May 2023 – Madagascar Newswire

May 31, 2023

Berliner Tageszeitung: Criminal complaint in Berlin, Germany, against Elon Musk and Twitter for possible fraud to the detriment of users

BERLIN, May 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BERLINER TAGESZEITUNG reports today that a criminal complaint has been filed with the Berlin public prosecutor’s office against Elon Musk, file number: 253 UJs 1012/23, alleging that Musk charged Twitter users on their credit cards but blocked them without giving any reason.

Source: https://www.BerlinerTageszeitung.de/wirtschaft/269895-criminal-complaint-in-berlin-germany-against-elon-musk-and-twitter-for-possible-fraud-to-the-detriment-of-twitter-users.html

“Blocking user accounts is a daily occurrence at Twitter, but the fact that they then continuously charge money to users’ credit cards makes the matter explosive and is currently occupying the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office (Federal Republic of Germany). In any case, the question arises as to how much power a medium like Twitter can be granted at all and when the regulatory authorities should intervene to protect Twitter users.”

Incidentally, this is not the first time Elon Musk has been investigated, as there is also currently an investor lawsuit against Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The lawsuit is about Musk’s tweets in August 2018 with the premature announcement that he wanted to take the electric car company off the stock market and had secured the financing to do so. It later emerged that there were no firm commitments from investors.

“Elon Musk lied,” said a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

US Judge Edward Chen (Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California) had already found in the 2022 trial that Musk’s statements in the tweets had not been true.

“We will continue to monitor the case closely and report further developments as new information becomes available. It remains to be seen how the criminal charges against Elon Musk and Twitter will develop and what the consequences might be.

From a factual point of view, it should be noted that according to Article 48 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the presumption of innocence applies to defendants and accused persons, which must also apply in the case of the criminal charges against Elon Musk for “suspected fraud to the detriment of Twitter users”.

META KEYS: Elon Musk, Elon Musk Twitter, Elon Musk Strafanzeige, Twitter accounts, Thierry Breton, Thierry Breton Twitter, Berlin public prosecutor’s office against Elon Musk, Twitter users, BERLINER TAGESZEITUNG, verified Twitter accounts

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f3c50532-be3a-4bad-8e85-7253731d594c

Press Contact:

BERLINER TAGESZEITUNG
Press Contact: P. Hansen
Unter den Linden 21
10117 Berlin
Germany
Mail: Info@DeutscheTageszeitung.de
Web: http://www.DeutscheTageszeitung.de

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8849854

May 31, 2023

Economic woes dash job prospects in low income countries: ILO

In its new Monitor on the World of Work report, ILO shows that while in high-income countries, only 8.2 per cent of people willing to work are jobless, that number rises to over 21 per cent in low-income countries – or one in every five people.

Low-income countries in debt distress are worst affected, with more than one in four people who want to work unable to secure employment.

Widening jobs gap

ILO’s Assistant Director-General for Jobs and Social Protection, Mia Seppo, said that global unemployment was expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels, with a projected rate of 5.3 per cent in 2023, equivalent to 191 million people.

However, low-income countries, especially those in Africa and the Arab region, were unlikely to see such declines in unemployment this year.

The 2023 global jobs gap, which refers to those who want to work but do not have a job, is projected to rise to 453 million people, she said, with women 1.5 times more affected than men.

Africa hit hardest

The UN agency further indicated that Africa’s labour market had been hit the hardest during the pandemic, which explained the slow pace of recovery on the continent.

Unlike wealthy nations, debt distress across the continent and a very limited fiscal and policy space, meant that few countries in Africa could put in place the kind of comprehensive stimulus packages they needed to spur economic recovery, ILO explained.

Inadequate social protection

Ms. Seppo stressed that without improvement in people’s employment prospects, there would be no sound economic and social recovery. Equally important is investment in welfare safety nets for those who lose their jobs, the ILO senior official insisted, which is often inadequate in low-income countries.

According to the agency’s research, boosting social protection and expanding old age pensions would increase gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in low and middle-income countries by almost 15 per cent over a decade.

Social investment benefit

The annual cost of such measures would be around 1.6 per cent of GDP – a “large but not insurmountable” investment. Ms. Seppo suggested that the amount could be financed by a mix of social contributions, taxes and international support.

“There is an economic gain to investing in social protection”, she said.

Ms. Seppo also insisted that the need to create fiscal space for social investment in low-income countries should be considered “with urgency as part of the ongoing global discussion on the reform of the international financial architecture.”

Prepare for the future of work

While the unemployed divide projected by the report was worrisome, it was “not inevitable”, Ms. Seppo said, and the right concerted action on jobs and social protection funding could support a recovery and reconstruction which leaves no one behind.

In calling for improved capacity to develop “coherent, data-informed labour market policies” that protect the most vulnerable, the ILO senior official insisted that these should have an emphasis on upskilling and reskilling the labour force to prepare it for a “greener, more digital world of work”.

Source: EMM/ UN

May 31, 2023

USA lines up international friendly with Ghana in October

The Black Stars of Ghana will face the Yanks of the United States of America (USA), at the Geodis Park in a friendly match on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 in America. The last time the two sides met was in 2017 when Ghana suffered a 2-1 defeat in a friendly match. Both sides have recorded two wins each in all four games played, as Ghana last tasted victory in the 2010 World Cup after beating the Americans 2-1 in the round of 16th stage. With the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers ahead, this would be a huge boost for the four-time African champions as they battle the USA in preparation for the CONCACAF Nations League. Mr. Kurt Okraku, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) noted that the friendly would help Coach Hughton and his technical handlers in their rebuilding mission to end Ghana’s over 40-year trophy drought. ‘We have two more matches to end the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and would need matches of this nature to prepare for future assignments, i.e., the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, ‘ he said. Ghana is in action in June for the 2023 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

Glimmer of Hope educates adolescent girls on menstrual health

The Glimmer of Hope Foundation, a non-governmental organisation in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region, has educated about 550 adolescent girls on how to maintain good personal hygiene during and after menstruation. Menstrual health education has become a necessity to eradicate stigmatisation, and menstrual poverty and create the awareness that menstruation is a normal fact of life. Madam Vasty Nunana Egbetorhia, the Co-founder of Glimmer of Hope, at a ceremony to commemorate the Menstrual Hygiene Day in the District, said some adolescent girls were financially constrained to take good care of themselves when menstruating. She advocated the scrapping of the tax on sanitary pads to enable all adolescent girls to afford to ensure good hygienic practices during menstruation. ‘Menstruation has never been a luxury, it’s a five day of discomfort, which when given the opportunity no girl will opt for,’ she said. Madam Egbetorhia said the adolescent girl suffered most due to the price hikes in sanitary materials adding: ‘There are girls that buy more than two menstrual pads every month.’ She called on the Ghana Education Service to incorporate menstrual hygiene education in its curricula to make adolescent girls comfortable with the natural cycle. ‘It’s not compulsory to stand up when answering questions in my class since a girl might stain and would just be waiting for you to leave the class to go and change,’ she said. The Glimmer of Hope Foundation, as part of the celebration, has donated menstrual hygiene materials to adolescent girls, including sanitary pads. This is to put smiles on the girls’ faces and give them the confidence to protect themselves during their menstrual period. The adolescent girls lauded the kind gesture of the Glimmer of Hope Foundation and asked that the Foundation extended the support to other girls in deprived communities. This year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day is on the theme: ‘Making Menstruation a Normal Fact of Life by 2030.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

Let’s normalise conversation around menstruation – Madam Tekpor

Madam Esinam Tekpor, the South Tongu District Girls Education Officer, has called on parents and guardians to normalise talks around menstrual health management to boost the adolescent girl’s confidence to stay in school. She said parents should not shun having conversations around menstrual hygiene with their children since that could boost the adolescent girl’s confidence about the changes in her body and manage her menstrual hygiene well. Madam Tekpor said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency to commemorate the Menstrual Hygiene Day in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region. Menstruation had been an inevitable part of the female body hence the need to educate the girls on how to manage it, she said. ‘It is the right of every woman to have access to clean menstrual sanitary materials and the adolescent girl must know the hygiene aspect of whatever material she is using during her menstruation,’ Madam Tekpor said. ‘The girl child has to know the hygiene aspect of what she is doing and not to think she is just collecting blood with anything.’ ‘Whatever she is using to cater for herself during this period has to be clean and free from diseases.’ Madam Tekpor said if the adolescent girl got to know about her menstrual health, she would be confident to carry herself around, knowing she had protected herself and would not be intimidated to the extent of not going to school. ‘Some people still believe in myths and misconceptions about menstruation, and this can only be changed if parents and guardians made their children and wards, respectively, aware that menstruation is a normal part of the female system.’ She admonished adolescent girls to adhere to safety measures in taking care of their menstruation and should not be coerced to believe the myths about menstruation. The Menstrual Hygiene Day is to create awareness on menstruation management. This year’s celebration is on the theme : ‘Making Menstruation a Normal Fact of Life by 2030.’ The South Tongu District, as part of the celebration, would distribute menstrual hygiene materials at selected schools throughout the week.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

TBBPCU donates stationeries to community 8 JHS No.3

The Tema Bench, Bar, and Prosecution Court Unit (TBBPCU), through its Public Schools Outreach Programme has donated stationery to Community 8 Junior High School (Number 3) as part of an outreach programme to educate children. The outreach programme was aimed at encouraging the school children to take their studies seriously, avoid social vices such as illicit drugs and fraudulent practises, and work to become the responsible professionals they desire and stay focused. About 195 children who were involved in the activities were given items such as pens, mathematical sets, exercise books, and sanitary towels to ensure the mitigation of the factors that disrupt their education. The group urged the children to take a career path that relates to law and legal development for them to understand the laws because a nation cannot be built without regard to the laws used to govern it. Madam Dina Amoah, the head teacher of the school, expressed gratitude to TBBPCU for the items and sharing their experiences with the children. In the future, other professionals should share theirs. Mr Winston Hayford, a lawyer and the Registrar of the Tema Circuit Court, said the TBBPCU Public Schools Outreach programme was an initiative with the main objective of helping pupils who attend public schools set bigger ambitions for themselves, knowing that they were achievable. He noted that the unit believed such an initiative was extremely vital, especially in this era where children were exposed to some negative things that distracted them from focusing on their education and fulfilling their dreams. ‘Our main targets are pupils from public schools who are not as fortunate as their counterparts in other private, and the mission schools is to bring these children up close and personal with members of distinguished professions so that the children can take inspiration from them,’ he said. He said the project was launched in March, after which they visited a number of public schools where some of the judges, lawyers, and police prosecutors interacted with the children. He said they received positive feedback from both the children and the school management, who expressed their belief that the foundations of the children’s dreams had been strengthened for them to soon occupy their positions and other impactful ones across the country. He therefore called on well-meaning Ghanaians, all other stakeholders in the education sector, as well as corporations, organisations, and other bodies that share a similar vision, to support the programme in any way they could, be it in cash or kind.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

ActionAid Ghana rally stakeholder support to improve furniture situation in basic schools

Mr John Nkaw, Country Director of ActionAid Ghana has expressed need for government and other stakeholders to institute measures towards addressing the inadequate furniture situation at some public basic schools in the country. He said the inadequate furniture situation had negative impact on the education of children adding ‘The lack of proper seating and writing tools in our public schools is forcing pupils and students to sit on the floor, which is uncomfortable and distracting.’ Mr Nkaw made the call at an event dubbed: ‘Regional Forum on Furniture Deficit in Public Basic Schools in Northern Region’. It was organised in Tamale by ActionAid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, in partnership with the Ghana Education Service on the theme: ‘Complementing Government’s Efforts to address the Furniture Deficit in Public Basic Schools in Ghana.’ It brought together various key stakeholders in the education sector to discuss a survey report conducted by ActionAid Ghana in collaboration with the Northern Network for Education Development (NNED) in some selected public basic schools in the Tamale Metropolis and the Sagnarigu Municipality. Mr Nkaw argued that, even though the issue of furniture deficit in public basic schools was not new, it had become more acute in recent years, adding ‘Despite government’s efforts to address the issue, progress has been low, and many schools are still without proper furniture.’ The Ministry of Education estimated that as of 2021, about 596,000 Kindergarten pupils, 1.28 million primary school pupils and 425,000 Junior High School Students lacked dual desks in public basic schools. Hajia Katumi Natogmah Attah, Northern Regional Director of Education, said the furniture situation in the region was adversely affecting pupils’ confidence and comfort to stay in school and called for collective efforts to change the situation. Mr Alhassan Seibu, Northern Regional Statistics Officer of the Ghana Education Service, who presented the survey conducted in the region in 2021-2022 academic years, said there was enrollment of 156,881 pupils in the kindergarten level with 52,643 available furniture and 104,238 furniture deficit. The survey report also recorded 339,588 enrollment in the Primary schools with an available furniture of 149,358 and 190,230 deficit. Meanwhile, the Junior High Schools recorded an enrollment of 99,855 and available furniture of 73,207 and 26,648 deficit. Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, commended ActionAid Ghana for the initiative, saying ‘The furniture situation in the region was quite dire and requires all stakeholders to act immediately.’ He urged various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to prioritise channelling most of their revenues towards addressing the furniture situation in their areas. Mr Samuel Oppong Kwabiah, Programmes Manager at Children Believe, in a solidarity message, said the furniture situation was more of human right issue, which denied many children from accessing formal education in the region. He called on the government to increase budgetary allocation to the education sector to help address the situation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

Ghana International Mall set to treat patrons to authentic live band music

The Ghana International Mall, Accra’s newest shopping mall, has introduced a live music festival at its premises on the Spintex Road. The new addition to the mall is in partnership with renowned FIFA World Cup organizer, Kenpong Travel and Tours. The ultramodern facility, which is yet-to-be opened to the public, would treat music-lovers with soothing live band performances from the Cappuccino Band across genres, particularly high-life (Adadamu). The live band music event has been carefully designed to create a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere, as it would feature DJs and A-listed Ghanaian entertainers. ‘We are excited to launch our weekend music festival,’ George Sarpong, Building Manager of Kenpong Constructions said in an interview. The multi-million-dollar project managed by Kenpong Constructions, a subsidiary of Kenpong Group of Companies, upon completion would become one of Ghana’s biggest malls. ‘We believe that this festival will be a great way to attract potential shop owners and the public. We want GIM to be a place where people can come to shop, dine, and be entertained, and we believe that this festival will help us achieve that goal.’ The mall is expected to be home to a number of popular restaurants, telecommunication companies, banks, retail shops, movie theaters, and a variety of other amenities. According to Mr. Sarpong, the mall is strategically located to provide a wide array of services and an unbeatable shopping experience. He added that the mall would provide job opportunities for young people and also contribute to the growth of the Ghanaian economy. ‘This five-storey mall will provide employment opportunities for thousands of people, both directly and indirectly. We believe in the importance of contributing to the local economy, and we are committed to doing our part,’ Mr Sarpong added. The festival would be free to attend, and no tickets are required.

Source: Ghana News Agency