The Electoral Commission (EC) on Thursday afternoon (Nov 21, 2024) destroyed defective ballot papers printed for the Ahafo and Volta regions for the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections. There were serial number issues with the ballot papers at the press house and so the EC took a decision to destroy all ballot papers meant for the Ahafo and Brong Ahafo regions and print new ones. The ballot papers were burnt at the Adipa Waste Management Centre, near Nsawam in the Eastern Region. It was due to serialisation errors encountered during the printing process. The affected ballots were burnt in the presence of representatives from political parties, the National Intelligence Bureau, Ghana Police Service, the media, and officials from the EC. The destroyed materials included 184 presidential ballot paper bags
Category Archives: WORLD NEWS
Nov
Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defence minister, as well as the military commander of Hamas. A statement said a pre-trial chamber had rejected Israel’s challenges to the court’s jurisdiction and issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. A warrant was also issued for Mohammed Deif of Hamas, although Israel has said he was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July. The judges said there were “reasonable grounds” the three men bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war between Israel and Hamas. Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the allegations. The Israeli prime minister’s office condemned the ICC’s decision as “antisemitic”, while Hamas said the warrants for Netanyahu
Nov
China is accelerating its efforts to stockpile microchips from the United States, as it looks to hedge against a potential wave of sanctions from the incoming administration of president-elect Donald Trump. Beijing’s appetite for US semiconductors has surged in recent months, with purchases reaching US$1.11 billion in October – a 60 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, according to customs data released on Wednesday. Over the first 10 months of the year, China imported US$9.61 billion of microchips from the US, up 42.5 per cent year on year. Since June, China’s monthly chip purchases from the world’s largest economy have consistently surpassed US$1 billion. “China has been increasing the imports of chips and chipmaking machinery in anticipation of the potentially heightened US chip sanctions,” said Liang
Nov
Through the lens: The Citizen’s Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Climate activists perform during a protest action at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, 20 November 2024. The Azerbaijani capital of Baku hosts the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) from 11 to 22 November 2024. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV We bring you a visual snapshot of the day’s news events, including highlights featuring Israeli military vehicles during the second day of an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, SpaceX Starship lifting off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Mine Rescue Services personnel prepare for a possible rescue at Stilfontein, and Mexican journalists participating in an ‘Honor and Glory’ evening to pay tribute to murdered colleagues
Nov
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 21 – A United States-led effort to transition the Kenya-led multinational force in Haiti into a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission has faced a significant setback following Russia and China vetoing the proposal. The two countries called for a special UN Security Council meeting to voice their concerns, dealing a blow to Kenya’s hopes of securing a more stable and well-funded mission under the UN’s framework. The multinational force, which has been assisting Haiti in battling a surge of gang violence, is facing mounting challenges, including a critical funding shortfall and insufficient troop deployment. The United States proposed transitioning the multinational force to a UN peacekeeping mission in early September to address these financial issues to secure regular funding through UN mechanisms and provide more sustainable logistical
Nov
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and a top Hamas leader on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is the first time that Netanyahu or any Israeli official has been indicted by an international court for the ongoing war on Gaza. In a decision posted online on Thursday, the ICC charged Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif over Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and Israel’s subsequent genocidal war in Gaza. Israel claimed to have killed Deif in July, however. It is unclear whether he is still alive. Effectively, the defendants are now internationally wanted suspects and ICC member states are under legal obligation to arrest them. Israeli officials slammed
Nov
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 What you need to know: Father Rene taught me philosophy, introducing me to Heidegger and Levinas (masters of phenomenology – his favorite study), Nietzsche, Camus, Hannah Arendt and many other greats. He also taught me a very important lesson that I try to carry up to this day: the moral imperative of judging through evidence. BY January Makamba Today marks two years since the passing of Father Rene McGraw OSB, a Benedictine monk, who was my teacher, friend and mentor at St John’s University, a Catholic university in Minnesota, USA, where I was privileged to graduate from. Father Rene easily makes the list of people who have had a positive influence in my life. He was thoroughly grounded in his Catholic faith but was generous and
Nov
Pilipey, AFP’s Photo Coordinator in Ukraine, received an honourable mention and secured first place in the General News category. He also won second place in the Feature Picture Story category. “I am deeply honoured to be awarded alongside many talented colleagues […]. Sadly, these awards cannot stop the Russian invasion, but they give me another chance to remind the world of what millions of Ukrainians face every day during the brutal Russian full-scale war in Ukraine,” said Pilipey in a post published on his Instagram account. Tato, AFP’s East Africa Photo Coordinator, won the Best Portfolio award. He also earned third place in the Sports feature category, and second in International Sport News. The work of both photojournalists was also recognised in the Chris Hondros Memorial International News category
Nov
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 20 — Kenya’s foreign policy will be reviewed and aligned with emerging global realities and complexities, President William Ruto has said. The President said the policy will be an important tool that helps navigate the challenges of a complex world order. “Our foreign policy must align with the dynamic realities of domestic and international environments,” said President Ruto. He pointed out that Kenya’s pursuit of national economic transformation requires a forward-looking, robust, patriotic and people-centred foreign policy that will attract investments and secure our country’s rightful place on the global stage. “Through the power of our patriotism, concerted effort and the strategic framework provided by our foreign policy, we must aim to keep Kenya’s flag flying high to inspire pride and hope, and symbolise Africa’s true renaissance,”
Nov
Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena is pictured before the group photo after the first session of the G20 Leaders’ Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 18, 2024. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP) Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena was discharged Tuesday from a Rio hospital where he spent the night after falling ill while attending a G20 summit, the facility said. Pena, 46, was taken to the Samaritano Hospital in Rio de Janeiro as local media reported he had suffered chest pains and witnesses said he was whisked away from the summit venue by ambulance. “The head of state was discharged from hospital early in the morning,” and was free to “continue his agenda,” the hospital said in a statement. It added that doctors had ruled out heart trouble or
Nov
The winning image, “Walk to Freedom”, shows WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange raising his fist upon arriving at Canberra Airport on 26 June 2024, after pleading guilty in a U.S. court to a single count of conspiracy to obtain and disseminate national defence information. Gray waited for several hours in freezing conditions before Assange landed and crossed the tarmac. Due to the low light and the distance from the subject, Gray had to push his camera to its limits. “It was never even definite that we would see the arrival of Julian Assange at Canberra Airport, let alone be able to capture an image of him”, said Gray. The Sydney-based photojournalist was also nominated in the Sport category for “Light, Shadows, Action at the Australian Open”, which captures France’s Adrian
Nov
Nov 18 – Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Lima, Peru, on Saturday local time. Both said their meeting was candid, profound and constructive, and expressed their willingness to stay in contact. The two presidents spoke positively about the important role of China-U.S. strategic communication, regular contact between the respective diplomatic and security teams, and dialogue mechanisms on mil-to-mil relations, economic and trade ties, and financial issues. They reiterated the seven-point common understandings on the guiding principles for China-U.S. relations, namely treating each other with respect, finding a way to live alongside each other peacefully, maintaining open lines of communication, preventing conflict, upholding the United Nations Charter, cooperating in areas of shared interest and responsibly managing competitive aspects of the relationship. The two sides are ready
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country’s air attack on Iran last month hit “a component” of Tehran’s nuclear programme and degraded its defence and missile production capabilities. “There is a specific component in their nuclear programme that was hit in this attack,” Netanyahu said in a speech in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday without providing details on the element hit. “The programme itself and its ability to operate here have not yet been thwarted,” he added. On October 26, Israeli fighter jets launched three waves of strikes targeting Iranian military assets, weeks after Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, saying its attack was in response to Israel’s killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
Nov
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs on November 12, 2024. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP) Lebanon said two Israeli strikes on central Beirut killed six people on Sunday, with Hezbollah confirming its spokesperson was among the dead. Israel has been heavily bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, since all-out war erupted on September 23, but attacks on central Beirut have been rarer. The first strike, on Beirut’s Ras al-Nabaa district, killed four people, including Hezbollah’s media relations chief Mohammed Afif, the group and Israel’s military said. Rescuers with the Amal-linked Risala Scouts association use an excavator to search the rubble for survivors or victims, a day after an Israeli airstrike hit their headquarters in the southern Lebanese
Nov
President Bola Tinubu President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the 19th Heads of State and Government Summit of the Group of 20 (G20). The President, who arrived on Sunday at 11.03 p.m. local time, (Monday 3. 03 a.m. Nigerian time) was received by Amb. Breno Costa in the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil. He was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, and the Minister of Art, Tourism, Culture and Creativity, Hannatu Musawa. Others are the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, and Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed. Tinubu is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit