May 2023 – Lesotho Wire

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

Sung Foundation urges government to scrap taxes on sanitary pads

Hajia Fati Seidu Tambro, Executive Director of Sung Foundation, has urged the government to scrap taxes on sanitary products to enhance menstrual health and hygiene among girls in schools. She said sanitary products were getting more expensive, making it difficult for Ghanaian women and girls, especially in rural areas to afford basic menstrual hygiene supplies. Hajia Tambro made the call during the distribution of sanitary pads to female pupils at the Nangbagu Municipal Assembly Junior High School as part of awareness creation on menstrual hygiene organised by Sung Foundation and funded by Roddenberry Foundation. The event was to mark this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day celebration. The day is observed on the 28th day of the fifth month of the year because menstrual cycles average 28 days in length and people menstruate an average of five days each month. The day is set aside globally to highlight the importance of menstrual care, and to raise awareness about the issues faced by those who do not have access to sanitary products. Hajia Tambro said the cost of sanitary products had more than doubled this year from GHc5 last year to GHc14 and GHc16 this year. She indicated that due to the high cost of sanitary pads, women and girls sometimes used toilet rolls or pieces of cloth during their menstrual periods. She said the situation was driving more girls out of school or to use unhygienic alternatives, which could cause infections and infertility among the girls. Amina Bawa, a Student from Nangbagu Municipal Assembly Junior High School shared her experience with the Ghana News Agency and said she mostly absented herself from school during her menstrual periods because she stained her uniform once and some of her class boys teased her, which had affected her psychologically and impacted her learning negatively. Mr Halid Iddris, Headmaster of Nangbagu Municipal Assembly Junior High School who received the items on behalf of the school, said some of the female students missed about a week of school hours each month because their parents could not afford pads for them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

Former DCE of Akatsi passes on

The death is reported of Mr Nicolas Coffie Negble, a former District Chief Executive for Akatsi, under the erstwhile Kufuor Administration. The Akatsi District, is now separated as Akatsi South and North. Sources within the New Patriotic Party in Akatsi South have confirmed the demise of the late humble servant who died in Accra on Monday night, May 29 after a short illness to the Ghana News Agency (GNA). Mr Ocloo Mawuli Egos, the Constituency Secretary of the party has since confirmed the news regarding the former DCE’s demise. He indicated that details regarding his death would be communicated later after liaising with the bereaved family. ‘We received the sad news about our father and elder of the party today. We never anticipated it, but we take consolation from God.’ The party further extended their commiserations to the entire elephant family and the good people of Akasti South and beyond. Born in Tetemale, a community within Akatsi South, the late DCE was a professional teacher after graduating from the then Bimbila Training College. He later entered active politics, campaigning vigorously for the NPP in the then Ave-Avenor Constituency. He was regarded as one of the people who introduced the Party into Avenor politics and was maligned by many for following the elephant at the time. The late Negble was nominated for the position of a DCE after Mr John A. Kufuor won the 2000 general elections to become the President of the Republic where he served as DCE from 2000 to 2004. Mr Negble was credited for the numerous projects he undertook in his regime, notably among them was the construction of the Akatsi central market. Until his demise, he was holding no position in the Party but was recently appointed as a member of the Council of Elders of the party in the Constituency where he later declined the appointment due to some disturbances regarding some constituency executives on the formation of the party’s inaccurate electoral album in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

Catholic Bishop Conference calls for concerted approach to tackle national security threats?

Sunyani, May 31, GNA – The Ghana Catholic Bishop Conference (GCBC) on Wednesday called for a collective and concerted approach to tackling threats to national security. According to the Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the President of the GCBC, the nation’s porous borders with neighbouring Burkina Faso, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire exposed the nation to threats of terrorist attacks, hence the need for everybody to remain watchful. Most Rev. Gyamfi made the call at a regional dialogue session on trending conflicts in the Bono Region in Sunyani. The National Catholic Secretariat organised the day’s session, attended by traditional leaders, representatives of religious bodies, security services, youth groups, policy implementers, trade associations and Senior High School students. It was on the theme ‘Trending Conflicts in Ghana, Fertile Grounds for Violent Extremism: A Call for Action’ and was in line with the Sahel Peace Initiative project being implemented by the Secretariat with funding from the Catholic Relief Services, a non-governmental organisation. Most Rev. Gyamfi, also the Catholic Bishop of the Sunyani Diocese, said the safety and security of the nation must be the concern of all people and called for a shared commitment towards a safer and more harmonious country. Everybody must play his or her part to help foster peace, stability and social cohesion, he advised, saying ‘Ghana is a small country and anything that happened anywhere affects all of us.’ Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister said the region remained calm as it was one of the three most peaceful regions in the country and commended the security services for helping to maintain the prevailing peace and stability of the area. That notwithstanding, the Regional Minister said security challenges such as perennial chieftaincy conflicts, land disputes and litigations, illegal mining, high unemployment rate and activities of nomadic Fulani herdsmen threatened the peace and stability of the region. Madam Owusu-Banahene said the region’s proximity to Cote d’Ivoire was also another threat, saying though official borders were located at Dormaa-Ahenkro and Sampa, unapproved ones were spread in parts of Dormaa Municipality and Jaman North District respectively. She, therefore, called on everybody to join the ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign and provide the security agencies with information about people with questionable characters and strange movements to help avert any possible violent or terrorist attack in the region. Madam Owusu-Banahene said though no incident of terrorist attack had been reported in the region, there was a need for everybody to help identify and find lasting solutions to issues that undermine the peace and stability of the nation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 31, 2023

Afenyo-Markin expresses sadness, commiserates with bereaved families of victims of Gomoa Okyereko accident

Accra, May 31, GNA- Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, have expressed sadness about the death of about 16 people in an accident at Okyereko in the Central Region on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. A Yutong bus with registration number GT 5866-L and a fuel tanker with registration number WR 2063-10 was reported to have collided head-on on Tuesday morning at Gomoa Okyereko, resulting in the death of 16 people. About 40 passengers were also reported to have suffered various degrees of injuries and were rushed to the Trauma and Specialist Centre in Winneba for treatment. Commiserating with the bereaved families, Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament in a statement signed by him and issued to the Ghana News Agency said: ‘My heart is heavy. It is with a profound sense of sorrow and heartfelt sympathy that I extend my deepest condolences, sympathies, and well wishes to the families, friends, and loved ones affected by the tragic accident that took place at Gomoa Okyereko on the Accra-Cape Coast Road in the early hours of Tuesday. ‘Today, my heart is heavy as we mourn the loss of 16 precious West African lives. In this time of immense grief, I extend my sincerest condolences to the bereaved families. May you find solace and strength in the cherished memories of your loved ones and may their souls rest in eternal peace. Please know that you are not alone in these trying times,’ it said. The statement further expressed the MP’s gratitude to the firefighters and staff of the Ghana Ambulance Service for their heroic efforts. ‘I would like to extend my utmost appreciation and admiration to the valiant rescue teams from the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Ambulance Service. Your unwavering dedication and selflessness in the face of adversity reflect the finest qualities of service and bravery,’ it said. The statement also wished the accident survivors a speedy recovery adding, ‘To the brave individuals who survived this harrowing incident and are currently undergoing treatment at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital, please accept my sympathies and well wishes for a speedy recovery. Your resilience and courage inspire us all.’

Source: Ghana News Agency