DANGER: North Korea Missiles Can Hit 120,000 people in the USA

North Korean Nuclear weapon

Danny Roy, a Nuclear Weapon Specialist calculates that if North Korea attacks the United States of America with a nuclear weapon, it could hit as many as 120,000 people.

Roy who insists that the threat is real says North Korea nuclear missiles can reach the Hawaiian Islands.

According to him, the number of victims will reach 60,000 people and another 65,000 will be affected in varying degrees as a result of the attack.

He says that if North Korea had more modern technologies, its missiles could reach the opposite coast of the United States, in which case at least 200,000 New Yorkers could become victims.

“Apparently, the United States understands the probability of a North Korea nuclear attack and that is why the USA’s tough rhetoric against the D.P.R.K. has been subsiding lately” he said.

The US announced its intention to test its own missiles defense systems to see their ability to shoot down North Korean missiles.

The tests were held in the Pacific Ocean.

Editorial

PLEASE THINK AGAIN!

For those who think that the United States of America can just fly over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and drop a few Bombs to silence the communist state, perhaps it is time to think again.

The truth is that the DPRK will most definitely hit back and cause the death or injury of as many as 120,000 people in the United States of America alone.

If the number of casualties in Japan and South Korea is added to this figure, the picture becomes even gorier.

As far as The Insight is concerned the only sensible way out of what some refers to as the Korean crises must be diplomacy.

Bombs will not bring the DPRK to its knees and indeed there can be no sense in even attempting to humiliate the Government and people of an independent State.

Donald Trump must be persuaded to avoid the reckless path of confrontation with the DPRK.

A word to the wise can sometimes be more than enough.

Local News:
Ghana needs vibrant opposition for growth - Rev. Dr. Amfo-Akonnor

By Stephen Asante 

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) should step up efforts at providing a more vibrant opposition to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to help nurture the nation’s democratic dispensation, a Minister of the Gospel, has advised.

The Reverend Dr. Kofi Amfo-Akonnor, Chairperson of the Asante Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), said democracy without a vibrant opposition lacked credibility, saying such a situation does not auger well for political development.

The NDC, he noted, should resolve, therefore, to strengthening its internal structures in order to be formidable in presenting alternative development options and constructive criticisms of the government’s policies and programmes.

Rev. Dr. Amfo-Akonnor was addressing a ministers’ conference of the PCG at the Bantama Peyer Memorial Presbtyerian Church in Kumasi.

The programme, formed part of the 95th Presbytery Congress of the Church, and held under the theme, “When the Holy Spirit Moves the Church is Sustained”

It was designed to update the knowledge of its Ministers of their terms of reference, particularly, relating to the propagation of the Gospel and staying focused to the cause of humanity.

The Asante Presbytery Chairperson took a swipe at the leadership of the nation for playing double standards in the current campaign to bring down the incidence of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).

“How can we fight this menace when the same people spearheading this campaign are the very ones doing the worst things?”

Rev. Dr. Amfo-Akonnor advocated a resilient crusade to save Ghana’s bio-diversity, and warned of dire consequences for the nation if the current spate of environmental degradation was not addressed.

He impressed upon the various congregations of the Church to focus on the PCG’s Non-Formal Education Project, a programme initiated by the Presbytery to reduce the illiteracy rate amongst its members.

He also demanded of the various circuits to enhance their outreach and humanitarian services for the wellbeing of the society in which they operated.

Africa:

Newly Discovered Human Relative in South Africa 

The 300,000 year old human remains

A team of South African researchers has found that 300,000 years ago, early humans co-existed with a primitive, small-brained hominin species that was previously thought to have gone extinct before the dawn of man.

The anthropologists with Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand published their findings in the journal eLife. 

Homo naledi was first discovered in 2013 in South Africa: 15 skeletons were found in the depths of a cave complex that seemed to be a split between our Homo genus and our progenitor genus Australopithecus. Their skulls were half as voluminous as ours, meaning they had small brains, but little else is known for sure about these creatures. 

Some anthropologists argue that they buried their dead, given that the bodies were all discovered in one place with no signs of predation. However, the cave complex was extremely treacherous to navigate, so much so that the researchers had to seek out six petite, acrobatic female scientists to reach the bones – not exactly the perfect place to bury your dead.

The age of the bones has been a sticking point in the debate: early dating determined them to be around 200,000-300,000 years old, while later estimates guessed the bones to be between 1.5 and 2.5 million years old.

"This is a humbling discovery for science," Lee Berger, a paleoanthropologist at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, told Reuters. "It's reminding us that the fossil record can hide things … we can never assume that what we have tells the whole story."

"No one thought that a small-brained, primitive hominin could extend down through time this long and that period is exactly the moment when we thought modern humans were arising here in Africa."

One major question regarding Homo naledi is what drove them to extinction – and as with nearly every species that has gone extinct since the dawn of man, we are one of the leading suspects. Like the neanderthals, who are believed to have been driven to extinction by humans (how we managed this is still under debate), it is possible that humans outcompeted or outbred Homo naledi into extinction.

"All we know is that Homo naledi is extinct today. Could Homo sapiens have driven them extinct? Yes. Could there have been gene exchange between Homo naledi and early Homo sapiens? It's entirely possible," Berger said.

Berger said his team's next main objective would be to acquire Homo naledi DNA to determine whether there was a gene exchange or not. "If we had Homo naledi DNA, not only would we be able to answer the question of a biological exchange with humans, but we would gain a window back millions of years. We would actually be looking at DNA from the split with humans. And that would be cool."

The bones found thus far were too poorly preserved to contain extractable ancient DNA. It would take another, better-preserved sample to achieve that goal.

United States:

The Numbers are Staggering: U.S. is ‘World Leader’ in Child Poverty 

A homeless white family in the USA

By Paul Buchheit

America’s wealth grew by 60 percent in the past six years, by over $30 trillion. In approximately the same time, the number of homeless children has also grown by 60 percent.

Financier and CEO Peter Schiff said, “People don’t go hungry in a capitalist economy.”

The 16 million kids on food stamps know what it’s like to go hungry. Perhaps, some in Congress would say, those children should be working.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch,” insisted Georgia Representative Jack Kingston, even for schoolkids, who should be required to “sweep the floor of the cafeteria” (as they actually do at a charter school in Texas).

The callousness of U.S. political and business leaders is disturbing, shocking. Hunger is just one of the problems of our children. Teacher Sonya Romero-Smith told about the two little homeless girls she adopted: “Getting rid of bedbugs that took us a while. Night terrors, that took a little while. Hoarding food..”

America is a ‘Leader’ in Child Poverty

The U.S. has one of the highest relative child poverty rates in the developed world. As UNICEF reports, “[Children’s] material well-being is highest in the Netherlands and in the four Nordic countries and lowest in Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and the United States.”

Over half of public school students are poor enough to qualify for lunch subsidies, and almost half of black children under the age of six are living in poverty.

$5 a Day for Food, But Congress thought it was Too Much.

Nearly half of all food stamp recipients are children, and they averaged about $5 a day for their meals before the 2014 farm bill cut $8.6 billion (over the next ten years) from the food stamp program.

In 2007 about 12 of every 100 kids were on food stamps. Today it’s 20 of every 100.

For Every 2 Homeless Children in 2006, There Are Now 3

On a typical frigid night in January, 138,000 children, according to the U.S. Department of Housing, were without a place to call home.

That’s about the same number of households that have each increased their wealth by $10 million per year since the recession.

The US: Near the Bottom in Education, and Sinking

The U.S. ranks near the bottom of the developed world in the percentage of 4-year-olds in early childhood education. Early education should be a primary goal for the future, as numerous studies have shown that pre-school helps all children to achieve more and earn more through adulthood, with the most disadvantaged benefiting the most. But we’re going in the opposite direction. Head Start was recently hit with the worst cutbacks in its history.

Children’s Rights? Not in the U.S.

It’s hard to comprehend the thinking of people who cut funding for homeless and hungry children. It may be delusion about trickle-down, it may be indifference to poverty, it may be resentment toward people unable to “make it on their own.”

The indifference and resentment and disdain for society reach around the globe. Only two nations still refuse to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: South Sudan and the United States. When President Obama said,

“I believe America is exceptional,” he was close to the truth, in a way he and his wealthy friends would never admit.

Paul Buchheit is a college teacher, an active member of US Uncut Chicago, founder and developer of social justice and educational websites (UsAgainstGreed.org, PayUpNow.org, RappingHistory.org), and the editor and main author of “American Wars: Illusions and Realities” (Clarity Press). He can be reached at paul@UsAgainstGreed.org.

The original source of this article is AlterNet

Cuba:

Cuban Farmers Reaffirm Commitment to Boosting Agriculture 

A Cuban farmer

By Prensa Latina

On May 17, Cuban farmers, gathered in Matanzas, reaffirmed their commitment to increasing agricultural production and making a greater contribution to the updating of the country’s economic model in order to construct a prosperous and sustainable socialism on the island. 

This, according to Rafael Santiesteban, President of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) speaking during the main act commemorating the organization’s 56th anniversary. 

The ANAP President called on Cuban farmers to continue to transform production, save resources, protect the environment, increase yields, and contribute to the substitution of imports. 

Santiesteban, also a member of Cuba’s Council of State, stressed the importance of the date, which symbolizes rebellion and struggle for the entire Cuban population. 

“We must remember that the ideas of (José) Martí were frustrated in pre-revolutionary Cuba, and that only after the revolutionary triumph were those that worked the land given rights to it, and confidence in the present and future of the nation validated,” he highlighted. 

The Cuban official also noted that this year the organization is celebrating its first anniversary since the passing of Fidel Castro, which is why “we reiterate our commitment to his ideas, to boosting agricultural production, and upholding Cuban pride.

“We reiterate our support and solidarity with Venezuela and its President Nicolás Maduro, demand an end to the economic, financial blockade of our country, and condemn any form of aggression against our sovereignty,” he stated. 

Other speakers reiterated Cuban farmers’ commitment to the country’s heroes, martyrs, and the legacy of Fidel Castro, while the act also featured cultural moments in the form of musical performances. 

In addition, awards were presented to Calimete (National Vanguard); Matanzas, as host of the main anniversary celebrations; while recognitions also went to Artemisa (West), Cienfuegos (South-central), and Santiago de Cuba (East).

The ceremony, which saw the participation of some 10,000 campesinos, was held at the Dagoberto Rojas Agricultural Production Cooperative (CPA) in the neighborhood of Amarillas, in the municipality of Calimete, Matanzas province, around 130 kilometers southeast of Havana. 

The Cooperative was given the honor of organizing the national act, due to its outstanding sugarcane yields; 80 tons per hectare; notable achievements in rice production and social initiatives.  

Cuban Farmers’ Day is celebrated every May 17, in memory of the 1946 murder of humble farmer and defender of social justice Niceto Pérez, in Cuba’s easternmost province of Guantánamo.

As an everlasting tribute to the memory of Niceto, Fidel Castro chose this day in 1959 to sign the Agrarian Reform Law.  

The historic event took place in La Plata, Sierra Maestra, where the General Command of the Rebel Army was based during the struggle to overthrow the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship, which was finally achieved January 1, 1959.

Health:

6 things your blood type can say about your health 

By Chris Weller 

Blood type is one of the body’s more mysterious taxonomies. There are four bins our blood can fall into — A, B, AB, and O — and together they represent the four groups of antigens found on the surfaces of red blood cells. But they don’ t just signal who we can donate to and receive from; our blood types can reveal complex patterns of personal health. Here are six to consider:

1. Memory Problems

At-risk: AB

Your brain and vascular system have more in common than you may think. A recent study found people with type AB blood were 82 percent more likely to experience difficulties with memory recall, language, and attention than people with other types. One reason, researchers suspect, is due to the key clotting protein, known as coagulation factor VIII, which may actually reduce the quality of blood flow to the brain, rather than sealing up injury sites.

 “Since factor VIII levels are closely linked to blood type, this may be one causal connection between blood type and cognitive impairment,” said Mary Cushman, author of the recent study.

2. Pancreatic Cancer

At-risk: Non-O

It may be more accurate to say people with type O blood are at a lower risk for pancreatic cancer, given the work researchers from Yale University are doing on bacterial infection. In a study conducted last July, scientists from the University’s Cancer Center looked at cases of a common species of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, that lives in people’s gut.

They found people with H. pylori were significantly more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, due to the way A and B antigens help the bacteria thrive. People with type O blood carry no antigens on the surface of their red blood cells. This is what allows them to donate to anyone.

3. Heart Disease

At-risk: AB

A 2012 study from Harvard University found people with non-O blood also happen to have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. But those with type AB blood were the most at-risk overall, demonstrating a 23 percent greater chance of suffering from heart disease than type O subjects.

Study author Dr. Lu Qi, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition, said the particular makeup of people’s antigens should be given the same weight we already assign to cholesterol and blood pressure. "While people cannot change their blood type, our findings may help physicians better understand who is at risk for developing heart disease,” Qi said in a statement.

4. Stress

At-risk: A

Because certain blood types are more likely to co-occur with varying levels of hormones in the body, physicians commonly tailor their exercise recommendations to the patient’s type. People with type A blood, for example, are more likely to have higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in their body. So, stress-reducing exercises, like Tai Chi and yoga, may be more beneficial at cutting that tension than running or weightlifting alone.

When the adrenal gland dumps more and more cortisol into the blood, people’s stress response grows more acute. People with type A blood may find themselves getting anxious more quickly and having a harder time letting troubles roll off their back.

5. Exercise Demands

More generally, the makeup of a person’s antigens on his or her red blood cells can determine how much of a certain hormone gets released. People with type A and B blood respond better to calming, low-intensity exercise like yoga, especially if depression runs in the family. Likewise, people with AB blood benefit from well-rounded workouts that keep their immune systems in check. Type O people, however, are a different story.

“Type O’s are more prone to problems that arise from an inability to clear stress hormones from their system quickly,” Dr. Ginger Nash, a naturopathic physician, told Personalized Living. “It takes more to get a Type O stressed but it takes more to de-stress them as well.”

6. Gut Bacteria

In addition to living on your red blood cells, antigens are often found in the lining of your digestive tract — about 80 percent of people fall into this category. Much of the bacteria living in people’s gut uses these antigens as food, which largely determines which bacteria flourish and which disappear. Prior research has estimated, for instance, that people with type B blood contain up to 50,000 times the number of strains of friendly bacteria than people with either type A or O blood.

“Increasingly, studies are showing that changes in the microflora content of the digestive tract can be linked to metabolic illnesses, including type II (adult onset) diabetes and obesity,” wrote Dr. Peter D’Adamo, physician and author of Eat Right 4 Your Type, in a blog post. “Blood group and secretor status play an important role in conditioning the overall characteristics of the digestive tract.”

Think You Can Be Both Fat and Fit?  

A new study of millions of Brits over a decade has led researchers to say that the idea that a person can be overweight, but still maintain a good physical fitness level is "an age-old myth." The news could affect millions, as 67% of British adults are classed as overweight.

The use of a person's BMI, or Body Max Index, to help determine their health has faced criticism in recent years. Some doctors have pointed out that BMI is purely a measure of weight and doesn't distinguish between muscle and fat.

It means that some international athletes — particularly professional rugby players — are technically classed as "obese" by the UK National Health Service (NHS).

Such comments fed into the narrative that it is possible for individuals to be overweight and still healthy.

However, a recent study that examined 3.5 million people over a decade suggests that it may wishful thinking.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham analyzed the data from British patients between 1995 and 2015.

They found those who are were overweight or obese, but still metabolically healthy — without conditions as high blood pressure or diabetes — are still at a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, than those with healthy BMIs.

"This is the largest prospective study of the association between metabolically healthy obesity and cardiovascular disease events," said study author Dr. Rishi Caleyachetty from the Institute of Applied Health Research at Birmingham University.

The research was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Portugal mid-May, and was backed up by the British Heart Foundation.

"It's not often that research on this scale and magnitude is able to clarify an age-old myth. These findings should be taken extremely seriously and I'd urge healthcare professionals to take heed," said Dr. Michael Knapton from the British Heart Foundation.

"Previously we used to think that being overweight led to an increase in heart attacks and stroke because it raised your blood pressure or cholesterol.

"What was new from this study for me is that it showed that people who were overweight or obese were at increased risk of heart disease even though they may have been healthy in every other respect. Just being overweight puts you at increased risk of heart attack and stroke."

So what are the implications for a nation of increasingly bulging waistlines?

Researchers stress that "blaming individuals" is not productive, but that an honest reappraisal of the nation's declining health is vital to saving lives.

A shocking 67% of British adults and a growing number of children are obese or overweight, not far behind the US figure of 71%.

And the list of diseases that overweight men and women are at a higher risk of is long indeed, including type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart attack, gallbladder disease and certain cancers.

The British Heart Foundation highlights that a growing number of Brits are also at risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to further health complications in later life.

The study has not yet appeared in a scientific journal and is yet to undergo checks by other academics.

However, for more than 2/3 of British adults, this week's news coming out of Portugal may set off alarm bells over their diet and lifestyle.

Dr. Mike Knapton said that it's important that overweight people should have support to help them improve their general health.

"We all have a role to play. The government, retailers, food manufacturers and consumers must work together to help tackle this obesity epidemic."

EUROGET DE-INVEST: Speaks Out on 9 Hospitals

Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Minister of Health

In 2007, Euroget De-Invest s.a (EDI) of Egypt, an Egyptian investment company, with special expertise in structuring and arranging project finance and investment initiatives, entered Ghana and prospected for social infrastructure projects, specifically hospitals. The project involves construction of nine (9) state of the art fully functional hospitals including a 500 bed military hospital, 2 regional hospitals at Wa and Kumasi, and six (6) district hospitals at Salaga, Twifo Praso, Madina (Now at Atomic/Kwabenya), Konongo, Nsawkaw and Tepa. The 9 hospitals involves the Ministries of Health (8 hospitals) and Defence (1 Military hospital in Kumasi)

Euroget De-Invest successfully went through the regulatory processes and duly procured the contract, after processing the same through the various Ministries, Cabinet and Parliamentary approvals in 2008. Further, commercial and supplier credit agreements were signed in 2008. The Value for money audit on the contract was conducted by Crown Agents of UK and successfully concluded in 2009. Consequently, the Turnkey EPC contract for the 9 hospitals amounting to US$519.00 million was finalized in 2010. The Turnkey EPC contract is being financed by a supplier’s credit facility, secured by promissory notes issued by the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

The supplier credit facility is arranged on concessional terms, providing sufficient financial savings for the Republic of Ghana. The supplier’s credit facility, signed between Ministry of Finance and Euroget De-Invest s.a. contains the terms and conditions for the concessional funding. The supplier credit facility and its terms and conditions are being implemented, monitored and available at the Ministry of Finance. All payments under the contract are made in accordance with the agreed terms of the Supplier’s Credit agreement.

Subsequent to the value for money (VFM) audit in 2009, the commercial contract with the Ministries of Health and Defence were finally concluded in 2010, pending various conditions precedent for effectiveness. Various pre-conditions to the effectiveness of the commercial contract and supplier’s credit agreement have been strenuously pursued. These pre-conditions include; the issuance of agreed Promissory Notes in accordance with the agreement, which was obtained in February 2012 and legal opinion of the Attorney General in April 2012, signifying full effectiveness of supplier credit facility. Other pre-conditions for commercial contract with the Ministries of Health and Defence included the release of lands and grant of access to sites for the hospitals, which were obtained on various dates, the last release being in 2014, and grant of final tax exemption by Parliament in December 2016.

The execution of the hospitals project, scheduled in two phases and commenced at different dates, are at various stages of completion. The expected commissioning dates for the 9 hospitals are between July 2017 and April 2018, which are well within the contractual delivery period.

On this note, distinguished members of the press are invited to visit the various sites to avail yourselves of the progress on the work.

Editorial

KOREA

The threats by the United States of America to attack the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea have not in any way contributed to the restoration of peace on the Korean peninsula.

Indeed these threats have worsened tensions in South –East Asia and pushed South Korea and the DPRK to the brink of war.

There cannot be any doubt about the fact that the proliferation of nuclear weapons is a major threat to world peace and security.

However, we cannot accept the current situation in which some countries are allowed to make and keep nuclear weapons while others are attacked for doing the same thing.

In our view all countries of the world including Russia and the United States of America need to get rid of all their nuclear weapons.

A nuclear weapon in any hand is dangerous for the world.

The threats of attack on the DPRK will not make the world a more peaceful place.

Local News:

Bond saga: Minority deceiving public? 

Ken Ofori Atta, Minister of Finance

By Ibrahim Alhassan

A deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare is accusing the minority of deception over claims of conflict of interest against her boss Ken Ofori-Atta.

The minority at a press briefing on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 cited the finance minister for conflict of interest and lack of transparency in the issuance of $2.25 billion 15-year bond.

Government issued 15 and 7-year bonds with a coupon rate of 19.75%, raising a total amount of USD1.13 billion. The Finance Ministry additionally raised cedi equivalent of USD1.12 billion in five and 10-year bonds through a tap arrangement. Former deputy finance Minister Casely Ato Forson at the press conference asserted Franklin Templeton Investment limited which acquired about 95% of the domestic bond floated earlier this month has a direct relationship with Mr. Ofori-Atta.

“In an unaudited semi-annual report of Franklyn Templeton Investment limited dated 31st December, 2016; Honourable Trevor G. Trefgarne was named as one of the five board of Directors of the firm. He was also described as the chairman of Enterprise Group Limited in the report.

Enterprise Group has 10 Board of Directors. Principal among them are Mr Keli Gadzekpo, Group Chief Executive of Enterprise Group; Dr Angela Ofori Atta, wife of Finance Minister Hon. Ken Ofori Atta who doubles as Director of Enterprise Insurance, a subsidiary of Enterprise Group.

“Enterprise Group also has Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Hon. Gloria Akuffo and Dr Angela Ofori Atta as non-executive members of the firm. Hon Gloria Akuffo is/was Director of Enterprise Life, a subsidiary of Enterprise Group (it is not clear whether she has resigned or not).

“It is now emerging that a firm that Hon Trevor G. Trefgarne works as a member of Board of Directors took substantial position in the April 3, 2017, bond issued by the Finance Minister. As noted, information that is now available in the public domain appears to indicate that Hon. Trevor G. Trefgarne is not just Board Chairman of Enterprise insurance Limited, a company owned partially by the current Finance Minister’s company, Data Bank Limited.

“Hon. Trevor G. Trefgarne is also a Director of Franklyn Templeton which is the main participant in the recent Bond issuance. Putting these apparent facts together, we have reason to believe that there is a relational interest between our Finance Minister and Trevor G. Trefgarne which creates a potential lack of transparency and conflict of interest,” the minority said.

The minority is calling a parliamentary probe into the deal.

The NDC MPs are threatening to drag the finance Minister to the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) if their quest to get the Legislature to look into the deal fails.

“Furthermore, we also intend to exercise the option of filing a report/petition with the Financial Services Authority of the U.S.A to investigate Franklyn Templeton. We also wish to point out that this Bond issue is clearly an international economic/business transaction within the meaning of article 181 (5) of the Constitution.

Therefore, we expected that the bond issuance would have been brought to parliament for approval”.

However, speaking to Starr News, a deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare refuted claims of the minority explaining the previous administration dealt with the investor in question. “What the minority is seeking to do is just throwing dust into the public eyes. There are more important issues that we need to discuss. —This Franklin Templeton Investor that they are talking about, we’ve been doing business, Ghana has been doing business with them for more than 10 years now so I honestly don’t see what they are talking about”.

The Atiwa East MP also challenged claims the deal was shrouded in secrecy arguing the one day used in floating the bonds is a normal practice.

She stressed: “There is an issuance calendar which comes every quarter that will tell you the number of bonds that is going to take place in a particular quarter. So this is nothing new, they knew about it. They said that the period was just one day, my brother usually it’s two days but it’s happened before that these bonds are done in a day, there is nothing wrong with that, this is nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn’t done in secrecy, there is not conflict of interest here and they are free to do whatever they want to do. But I believe that in their quest to come to power, they shouldn’t destroy this country through some of these things. This is an investor you have worked with before; over 10 years. This investor bought 3.5 billion of your bonds so this is nothing new”.

Source: Starrfmonline

‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ short-term approach

Edward Kareweh, General Secretary, GAWU

By Jonas Nyabor

The General Secretary of the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Edward Kareweh, has cast doubt on the ability of government’s proposed ‘Planting for Food and Job’ program to address the many challenges in the agricultural sector.

According to him, the program is just a “stop-gap” measure which will have short-lived benefits.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Kareweh said the approach by government does not tackle the underlying problems within the sector.

“It takes more than we are just seeing. These measures government is taking; I’ll call them stop gap measures. They are not permanent solution measures. They are not going to take us far. But we can get results within the short-term and then we will all be happy that we have implemented policies and come with results, but these are short-term measures. We need long-term measures.”

“Do we know how much it will cost the government to import fertilizer into this country? Are we thinking about building a fertilizer factory in this country? And how long will it take us?” he quizzed.

He lamented that, the government’s plan of importing fertilizer and improved seeds for distribution to the beneficiary farmers will not help the local economy.

“The unfortunate thing is that, we are going to import seeds, we are importing fertilizer, much of the money will simply go into importing all these things when in actual fact, if they were produced in this country, certainly the multiplier effect of it will be so great. One would not say what we are doing today will not bring benefits, they will bring benefits, but they will be short-lived,” he said.

He further said the elements of the program by the NPP government was not a novelty, especially with the provision of farm inputs and subsidized cost of fertilizer, which he said successive governments have also done without achieving the desired results.

He however urged the NPP government to make considerations for long-term solutions to ensure that relevant gains are made in the agricultural sector.

Planting for Food and Jobs program will fail if… – Peasant Farmers

By Jonas Nyabor

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, has noted that, the government’s flagship programme for the agricultural sector, Planting for Food and Jobs, will fail if it is not properly restructured to target more small scale farmers, instead of large scale farmers.

According to the Association, government among other things has selected the wrong beneficiaries who will eventually collapse the programme.

President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to officially launch the program on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, but the Association has said that its assessment of the current plan for the project indicates that it is likely to fail.

The Programme Officer for the Association, Charles Kwowe Nyaaba, in a Citi News interview said the current plan excludes over 70% of peasant farmers.

“The target beneficiaries in the first place are wrong. They are targeting the large-scale farmers, and not small scale farmers, but we all know that the farmer population in Ghana, we have over 80% being small-scale farmers… The approach of recruiting extension service personnel to help in the programme is wrong. If you go to the Ministry of Agriculture at the district level, you have the extension officers there who are not able to visit farming communities because of lack of logistics. You leave all these people hanging there and you say you are bringing National Service personnel to train them to go and train the farmers. At the end of the day, if you don’t take care, they would rather go and be learning from the farmers and that is not going to give us the impact that we are looking for,” he said.

Charles Kwowe Nyaaba added that, most rural farmers will be discouraged by government’s directive that beneficiaries of the programme deposit some amount of money into a bank account.

“We are also saying that, before you benefit from the facility, government is subsidizing 50% and the farmers will pay the initial amount of the 25% and those farmers are supposed to deposit the money in a rural bank, then after that you take the chip and go, before you’ll be allowed to benefit from the facility”, he emphasized.

According to him, most farmers live in very remote communities and that makes it difficult for them to access banks for such transactions.

“It is no surprise that business people are capitalizing on the sale of these facilities at a higher price, since majority of these farmers live in the rural areas and would not like to travel thus far to the banking facilities in order to benefit from these facilities. “We are also saying that before you benefit from the facility, government is subsidizing 50% and the farmers will pay the initial amount of the 25% and those farmers are supposed to deposit the money in a rural bank, then after that you take the chip and go, before you’ll be allowed to benefit from the facility”, he emphasized.

The NPP government has said that it intends to revolutionize agriculture in the country by introducing the programme which it said will create more than 750,000 jobs.

The programme, according to the government, would also motivate farmers to grow staple foods such as maize, millet, and beans. Interested farmers are to be provided with free seedlings among other agricultural inputs and agro-chemicals such as fertilizer at reduced prices.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to launch the national ‘Planting for Food and Job programme’ at Goaso, capital of the Asunafo Municipality in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

Source: citifmonline

Akufo-Addo has dismissed 14,000 workers in 100 days - Minority

James Avedzi Klutse

By Enoch Darfah Frimpong 

The parliamentary caucus of the opposition National Democratic Congress has assessed the first 100 days of the Akufo-Addo led government and said it has been full of wasteful expenditure and ‘wahala’.

To them, unless there was a divine intervention from God in the affairs of the nation, Ghana would be heading into a ditch under President Akufo-Addo.

“We ask the almighty God for divine intervention in the affairs of this station. Awurade begye steer no,” the deputy minority leader, Mr James Klutse Avedzi said at a press conference in Parliament House on Tuesday.

He said it has been 100 days of “broken promises, gross incompetence, shameful plagiarism by the president, proceed on leave and dismissal of over 14,000 workers from the national service, cocoa board, police training recruits, nurses, teachers and local government staff.

“It has been 100 days of hardships, deceit, wasteful expenditure on presidential swearing in ceremonies in Accra and Kyebi, wasteful expenditure on Ghana@60 celebrations, terrorism by Invincible Forces, Delta Forces and all the hidden partisan vigilante forces."

Flanked by other members in leadership of the minority, Mr Avedzi said it has been 100 days of "unprecedented bribery and conflict of interest in high places."

He pointed to the Ameri deal which government claims it was reviewing and said there has been conflict of interest in handling it.

Mr Avedzi said the 110 ministers appointed by President Akufo-Addo was a “wahala”

“Yes there is no end in sight… in our part we shall offer the needed support and criticise constructively with the view to spearheading the ailing Akufo-Addo government in order that they do not roll back the clock of progress started by the NDC."

"Ghana cannot wait for four years of recklessness, violence, lawlessness, insecurity, incompetence, hardship and bribery in high places. Mr President, listen to the plea of most well-meaning Ghanaians and drastically prone down the size of your government now," the minority said. 

Foreign News

Britain:

Jeremy Corbyn – A Silver Lining in the Trump Era 

By Asad Latif Palijo

In a welcome move earlier this week, UK PM Theresa May announced snap general elections on 8 June 2017- a full 3 years earlier than the original 2020 polls. On the face of it, this decision was taken to rally the parliament behind the complicated Brexit talks. The June polls would see a new government in place just before the round of talks scheduled later this year to finalise the messy divorce with the European Union after the shock 2016 Brexit vote.

For the pacifists around the world this brings forward favourable prospects of a Corbyn-led Labour government- a flicker of light in an era of Trump’s darkness.

Since the fateful Atlantic Charter signed between Churchill and Roosevelt in 1941 aboard HMS Prince of Wales, the U.K. has long been the most allied of allies and a junior partner to the US. Together the two nations have launched  unilateral wars and regime changes in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa since World War 2.

Very few people are aware of the clandestine coup that the two allies brought in Persian gulf that essentially paved the way for war, famine and destruction in our part of the world Long before the more famous Afghan Jehad wars.

The year 1953 saw the Iranian nationalist government of Dr. Mosaddeq toppled by the US/UK as recently confirmed by the declassified NSA documents. http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB435/

The documents declassified under freedom of information laws, describe in detail how the US – with British help – engineered the coup, codenamed TPAJAX by the CIA and Operation Boot by Britain’s MI6.

This western intervention in a sovereign nation was done to protect western oil interests in Iran by installing a puppet Monarchy. This became the classic modus operandi for western allies who wished to protect their strategic resources in blatant disregard to international law and national sovereignty of countries. The UN quickly became a rubber stamp for these unilateral acts of aggression.

In Iran, people eventually rose up that would later see the puritans leverage the situation to their advantage in installing a religious regime. Ultimately in a zero sum game the Ayatullahs really hurt the Persian heritage of tolerance and Sufism founded on the poetry of Hafiz, Rufi and Jami. To imagine that it was all started for petrodollars makes mockery of human rights slogans of the west.

This Persian coup, together with the installation of the House of Saud in the Arabian Peninsula by MI6 British agent Lawerence of Arabia brought together the unholy nexus of war, oil and construction economy that has ever since intervened in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and now Syria.

With Theresa May’s announcement of snap polls, for the first time in decades , there appears from among this theatre of war in an era of mutually assured destruction (MAD) , a silver lining in the form of Jeremy Corbyn, the first anti-war leader of a major political party in the entire western world.

Given Trumps penchant for war as demonstrated by Syrian strikes conducted over cake & biscuits, the need for Corbyn’s pacifism suddenly brings a ray of hope – a possibility of a more just global order.

Widely considered an outsider to the power corridors, Jeremy Corbyn’s rise to the mantle of Labour Party in 2015 is a story of rare determination. Within a year of his rise, his own party rebelled against him, forcing Corbyn to seek re election to the leadership. However, the labour voters – disenchanted with Blair-Brown-Miliband troika of putting themselves before the socialist ideals of the Labour Party – came out in an even stronger numbers to give Corbyn a comfortable majority.

During his parliamentary career stretching over 32 years, Mr Corbyn has been the most uncompromising MP in the Commons – defying party orders more than 500 times, marching with rival parties against the Labour government and even calling for an uprising against British troops over its excesses overseas. He is famous for splitting with his second wife following a row over their son’s education – Corbyn wanted public schooling for his son to set a precedence for other parliamentarians. He began his career rallying for the anti-apartheid movement and was even jailed several times.

But it is his anti war stance that speaks volumes of his courage and determination. During the wag the dog years of Blair-led Labour government, Corbyn went against his own party and voted against Iraq intervention. This anti apartheid veteran had the experience of injustice, war and racism in the latter half of the 20th century.

One hopes the British people will seize the opportunity to redeem themselves. For centuries their country was involved in colonialisation and intervention in sovereign government since the wild Wild West days of the East India company.

The world deserves better , the world deserves Corbyn.

The original source of this article is Global Research

Venezuela

Maduro: Venezuela demands respect

In his weekly television program “Los Domingos con Maduro” the Venezuelan President declared that the differences between Venezuela’s branches of government had been overcome. Photo: AVN

By Redacción Internacional

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, demanded respect for his country this April 2, and criticized the interventionist attempts of certain nations that have allied with Venezuela’s domestic extreme right to destabilize the government.

According to AVN, Maduro condemned unpatriotic sectors who, through the media war, present to the world “a caricature, a manipulated deformation of what Venezuela is, which like any country has its problems and resolves them peacefully, constitutionally.”

Faced with the tense situation in the country, on the evening of March 31, and into the early hours of April 1, Venezuela’s National Security Council met, presided by Maduro, which according to the constitution is the highest consultational body responsible for the planning and orientation of state power.

In a statement, read by Executive Vice President Tarek El Aissami, the Council called on the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) to review decisions no. 155 and 156, with the objective of maintaining constitutional stability.

Issued by the TSJ the previous week, both rulings sought to preserve the rule of law, in the face of those factions that seek to disregard the legal system and violate the national sovereignty of the Caribbean nation, especially within the National Assembly, which continues to be in a state of contempt of the judicial branch.

TSJ President, Maikel Moreno, indicated that the call of the Security Council was heard, and a statement was later issued on the court’s website clarifying important aspects of the past rulings.

The suspension of lawmaker’s parliamentary immunity was annulled, as well as the section referring to the Constitutional Chamber assuming determined functions of the National Assembly.

Following the Security Council meeting, President Maduro declared that the differences between the branches of state of the South American nation had been overcome, as teleSUR reported.

The ruling ratified that the Constitutional Chamber of the TSJ is “the competent body for the control of the constitutionality of the acts issued by any branch of national state power,” as well as “the resolution of conflicts between branches.”

Also expressed was the “rejection of any intervention that attempts against the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and self-determination” of the Bolivarian Republic.

Statement by the Federation of Cuban Women regarding Venezuela

By Granma 

The Organization of American States (OAS), the very same that in 1962 expelled Cuba, and commits innumerable acts of treachery against the people to satisfy imperialist machinations, has once again assumed an antidemocratic stance, in violation of its own principles. The servile, unscrupulous behavior of its Secretary General Luis Almagro, who abides completely with the callous interests of the empire, in his attempt to apply the organization’s Democratic Charter against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a clear example. 

It is unacceptable that in the 21st century, in the name of democracy, the peoples’ right to sovereignty and self-determination be violated. It is shameful to promote interference in the internal affairs of countries, and far from speaking out against constant human rights abuses on the continent; against the criminalization of protests by social movements; femicide, which sees hundreds of women killed every day; and instead of consolidating the unity of Our America and working together to make the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace - adopted by CELAC in January 2014 - a reality, acts of destabilization are being undertaken against the Bolivarian Revolution and its President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela is not alone, we accompany the country in its struggle, and we recognize the greatness of its revolution and the humanist and solidary legacy of Comandante Hugo Chávez. We stand in defense of the country’s emancipatory social project, faithful followers of those who wrote and continue to write the true history of Latin America and the Caribbean. 

We Cuban women, witnesses to similar attacks against our own Revolution, side with the brave, the patriots, those who do not beg on their knees for slices of power and money. From the land of Mariana, Martí, Celia, Vilma, Fidel and Raúl, we declare our unconditional support and solidarity with the Venezuelan government, people, its heroic women, beneficiaries and protagonists of a profound social revolution, and to its President Nicolás Maduro Moros.

The Federation of Cuban Women 

CUBA:

The children who found 3,300 euros… and returned them

Adrian (l), lesniel (c) and Mailol with parent

By Ronald Suárez Rivas 

 It had started to get dark and they were coming home, like every afternoon, from soccer class. It was Friday and they were likely making plans for the weekend when, very close to the sidewalk, on a pile of balusters from a half-built house, two objects caught their attention.

The first was a map and on top of it, a wallet with lots, and lots of money.

“When we opened it and saw what was inside, we ran to my house and asked my mother what we should do with it,” recalls Maikol Eduardo Rodríguez Correa (11 years old), who of the three children lived closest to the discovery spot.

After checking inside the wallet and noting that in total it contained thirty-three 100 euro bills, a plane ticket, a document that looked like a driver’s license, and the passport of a German national, his parents’ response was categorical: everything had to be returned to the owner.

“We sat the three of them down in the living room and began to talk with them about all the values that should be instilled at home and in school, selflessness, modesty, humility,” explains Maikol’s father, Eddy Rodríguez.

“We also explained that the wallet belonged to someone who was just passing through our country, and that surely he was desperate, without money, without his documents, so we had to hand it in, and all three understood,” adds Maikol’s mother, Sandra Correa.

First, she accompanied the three children to the local immigration office, but as it was already late, there was no official there to speak to. The security guard suggested they go to the local police station.

“The officer on duty took a statement, and kept the wallet to locate the tourist. When we returned home, we explained to the parents of the other children what had happened, and they agreed that we were right to have acted as we did,” says Sandra.

The next day, she returned to the police station to meet the man who, with tears in his eyes, was still not over the shock of recovering his belongings.

“He was very emotional, and told me in English that he couldn’t explain how he felt, that it was incredible that children of that age had found such a large amount of money and decided to give it back.

“When he left the police station, he asked for our address and came to the house to meet the children. He told us that he would have liked to spend more time with them, but that he had to go.

“Alongside him was his family. His daughter, who didn’t speak Spanish either, expressed her gratitude for the gesture in English, and for the way in which we have raised our children,” Sandra adds.

Unfortunately, no photos were taken during the meeting, nor was there any exchange of addresses or emails to allow us to contact this German tourist and discover his version of events, but police in Viñales confirmed that it all occurred just as Eddy, Sandra and the children told us.

Several days later, on thinking about what happened, the family from Pinar del Río continues to believe that they acted correctly.

“There are people who criticize us, and tell us that we should have taken that money, but we don’t regret it at all.

“We come from a modest family, but with a lot of dignity, and those are the values we pass on to our children.”

Lesniel Alejandro Ramos Machín and Adrián Bosmenier León, the other two children who, together with Maikol, found the wallet, are also certain they did the right thing, and although, just like anyone else, there are many material things they would like to have, they note “You don’t touch what isn’t yours.”

All three children are in the sixth grade at the Eduardo García Delgado School in Viñales, and after school they play soccer at the local stadium. For now, their biggest dream is to one day become great athletes, although they may well change their minds over time. Whichever path they take in the future, these children who found a wallet containing 3,300 euros and returned it, will surely grow up to be good men.