In the early hours of Thursday, around 2 am, a group of four men attacked Class Media Group’s headquarters in Labone, Accra, using petrol bombs and stones.
Surveillance cameras captured four men on motorbikes as the suspects.
They threw the petrol bombs over the fence wall into the media house, damaging the glass wall and door of the reception before fleeing the scene.
The motive behind the attack is unclear, but CMG has reported the incident to the police for investigation.
This incident adds to a series of attacks on media houses and journalists in recent years. Notably, investigative journalist Ahmed Suale, who worked with Anas Aremeyaa Anas’ Tiger Eye P.I., was killed by unknown gunmen.
Other incidents include thugs breaking into radio and TV stations to disrupt live shows or assault presenters. Last year, Mr. Iddrisu Hardi Pagazaa, a former deputy northern regional communications officer of the main opposition NDC, and another person were reported to have stormed into the studios of CMG’s media house, Dagbon FM, in the Northern Region, to attack and assault journalist Abubakar Saddique Gariba on World Press Freedom Day.
Additionally, on 10 February 2022, the host of Accra FM’s ‘Citizen Show’, Kwabena Bobie Ansah, was arrested by unidentified men claiming to be security operatives immediately after his night political talk show, though the reason for his arrest remains unknown.
Twenty-five persons have been apprehended by the Ghana Police Service following an attack on some policemen in Kwahu Bepong by the youth of the area.
The arrested persons reported vandalised properties in the area following the murder of a man and his sister.
According to reports the enraged youth are fighting for justice for the member of the community and his sister who were both lynched by a suspected robber.
Details emerging in the aftermath of the attack indicates a series of troubling incidents triggered by the murder of a man and his sister some two weeks ago.
According to reports, a young man allegedly murdered a beer bar operator in an attempt to rob her.
A brother of the woman who attempted to rescue the woman was also allegedly murdered by the suspect in a village closer to Bepong.
A manhunt was launched for the suspect who fled the scene after committing the crime.
He was subsequently apprehended by the youth of the town on Sunday who attempted to lynch him but failed due to police intervention.
The youth are said to have sought the support of the chief of Bepong to carry out the lynching but was refused.
Incensed by the lack of cooperation of the chief and the police in their attempt to lynch the suspect, the youth went on rampage attacking the chief’s palace and police station respectively.
They caused damage to properties including cars and motorbikes belonging to the police and the palace.
The Ghana Police Service in its statement in the evening of Sunday, February 4, said it had apprehended 25 individuals over the attacks.
“The Ghana Police Service has arrested 25 people in connection with an attack on Police officers and the destruction of some properties at Kwahu Bepong in the Eastern Region.
“Police reinforcement team working with the local Police have restored calm and things have been normalized while efforts are ongoing to get the other suspects arrested to face justice,” the police statement said.
The police further assured of sharing further details in due course.
Meanwhile, videos shared on social media from the attacks shows chaotic scenes in Kwahu Bepong as the rampaging youth went about the attacks.
The interior minister of Turkey has labeled the explosion that occurred outside the country’s interior ministry in the capital city of Ankara as a “terrorist attack.”
According to Ali Yerlikaya, two assailants arrived at the scene in a commercial vehicle at approximately 09:30 local time (06:30 GMT) and executed the attack, resulting in injuries to two police officers. Yerlikaya explained that one attacker detonated an explosive device in front of a ministry building, while the other was “neutralized.”
The explosion unfolded shortly before the parliament was scheduled to reconvene. The identities of the attackers remain unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
A senior Turkish official informed Reuters news agency that the attackers had seized the vehicle and killed its driver in Kayseri, a city located 260 kilometers (161 miles) southeast of Ankara.
One of the injured officers sustained shrapnel wounds, and initial media reports mentioned gunfire heard in the vicinity.
In response, emergency services swiftly arrived at the scene, with police cordoning off several nearby roads.
“Our struggle will continue until the last terrorist is neutralised,” Mr Yerlikaya wrote on social media.
Ankara’s police force has stated that they are conducting “controlled detonations” of “suspicious packages” as a precautionary measure to avert potential further explosions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was scheduled to address the parliamentary session later on the same Sunday.
During the autumn session, the Turkish parliament is anticipated to officially approve Sweden’s entry into NATO.
In July, Turkey withdrew its opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership after months of disagreements, primarily centered on accusations of Sweden harboring Kurdish militants.
Previously, militants, primarily associated with the banned Kurdish Workers Party, were responsible for frequent attacks throughout the country.
In response, the authorities have applied substantial pressure, including the incarceration of its leaders and military operations targeting Kurdish bases within Turkey and across the borders in Syria and Iraq.
The defense ministry of Russia reported that it successfully thwarted Ukrainian attacks on the Novorossiysk naval base in the Black Sea overnight.
In response to the situation, Russia’s defense minister, Sergey Shoigu, visited Russian troops on the front line in Ukraine.
Additionally, Russia claimed to have shot down at least 13 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean Peninsula.
Amid the escalating costs of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has reportedly revised its 2023 defense spending goal to exceed $100 billion, constituting around one-third of its total public expenditure. A government document examined by Reuters reveals this updated budget allocation, as specific financial data concerning the conflict is no longer publicly disclosed.
The disclosed figures provide insight into Russia’s financial commitment to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Notably, during the initial half of 2023, Russia’s defense spending surpassed its original target by 12 percent, amounting to 600 billion roubles ($6.4 billion) more than the initially allocated 4.98 trillion roubles ($53 billion) for the year.
These revelations highlight the substantial allocation of resources to defense, with the first half of 2023 witnessing defense expenditures of 5.59 trillion roubles ($58 billion) out of a total expenditure of 14.97 trillion roubles ($159 billion). The document indicates that Russia’s budget aims to allocate 17.1 percent of total funds to “national defense.”
Despite these disclosures, neither Russia’s government nor its finance ministry has responded to Reuters’ requests for commentary on the provided numbers.
Information from Niger’s presidency, says that members of the presidential guard attempted to move against President Mohamed Bazoum while threatening to be attacked by the army if they did not back down.
According to the official presidential Twitter account, the presidential guards participated in a “anti-Republican demonstration” on Wednesday and sought “in vain” to rally the assistance of the other security forces.
According to reports, it was clarified that President Bazoum and his family were safe, countering earlier news that security sources claimed he was being held by guards within the presidential palace in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
On Wednesday morning, the presidential palace and adjacent ministries were barricaded by military vehicles, preventing staff from accessing their offices. However, the rest of Niamey remained calm during the situation.
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abuja in neighboring Nigeria, mentioned that the army had issued a directive for Bazoum’s loyal troops to intervene and quell what appeared to be a coup attempt. Additionally, there were unconfirmed reports of skirmishes related to the control of the state television station.
After news organizations cited security sources as indicating that the guards were holding Bazoum within the presidential palace in the nation’s capital, Niamey, it was further stated that Bazoum and his family were in good health.
On Wednesday morning, military vehicles had blocked access to the palace and the nearby ministries. According to accounts, employees inside the palace were also unable to enter their offices. However, some parts of Niamey were peaceful.
From Abuja in the neighboring Nigerian city of Bazoum, Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris said that the army had ordered Bazoum’s supporters to go in to put an end to what appeared to be a coup attempt. Additionally, he claimed that there had been unsubstantiated reports of clashes over control of the state television.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chair of the African Union Commission, “strongly” condemned what he dubbed a coup attempt “by members of the military acting in total betrayal of their republican duty” in a statement.
The president of Nigeria and chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Bola Tinubu, stated that he was already in “close consultation” with other regional leaders over the situation.
“The ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa,” he said in a statement. “We will do everything within our powers to ensure democracy is firmly planted, nurtured, well rooted and thrives in our region.”
Military takeovers
It remains uncertain why there was a revolt but analysts say rising costs of living and perceptions of government incompetence and corruption may have driven the guards’ move.
“The [attempted] coup fits into a long pattern of inability by the political class to speak to the economic challenges and the security and political instabilities in the country,” Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, professor of peacekeeping practice at Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra, told Al Jazeera. “That nevertheless, does not justify the attempted coup,” he said.
“Corruption is the big elephant in the room, plus a fight against violent extremists. This is a challenge that almost all West African governments are facing,” he added.
Bazoum was elected president in a 2021 election that was the first democratic transition of power in a state that has witnessed four military coups since independence from France in 1960.
There have been four military takeovers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020.
Those coups were spurred in part by frustrations over authorities’ failure to stem a rebel uprising blighting the Sahel region – which includes Niger – that was once derided as the “coup belt”.
There was also a thwarted coup attempt in Niger in March 2021, when a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace days before Bazoum who had just been elected, was due to be sworn in.
Niger is a key ally to Western powers seeking to support local troops fighting a conflict which took root in Mali in 2012 and has spread to neighbouring countries including Burkina Faso and the southern coastal states.
France moved troops to the country from Mali last year after its relations with the military government there soured – an emerging pattern in former French colonies in the region.
Local authorities have made claims that a drone attack in Crimea under Russian authority started a large fire at an oil store.
Social-media footage showed flames billowing from the site in Sevastopol, Crimea’s main city, early on Saturday.
The fire was later put out and no-one was hurt, the Moscow-appointed regional governor said.
On Friday Russia launched a wave of air strikes in cities across Ukraine, killing at least 25 people. It was the first such attack in months.
The Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, is home to the main naval base for Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.
“According to preliminary information, [the fire] was caused by a drone strike,” Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on the messaging app Telegram.
It comes five days after Russian officials said they had fended off a drone attack by the Ukrainian military in the same area. Crimea has come under repeated attacks since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Friday’s Russian barrage included a strike on a block of flats that killed 23 people – including four children – in the central Ukrainian city of Uman.
And a woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed in the city of Dnipro.
Image caption,Rescuers in Uman pulled casualties from the rubble
Kyiv was also targeted for the first time in 51 days. There were no reports of casualties in the capital.
Twenty-one out of 23 missiles and two drones were shot down by Ukraine’s air defence system, officials said.
The Russian defence ministry said its military had targeted Ukrainian army reserve units. Moscow has previously said it does not deliberately target civilians, but thousands have been injured and killed across Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks showed further international action needed to be taken against Russia.
“Evil can be stopped by weapons… And it can be stopped by sanctions – global sanctions must be enhanced,” he said in a tweet on Friday.
The attacks come as Ukrainian forces say they are ready to launch a military offensive with new equipment supplied by Western allies.
Russia has struggled to make headway in a winter offensive, including a 10-month battle for control of the strategically important city of Bakhmut.
Thirty-three troops have been slained in a fresh violent attack by alleged jihadists on Thursday in eastern Burkina Faso, a Sahelian nation that has been spiraling further and farther into the unrest that first surfaced in 2015.
“The military detachment of Ougarou,” in the eastern region, “faced a large-scale complex attack on Thursday morning,” said an army statement. “Thirty-three of our soldiers, unfortunately, fell with their weapons in their hands, while twelve others were wounded,” it added.
“During the fighting, which was particularly intense, the soldiers of the detachment showed remarkable determination in the face of an enemy that came in very large numbers,” according to the army, which said they “managed to neutralize at least forty terrorists before the arrival of reinforcements.
The deployment of these reinforcements “has enabled the evacuation of the wounded who are currently being treated by the health services,” according to the army.
Security sources said the attackers were “heavily armed” and that “some soldiers are missing”.
The statement said that “the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces salutes the memory of the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the performance of their duty. “He encourages all units engaged in operations to maintain efforts to strengthen the momentum of the ongoing recovery,” the text adds.
The attack comes a week after the April 20 massacre of at least 60 civilians in the northern village of Karma by men wearing army fatigues.
Officially revealed on Sunday, it left “sixty” dead according to a local prosecutor, “more than a hundred” according to representatives of the survivors and residents of Karma.
– “Vile and barbaric acts” –
The government “strongly condemned these despicable and barbaric acts” on Thursday and said it was closely following the progress of the investigation” opened by the prosecutor of the Ouahigouya (northern) high court to “elucidate” the facts and “arrest all those involved”.
The victims of Karma were buried on Thursday evening.
“The administrative authorities mobilized for the burial of the remains of our mothers, our fathers, our sisters and our sons”, that is to say “a hundred people”, Daouda Belem, one of the survivors, told AFP.
He thanked the government for “allowing Karma to bury its dead” and called for collaboration with the gendarmerie in its investigation.
On April 18, at least 24 people, including 20 civilian army replacements, were killed in two attacks by suspected jihadists in east-central Burkina.
On April 15, six soldiers and 34 civilian auxiliaries were killed in the north during an assault on their detachment.
Burkina Faso, the scene of two military coups in 2022, has been caught since 2015 in a spiral of jihadist violence that began in Mali and Niger a few years earlier and has spread beyond their borders.
The violence has left more than 10,000 civilians and soldiers dead over the past seven years, according to NGOs, and some two million people displaced.
Burkina Faso’s transitional president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power in a coup in September 2022, signed a one-year “general mobilization” decree last week, allowing for the requisition of “young people aged 18 and over” to go and fight against the jihadists who are bloodying the country.
At Moree in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) area, a tidal wave attack has destroyed more than three buildings and left more than 30 people homeless.
Days after, residents are living in fear over the possible sweeping away of their homes by the raging sea, and have threatened a demonstration to outpour their grievances on government.
A visit by the media to the area revealed a disturbing scene, where the people practically living with the sea were hit by tidal waves which eroded the ridges and leveled the sand dunes leaving no shoreline, thus, allowing free flow of the sea in and out of homes.
Some residents, who spoke said they lived in constant fear without knowing when and at what time the sea would deal a final blow to them by wiping up the remaining homes.
“We live in constant fear. The sea comes in and takes our belongings and collapses our buildings at well.
We have decided to move and seek refuge somewhere to safeguard our lives and children,” they added.
They lamented that their constant appeal to government for sea defense had proved futile and warned all politicians to never step foot in the community for campaigns or face their anger.
The residents said the construction of the sea defense would salvage the community from the rampaging impacts of tidal waves which constantly threaten lives and properties.
Sea defense will protect the low-lying coast and coastal hinterland against flooding caused by effect of heavy downpours and extreme rise in tides.
Matthew Ekow Boison, Assemblyman for Bentsir Electoral Area said the incident was due to the ongoing sea defense project from Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality through the Cape Coast Metropolis which had increased the rate of tidal erosion along the community’s coastal belt.
He lamented that series of reports and appeals had been made to the Assembly and Mr. Asenso Boakye, the Minister of Works and Housing but had yielded no results.
Boison disclosed that hundreds of houses were at risk of imminent collapse if the situation remains unlooked at.
“We may lose many houses if authorities refuse our plea to construct sea defense for us.”
A U.S. Embassy convoy was attacked in Sudan, according to Washington’s top ambassador, who also condemned “indiscriminate military operations” as the nation’s armed forces and a potent adversary continued to use heavy weapons in populated areas.
The convoy of clearly marked embassy vehicles was attacked on Monday April 17 2023, and preliminary reports link the assailants to the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling Sudan’s military, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters. Everyone in the convoy was safe, Blinken said.
The convoy attack in Khartoum, along with earlier assaults on aid workers and the EU envoy’s residence in the Sudanese capital, signaled further descent into chaos since the battle by two rival generals for control of Africa’s third-largest country erupted over the weekend.
More than 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded, according to U.N. figures, which did not include a breakdown of civilians and combatants. The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate said Tuesday that at least 144 civilians were killed and more than 1,400 wounded since Saturday.
The overall death toll could be much higher because clashes in Khartoum have prevented the removal of bodies in some areas. The two sides have been using tanks, artillery and other heavy weapons in densely populated areas.
Late Monday, fighter jets swooped overhead and anti-aircraft fire lit up the skies as darkness fell. Fighting resumed early Tuesday around each side’s main bases and at strategic government buildings — all of which are in residential areas.
Satellite images from Maxar Technologies taken Monday showed damage across Khartoum, including security service buildings. Tanks stood guard at a bridge over the White Nile River and other locations in the capital.
Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC, also taken Monday, showed some 20 damaged aircraft at Khartoum International Airport, which also has a military side. Some had been completely destroyed, with one still belching smoke. At the El Obeid and Merowe air bases, north and south of Khartoum, several fighter jets were among the destroyed aircraft.
Top diplomats have urged the two rival generals — armed forces chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and RSF leader Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo — to halt fighting.
The State Department said late Monday that Blinken spoke by phone separately with the two generals.
“I made very clear (in my calls) that any attacks or threats or dangers posed to our diplomats were totally unacceptable,” Blinken told reporters at the Group of Seven wealthy nations meeting in Japan on Tuesday,
He appealed for an immediate 24-hour cease-fire, as a foundation for a longer truce and a return to negotiations. “Indiscriminate military operations have resulted in significant deaths and injuries, recklessly endangering civilians, diplomats, including U.S. personnel, and humanitarian personnel,” he said.
Dagalo said in a series of tweets Tuesday that he had approved a 24-hour humanitarian truce after speaking to Blinken while the Sudanese military said more troops would join the battle and that it would “widen the scope of its operations” against the RSF.
Burhan and Dagalo, former allies who jointly orchestrated an October 2021 coup, have dug in, demanding the other’s surrender. The violence has raised the specter of civil war just as Sudanese were trying to revive the drive for a democratic, civilian government after decades of military rule.
The Sudanese military blamed the RSF, which grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias in Sudan’s Darfur region, for the attack on the U.S. convoy and an earlier assault on the home of the EU envoy in Khartoum.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell tweeted Monday that the EU ambassador to Sudan “was assaulted in his own residency,” without providing further details.
The RSF denied involvement in the attack on the ambassador’s home, instead blaming the military. However, a Western diplomat in Cairo said the residence was ransacked by armed men in RSF uniforms. No one was hurt but the armed men stole several items, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk to media.
Under international pressure, Burhan and Dagalo had recently agreed to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy groups, but the signing was repeatedly delayed as tensions rose over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and the future chain of command.
Both generals have a long history of human rights abuses and their forces have cracked down on pro-democracy activists.
Only four years ago, Sudan inspired hope after a popular uprising helped depose long-time autocratic leader Omar al-Bashir.
But the turmoil since, especially the 2021 coup, has frustrated the democracy drive and wrecked the economy. A third of the population — around 16 million people — now depends on humanitarian assistance in the resource-rich nation.
On March 15, 2023, an Accra High Court chaired over by Judge Eric Baah found that Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, the representative for Assin Central, was right in labeling investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas a thief and a corrupt individual, among other things.
The judge stated in his decision, which the media was able to view, that the MP should be commended rather than penalized for his persistent attacks on the journalist, which led to the filing of a GH25 million defamation lawsuit by Anas.
“In all honesty, the plot by plaintiff and his group in exhibit KOA4 has nothing to do with journalism. It was a scheme for grabbing power by the back door and satisfying plaintiff’s insatiable taste for power, publicity, fame, awards, and rewards.
“Since the president is an embodiment of the soul of the nation, any unwarranted plot out of nothing to entrap him to destroy his reputation and undermine his authority is reproachable. The attacks of defendant on plaintiff on that ground deserves commendation and not condemnation,” the judge said while making reference to some work done by Anas in the past for which Kennedy Agyapong in various pronouncements accused him of attempting to entrap some political figures in the sub-region.
“I hold in respect of exhibits KOA3 and KOA4, that any statements based on them were justified and passed the test of fair comment. “In the result, the court finds established the defence of justification and fair comment in relation to the statements of defendant based on exhibits KOA1, KOA2, KOA3 and KOA4. Since those statements were justified, they could not have actually defamed the plaintiff,” Justice Baah added.
Anas vs. Ken Agyapong defamation case
Anas, filed a case in 2018, seeking among other reliefs monetary damages to the tune of GH¢25 million.
According to him, the MP had caused injury to his reputation by labelling him as a thief, killer, extortionist, and corrupt among other things.
However, the court presided by Justice Eric Baah despite finding various claims made by the defendant against the plaintiff as potentially defamatory, ruled that the comments were factual and fair.
The court subsequently dismissed the suit and awarded the defendant a sum of 50,000 Ghana cedis to cover his legal costs.
The MP has subsequently referred to the ruling as a victory for straight talk over investigative terrorism.
Whiles, the journalist also expressed grave misgivings about the ruling describing it in part as a travesty of justice. His statement, however, stopped short of confirming whether he will appeal the ruling.
Authorities said on Tuesday that five people were killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in south-east Mali, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the nation’s capital Bamako.
The victims comprised three civilians and two firefighters who were members of a civil defence force.
Military ceremonies and burials for the two service members are due for Wednesday, the AFP news agency reports.
Monday’s attack is said to have happened in a part of the country where violence is rare while a jihadist insurgency rages in the central and northern regions.
The United Kingdom has warned that terrorists are planning to attack the United States while advising its citizens in the country to be vigilant and avoid public gatherings.
According to the UK, in an updated travel advisory to its citizens in the US on Friday, the terrorists might target places where foreigners gather or crowded areas as well as transportation channels.
This is coming barely a week after the US and the UK issued security alerts that terrorists were planning to attack Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja.
It could also be not unconnected with the security alert by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to Americans in New Jersey that terrorists were planning to attack synagogues.
The FBI said it received credible information about a “broad” threat to synagogues in New Jersey urging them to “take all security precautions to protect your community and facility.”
The UK said, “Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the USA. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners, crowded areas, and transportation networks. You should monitor media reports and be vigilant at all times.”
“The main threat comes from individuals who may have been inspired by terrorist ideology to carry out so-called ‘lone actor’ attacks targeting public events or places. Attacks could take place with little or no notice.”
In connection the alert, the UK government said the US might deploy security agents in public places to foil possible attacks adding that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued information on credible threats.
“The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides public information about credible threats. Expect an increased presence of law enforcement and tight security at public places and events.
“This may include a heavy police presence, additional restrictions and searches on bags, and the use of screening technologies. For all current alerts within the USA and its territories, visit the DHS website.
“There’s a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. You should be vigilant at this time,” it said.
The U.S. embassy on Wednesday issued an alert warning of a possible attack on Saturday against “large gatherings” in northern Johannesburg, which the South African government.
“The U.S. government has received information that terrorists may be planning to carry out an attack targeting large gatherings in the area around Sandton,” a wealthy suburb north of the historic city center, said the alert, published on the embassy’s website and widely shared on social networks.
“There is no further information regarding the timing, method, or target of this possible attack,” the alert adds, noting that embassy staff have been advised to avoid crowds in that part of the metropolitan area next weekend.
In response, the South African presidency noted the US’s “terror alert” was part of “the US government’s standard communication to its citizens”.
The presidency said it was the responsibility of the South African security forces to ensure security and safety for all people in the country.
It said law enforcement agencies were monitoring any threats to the citizens and the nation.
“Should the need arise, the South African government will be the first to inform the public about any imminent threat,” the presidency said in a statement.
A minister in the presidency was quoted by local media on Wednesday as saying that the “alarm has been going on but up to this point it is not backed up by any evidence”.
More than 1,000 South African troops have been fighting in neighboring Mozambique since July 2021, helping the army deal with armed jihadist groups that have been wreaking havoc for the past five years, killing 4,300 people and displacing a million.
On Monday, several Western embassies, including that of the United States, advised their citizens to limit their travel to Nigeria because of the increased threat of terrorist attacks.
Kwadwo Abdulai, a 19-year-old corn mill operator, has sustained a severe injury on his right hand after being stabbed by thugs who attacked occupants of the Suame market corn mill base.
An eyewitness disclosed that the sad incident happened on Sunday morning after a group of thugs numbering over 15 stormed the area occupied by the corn mill operators.
The attack was said to have been perpetrated by an unidentified group who later demolished the entire place.
According to the victims, the thugs attacked them with offensive weapons before destroying their corn mill machines and subsequently demolishing the entire place.
The 19-year-old Abdulai, narrating his ordeal, said he was asleep when he heard shouts that some attackers were coming after them.
“We all started running since we didn’t know what was happening, and in the course of running, I met some of these macho men, some of them holding offensive materials. One of them tried stabbing me in the stomach with a knife, but I was able to prevent the action with my hand, hence the stabbing on my hand,” he said.
According to him, about three of the boys were known persons from Tafo.
Mr. Abdullah Amoako, one of the victims and a corn-mill operating machine owner, told GhanaWeb that the occupants owning the place have legal documents.
Mr. Akwasi Ofei, another victim showing his documents, revealed that the place was given to them by the Otumfuo Sanaahene with all the requirements.
Meanwhile, most of the victims have accused the Suame MCE, Maxwell Ofosu Boakye, of being the person behind the attacks.
Backing the claims, they said, the MCE for the last two months had been threatening with an eviction on several occasions.
They, however, appealed to the authorities to immediately investigate the issue and bring perpetrators to book.
Reports further reveal that the police are now investigating the issue.
A celebrated author and winner of the world’s top literary prizes Salman Rushdie, whose writings have attracted death threats has been attacked and apparently stabbed in the neck on stage Friday before giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, State Police said.
Police say a state trooper on the scene arrested the suspect.
Rushdie was airlifted to a local hospital according to the police, but his current state is unknown.
However, an interviewer also suffered a minor head injury, police said.
Medical staff and police were called to the amphitheater, according to a Chautauqua spokesperson who would not elaborate or confirm details about the incident.
Salman Rushdie’s treatment of delicate political and religious subjects turned him into a controversial figure.
A witness in the audience told CNN he saw Rushdie attack on stage.
The witness could not confirm what was used in the attack, adding that he was 75 feet from the stage.
The 75-year-old novelist — the son of a successful Muslim businessman in India — was educated in England, first at Rugby School and later at the University of Cambridge where he received an MA degree in history.
After college, he began working as an advertising copywriter in London, before publishing his first novel, “Grimus” in 1975.
Rushdie’s treatment of delicate political and religious subjects turned him into a controversial figure. But it was the publication of his fourth novel “The Satanic Verses” in 1988 that hounded him for more than three decades.
Some Muslims found the book to be sacrilegious and it sparked public demonstrations. In 1989, the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called Rushdie a blasphemer and said “The Satanic Verses” was an insult to Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, and issued a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for his death.
As a result, the Mumbai-born writer spent a decade under British protection before the Iranian government announced it would no longer seek to enforce the fatwa in 1998.
Beijing is expected to continue military drills in the air and seas around Taiwan until Sunday
The United States has accused Beijing of “provocative” and “irresponsible” actions after Taiwan said China rehearsed an attack on the island.
Taiwan said it responded to the Chinese drills, now in their fourth day, by deploying aircraft and ships on Sunday.
The heightened tensions follow a trip to Taiwan by a US delegation led by senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
China views the visit as a challenge to its claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, which sees itself as distinct.
The deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, has been attacked by unknown armed gang Thursday night.
The incident happened just before 9pm at a walking distance from his Sombo residence in the regional capital, Wa.
The attackers, who were on a motorbike approached and inflicted cutlass wounds on the Deputy Minister without any provocation.
He was rescued by police motorbike patrol officers and sent to the hospital after sustaining injuries on the right arm, Police in the Upper West Region said in a terse statement.
No arrest had been made at the time of filing this report but the police told Dailymailgh.com that investigations have commenced.
Attacks on notable political figures have been rampant in the Upper West Region. On May 9, 2019, the chairman of the Daffiama-Busie-Issah constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was shot and killed by armed gang.
The late Mr Richard Bayiviala Polibong was returning from official party duties in one of the electoral areas in the constituency when the incident happened.
Investigations are yet to uncover the circumstances behind the attack as the NDC continues to push for justice for the deceased.
A man shot dead by police after he stabbed people in south London had been released from prison in January.
Sudesh Amman, 20, was released around a week ago after serving half of his sentence of three years and four months for terror offences.
He was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack on Streatham High Road, which police believe to be an Islamist-related terrorist incident.
Three people were injured but none are in a life-threatening condition.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would announce further plans for “fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences” on Monday.
He said the government had moved quickly to introduce measures strengthening its response to terrorism, including longer prison sentences and more money for police, following the attack at Fishmongers Hall, near London Bridge, in November.
At the time of Amman’s release there were concerns about the danger he might pose to the public but there were no legal mechanisms to keep him in prison, BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said.
Given November’s attack also involved a convicted terrorist released mid-way through his sentence, our correspondent said there is “a desperate desire” within government to be seen to be acting quickly.
Gunshots were heard on Streatham High Road just after 14:00 GMT on Sunday.
Reports suggest Amman entered a shop and started stabbing people. It appears he then left the shop and stabbed a woman.
Witnesses reported hearing three gunshots and seeing a man lying on the ground outside a Boots pharmacy, as armed police approached and shouted at those nearby to move back.
The Met Police said armed officers – who were part of a “proactive counter-terrorism operation” and were following the suspect on foot – were in “immediate attendance”.
The man had a hoax device strapped to his body, police said.
The BBC’s Daniel Sandford said the events appeared to unfold after witnesses saw an unmarked police car pull in front of another car near Streatham Common, forcing it to stop.
He said this could be linked to the subsequent stabbings and police shooting and it was possible somebody was stopped, before being followed by undercover officers.
London Ambulance Service said it treated the three people for injuries at the scene and all were taken to hospital.
A man in his 40s was initially considered to be in a life-threatening condition but this is no longer the case.
A woman in her 50s whose injuries were not life-threatening has been discharged from hospital.
Another woman in her 20s continues to receive hospital treatment for minor injuries, believed to have been caused by glass following shots from the police.
Police said they were “confident that this is an isolated incident which has been contained”.
Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident.
Streatham High Road remains closed and a cordon is in place, with enhanced police patrols in the area.
A soldier has been killed in a suicide car bombing that targeted a military barracks in southern Algeria.
It was the first such attack in the country for several years.
It is not known who was behind the bombing, which happened in the Bordj Baji Mokhtar region, in Adrar province, close to the border with Mali.
Conflict in neighbouring Libya and deteriorating security conditions in Mali have contributed to increased militant activity in the Sahara and Sahel areas of North Africa.
Image copyrightMET POLICEImage captionMohammed Abdul Shakur murdered his wife and their two children before fleeing to Bangladesh
An abusive husband who fled the country after murdering his estranged wife and their two daughters has been jailed.
Mohammed Abdul Shakur, 46, killed Juli Begum, 26, and his two young children Anika and Thanha Khanum at their east London home on New Year’s Day 2007.
Shakur, who was extradited from Bangladesh in April, had a history of rape and violence against his wife, the Old Bailey heard.
He was jailed for life, with a minimum prison term of 40 years.
After the murders, Shakur fled to his home country of Bangladesh where he confessed his crimes to his sister-in-law, warning her: “If you tell the police I will murder you and your children.”
He later moved to India, illegally, and went to ground for several years before his whereabouts became known.
Image copyrightMETROPOLITAN POLICEImage captionMohammed Abdul Shakur showed little emotion as the judge returned his sentence
The three bodies were found at the family home in Nelson Street, East Ham, on 10 January after Ms Begum’s sister raised the alarm, the court heard.
The body of 4ft 8in Ms Begum was discovered beneath a bedcover with Anika laid across her and Thanha nearby.
Anika, five, had been strangled with a white sock after being “stunned” by a punch or slap to the face, while her six-year-old sister suffered severe blows to the face that fractured her skull.
Their mother was believed to have been smothered with a soft pillow or cushion.
‘Wicked attack’
The couple had an arranged marriage when Ms Begum was 19, but Shakur had repeatedly been violent towards his wife and did not like their children much because they were not boys, the court heard.
Sentencing Shakur, Judge Richard Marks QC said: “This was a wicked, vicious and sustained attack on two little girls, and on your wife, who at 4ft and 8in was a tiny woman.
“You, to this day, have not shown one iota of remorse for what you did.”
The judge sentenced him to a 40-year jail term, less the six years, six months and six days already spent in custody in India and the UK.
In a statement, Ms Begum’s sister Sheli said: “[The murder] has destroyed my life – I cannot watch the television or see a film without something triggering back to what happened.
