Gitmo 2 to stay in Ghana as refugees – Foreign minister
The government says two former terror suspects are set to continue their stay in Ghana following the expiration of a two-year agreement with the US government.
Foreign minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told Parliament, the two have been given refugee status and are therefore the responsibility of the Ghana government.
Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammed Salih Al-Dhuby, were sent to Ghana from the United States' infamous Guantanamo Bay after President Obama moved to close down the detention center.
A diplomatic agreement reached between the Mahama government and the US in January 2016 required Ghana to take a decision on their stay after two years.
There has been pressure from the opposition NDC and sections of the Ghanaian public for government's decision on the matter.
The government had said it will soon take a decision. In parliament, 12 days after the expiration, the Foreign minister has briefed the MPs on government's decision.
She said there was no discussion of an exit plan between Ghana and the US which meant that immediately the stay expired, the US government is not obliged to take them back.
"All obligations relating to the two suspects have now become the responsibility of Ghana", she explained amidst murmurs from the MPs.
She said the Akufo-Addo government has found records that show that the two were granted Ghanaian refugee status in a letter dated July 23, 2016.
It meant the NDC government had already agreed to keep them in Ghana even before their two-year stay expired on January 6, 2018.
Ghana is a signatory to the UN convention of refugees and is required to protect them.
Myjoyonline
Controversy over Bawumia's health status unnecessary –Kyei Mensah Bonsu
Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has hinted that although the Vice President is a public property, the controversy surrounding his health status unnecessary.
The Presidency revealed the Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia had been flown to the UK for further medical treatment after he was reported unwell last Friday.
The statement signed by the Chief of Staff Frema Osei-Opare said the Vice-President is on medical leave as advised by his doctors.
Speaking to Ekourba Gyasi on Atinka AM Drive Monday, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that although he backs the calling by the minority on the release of the state of the Vice President’s health, he added that sometimes, it is better to keep such delicate issues off the public lens.
“Relating the whole situation to that of a nuclear family, the health status of ailing bread winners are not revealed to the other members of the family until he approves of the decisio,'” he added.
According to Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, he was chastised by the NDC who had the Majority in Parliament for bringing up the isshealth status of the Prez Attah Mills.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa
N/R: NPP suspends polling station elections
The leadership of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) in the Northern Region has suspended polling stations elections in some areas until further notice.
According to the Northern Regional Communication Director of the party, Abdul Latif, the decision was taken following disturbances at some polling station.
He said the party will not conduct elections in three areas: Daboya, Mankarigu and the Bimbila until the security situation stabilizes.
Some activists believed to be members of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) on Sunday attacked the residence of the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Issahaku Tahiru Moomin.
The attack was linked to the ongoing NPP polling station elections.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com
Camel milk restores insulin activity in diabetics
Camel milk gained steam during the last few years as a potential superfood against diabetes, and a new study published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines demonstrated that the dairy product might indeed bolster diabetes management. A team of researchers from Egypt’s premier universities and health agencies examined rat models of diabetes to carry out the study.
The researchers studied 75 male albino rats that were divided into five equal groups. The scientists designated two groups as either negative or positive diabetes controls. The team also gave two other groups camel milk, while the last group was given the diabetes drug metformin. The experts supplemented the rats with camel milk for two consecutive months. The research team then ran a series of assays to examine the animals’ serum glucose, leptin, and insulin levels as well as liver, kidney and lipid profile.
The results revealed that diabetic rats given camel milk exhibited a decline in glucose levels compared with the controls. The researchers explained that the changes in glucose levels were associated with the increase in insulin secretion among rats given camel milk. The findings also showed that camel milk supplementation helped increase leptin levels and improve peripheral glucose utilization and homeostasis in treated rats.
“Our results showed that administration of camel milk showed restoration of insulin secretion in diabetic rats; this means that the Langerhans islets β-cells restored their activity…Camel milk is a natural product that can be considered as a nutritional supplement that helps in treatment of diabetes and it metabolic associated disorders such as insulin resistance. It has dynamic effects on the…stimulation of insulin production and secretion from the pancreas,” the researchers concluded.
More studies show camel’s milk improves diabetes management
The recent findings add to a growing number of studies that demonstrate the efficacy of camel milk in diabetes management. For instance, a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Food and Drug Analysis revealed that camel milk supplementation might bolster blood glucose management in patients with type 1 diabetes. According to the review, patients who took camel milk as an adjunct therapy for three months exhibited marked reductions in insulin doses that were required for proper blood glucose control.
The review also noted that camel milk administration might significantly improve total cholesterol levels, lipid profile, triglyceride rates and lipoprotein profile in diabetic patients. Moreover, the analysis showed that taking camel milk as an add-on to insulin treatment may lead to further reductions in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in patients with diabetes. (Related: There are amazing health benefits from drinking camel’s milk.)
“Based on evidence-based reviews of research findings on the use of camel milk in diabetes management, it can be concluded that camel milk has a powerful effect in reducing blood glucose levels and insulin requirement, and it limits diabetic complications such as elevated cholesterol levels, liver and kidney diseases; decreased oxidative stress; and delayed wound healing. Camel milk is safe and efficient in improving long-term glycemic control and can provide a significant reduction in the dose of insulin required by type 1 diabetic patients. Therefore, the daily consumption of camel milk may reduce the risk of diabetes,” the researchers reported.
Another animal study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that camel milk contains powerful hypoglycemic effects that may improve disease management in patients with type 1 diabetes. The researchers enrolled 24 type 1 diabetes patients as part of the study. The participants were divided into two groups, one of which received usual care alone while the other received usual care plus camel milk.
The scientists observed that patients who received camel milk displayed significant decreases in mean blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c levels, and insulin doses compared with the controls. Likewise, the researchers found that three of 12 participants in the camel milk group no longer needed insulin shots after the treatment. The research team concluded that camel milk might be a safe and effective adjunct treatment for long-term diabetes care.
Sources include:
Journals.SFU.ca
ScienceDirect.com
NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov
Shakira facing alleged tax-dodging investigation in Spain
Shakira has become the latest celebrity to find themselves under investigation by the Spanish authorities for possible tax evasion.
It is alleged that the pop star failed to pay income tax while living in Barcelona between 2012 and 2014, having not officially officially switched residence from the Bahamas until 2015.
The Colombian lives in the northeastern city with her partner Gerard Pique and their two sons. She started dating the Barcelona defender in 2011.
Prosecutor Jose Miguel Company said tax authorities referred the probe to the Barcelona prosecutor's office in December, but a decision on whether to press charges may not arrive until mid-June – when Shakira is due to be on tour to promote her latest album.
If the investigation finds any wrongdoing, the 40-year-old singer could follow a number of other high-profile figures who have found themselves in court over allegations of tax-dodging.
Last year, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho settled accusations made against him, while Pique's teammate Lionel Messi avoided jail but was handed a £221,000 fine. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo also appeared in court.
Shakira has hired auditing firm PwC for the investigation, which comes months after she was named alongside other famous faces from the world of music in the Paradise Papers.
Madonna and U2 frontman Bono were just two of the names featured in the leaks, which detailed offshore tax arrangements.
They appear to show that in 2009, Shakira relocated her intellectual property rights and brands to a company based in Malta, which has been accused of being a tax haven.
Shakira, whose hits include Hips Don't Lie, Underneath Your Clothes and Whenever, Wherever, is scheduled to be in Germany as part of a promotional tour for her 11th album, El Dorado, in June, having twice pushed back the start date after suffering vocal cord problems.
Sky News
Australian High Commissioner tweets about Ghana’s sanitation headache
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Andrew Barnes, is imploring local authorities to step up efforts in fighting poor sanitation in the country.
Barnes’ call was triggered by a mounting trash close to the Australian High Commission in Accra.
“The scene this morning in the street near our High Commission: encourage the local authorities to step up their effort to meet the President’s @flagstaffghana promise to make #Accra the cleanest city in #Africa by 2020. #sanitation,” Barnes tweeted.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com
Obasanjo tells President Buhari to retire
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari against seeking re-election next year.
Mr Obasanjo supported Mr Buhari's election in 2015 but now he says the president should retire because of age and ill health.
In an open letter, Mr Obasanjo says he is disappointed with Mr Buhari, particularly because of what he calls his poor handling of Nigeria's economy, the largest in Africa.
He adds that the president does not have a good understanding of Nigeria's social and economic dynamics and the country needs a younger leader.
Mr Buhari has not publicly responded to Mr Obasanjo, who wrote a similar letter to then President Goodluck Jonathan urging him not to run in 2015.
Many observers say Mr Buhari, 74, is likely to seek a second term but so far he has not said he would do so.
Mr Obasanjo ruled Nigeria twice, in the 1970s as a military ruler and from 1999 to 2007 as a civilian president, but failed in what many believed was an attempt to change the constitution to enable him seek a third term in office.
BBC
Wa Polytechnic to be named after Hilla Limann
The Wa Polytechnic will be named after Ghana’s former President in the Third Republic, Dr. Hilla Liman.
President Nana Akufo -Addo made the announcement at the 20th anniversary celebration in remembrance of Dr. Hilla Limann at the Accra International Conference Centre Tuesday.
The polytechnic is in the process of being upgraded to a Technical University subject to parliamentary approval.
“The governing Council of Wa Polytechnic in the Upper West Region, in its meeting on 18th January unanimously proposed to the dynamic Minister for Education that the institution should be renamed after Dr. Hilla Limann. The Minister has sought my view on this, and I have indicated to him my happy agreement to this proposal. Once the parliamentary process has been completed, the Wa polytechnic will henceforth be called the Hilla Limann Polytechnic. The name will remain with the conversion of the polytechnic into a technical university,” President Akufo Addo pointed out .
Hilla Limann was the President of Ghana from 24 September 1979 to 31 December 1981.
Limann, whose original last name was Babini, was born in the northern Ghanaian town of Gwolu in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region to a poor family. He managed to gain an excellent education, and took up an academic career.
His government was overthrown by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) led by Chairman Jerry John Rawlings on 31st December, 1981
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com
