'War crimes' claim as at least 250 killed in two days in rebel-held Syria enclave

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At least 250 people have been killed over two days of escalating violence in eastern Ghouta as Syrian and Russian airstrikes continue to bombard the rebel-held enclave.

Rockets and artillery fire have been targeting the Damascus suburb in an apparent preparation for a government ground assault.

The UN has described the situation as "beyond imagination", while Amnesty International said "flagrant war crimes" were being committed.

In a major development in Syria's complex seven-year war, forces loyal to Bashar al Assad were sent to the northern Afrin region, where they came under fire by Turkish forces attacking the Kurdish-controlled area.

A spokesman for Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there would be "serious consequences" after a convoy of about 50 vehicles tried to enter Afrin on Tuesday but were repelled by artillery fire.

The bombardment in eastern Ghouta has led to the worst 48-hour death toll in Syria since a chemical attack in 2013.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 106 civilians, including 19 children, were killed in the violence on Tuesday.

It was the second straight day that the civilian death toll topped 100 after 127 people were killed Monday in eastern Ghouta's bloodiest day in four years.

The strikes left an important hospital out of action, further limiting the little medical aid that besieged civilians can access.

The Observatory blamed Russian warplanes, saying Moscow carried out its first strikes in three months on eastern Ghouta.


Sky News

Mass Bar exams failure: Law students declare ‘Red Day’

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Aggrieved students of the Ghana Law School have declared Wednesday a "Red Day" across all campuses to show their disapproval of the results of the 2017 Bar exams which saw a whopping 81% of students failing.

All law students are expected to wear red as a sign of protest against the disappointing results, which the Ghana Law School Students’ Representative Council (SRC) has described as an “injustice”.

The SRC executives and an agitated group of students are also expected to hold  a  press conference on Wednesday at 1:00 pm at  the  Accra  main  campus  of the law school on the matter and  subsequently  submit a petition to the “appropriate  authorities”  on the results.
 “All students are entreated to turn up for the press conference with their red bands [Wednesday] at the  Accra main campus,” the circular urged students.

The SRC had rejected the results on Tuesday when it became public that only 91 students, representing 19% of the total students, passed the important exams that would allow them to be admitted into the hallowed profession.

Of the 474 students who wrote the exams, a total of 206 are to repeat the entire course after failing the final Bar exams.

Another 177 students have been referred in one or two papers.

The SRC is convinced the results could not have been the true reflection of the exams written by the students.

The Council is, therefore, demanding a remarking of all the failed papers with a drastic reduction in the remarking fee from ¢3,000 to ¢500.

“In line with the rules of natural justice that a man cannot be a judge in his own court, the IEB [Independent Examination Board], cannot be in charge of the remarking of the scripts concerned. We cannot trust that the IEB will be candid enough to expose their own flaws. We are therefore calling on the GLC [General Legal Council] to appoint credible independent and professional examiners to mark all failed scripts again,” SRC Secretary, Abena Asare-Boye, said in a communiqué.

In a roadmap towards a total rejection of the result which the SRC said was “dispiriting and upsetting,” the Council said it was considering taking legal action against the authorities if the results were allowed to stand.

The mass failure comes at a time when the GLC is pushing to give legal backing for a stringent process for admission into the Ghana Law School amidst a fierce opposition from some eminent legal practitioners and law professors.

The GLC has said falling standards in the legal profession are a justification for the admission process.

A member of the GLC, Professor Kofi Quashigah, who made the revelation, said Judges at the various courts have complained many times about poor standards in the law profession.

The GLC hopes to legislate the stringent admission process, which includes a special examination and an interview process.


Myjoyonline

Nananom Education Development steering group inaugurated

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The Nananom Education Development Steering Group has been inaugurated.

The inauguration took place at the Palace of Osabarima Otsibu VI Enyan Denkyira in the Central Region of Ghana over the weekend.

The Nananom Education Development Programme is a collaborative initiative between Nana Osabarima Otsibu VI (President and Paramount Chief of Enyan Denkyira Traditional Area and a Member Central Region House of Chiefs) and SEDi Ghana (Executive Director Mr. James Kwesi Addison). 

This initiative specifically sets-out to establish new professional capability within a Region’s schools network. Specifically, this is community backed capability building for schools equipping them to socially and emotionally develop children and young people – irrespective of whether a government or privately funded establishment. It progressively transforms schools into centers of excellence in social emotional skills provision, by providing staff teams with a comprehensive professional development process spanning FIVE key areas: Emotional Intelligence, Autism, Trauma, Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness.

This is a community funded support for schools, which connects the House of Chiefs and Executive Directorate team together for a common and tangible purpose, entirely an autonomous approach to capability building and changing the face of community cohesion. The joint support for schools undergoing transformation pinpoints how teaching capability is increasing and measures the impact upon the lives of the children and young people in the community. The Executive Directorate oversees its own school clusters, alongside the House of Chiefs appointed representatives. Each cluster of schools is supported by their executive team from the Directorate.

The Programme is embedded deep into the community, through the Traditional Leadership of the House of Chiefs. It connects directly into sponsored school teams to provide them a level of traditional leadership support and progress oversight. This ensures schools are connected directly into Nana Osabarima Otsibu VI to enable him to combine a Return on Investment with establishing a long-term positive impact. Each cluster of 10 schools is supported by an appointed Sub-Chief from the House of Chief.

 

During the inauguration of the steering Group, Nana Osabarima Otsibu VI, said the Programme is a gift to the education community. And reiterated that it will empower them to alter the course of Ghana’s future by addressing known societal issues and family needs within communities. It brings front-and-centre the Traditional Leadership within regions and embeds into the hearts and minds of the families they represent, guide and counsel.

The SEDi Africa Director, James Kwesi Addison calls upon everyone to engage with the Programme’s vision, to help deliver this new capability and celebrate the positive impact across future generations of Ghanaians.

This is ground-breaking Programme, designed in Ghana by leaders in their fields, incorporates a process led by international expertise and resources to professionally develop educational teams. It creates a best-in-class approach to how children and young people build Emotional Safety & Resilience within and around them. Further, the Programme transforms schools into community-facing centers of excellence, the “go-to” locations for adults to also learn how to build Emotional Safety & Resilience.

Ghana | Atinkaonline

10 surprising health benefits of wine

Daniel Opare
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Let’s take a look at the top 10 surprising health benefits of wine.

1. Wine Can Help You Live Longer

Can orange juice help you live longer? How about beer? Coffee? Tea? Whiskey?!

Can they?! Wine, though, is a fundamental part of Sicilians and others who live in Blue Zones’ diets, and it basically contributes to their unrivaled longevity.

Naturally, it isn’t just the wine that is the key to the blue zone inhabitants’ longer lives, and so you will need to adjust other parts of your diet accordingly. But wine is rich in compounds known as procyanidins, which promote cardiovascular health.

And just incase you didn’t know what the Blue Zones are, they’re basically areas of the world where the locals live longer than anyone else on the planet. The reason they live longer is mainly or entirely down to their diets.

2. Wine Can Make You Smarter

Another one of great health benefits of wine us that it can make you smarter. Wine contains something called resveratrol, which is also found in plants, peanuts and blueberries. Recently, scientists conducted a piece of research which involved participants ingesting resveratrol to see how it improved their short-term memory. The great news? Folk who took resveratrol demonstrated an enhanced retention of words, whilst their brain performed faster in forming new memories.

3. Wine Is Good For Your Eyes

Next one of fabulous health benefits of wine is that it is very good for your eyes, in moderation of course. We all worry about the health of our eyes, with many saying that if there is one thing they really don’t want to happen to them it’s blindness. And although too much wine could make you see double on a night out, the right amount can mean that you have about 30% less likely chance of developing cataracts than folk who don’t drink wine. Awesome.

4. Wine Can Fight Off the Common Cold

Ugh, there is nothing worse than the common cold. It always comes at the most annoying times, and that feeling on the day you’re developing a cold is one of the worst days ever. Your throat starts to feel sore, you feel stuffy and your chest is tight.

And then your boss tells you he’s bringing forward your deadline to tomorrow. This sucks!

Well, did you know that red wine in particular is rich in antioxidants that can reduce your risk of developing a cold by a whopping 40%?! Praise the Lord for red wine!

5. Wine Means You Might Not Need To Workout

If you head to the gym in a bid to keep your heart and bones in shape, you might be pleased to find out that wine does this too! Because of the aforementioned resveratrol, wine is the perfect remedy to poor heart and bone health.

If you hit the gym to lose weight or enhance your stomach, arms, legs and bum, then wine might not be the perfect replacement. Oh well!

6. Wine Fends Off Alzheimer’s disease

Because wine works hard at making our memories sharper, as well as enhancing our mood functions, it’s suggested that even just a glass a day is enough to keep age-related mental decline at bay.

This is wonderful news for anyone who is terrified of dementia, and it is also suggested that regular tipples of the red stuff is enough to stop further memory loss from occurring, in those who already suffer from Alzheimer’s.

7. Wine Can Help You Sleep Better

Another one of great health benefits of wine is that it can help you sleep better. We all long for a sound night’s sleep, and whilst the general consensus among some people is that too much alcohol can actually inhibit their chances of a good snooze, just a glass of wine can be enough to relax your mind and body, so that you gently drop off into the land of nod.

8. Wine Works Wonders for Your Immune System

Next one of amazing health benefits of wine is that it can work wonders for your immune system. Because of the antioxidants and antibacterial agents found in wine, a glass a day can help to boost your immune system by over 10%. This means you will be at less risk of developing all kinds of infections, from minor ones to major ones.

Wine can also minimize your chances to contracting bacterial illness, such as a stomach ulcer. And when you do get ill, your immune system will be ready to put up a better fight than ever. Win(e)!

9. Wine Can Prevent Cancer

The Big C is something many people are afraid of, but thankfully there are steps you can take to reduce your chance of developing tumors. One of the best steps you can take is to drink some wine!

Red wine is more potent when it comes to fighting potentially cancerous cells, because it contains a higher content of resveratrol. But white wine is also good, and both work by destroying body cells that are showing early warning signs of DNA damage. It is these cells which are at a higher risk of becoming cancerous.

10. Wine Can Make You Look Younger

Health benefits of wine can go on and on, but let’s finish with this one: wine can make you look younger! Ever looked in the mirror and wished you looked ten years younger? Darling, we all have. One of the easiest and most fun ways to reduce the signs of ageing is to drink a glass of wine every now and again.

Whilst wine isn’t going to knock 40 years off you, it will slow down the ageing process, making your skin look healthier.

Beautyandtips

Facebook boss in fake news Twitter storm

Daniel Opare
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Facebook's vice-president of adverts has been criticised for tweeting that Russian-bought ads had not been designed to sway the US election.

Rob Goldman's tweet was retweeted by President Donald Trump.

His view contradicted special counsellor Robert Mueller's recent indictments, in which 13 Russians were charged with meddling in the election via social media and other means.

Mr Goldman is reported to have apologised to Facebook staff.

The BBC understands that his tweets were not the views of the company.

In a series of tweets, Mr Goldman said that Russia's misinformation activity had been designed to "divide America" but added that "the majority of the Russian ad spend [on Facebook] happened after the election".

However according to the indictment, the ads were only part of Russia's activity on the social-media platform.

In the document, Facebook is mentioned 35 times.

The 13 Russians are accused of setting up fake accounts using stolen US identities, setting up themed groups and promoting political rallies throughout 2016, using Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

In his most recent tweet at time of writing, Mr Goldman implied that the point he had been trying to make was that Russia's campaign of misinformation had continued since the election.

"If only one could edit one's tweet," he wrote.

According to Wired, he sent a message to staff that read: "I wanted to apologise for having tweeted my own view about Russian interference without having it reviewed by anyone internally.

"The tweets were my own personal view and not Facebook's. I conveyed my view poorly.

"The special counsel has far more information about what happened [than] I do – so seeming to contradict his statements was a serious mistake on my part."

Facebook said it would not comment on internal messages shared by employees but it did not question Mr Mueller's findings.

bbc

 Akufo-Addo launches 10-year Cashew Development Plan

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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 20th February, 2018, launched the 10-year Cahsew Development Plan, in Wenchi, in the Brong Ahafo Region, a plan aimed at diversifying Ghanaian agriculture.

Recounting a commitment he made on 19th March, 2016, at Suma Ahenkro, in the Jaman North constituency, President Akufo-Addo bemoaned the over-reliance of Ghanaian agriculture on the production and export of cocoa, in contrast with the situation in neigbouring Cote d’Ivoire.

He noted that Cote d’Ivoire has succeeded in diversifying its agriculture, which included the production and export of other cash crops, and, as a result, earned that country some $12 billion from the export of agricultural produce in 2015.

“To that end, I reiterated my commitment to assist in diversifying Ghanaian agriculture, and transforming, amongst others, cashew into a major cash crop and foreign exchange earner for Ghana. This morning’s event, ladies and gentlemen, is the beginning of the realisation of this vision,” the President said.

Highlighting the success of the first year of the Programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, which led to an increase in the production of staples, as well as the creation of thousands of jobs in the rural economy, President Akufo-Addo noted that this development has encouraged government to increase the scope of the programme.

“The Programme is expanding its focus not only to the production of staples, but also to the development and production of some selected crops such as cashew, oil palm, rubber, shea, cotton and coffee, for good reason,” he said.

The President noted that two out of the top five cashew producing and exporting countries can be found in West Africa, i.e. Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, countries that have the same geography and topography as that of Ghana.

Therefore, as part of the Plan to boost the production of cashew, the Rural Development Department of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, together with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, are spearheading the initial production of seedlings for the cultivation of cashew in the country.

“Under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) project, all 216 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives have been given oversight responsibility for the production of not only cashew seedlings, but also for seedlings of oil palm, shea, cotton, rubber and coffee, for distribution to farmers from next year,” the President said.

He continued, “The seedlings, once distributed, and planted by farmers, will ensure that more rural jobs will be created, in addition to an increase in yield. The potential for further job creation down the value chain through agro-processing is enormous.”

Again, towards the improvement of the country’s current yield, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority commissioned a cashew mass spraying exercise, in Wenchi, involving the provision of GH¢1.6 million for the spraying of some 30,000 hectares of cashew plantation. This is expected to increase cashew production for this crop year by some 30%.

These initiatives, the President added, form an integral part of the Cashew Development Plan, with the plan seeking to improve research methods, introduce appropriate production and processing technologies, as well as develop marketing strategies, amongst others, along the value chain.

He, therefore, urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ghana Export Promotion Authority also to incorporate, in this Plan, policies and interventions that will create additional businesses and job opportunities in the areas of storage, transport, and packaging of cashew, which will ensure that our cashew farmers earn higher incomes.

President Akufo-Addo reiterated the commitment of his government to follow through fully on the implementation of this Plan, in addition to other programmes, to propel the growth of the cashew industry.

“I urge the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, our Members of Parliament, farmers, and the private sector to do everything possible to support the Cashew Development Programme. This, together with the other programmes for other selected export crops, would drive industrialization in rural Ghana, diversify agricultural exports, and provide the needed jobs for the teeming masses of unemployed youth of this country,” President Akufo-Addo added.


Atinkaonline.com

Madonna: My son is Malawi's future president

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Pop star Madonna has called her son, David Banda, "the future president of Malawi" in a tweet praising the 12-year-old.

The US singer has six children, four of whom she adopted from Malawi.

The singer has reportedly had a fractious relationship with Malawi's authorities.

In 2013, Malawi accused Madonna of "bullying state officials", exaggerating her contribution to the country and demanding VIP treatment.

Madonna's manager accused Malawi's government of having a "grudge" against the singer's charity, Raising Malawi, which she founded the same year she adopted David.

Last year, Malawi granted Madonna permission to adopt two more children, and she became mother to twin baby girls Esther and Stella Mwale.

BBC

Syria war: Pro-government forces enter Kurdish-held Afrin

Daniel Opare
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Syrian pro-government forces have entered the Kurdish-held border enclave of Afrin, reports say, raising the risk of clashes with Turkey.

It comes a day after Syria's state news agency said "Popular Forces" would be sent there to counter "the Turkish regime's attack".

Turkish troops and pro-Turkish Syrian rebels have been fighting Kurdish militia in Afrin for the past month.

Turkey has warned Syrian forces against intervening in support of the Kurds.

Syrian state TV showed pictures of pro-government paramilitaries preparing to enter Afrin on Tuesday.

Media controlled by Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which supports the Syrian government, and the Syrian Kurdish news agency Anha said "Popular Forces" militia had crossed into the enclave.

It is not yet clear how many fighters have moved in or where they will be deployed.

Turkey has vowed to clear Afrin of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which it considers a terrorist group.

Turkey sees the militia as being an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey and has fought for Kurdish autonomy there since 1984. The YPG denies any direct military or political links with the PKK.

Kurds have run their own affairs in Afrin since Syrian forces withdrew in 2012 to concentrate on fighting rebels elsewhere in the country.

Syria's government has called the Turkish offensive on Afrin a "blatant attack" on its sovereignty.

bbc

Thousands cancel Oxfam donations over Haiti scandal

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About 7,000 people have stopped making regular donations to Oxfam since it emerged some of its staff used prostitutes in Haiti, MPs have heard.

Oxfam boss Mark Goldring apologised to the International Development Committee for the damage done to people in Haiti and the wider efforts of aid workers.

He said 26 claims of sexual misconduct were made since the scandal broke.

Save the Children chief executive Kevin Watkins told MPs the charity had investigated 53 allegations in 2016.

Mr Goldring and two other senior Oxfam executives, faced an uncomfortable morning of questions from MPs about the sexual misconduct of the charity's workers in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010.

He also apologised for remarks made about murdering babies in cots, which he made when defending Oxfam.

In an interview with the Guardian last week, he said: "The intensity and ferocity of the attack makes you wonder, what did we do? We murdered babies in their cots?"

Mr Goldring, who joined the charity as chief executive in 2013, said he was "deeply sorry" for the comments that he had made while "under stress".

How the Oxfam scandal unfolded
The urgent session, called by the committee in response to allegations appearing earlier this month in the Times newspaper, was marked by repeated apologies.

Oxfam, which has almost 10,000 staff working in more than 90 countries, has denied a cover-up but its handling of the scandal is being investigated by the Charity Commission.

Since the story broke, Mr Goldring said 26 reports of recent and historic incidents have been made by Oxfam workers – 16 of them outside the UK.

Of the scandal, he said: "I am sorry, we are sorry, for the damage Oxfam has done both to the people of Haiti but also to wider efforts for aid and development by possibly undermining public support."

He denied there had been a cover-up, saying Oxfam had been trying to deliver a huge programme with 500 staff and his predecessors would have believed they were making the right decision at the time. "I don't defend that decision," he said.

Mr Goldring told MPs that at the time of the original investigation, Oxfam issued a press release revealing its findings of "serious misconduct" involving bullying, intimidation and breaches of the charity's code of conduct – but did not mention sexual exploitation.

"At the time, people thought that was being transparent. We know now that that was not enough," said Mr Goldring.

"I suspect there was a balance of saying 'Oxfam is delivering life-saving assistance to a million people in Haiti. We have got to keep that work going'."

He added that Oxfam had wrongly believed it was being proactive. "Not every organisation chooses to tell the public about something they got wrong," he said.

Caroline Thomson, the chair of trustees, and Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International, both told the committee they were "ashamed" of what happened in Haiti.

Ms Byanyima said she has spent her life protecting women. "This is painful for me," she added.

Ms Thomson, who became chairwoman of Oxfam's trustees in 2017, said the charity council's task was to ensure it is "never again" at risk of being perceived to have put reputation over accountability.

Mr Goldring said there was now a safeguarding team and helpline at Oxfam and the charity was seeking more independent support.

BBC

Togo crisis: Power sharing best solution – Irbard Ibrahim

Daniel Opare
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International relations and security expert, Irbard Ibrahim, has described the President’s decision to mediate in the Togo crises as a difficult task.

President Nana Akuffo-Addo was in Togo to hold talks with all relevant stakeholders in the ongoing political crisis in that country.

Togo has in recent times witnessed a series of protests by opposition parties who are calling for a return to the country’s constitution which imposes limits on presidential terms.

Speaking to Ekourba Gyasi on Atinka AM Drive, International Relations and Security expert, Irbard Ibrahim, explained that in as much as there is a mediator, he believes that a power sharing agreement is the best solution to the crises.

According to him, Nana Addo’s choice as ‘mediator’ is a good strength due to his bilingual background.

“However, nobody can mediate the crises in Togo better than the Togo people themselves. If the mediators fails to reach a consensus between the government of President Faure Gnassingbé, and the Coalition of 14 Togolese opposition parties, their efforts will be in vain.”he added.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa

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