Lesotho Wire

Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader, has called on the Minority in Parliament to strengthen bipartisanship with the Majority Caucus, highlighting the mutual benefits such collaboration can yield.

He implored them to align with his caucus for shared advantages within the parliamentary setting.

Mr Afenyo-Markin was addressing Members of Parliament (MPs) following the approval of the leadership change in the Majority.

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party on Friday sent a formal communication to the Speaker of Parliament with respect to changes in the leadership of the Majority.

It said the change aligned with the recent interpretation of parliamentary procedures by the Speaker and corresponds with the Speaker’s latest ruling on the selection process.

In addition, members of the Majority Caucus participated in discussions centred on recommendations from the NEC concerning the leadership reshuffle.

Mr Afenyo-Markin called for cooperation and support of his colleagues,
emphasizing the importance of unity for effective governance.

The new Majority Leader also took the opportunity to share the narrative on his life struggles, particularly in Winneba, where his political journey took root.

He recounted a crucial moment in 2004, where due to perceived youthfulness, was compelled to abandon his parliamentary bid.

The challenges of being deemed too young for such a responsibility led him to step back from the political arena.

The trajectory towards political success took a significant turn in 2012 when he triumphed, becoming the MP for Effutu.

His resilience and commitment to public service ultimately triumphed over the hurdles that once hindered his political aspirations.

This personal victory not only marked a turning point in his career but also set the stage for the remarkable moment of assuming the helm of affairs of the Majority.

He acknowledged the twists and turns of his journey, expressing gratitude for the support that propelled him to this pinnacle of parliament
ary leadership.

Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, congratulated Mr Afenyo-Markin on his elevation as the new Majority Leader of the House.

He called for cooperation between the Minority Caucus and the Majority side to ensure the smooth running of parliamentary business.

The other leaders of the Majority are:

Deputy Majority Leader: Patricia Appiagyei, MP for Asokwa

Majority Chief Whip: Frank Annoh Dompreh, MP for Nsawam/Adoagyiri

First Deputy Majority Chief Whip: Habib Iddrisu, MP for Tolon

Second Deputy Majority Chief Whip: Alex Tetteh Djornobuah, MP, Sefwi Akontombra

Source: Ghana News Agency

Morocco has highlighted the commitment of HM King Mohammed VI, Chairperson of the Al-Quds Committee, in support of the Palestinian cause during the hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The hearings, as part of the case, requesting an advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

The Kingdom, represented by the ambassador of HM the King in The Hague, Mohamed Basri, participated in these ICJ hearings taking place from February 19 to 29.

In this context, the Moroccan ambassador attended in support of the oral presentation of Palestine, which took place on February 19, alongside the Palestinian delegation, led by Riyad Al Maliki, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

Morocco’s presence at the oral pleadings in this case is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing active commitment to this issue. In the same case, Morocco submitted a written plea to the ICJ, duly taken into accou
nt by the Court.

In this plea, the Kingdom of Morocco, whose Sovereign is the Chairperson of the Al-Quds Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), reaffirmed its determination to ‘work through all legal means at its disposal to protect the legal, historical, political, and spiritual status of the Holy City and preserve its unique vocation as a city of peace and meeting for the faithful of all monotheistic religions.’

Furthermore, the Kingdom reiterated ‘its active commitment to respect international law and promote peace in the Middle East, which involves implementing a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution based on the principle of two states: an independent Palestinian state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Al-Quds/Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with the State of Israel, in peace and security, in accordance with international legality, United Nations resolutions, and in line with the Arab Peace Initiative.’

Morocco’s plea relied on the principles establ
ished in the Appeal of Al-Quds/Jerusalem, signed on March 30, 2019, between HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, and Pope Francis.

This significant document emphasizes, among other things, the importance of preserving the Holy City of Jerusalem/Al-Quds Asharif as a common heritage of humanity and, above all, for the faithful of the three monotheistic religions, as a place of peaceful coexistence and a symbol of mutual respect and dialogue.

Additionally, Morocco’s plea recalled the ‘international community’s consensus on the legal status of Israeli settlements in certain parts of the occupied Palestinian territory – including East Al-Quds/Jerusalem,’ emphasizing that they ‘constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible: an independent and viable Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, living side by side with the State of Israel, in peace and security.’

‘The resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through dialogue and negotiation, in accordance with
the UN negotiation framework, and notably Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, remains the cornerstone for lasting peace and stability in the Middle East,’ emphasizes Morocco’s plea.

‘This objective shapes the action of the Kingdom of Morocco both bilaterally and multilaterally within the United Nations – in the General Assembly and its six main committees, and regional groupings representing the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – within which His Majesty King Mohammed VI chairs the Al-Quds Committee.’

Finally, Morocco recalled, in its plea, the message from His Majesty the King on the occasion of the celebration in November 2022 of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in which the Sovereign affirmed: ‘The current deadlock in the political process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides does not promote the peace we are yearning for in the region.

Nevertheless, I encourage the positive signs and commendable initiatives undertaken to rebuil
d confidence and launch meaningful negotiations that help achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, and the two-State solution, which is a realistic option.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

A Tema Circuit Court ‘has sentenced Eric Gyimah, a mobile phone seller to 15 years imprisonment in hard labour for robbing a taxi driver of his taxicab.

Gyimah, who had pleaded not guilty to two counts of robbery and dishonestly receiving, was handed over the sentence after a full trial.

Before his sentence, Gyimah had pleaded for leniency from the court, but the prosecution objected to the plea, stating that the convict did not show any remorse during the trial. adding that the sentence must serve as a deterrent to others with the same intentions.

The court, presided over by Ms Agnes Opoku Banie, also ordered Gyimah to refund GHC 3,000.00 to Mr Daniel Darius Annang, the complainant he robbed with the help of two others now at large.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Doe, prosecuting, told the court that the complainant, who is a driver and resides in Haatso, a suburb of Accra, was in charge of an ash and yellow Toyota Vitz taxicab with registration number GC 2668-22 on May 13, 2023, at abo
ut 13.30 hours around the Accra Mall.

The prosecution said Gyimah and his accomplices who were standing by the roadside, signalled the cab to stop, which he obliged, they then informed the complainant of their intention to hire his service from the Accra Mall to a building site in the Central University area of Dawhenya.

The Prosecution said after agreeing on the charges, the convict sat on the front seat near the complainant in the taxicab, while his accomplices sat in the back seat, and upon reaching an isolated place near the Central University campus, Gyimah asked him to stop for him to alight, which the cabby obliged.

The prosecution said the moment he stopped the car, the two men seated behind him used a rope to pull his neck, while the convict dipped his hand into the pocket of his trousers and removed GHCS 3,000 from it.

The court was informed that Gyimah then got out of the taxicab, walked to the driver’s side, opened the door, and ordered the complainant to either come out of the taxi or be kill
ed.

According to the prosecution, his accomplices then released the rope from his neck, and he came out of the taxi and handed the ignition key to Gyimah?upon his command.

The Prosecution said the convict then sat behind the steering wheel of the taxicab and drove off the with the vehicle, which contained the complainant’s Samsung phone valued at Ghc 2,000.00, driver’s license, and Ghana Card.

The prosecution said the victim subsequently made a complaint at the Dawhenya Police Station, and through police investigations, the Adidome Police arrested Gyimah who was then driving the taxicab.

Prosecution said Gyimah said in his cautioned statement that someone by the name Michael gave the taxicab to him to sell on his behalf.

The prosecution said the complainant was invited to identify the taxicab at the police station with all the necessary documents, he however discovered that the colour of the car had been changed from a taxi to private, and the number plate also changed from GC2668-22 to GC8017-22.

He sa
id the chassis number on the document produced by the complainant corresponded with that of the vehicle the convict was caught driving.

ASP Doe said the complainant also identified the accused to the police as the leader of his attackers.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Second Consideration Stage of the ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021′ was concluded by Parliament on Friday.

The House, by a consensus, scheduled the Third Reading (Passage of the Bill) for Tuesday, February 27.

This was a result of the House’s revised Standing Orders, which required an opening of at least one Sitting day to allow for the Third Reading of Bills.

Parliament on Thursday, February 16, began the Second Consideration Stage of the Bill, following a Motion filed by Mr Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader.

The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021’ had already gone through the First Consideration and was about to be taken through the Third reading when Mr Afenyo-Markin moved his motion.

Standing on Order 171 of the House, Mr Afenyo-Markin, in his substantive Motion, appealed to the Speaker, Mr Alban Bagbin, for the Bill to be taken through the Second Consideration.

Mr Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu, noted that
the essence of his Motion was to allow the August House to thoroughly consider the amendments that he had proposed to the Bill with the view of substituting community service for incarceration.

However, during the proposed Clause by-Clause Amendments of the Bill on Wednesday, February 21, Mr Afyenyo-Markin withdrew his proposed amendments.

The withdrawal was a result of the House, through a voice vote, voting against two of the MP’s proposals, which appealed for a replacement of imprisonment with community service for persons found culpable of LGBTQ+ activities.

He called for amendments of Clauses six to 16 of the Bill per Orders 170 and 171 of the House’s Standing Order.

He also withdrew a new amendment where he called for mandatory counselling of offenders on proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values as a post-conviction sentence.

‘…Mr Speaekr, I have been defeated by a voice vote…I am withdrawing the amendments as a result of respect for the Chair and the chair’s directive that they are no
t supposed to be part of the bill,’ he said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin told Parliament that punitive measures would not contribute to the rehabilitation of the offenders.

Further, he conveyed his concerns about the state of the country’s prisons and their inability to provide the necessary rehabilitation for offenders.

The MP for Effutu, therefore, proposed the replacement of a minimum two-month imprisonment sentence with a minimum one month of community service for individuals found guilty of LGBTQ+ activities.

Speaker Bagbin, however, explained that the Clauses were being withdrawn because the proposed amendments did not align with the Bill.

The object of the ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021’ is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values, proscribing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer?(LGBTQ+) and related activities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An American company has made history by becoming the first commercial outfit to put a spacecraft on the Moon.

Houston-based Intuitive Machines landed its Odysseus robot near the lunar south pole.

It took some minutes for controllers to establish that the craft was down, but eventually a signal was received.

‘What we can confirm, without a doubt, is our equipment is on the surface of the Moon and we are transmitting,’ flight director Tim Crain announced.

Staff at the company cheered and clapped at the news.

It was an important moment, not just for the commercial exploitation of space but for the US space programme in general.

Intuitive Machines has broken the United States’ half-century absence from the Moon’s surface. You have to go back to the last Apollo mission in 1972 for an occasion when American hardware nestled down gently in the lunar soil.

The US space agency Nasa had purchased room on Odysseus for six scientific instruments, and its administrator Bill Nelson was quick to add his congratulati
ons to Intuitive Machines for a mission he described as a ‘triumph’.

‘The US has returned to the Moon,’ he said. ‘Today, for the first time in the history of humanity, a commercial company – an American company – launched and led the voyage up there. And today is the day that shows the power and promise of Nasa’s commercial partnerships.’

Controllers had to deal with an almost mission-stopping technical problem even before the descent began.

Odysseus’ ranging lasers, which were supposed to calculate the craft’s altitude and velocity, weren’t working properly.

Fortunately, there were some experimental lasers from Nasa on board, and engineers were able to patch these across to the navigation computers.

Odysseus touched down at 23:23 GMT. At first, there was no signal at all from the robot. There were plenty of nerves as the minutes ticked by, but eventually a communications link was made, albeit a faint one.

This led to some concerns about the status of the lander. Within a couple of hours, however, Intui
tive Machines was reporting that Odysseus was standing upright and sending back data, including pictures.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A young motor rider believed to be 22 years old, has been crashed to death at Akyempim on?the Tarkwa-Takoradi highway in the Western Region.?

The deceased, identified as Bismark Ayariga, who was riding an unregistered Haojin motorbike died on the spot from severe head injuries due to impact of the accident.

A source from the police confirmed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that on Tuesday February 20, 2024, at about 7:20 am, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) at Tarkwa, received a distress call that an accident?had occurred around the Mospaka Company Limited along the Tarkwa-Takoradi highway.?

Personnel of the MTTD proceeded to the accident scene and found Ayariga laying in a pool of blood.?

He said the horrific accident involved a Toyota?Corolla car with registration number WR 368-20, an unregistered Haojin motorbike, and a tricycle.?

The source said the driver of the Toyota Corolla car,?Stracey Arthur-Ewusie, had gone to purchase Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at a filling station opposi
te?Mospaka Company Limited.

However, because a trailer truck transporting bags of cement from Takoradi towards Tarkwa, had parked at the entrance of the gas filling station, the driver of the Toyota Corolla did not have a clear view and in an attempt to join the main road crashed into the motorbike and a tricycle leading to the death of the victim.?

The driver who escaped unhurt had since been granted bail to assist the police in their investigations, while the trailer driver would also be investigated for wrongful parking.

The accident vehicle and motorbike, both damaged, have also been impounded at the Tarkwa police station yard pending examination and testing, while the body of the deceased had been deposited at the Apinto Government hospital mortuary for preservation.?

Source: Ghana News Agency