Government’s resolve to make Ghana the financial hub in the sub-region and to diversify the sources of funds for Ghanaian bonds will receive a boost as Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta leads a delegation to Japan. A statement from the Finance Ministry said the visit from April 9 – 14, 2018 is expected to boost bilateral … Read more
Barnaby Joyce says he will resign as Australia’s deputy prime minister following a politically damaging saga that began with his affair with a former staffer. Mr Joyce said he would step down on Monday as leader of the Nationals, the junior government partner. He had previously resisted calls to quit amid intense scrutiny over his … Read more
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has resigned unexpectedly, saying he hoped to end years of unrest and political upheaval. In a televised address, he said his resignation was “vital in the bid to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy”. Mr Hailemariam, who has led the country since 2012, also stepped … Read more
The Queen of Belgium, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Mathilde, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Alex De Croo, arrived in Ghana on Wednesday evening for a three-day state visit. The Queen and the Deputy Prime Minister will meet President Nana Akufo-Addo and later address a public forum on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals … Read more
Pop superstar Katy Perry has been slammed by animal activists for telling her pet dog to “chase some koalas” in a promotional video for the Australian leg of her global tour. The plug for Perry’s “Witness” tour next year, which also pushes the country´s top department store Myer and its 8,000 ticket giveaway for the … Read more
At least one person is dead and 18 others are missing in huge floods that are surging through southern Japan, with authorities warning hundreds of thousands of people to flee. Unprecedented torrential rain has caused rivers to burst their banks, sweeping away roads and houses, and destroying schools. Thousands of soldiers and other rescuers were … Read more
Thailand’s military government said it will delay enforcing new labour regulations after thousands of migrant workers fled home to neighbouring countries this week fearing arrest and heavy fines under the new decree. The scramble is the latest chaos triggered by Thailand’s efforts to regulate the millions of foreign workers who prop up its economy with … Read more
Companies across the globe are reporting that they have been struck by a major ransomware cyber-attack. British advertising agency WPP is among those to say its IT systems have been disrupted as a consequence. The virus, the source of which is not yet known, freezes the user’s computer until an untraceable ransom is paid in … Read more
Australia’s deputy prime minister has threatened US actor Johnny Depp with perjury charges in a new installment of the “war on terrier”. The Pirates of the Caribbean star and then-wife Amber Heard failed to declare their dogs to Australian customs after arriving by private jet in 2015. Ms Heard escaped conviction and the pair released … Read more
Australia’s deputy prime minister has threatened US actor Johnny Depp with perjury charges in a new instalment of the “war on terrier”. The Pirates of the Caribbean star and then-wife Amber Heard failed to declare their dogs to Australian customs after arriving by private jet in 2015. Ms Heard escaped conviction and the pair released … Read more
Johnny Depp could face perjury charges in Australia after the deputy prime minister threatened Tuesday to unleash a new chapter in a pet dog case dubbed the “war on terrier”. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star and his then-wife Amber Heard fell foul of Australia’s strict quarantine laws when they failed to declare her canines … Read more
Fifa says “it is still investigating allegations” that footballers were involved in a state-sponsored doping programme in Russia. At least 30 sports, including football, covered up samples involving more than 1,000 athletes between 2011 and 2015, according to the McLaren report. The Mail on Sunday has said Fifa was investigating if Russia’s 2014 World Cup … Read more
Saudi Arabia’s king has appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince – replacing his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as first in line to the throne. King Salman’s decree also means Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, will become deputy prime minister while continuing as defence minister. Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, has been removed … Read more
Mohammed bin Salman has been promoted to crown prince and heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia in a shock move by King Salman. It comes after a suspected power struggle between 31-year-old Salman, who was previously deputy crown prince and defence minister, and his cousin Mohammed bin Nayef, who he is replacing. Salman, nicknamed … Read more
Close bonds between the people of the African continent and the Caribbean island-nation of Cuba have been centuries in the making. Africans caught in the Atlantic Slave Trade were taken to Cuba where their presence made an indelible mark on the character of the political, economic and cultural fabric of the country. Since the 1960s, … Read more
Theresa May said the government planned to focus on social issues and “delivering a successful Brexit” as she completed a Cabinet reshuffle. The PM said the new line-up brought in “talent from across the whole of the Conservative party”. Her comments came after Michael Gove, one of the driving forces behind Brexit, returned to the … Read more
A small community of blind students in Malaysia is attempting to learn the entire Quran, a formidable task that requires them to read each page of the holy text up to 40 times. It may be the fasting month of Ramadan but the group of eight students in the central state of Selangor show no … Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he had only a brief and passing acquaintance with former US national security adviser Michael Flynn, though the two sat next to each other at a dinner in Moscow in 2015. In an interview to be aired Sunday evening by NBC, Putin minimized his contact with Flynn, who was fired … Read more
Russia on Sunday held a successful test flight of its new MC-21 medium-haul passenger jet that it hopes will revive its troubled civil aviation industry and challenge giants Airbus and Boeing. The plane, whose prototype was unveiled last June, flew for 30 minutes at a height of 1,000 metres and a speed of 300 kilometres … Read more
Authorities in Thailand have warned Facebook to take down content critical of the monarchy, or face legal action. The social media giant has been given until next Tuesday to remove more than 130 items from pages viewable in Thailand. Facebook says it does consider requests from governments to block material, and will comply if it … Read more