THOUSANDS PROTESTS AGAINST US MILITARY BASE DEAL IN GHANA.

Accra, GHANA:

Thousands of protesters marched in the streets of Accra, Ghana, on Wednesday to protest a deal between the Trump administration and Ghana's government that would expand military cooperation.

Protesters take part in demonstration organised by Ghana First Patriotic Front (GFPF), in downtown Accra against a Ghana-US defence cooperation agreement which was ratified by the Ghanaian Parliament last week.
Image: AFP.

The New York Times reported that thousands of marchers demanded an end to a deal struck last week between top Ghanaian officials and their American counterparts. The deal would have the U.S. invest $20 million into Ghana's military and greatly expand U.S. soldiers' authority on Ghanaian soil.

U.S. troops would be given access to the country's radio frequencies and one airport runway, as well as have immunity and receive tax exemptions for military equipment imports, according to the Times.

Some of the provisions, like legal immunity, would be reciprocal for Ghanaian troops attending military training abroad in the U.S., embassy officials told the Times.

Despite this, protesters and the country's opposition party accused the ruling National Democratic Party of selling out Ghana's sovereignty. The controversy comes as the U.S. relationship with African allies is being tested after reports that President Trump referred to some African nations as "shithole countries" earlier this year.

“Having partaken in the struggle and fight towards our independence, we can never sit unconcerned when it comes to an agreement which has the tendency of compromising our sovereignty and integrity,” said National Union of Ghana Students President Frank Amoako Hene, who joined the protesters Wednesday.

“We are saying that President [Nana] Akufo-Addo should listen to the people of this country,” added Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of Ghana's Parliament. “He is not co-president with President Trump of the U.S.A. He is the president of Ghana.”

American officials, however, stressed the limitations of the authority granted to U.S. troops under the deal in a statement to the Times.

The deal “does not give the United States carte blanche to come in and act unrestricted in Ghana,” the U.S. Embassy in Ghana said. It added that Ghana is “recognized as a global leader — capable of maintaining its own security and perpetuating peace and security in the region and around the world.”

SOURCE:

The Hill.

Comments

CUBA CLAIMS CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER IS FIDEL CASTRO'S SON.

The suicide note left by Fidel Castro’s eldest son has rocked the Cuban nation this week, with the most astonishing revelation being the claim that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was his half-brother and the son of the late Fidel Castro. The handwritten note left by Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, 68, the eldest of Fidel Castro’s children, appears to confirm the longstanding rumor in Cuba that Fidel Castro fathered Justin Trudeau after a public tryst with Margaret Trudeau in 1970. “ Castro Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning ,” Cubadebate website reported. The death of the high-profile government nuclear scientist, also known as “Fidelito”, or Little Fidel, because of how much he looked like his father, stunned the nation, however it is his “ explosive ” suicide note that has set tongues wagging in Havana. Amid a wide-ranging barrage of compl...

MALARIA VACCINE PROVES HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN BURKINA FASO.

A vaccine against malaria has been shown to be highly effective in trials in Africa, holding out the real possibility of slashing the death toll of a disease that kills 400,000 mostly small children every year. The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford University, showed up to 77% efficacy in a trial of 450 children in Burkina Faso over 12 months. The hunt for a malaria vaccine has been going on the best part of a century. One, the Mosquirix vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, has been through lengthy clinical trials but is only partially effective, preventing 39% of malaria cases and 29% of severe malaria cases among small children in Africa over four years. It is being piloted by the World Health Organization in parts of Kenya, Ghana and Malawi. The Oxford vaccine is the first to meet the WHO goal of 75% efficacy against the mosquito-borne parasite disease. Larger trials are now beginning, involving 4,800 children in four countries. Prof ...

KENYA DEMANDS TWO PERMANENT UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEATS FOR AFRICA.

New York, UNITED STATES: Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for urgent reforms at the United Nations to ensure Africa is allocated two permanent seats at the Security Council complete with all attendant rights and prerogatives. Speaking when he delivered Kenya’s country statement at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, the Head of State said, besides the two permanent seats being demanded by the continent, Africa deserves more non-permanent seats. Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for urgent reforms at the United Nations to ensure Africa is allocated two permanent seats at the Security Council complete with all attendant rights and prerogatives. Speaking when he delivered Kenya’s country statement at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, the Head of State said, besides the two permanent seats being demanded by the continent, Africa deserves more non-permanent seats. Currently, Africa has three non-permanent seats at the UN ...

FATHER USED BABY AS HUMAN SHIELD; CHILD SHOT 4 TIMES.

Philadelphia, U.S: The father of an 11-month-old boy, who was shot four times in Philadelphia last month, is now under arrest in connection with the shooting, the district attorney's office announced on Tuesday. Nafes Monroe. Yaseem Munir Jenkins was shot four times, including once in the head, while inside a vehicle in the city's Hunting Park section on October 19, 2019. Authorities say the toddler was in the back seat of a car, along with his father, Nafes Monroe, his stepmother and another man when shots rang out. Investigators say Monroe used his son as a human shield to thwart off a potential upset drug dealer. Yazeem Munir Jenkins is in a critical condition. Image: Philadelphia Police. "He was using counterfeit money to purchase drugs, knowing that counterfeit money is something that is very upsetting to drug dealers, and when they find out that they're being burned with counterfeit money, they act violently. And this was not...

"CHINA WON'T COLONIZE ZIMBABWE OVER MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR LOANS", SAYS PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meetings the visiting Zimbabwean Counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa in Beijing. Image: China News Service Harare, ZIMBABWE: President Emmerson Mnangagwa has allayed fears that Zimbabwean authorities are auctioning the country’s resources and surrendering its sovereignty to China in exchange of loans running into billions of dollars being sourced from the Asian nation. Responding to a question from a Zimbabwean concerned by what is happening in Zambia where citizens claim that the nation is being colonized by China through loans amounting to billions of dollars, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is focusing on capital projects that generate funds for repaying Chinese loans. Mnangagwa, who is in USA for the United Nations General Assembly and was addressing a gathering attended by Zimbabweans, said there is no need to abandon friends in good times. “You have some fear emanating from our relations with the People’s Republic of China and fear is on wha...

DANGOTE INSTALLS WORLD LARGEST ATMOSPHERIC TOWER IN NIGERIA.

Lagos, NIGERIA: The world's largest atmospheric tower has left China to Nigeria for the Aliko Dangote's refinery complex in Lagos. China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) has disclosed that it is shipping to Dangote Refinery in Lekki Lagos, the world’s largest atmospheric tower. The tower has left a wharf in Ningbo, in Zhejiang Province in China’s north eats, Sinopec said. The journey may take up to a month. The atmospheric crude tower, which helps in processing heavy crude oils, will be installed at the world’s biggest single-train facility - Nigeria's Dangote Refinery . “ On July 29, the world's largest atmospheric tower built by Sinopec slowly left a Wharf in Ningbo. “Following the Maritime SilkRoad, it will travel to Nigeria and be installed at the world’s biggest single-train facility - Nigeria's Dangote Refinery,” Sinopec said in a tweet on Monday with pictures of the equipment attached. World's largest atmospheric towe...

SINGAPORE TO BECOME THE FIRST COUNTRY TO BAN ADS FOR DRINKS WITH HIGH SUGAR CONTENT.

Singapore, SINGAPORE: Singapore is set to become the first country in the world to ban ads for unhealthy drinks with high sugar content in what it says is the latest move in its ongoing "war on diabetes." The ban, which will apply to " the least healthy " sugar-sweetened beverages, will cover all media platforms including print, broadcast and online, said Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State for the city-state's Ministry of Health. He told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that the decision was made after a "public consultation" in the form of a survey. Soft drinks, juices, yogurt drinks and instant coffee would all be affected by the new regulation, the ministry said in a press release. The ministry also says it will continue to gather consumer and industry feedback in the next few months, before announcing further details on its implementation next year. In addition to an ad ban, the ministry announced that sugary...

440 WOMEN SHOES INSTALLED TO RAISE AWARENESS AGAINST MALE VIOLENCE.

A total of 440 pairs of high-heel black shoes were installed recently on a facade of a building in downtown Istanbul to draw attention to the equal number of women murders in Turkey last year and raise awareness against increasing male violence in the country. Instanbul, TURKEY: The high heels project is dedicated to the 440 women murdered by their male partners or relatives last year. The installations at a business center in the Kabatas neighborhood are part of an art project launched by Kahve Dunyasi, one of Turkey's leading coffee and chocolate producers. Vahit Tuna, the creator of the shoe project, said it is dedicated to the 440 women murdered by their male partners or relatives last year. "It is a severe wound and grievous situation for the people in Turkey," Tuna told Xinhua. In his project, the art stands in the background and reveals its power through minimalism. "It doesn't have much decorations or ornaments, and that's why i...

HOW CRISTIANO RONALDO ENDED RUUD VAN NISTELROOY'S MANCHESTER UNITED CAREER.

Image: PA. Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistlerooy saw his Red Devils career come crashing down following a disagreement with a young Cristiano Ronaldo , in which comments were exchanged regarding the player's father. The prolific Dutch striker was a huge favourite at Old Trafford, but was shown the door shortly after an altercation with Ronaldo which left manager Sir Alex Ferguson with no option but to move him on. Revelations about Van Nistlerooy's departure have emerged in the recently published diaries of former Labour communications chief Alastair Campbell, a close friend of Ferguson. ALISTAIR CAMPBELL WITH SIR ALEX FERGUSON DURING MANCHESTER UNITED WORKING DAYS. As revealed in the Times , Campbell notes how Van Nistlerooy had become difficult to manage and came across as rather self-centred, leaving Ferguson unsure with what to do with the player. " The last straw was when he told Cristiano Ronaldo he had found a new dad in Carlos [Queiroz, Ferg...

THOUSANDS OF LIONS ARE BEING KEPT IN 'BARBARIC' FARMS AND THEN KILLED IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Thousands of lions are being bred on farms in South Africa and then killed by rich trophy hunters, a shocking report has revealed. It also found that other big cats are being butchered and used for 'medicines' after being sold to buyers in the Far East. The cruel and lucrative industry which is common in South Africa has been exposed by a year-long investigation by former Tory peer Lord Ashcroft. He has slammed the Government over its failure to ban imported trophy skins and says it is complicit in the trade. According to Lord Ashcroft’s exposé published in on UK newspaper "Sunday Mail", 54 lions were killed in a slaughterhouse at a so-called ‘eco-farm’ in just two days. Gruesome pictures show their innards and bones scattered all over the floor while other body parts were stacked up in overflowing plastic bags. The study, published yesterday, found hunters are willing to pay up to £42,000 to slaughter a lion, depending on its size. Clients ar...

Kioo17 Journal

Search This Blog