korea. So to me, there is nothing new.”
The Black Stars booked their ticket to Qatar after a 1-1 aggregate scoreline.
Also on the show, the Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga told host, Samson Lardy Anyenini that the Black Stars is indeed a force to reckon with.
“I believe that the Black Stars that we have can face any team in the world. The President himself acknowledged that these same players are playing in the best teams in Europe.
So if they are capable individually, being part of the squad in the major European teams, then you take them and bring them to Ghana and put them together, the only thing you need to give them is what they get in Europe,” he noted.
According to Mr Mahama Ayariga, all the Black Stars require to provide good results are good coaching, excellent technical support, and motivation.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon whom Allah sent as a mercy to the Worlds, upon his Family, his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.
It is reported in the authentic hadith of Âisha رضي الله عنها that she said: “The Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم never fasted in any month more than in the month of Shabân”(1). According to Um Salama رضي الله عنها: “the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم did not fast the whole month except Sha`bân which he combined with Ramadan”(2).
Fasting the whole month means the major part of it, as “The major part has the status of the totality”, though, the figurative use of the word is not very often, and the principle is that it means the proper sense. However, what makes us say that it is used figuratively is what is reported in the authentic hadith of Âisha رضي الله عنها who said: “I never saw Allah’s Apostle صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم fasting for a whole month except the month of Ramadan, and did not see him fasting in any other month more than in the month of Shabân”(3). It is also reported that she رضي الله عنها said: “I have never seen him having fasted a whole month since he came to Medina, except when it was Ramadan”(4). This is supported by the hadith of Ibn `Abbâs رضي الله عنهما who said: “The Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم never fasted for a whole month except the month of Ramadan”(5).
The reason behind fasting much in Shabân, is that it is a month in which deeds are taken up to Allah تعالى. The Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم would like that his deeds be taken up while he is fasting, as it is established in the hadith of Ussâma Ibn Zayd رضي الله عنهما, he said: “O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting in any month more than in Shabân. He said, ‘that is a month (Sha`bân) which people neglect between Rajab and Ramadan. It is the month in which people’s deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds, and I would like my deeds to be taken up whilst I am fasting”(6).
There is nothing that prevents a person from catching up in Shabân the supererogatory accumulated days that he did not fast because of a travel, incident or impediment, hoping that his deeds will be taken up while fasting. Moreover, the fasting person in Shabân will find, after having accustomed himself to fast, a sweetness and a pleasure in fasting, that will allow him to start the month of Ramadan with vigor and energy and his soul will be trained to obey The Most Beneficent(7).
This been said, the contradiction disappears when we reconcile the hadiths which indicate the permissibility and recommendation of fasting the major part of Shabân and the prohibition of fasting the second part of it which is mentioned in the hadith attributed to the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم by Abu Hurayra رضي الله عنه: “When the middle of Shabân comes, do not fast till the month of Ramadan” ( 8 ) , and the prohibition to fast a day or two before the beginning of Ramadan mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم: “None of you should fast a day or two before the month of Ramadan unless he has the habit of fasting (optionally and if his fasting coincides with that day) then he can fast it”(9).
So, the contradiction can be ruled out by the exception mentioned in the hadith of Abu Hurayra when he said: “…unless he has a habit of fasting, then he can fast it”, that is to say, unless it coincides with a day he has the habit to fast(10), as someone who has the habit of fasting supererogatory fast like: the fasting on Monday and Thursday, or the fasting of Dâwûd (David) عليه السلام who fasts one day and not the next, or fasting three days in each month. Therefore, the prohibition concerns someone who fasts those days (in the second half of Sha`bân) without having a habit of fasting(11), that is to say, supererogatory fasting.
We add to this meaning with greater reason: making up, expiation and vow whether it is absolute or restricted, as performing these is obligatory, since the proofs concerning the obligation of making up (missed days of fasting), expiation and fulfillment of vows are unequivocal and certain. Moreover, it is established in the rules of the fundamentals of jurisprudence that: “What is certain does not annul or contradict what is uncertain”(12).
The perfect knowledge belongs to Allah. Our last prayer is all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon our Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم, his Family, his Companions and Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.
Algiers, 20 Rajab 1430H. Corresponding to: July 12th, 2009.
Afrobeat star Davido has been featured in the official soundtrack for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Nigerian singer made this known via a post he shared on his Twitter page on Friday.
Davido’s enlistment on the soundtrack comes after the Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The Black Stars of Ghana qualified for the World Cup on Tuesday after playing a 1-1 draw with Nigeria.
This earned Ghana one of the five tickets for African representatives at the tournament billed for Qatar this year.
Davido was featured on the track alongside American R&B singer and social media personality Trinidad Cardona.
Another artiste enlisted on the track is American J-R&B singer Aisha. The track titled Hayya Hayya (better together) is set to debut on Friday, April 1, 2022.
This is a huge achievement for the ‘Champion Sound’ hitmaker who recently made headlines after he sold out his O2 concert, a feat that is a hallmark of success for many artistes.
Electronic Transaction Levy (commonly known as Electronic Levy or E-levy) is a tax applied on transactions made on electronic or digital platforms.
A levy is a legal seizure of your property to satisfy a tax debt. Levies are different from liens. A lien is a legal claim against property to secure payment of the tax debt, while a levy actually takes the property to satisfy the tax debt.10 Jun 2021.
The Ghanaian Parliament has approved a new electronic transaction tax which the government says will help raise $900m in much-needed revenue but which has sparked widespread popular criticism.
The E-levy bill, passed on Tuesday, will introduce a 1.5 percent tax on electronic money transfers and transactions. President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government has said the move will help address problems from unemployment to Ghana’s high public debt.
But for many Ghanaians, the tax represents yet another burden as they are already struggling with high living costs heightened by soaring fuel prices due to the Ukraine crisis.
Legislators passed the law after the opposition minority walked out of the debate.
Money management is an essential practice that everyone should understand, no matter the extent of your savings or the amount of money you earn. Learning essential money management tips can help you avoid accumulating debt, put your finances to work, and increase your return on investments.
Unfortunately, most school systems do not include courses on money management in their curriculums. If children were adequately taught the basics of money management at an early age, then they would be better-equipped to handle the financial pressures of adulthood. As teenagers venture into the world of adulthood, they should at the very least know how to file taxes online, the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, factors that impact a credit score, and the amazing concept of compound interest, among many, many others.
Proper money management is a very broad topic and—to put it very bluntly—there is a lot the average person should know. While we cannot identify every aspect of money management in just one article, we can cover the basics.The tips below have been curated to help you better manage your money.
1. Track Your Outgoing Finances
If you don’t know how much money you are spending, it is almost impossible to manage your finances accurately. Improving your money management practices begins with spending awareness. Nowadays, it is easier than ever to track your finances, as you can use one of the many spending applications.
2. Create a Realistic Budget
Once you have gained a more detailed understanding of your outgoing expenses, you are ready to create a realistic monthly budget. When you are creating a monthly budget, it is important that you think clearly about your current lifestyle. There is no point in creating a budget that is too idealistic. Being realistic can help you to encourage better spending habits in a way that is actually sustainable considering your lifestyle.
3. Create an Emergency Fund
No matter how realistic your monthly budget might be, you cannot always predict everything. You should create an emergency fund to ensure you are safe in case of any unexpected payments. This will help you to avoid dipping into your savings or having to take out an emergency loan.
4. Pay Bills on Time
Paying your bills on time is an essential money management process. Paying your bills when they are due will allow you to avoid any potential late fees. Paying all of your bills on time will also help you improve your credit rates and the interest rates you are entitled to.
5. Create an Investment Strategy
Creating an investment strategy can enable you to put your money to work and grow your savings. If you do not have much experience making investments or do not have the time to dedicate to learning more about the market, then you might want to consider using wealth management services. Wealth management services will help you to ensure that you are creating the very best investment choices for your individual needs and preferences.
6. Think Before Making Big Purchases
Improving your money management skills involves avoiding occurring unnecessary debt. In order to do this, you will need to think carefully before you make any large purchases. You should save money before making big purchases to ensure you do not incur unnecessary debt and damage your credit rating.
7. Assess Your Debt
If you have debt, it is very natural for you to want to completely avoid this subject. However, in order to move forward and improve your money management processes, it is vital that you deal with your debt.
To do this, you first need to review all outstanding debt you have. Next, you need to focus on the level of interest that you have on all debt. Then you can start playing repayments. If all your debt has a similar level of interest, then you might want to pay off the smallest loan first, as this can give you a very helpful confidence boost.
Carolyn Smith gave her first interview about the shocking turn of events on Hollywood’s biggest night, saying she had never seen him “go off” like that in his life.
Will issued a public apology on Monday evening, saying he was triggered by Rock’s joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
“He is a very even, people person,” Carolyn, 85, told WPVI-TV Philadelphia. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. The first time in his lifetime.”
She added, “I’ve never seen him do that.”
The King Richard star walked to the stage and slapped Rock for saying Jada could star in G.I. Jane 2 due to her shaved head.
Rock was apparently unaware Jada suffers from alopecia. After the slap, Will then returned to his seat but dropped several F-bombs, yelling at Rock not to talk about his wife. Earlier in the show, co-host Regina Hall made a joke about Will and Jada’s open marriage, so things were already simmering.
Despite the controversy, “I am proud of him being him,” Carolyn said.
“I know how he works, how hard he works,” she gushed. “I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting” for him to win an Oscar after three acting nominations. “When I heard the name, I was just, ‘Yes!’”Will Smith’s mom Carolyn Smith, with him on the red carpet in 2008, was surprised her “people person” son slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. (Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage)
Carolyn said Will had the full support of his family going into the Oscars – and she texted the family chat first thing that morning to remind everyone to wish him luck.
She said she spoke to him Monday, amid all the headlines of the shocking show, and gave him advice to get some rest and take a vacation.
While Will said in his acceptance speech that his mom declined to attend the show in L.A. because she was watching it with her suburban Philly knitting group, she actually watched it at home with family, including Will’s sisters, Ellen and Pam.
Everyone was dressed to the nines for the home viewing of the awards show, footage from which was shared with the news outlet. Carolyn’s home is filled with memorabilia from the Fresh Prince star’s long career.
Ellen told the news outlet she’s long watched her brother excel in Hollywood despite a difficult path.
“Everyone has been bullied and abused in some kind of way,” in the spotlight, she said. “You really don’t know what it takes to get there. I’ve had conversations with him and it really kind of broke my heart listening to the things he’s said he had to go through to get to where he is.”
In Will’s apology Monday, he called himself a “work in progress.”
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” he wrote. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally
President Akufo-Addo says the Electronic Transaction Levy would make a significant contribution to revenue mobilisation and the management of the national economy.
The Majority on Tuesday passed the 1.5 per cent Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) after Minority members staged a walkout.
However, delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Wednesday, President Akufo-Addo who thanked Parliament for the passage of the bill, noted that the country was in a difficult place and needed the revenue to develop.
“Mr Speaker, despite the protracted and sometimes acrimonious nature of proceedings, I am happy that the House has, finally, found it possible to pass the E-levy Bill. I believe the levy is going to make a significant contribution to revenue mobilisation and the management of the national economy, and I want to thank Members of the House for making this possible,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo added that the “road to recovery will be hard and long, Mr Speaker, but we have started on a good footing by accepting that we are in a difficult place and are taking the difficult decisions that will get us out. If anyone ever had any doubts about the need to be self-reliant, the point has now been forcibly drilled home to us. The pursuit of the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda is even more compelling now.
“I have no doubts whatsoever that we have it in us to build the Ghana of our dreams. I saw the spirit of togetherness and the willingness to help each other when COVID struck. We looked out for each other. I saw the sense of enterprise and innovation of the Ghanaian. I saw our manufacturers quickly adapt their plants to produce sanitisers and our tailors equally quickly displayed the innovation they had always been known for, by turning face masks into fashion items,” he said.
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