Home Blog Page 1981

Most wanted terrorist killed, says Mozambique

By
admin
-
0

The government of Mozambique says its armed forces have killed the leader of a jihadist group linked to Islamic State which is fighting in the north of the country.

The defence ministry said Bonomade Machude Omar – also known as Ibn Omar – had led the insurgents since the start of the conflict in 2017.

A statement said he was killed along with two other senior members.

There has been no independent confirmation of the deaths.

Two years ago, the US state department designated Omar as a terrorist leader, blaming him for attacks in Cabo Delgado province, including the killing of dozens of people at a hotel in Palma.

A month before that, Mozambique’s military launched a major offensive against the Islamists with the support of hundreds of soldiers from Rwanda and several southern African countries.

According to the government, Omar and two associates from the Islamic State-linked group were killed in a forest in Macomia in an operation carried out with the army’s foreign allies.

It happened on Tuesday, said Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi during a news conference on Friday.

The UN says the violence in northern Mozambique has forced more than a million people to flee their homes.

The violence has also forced a multi-billion-dollar gas project to be put on hold.

Source: bbc.com

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa wins second term, opposition rejects result

By
admin
-
0

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has won a second and final term in office in an outcome rejected by the opposition and questioned by observers.

Mnangagwa, who took over from longtime leader Robert Mugabe after a 2017 army coup, was widely expected to secure re-election despite the country’s continuing economic crisis, with analysts saying the contest was heavily skewed in favour of the ZANU-PF party, which has ruled the country since independence and the end of white minority rule in 1980.

Mnangagwa won 52.6 percent of the vote compared with 44 percent for Nelson Chamisa, his main challenger, according to official results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) late on Saturday.

“Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo of ZANU-PF party is declared duly elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” ZEC chairwoman Justice Chigumba told journalists.

The elections were marred by delays that fuelled opposition accusations of rigging and voter suppression but a small group of ruling party supporters celebrated the outcome on Saturday.

But Promise Mkwananzi, a spokesman for the Chamisa’s Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) said the party had not signed the final tally, which he described as “false”.

Source: Aljazeera.com

Wagner boss Prigozhin confirmed dead in plane crash -Moscow

By
admin
-
0

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been confirmed dead after genetic analysis of bodies found in Wednesday’s plane crash, Russian officials say.

The Investigative Committee (SK) said the identities of all 10 victims had been established and corresponded to those on the flight’s passenger list.

Prigozhin’s private jet came down north-west of Moscow on 23 August, killing all those on board.

The Kremlin has denied speculation it was to blame for the crash.

The SK said it was continuing a criminal investigation.

“Molecular-genetic testing has been completed,” it said in a statement.

“According to its results, the identities of all 10 deceased have been established, and they correspond to the list published in the flight manifest.”

The victims include several senior figures in Wagner, a Russian mercenary group set up by Prigozhin and involved in military operations in Ukraine, Syria and parts of Africa.

Among them was Dmitry Utkin, who managed Wagner’s military operations.

The others on the Embraer Legacy plane – flying from Moscow to St Petersburg – included Wagner members Valery Chekalov, Sergei Propustin, Yevgeny Makaryan, Alexander Totmin and Nikolay Matuseyev.

Source: bbc.com

GPHA Demonstrates Commitment to Fish Hygiene; Renovated Fish Market

By
admin
-
0
Management of Tema Fishing Harbour during meeting with Stakeholders at Fish Market Hall

As part of efforts to continue to deliver on the mandate of providing suitable, safe and hygienic facilities for fishing vessels and fish handling activities, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has refurbished the Fish Market Hall at the Tema Fishing Harbour.

The refurbished Fish Market Hall which took 7 months to renovate cost the Port Authority 3 million Ghana Cedis.

During the reopening ceremony with the various stakeholders of the facility, the General Manager of the Tema Fishing Harbour, Ing. Kwabena Asamoah said the investment ties into the objectives of the Authority to ensure that fish brought to the harbour are handled in a hygienic and conducive manner.

“The fish market has been constructed many years ago and the situation was very deplorable. When it rains, the roof was leaking badly and the place was very unhygienic. Management thought it wise to invest in money to raise and renovate the whole market to bring it to a certain standard.

In fact, we used 0.8mm aluminium roofing sheet which is very difficult to find on the market and in fact that prolonged the project a little bit.”

The Operations Manager at the Tema Fishing Harbour, Adlina Amoyaw said the Authority will ensure that the rules and regulations governing the use of the facility are adhered to.

“We have formed a task force out of their executives. They are going to liaise with the operations unit and the security department,” she said.

Similarly, the Tema President of the Ghana Inshore Fisheries Association, Joe Kramo committed to play his role effectively to ensure that the activities of his members align with the expectations of the Port Authority.

“We intend that this year with the new edifice behind us that we shall make sure that we clean after we close. We will sweep and do everything to make sure that here becomes fit for fish business and even a tourist attraction like in Sekondi and Elmina.”

 

EPA, Norwegian Partners Impressed with GPHA’s Oil Spill Response

By
admin
-
0

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has once again demonstrated that it is capable of preventing oil spills and mitigating the spread of an oil spill during any unfortunate incident within the port environment.

Over the course the week, the Port Authority participated in the ongoing National Oil Spill Equipment Inventory Exercise, where the Environmental Protection Agency and their Norwegian technical partners are assessing capabilities and preparedness of on-shore and off-shore facilities and resources in-country to tackle oil spills.

Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency and their partners from Norway expressed satisfaction at the Authority’s human and technical resources available to fight oil spills.

Larry Koteo, Deputy Director, Environmental Protection Agency said, “annually, we have been having some national exercises at the Tier one and Tier 2 levels with GPHA for some time now.

We are very much impressed about the capabilities that they do have and then getting some additional information from them that they are getting some more of these capabilities in terms of the response equipment. We find that very impressive and it is an assert for the country.

EPA is happy about it because once there is any oil spill anywhere within our marine waters we can fall on GPHA to support.”

Helge Andersen, Special Advisor, Environment Emergency Response, Norwegian Coastal Administration intimated that his outfit is happy to see the seriousness attached to environmental threats in Ghana’s maritime setup.

“If you see all these ships around here anything can happen. They can go grounding, they can collide and then spill oil in the sea. It’s important to have equipment available within short time to try to get the oil off the water before it hits the shore line, harms wild life or pollutes the beaches and all these kind of things. So to have equipment available close to harbour like this is very important.”

According to GPHA, the organisation will continue to upgrade its capacities in order to remain a reliable point of call for Ghana so far as oil spill response is concerned.

Capt. Daniel Quartey is the Deputy Harbour Master and on-scene commander at GPHA.

He explained that the Authority conducts these inspections in-house regularly and conduct necessary drills quarterly to ensure they stay on-top of the job at all times.

“Because of the hard work we put in and the effort of the management seeing the wisdom behind all these things, giving us the resources, the backup, the confirmations and all that. We were able to prove to them that it is not just having the equipment but we have the men as well,” he added.

VAT on betting was practically flawed – GRA

By
admin
-
0
Lottery Tax Implementation Project Manager at GRA, Thomas Agosor

The Ghana Revenue Authority has intimated that the new betting taxes being implemented are in line with global practice. The Revenue Authority has also said that these new taxes are in line with government’s goal to ensure that every income earner is brought into the tax net.

This message was resounded by the Lottery Tax Implementation Project Manager at GRA, Thomas Agosor who was interacting with the public live on the Eye on Port program.

He said the Authority deemed it necessary to discontinue charging bettors Value Added Tax (VAT) as it was practically flawed, thus replacement of those tax laws.

Mr. Agosor said “VAT is one of the efficient ways of mobilizing revenue and per the data I have reviewed, it contributes more than half of the total revenue we collect from the gaming sector so for government to replace with a new tax, it must be a tough decision.

For any tax policy that is introduced, compliance is key and we have noticed that because of the unique nature of the gaming operation, the industry has not been able to implement the VAT as per the law.”

“VAT had been operational in the sector since 2013 and that meant that any gaming operator that has set wager or stakes in any game of chance has to charge VAT and this had been in the books for a long time. The gaming operators were required to pay corporate tax on their net profit.

But we have reviewed the literature and realised that Ghana had been one of the few countries still taxing the industry like any other industry. The new taxes will have gaming operators pay tax on gross gaming revenue and a token withholding tax has been imposed on the winnings for players,” he continued.

Indeed, as recalled, the GRA from the 15th of August began the implementation of a 10% withholding tax exacted from gross winnings from all betting, gaming, lotto and other games of chance.

This means bettors will now pay a withholding tax of 10% of the profits accrued on wins, and this replaces the existing 15% VAT that is charged.

In addition to this, operators of gaming will pay a 20% tax on Gross Gaming Revenue to replace Corporate Income Tax.

According to the GRA a sum of 1.2 Billion Ghana Cedis is expected to

be collected during the initial stages of implementation.

Mr. Agosor stated that his outfit through its mystery shopping and other monitoring tactics and tools, will ensure that the new betting tax laws are complied with.

He revealed that stakeholders in the gaming sector have expressed mixed reactions with a majority of bettors excited.

“At the GRA we are not excited because we are losing so much, but industry is excited and players are happy. The only thing we are trying to manage is the tax on the winning and we are sure after these media engagements we will come to accept this over time.”

The Ghana Revenue Authority is therefore encouraging all betting operators to collaborate with government to ensure full compliance to avoid facing the full rigors of the law.

Science-Backed Benefits of Sesame Oil

By
admin
-
0
sesame oil

Thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, sesame oil may benefit your heart, joints, skin, hair, and more. More research, particularly in humans, is needed to investigate these potential effects.

The sesame plant’s nutritional qualities have inspired some to dub its oil the “Queen of Oilseeds”.

Belonging to the Pedaliaceae family, a group of plants harvested for their edible seeds, its scientific name is Sesamum indicum.

Sesame oil is made from raw, pressed sesame seeds and has culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic uses (1Trusted Source).

  1. High in antioxidants

Sesame oil contains sesamol and sesaminol, two antioxidants that may have powerful effects on your health (2Trusted Source).

Antioxidants are substances that help reduce cell damage caused by free radicals. An accumulation of free radicals in your cells may lead to inflammation and disease.

A one-month study in rats found that taking sesame oil supplements protected against heart cell damage.

In that same study, antioxidant activity increased in rats that received either about 2 or 5 ml of sesame oil per pound (5 or 10 ml per kg) of body weight daily.

Sesame oil may have similar effects when used topically. One study in rats showed it may reduce cell damage by inhibiting compounds like xanthine oxidase and nitric oxide, which produce free radicals.

  1. Has strong anti-inflammatory properties

Chronic inflammation can be harmful and lead to illness, which is why it’s important to limit it as much as possible.

Traditional Taiwanese medicine has long employed sesame oil for its anti-inflammatory properties, using it to treat joint inflammation, toothaches, and scrapes.

More recently, animal and test-tube studies have shown that sesame oil can reduce inflammation, which may be one of its main health benefits.

For example, test-tube studies have found that sesame oil reduced inflammatory markers, such as nitric oxide production.

However, more studies in humans are needed.

  1. Good for your heart

A well-established body of research shows that a diet rich in unsaturated fats is good for heart health.

Sesame oil comprises 82% unsaturated fatty acids.

In particular, it’s rich in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that is essential to your diet and plays an important role in heart disease prevention.

Research in rats suggests that sesame oil may help prevent heart disease and even slow the development of plaque in your arteries.

In fact, it may lower your cholesterol levels when used in place of oils high in saturated fats.

A 1-month study in 48 adults found those who consumed 4 tablespoons (59 ml) of sesame oil daily had greater reductions in LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, compared with those who consumed olive oil.

  1. May help control blood sugar

Sesame oil may support healthy blood sugar regulation, which is especially important for people with diabetes.

One study showed that putting rats with diabetes on a 6% sesame oil diet for 42 days resulted in significant reductions in blood sugar, compared with rats that were not fed the oil.

Sesame oil may even play a role in long-term blood sugar regulation.

A study in 46 adults with type 2 diabetes found that taking sesame oil for 90 days significantly reduced fasting blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), compared with a placebo group. HbA1c levels are an indicator of long-term blood sugar control.

  1. May help treat arthritis

Osteoarthritis affects nearly 15% of the population and is a common cause of joint pain.

Several rodent studies have linked sesame oil to improvements in arthritis.

In one 28-day study, researchers gave the oil to rats at daily doses of 0.5 ml per pound (1 ml per kg) of body weight. The rats experienced reduced markers of oxidative stress and arthritic symptoms, such as joint pain.

Although animal studies have demonstrated that sesame oil may offer arthritis relief, research in humans is needed.

  1. May help heal wounds and burns

While sesame oil can be consumed for its health benefits, it may also be used topically for wounds and burns.

Ozone is a natural gas that can be used medically. Its clinical use dates back to 1914 when it was used to treat infections during World War I. Oils with ozone added to them — known as ozonated oils — are used topically to treat various skin conditions.

In one rat study, topical treatment with ozonated sesame oil was linked to higher levels of collagen in wound tissue. Collagen is a structural protein necessary for wound healing.

Other studies have demonstrated that topical treatment with sesame oil reduced burn and wound healing time in mice, though human research in this area is lacking.

The oil’s ability to speed the healing of wounds and burns can likely be attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

  1. May protect against UV rays

Some research shows that sesame oil may protect against damage from UV rays, which can harm your skin. This effect is likely largely due to its high antioxidant content.

In fact, it has the ability to resist 30% of UV rays, while many other oils, such as coconut, peanut, and olive oils, can resist only 20%.

Several sources claim that sesame oil can be a good natural sunscreen and has a natural SPF. However, there is limited research on its effectiveness to protect from the strong rays of the sun, so it’s best to use sunscreen.

8–10. Other potential benefits

Although research is limited, some evidence suggests that sesame oil may offer the following benefits:

May improve sleep quality. One study showed that dripping sesame oil on the foreheads of 20 participants during seven, 30-minute sessions over a 2-week period improved sleep quality and quality of life, compared with a placebo treatment.

Topical application may relieve pain. Some studies have shown that a massage with sesame oil may help reduce arm and leg pain.

May improve hair health. Compounds in this oil may increase hair shine and strength. An eight-week study found that taking supplements consisting of sesamin and vitamin E daily enhanced hair strength and shine.

Source: www.healthline.com

Feature: Trump will be jailed, the wheel has turned

By
admin
-
0
Donald Trump

Indulge me, dear readers.

You might consider the scene I am about to describe as implausible, even fantastic. I share a healthy dose of your scepticism since its central character – Donald Trump – is, as we know, incapable of stillness, let alone introspection.

Still, I think it is possible that when his familiar gallery of sycophants, enablers and lawyers has left for the day and he is alone in the quiet of night, the profundity of the legal peril Trump confronts has to register if only for an instant or two.

Sitting in a gilded room at Mar-a-Lago, his painted-on, orange-hued tan washed away, his trademark crisp blue suit, white shirt and long, red tie abandoned, and holding a cell phone for lonely company, the troubling truths that Trump keeps hard at bay are bound to intrude into his reality-defying cocoon.

In those rare moments, an unsettling measure of doubt which may occasionally tip into fear must grip Trump as the cascading list of criminal charges grows with each indictment. I suspect that after a little while, this simmering anxiety dissolves as quickly as it appears.

Then Trump returns to the comfort of his signature state of denial, reassuring himself that he will, as always, escape the comeuppance served to others beneath him who served him – loyally. They are expendable. Unlike Mr President.

Trump’s abiding sense of invincibility is a by-product of his defining authoritarian nature and preening, gangster-saturated hubris. But history confirms that, one after another, once cocksure thugs – in and out of high office – who remained confident that they were absolutely and permanently beyond reach are belatedly and reluctantly obliged to face the harsh, discordant music.

We have already had the pleasure of watching as Trump’s pedestrian crew of co-conspirators – who tried to engineer a slate of fake electors in Georgia after the 2020 presidential election – begin to be booked and have their mug shots taken for embarrassing posterity. More are scheduled to follow.

On Thursday afternoon, it will be Trump’s turn to endure that indignity. What a delightful spectacle that is likely to be, coming only hours after Trump’s agreeable tête-à-tête with a former Fox News faux journalist, Tucker Carlson, who has grovelled his way back into a sexual predator’s embrace.

Carlson’s pre-recorded burnishing of his indicted guest’s seething megalomania and platforming of the predictable litany of discredited accusations and mad conspiracy theories will, of course, satisfy Trump’s junkie-like need for validation and attention. Yet, just as with all fleeting highs, it will pass, replaced again by the blunt lows of exposure, vulnerability and humiliation.

Trump’s fourth appearance before a judge in the past four months is further evidence that the bluster and bravado that have resonated with his deplorable followers and silenced most of his servile Republican opponents, will not intimidate, nor dissuade prosecutors from doing their duty to hold Trump to serious account in Manhattan, Washington, DC, and Atlanta courtrooms.

With a few notable exceptions, the Republican Party’s surrender to every diseased, autocratic aspect of Trumpism was on dutiful display during the two-hour “debate” among the grasping roster of also-rans on Wednesday evening.

Their faint prospects of becoming the nominee rest – whether they are prepared to admit it or not – with the sometimes-sudden vagaries of time and nature and, ironically, the success of prosecutors whose dogged work they have almost universally and hysterically decried as an affront to fairness and a retributive assault on the Republican Party.

Perhaps like you, my impatience with prosecutors had me questioning whether Trump would ever face the reckoning he has earned for disgracing the Constitution he swore to protect and defend in 2016 while placing a hand on his childhood bible, as well as the bible Abraham Lincoln used at his inauguration in 1861.

I was convinced that precedent and the persistent tenets of US exceptionalism which made the presidency sacrosanct shielded Trump from prosecution. Happily, I was wrong – partly.

While I counted the chances that Trump would ultimately sit in the dock as slim, I sensed that enlightened Americans were stirring in powerful rebuttal to the cresting wave of ignorance, hate and evangelical lunacy washing over them.

Slowly, the wheel began to turn. Belief began to emerge from resignation. Courage began to trump cowardice. Action began to replace inaction. Resistance, began, inch by inch, to move from rhetoric to reality.

These days, I believe the inconceivable is conceivable: Trump, I am more than hopeful, will be jailed. Look at the number and breadth of the charges set out with surgical precision in persuasive indictment after persuasive indictment.

Taken together, they catalogue a crime spree that constitutes a “criminal enterprise” of breathtaking scope, with the intent to silence his accusers, hoard a cache of sensitive documents, incite an insurrection to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden as president, and subvert the democratic will of millions of voters in Georgia and beyond.

The 91 stiff, uncompromising charges are immune to Trump’s screeching outbursts and tired shenanigans meant to dilute and distract from the inevitable consequences of the barrage of felonies that he will, in due and steady course, be compelled to answer for.

Fox News cannot save him. His loud, obnoxious family and surrogates cannot save him. Neither will the imprisoned fanatics now holed up in jail for having stormed the Capitol at their patron saint’s sinister, self-serving urging.

Trump’s only imaginable salvation is to prevail next November and trigger an extraordinary crisis pitting a future convicted felon against the Constitution. Trump would welcome and revel in destroying the frayed remnants of a republic to save himself.

He will fail. As they did in 2020, enlightened Americans will see to that in 2024.

By Andrew Mitrovica

Credit: aljazeera.com

Bellingham scores again as Real ease past Celta Vigo

By
admin
-
0
Bellingham scores again

England midfielder Jude Bellingham scored an 81st-minute winner to help Real Madrid ease past Celta Vigo and maintain their 100% start in La Liga.

Bellingham headed in Joselu’s flick-on to register his fourth league goal in just his third appearance.

Celta might have had an early lead but the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled out Jorgen Strand Larsen’s strike.

Their keeper Ivan Villar then saved Rodrygo’s second-half penalty having brought the forward down in the area.

Madrid were far from their best in a frantic match and were fortunate Larsen was adjudged to have fouled visiting keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the build-up to his third-minute finish.

In the closing stages though they upped the pressure, with former Borussia Dortmund star Bellingham’s header into the far corner the difference at Estadio Municipal de Balaidos.

The one blot for the visitors was an injury for forward Vinicius Junior, who limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring strain in the 18th minute.

Credit: bbc.com

Giroud scores twice as AC Milan beat Torino

By
admin
-
0
Giroud scores brace

Olivier Giroud scored two penalties as AC Milan maintained their winning start in Serie A with a 4-1 victory over Torino at San Siro. Christian Pulisic tapped in from close range to open the scoring for Milan before Perr Schuurs equalised.

Veteran France striker Giroud converted from the spot either side of half-time while Theo Hernandez also got on the scoresheet with a deft angled chip.

Giroud has picked up where he left off last season and has scored in five straight Serie A matches for Milan.

Since his Serie A debut in August 2021, the 36-year-old has also scored the most goals (27) in the Italian top flight of any Milan player.

Meanwhile Roma, who drew their opening game of the season with Salernitana 2-2, were left frustrated after their loss in Verona. Ondrej Duda scored from close range before Cyril Ngonge broke clear and calmly finished. Houssem Aouar pulled one back for Roma with a header.

Credit: bbc.com

1...1,9801,9811,982...3,028Page 1,981 of 3,028

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

©
The Ghanaian Chronicle