Politics

A former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, is seeking to represent the Adentan constituency in Parliament on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“Following consultations, I have taken a resolute decision to offer myself as a willing and able candidate for the Adentan Parliamentary Seat on the ticket of the NDC,” she said in a statement.

Mrs. Lithur said she took the decision after a courtesy call on former President John Mahama, who is the NDC flagbearer. “Today I paid a courtesy call on His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, Former President of our dear country, and my former boss to officially inform him of my intentions and to solicit his counsel” as contained in the official statement issued.

Nana Oye Lithur, who is a lawyer was a known human rights advocate before her appointment as Gender Minister in an NDC government. She said she told Mr. Mahama that “when our party opens nominations later this year, I will file my bid to become a Parliamentary Candidate and subsequently serve my country as a Member of Parliament for the Adentan Constituency.”

Source: citinewsroom.com

The Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has called on President Akufo-Addo to reinstate all the judges who were dismissed or interdicted following the exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

According to the lawmaker, since the investigative journalist set them up to take bribes, they should be reinstated. Speaking about Anas’ modus operandi on the television programme - Badwam on Adom TV on Tuesday, Mr Agyapong described Anas as a corrupt journalist who sets up people with the aim to destroy their reputation. In his opinion, the judges incriminated in the expose’ should be reinstated because they were set up by Anas.

“I call on President Akufo-Addo to reinstate all the judges because the guy [Anas] enticed them. He used two boys, Ahmed and Rahman, to set the judges up. If you set people up, it is not investigative journalism ... and I’ll prove to the whole Ghana that the boy is so corrupt and wicked, evil from the things he has done, bringing institutions that have been built over the years, down for him to be rich.” “From what I’ve seen and what I know, I’m going to show the pictures…” he said.

On 6 June 2018, Anas will premier his latest video dubbed ‘Number 12’, which captures corruption at the Ghana Football Association.

Source: www.graphic.com.gh

Kim Jong-un has become the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea by crossing the military line that has divided the peninsula since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

In a moment rich with symbolism and pomp, South Korean leader Moon Jae-in and Mr Kim shook hands at the border.

Mr Kim said he hoped for "frank" discussion in a warm opening exchange.

Just months ago North Korean rhetoric was warlike, but now they may discuss a peace treaty and nuclear weapons.

Much of what the summit will focus on has been agreed in advance, but many analysts remain deeply sceptical about the North's move to halt nuclear weapons tests.

An unscripted moment

Nevertheless, the whole of South Korea stood still for the moment the leaders shook hands on both sides of the border in the demilitarised zone that divides the countries.

• LIVE: Latest updates from the historic summit

Then audiences watched in surprise as Mr Kim invited the South Korean president to step briefly across the demarcation line into North Korea, before the pair stepped back into South Korea - all the while holding hands.

It was an apparently unscripted moment during a highly choreographed sequence of events.

The first session has broken up and the pair will have lunch separately. Mr Kim returned to the North in a heavily guarded black limousine for lunch. He will cross back over the border in the afternoon to resume discussions.

'A new history' begins

The leaders were met by an honour guard in traditional costume on the South Korean side. The pair then walked to the Peace House in Panmunjom, a military compound in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two countries.

"A new history begins now - at the starting point of history and the era of peace," read the message Mr Kim wrote in a guestbook at the Peace House.

The gravity of the meeting - the first between Korean leaders in more than a decade - was also punctuated by lighter moments. Mr Kim joked about bringing some of North Korea's famous cold noodles for the summit.

"I hope you will really enjoy the noodles that we brought," he said.

The White House said it was hopeful talks would make progress toward peace and prosperity. The Korean summit is seen as a prelude to a proposed meeting between Mr Kim and US President Trump, an unprecedented move as no sitting US president has met with a North Korean leader.

The focus of talks

The main focus of the talks is to address North Korea's controversial nuclear weapons programme.

Seoul has warned that reaching an agreement to rid Pyongyang of its nuclear weapons will be "difficult". North Korea's nuclear and missile technology has advanced significantly since the last summit more than a decade ago.

The meeting - the third of its kind following summits in 2000 and 2007 - is the result of months of improving relations between the two Koreas.

Mr Kim announced last week that he would suspend nuclear tests. The move was welcomed by the US and South Korea as a positive step, although Chinese researchers have indicated that North Korea's nuclear test site may be unusable after a rock collapse following its last nuclear test.

As well as addressing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, the leaders of the two Koreas are expected to discuss a path to peace on the peninsula to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, and economic and social issues.

What is happening today?

Every detail has been precisely planned, from the timetable to the dinner menu.

At an afternoon ceremony, the leaders will plant a pine tree using soil and water from both countries, to symbolise "peace and prosperity".

• South Korean youths: "We're too busy for reunification"
• A "petty" history of Korean relations

Following the tree planting, they will walk together before starting the next round of talks. The summit will conclude with the leaders signing an agreement and delivering a joint statement before dinner. The banquet will be held on the South's side and the menu is as symbolic as the other rituals.

Kim Jong-un will be served the Swiss potato dish rösti - a nod to his time studying in Switzerland - along with the North's signature dish of cold noodles, and a North Korean liquor.

After dinner, the delegations will watch a video called "Spring of One", before Mr Kim returns home.

Who will attend

Mr Kim is accompanied by nine officials, including his sister, Kim Yo-jong, who led the North's delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea earlier this year.

In a rare move - one not seen at previous inter-Korean summits - the delegation will also feature top military officials and diplomats.

• The confidantes Kim is bringing to the summit
• The son of refugees who became president
• Profile: Kim Jong-un

The path to the summit

The summit is the culmination of months of improving relations between the two countries, something few would have predicted as North Korea conducted nuclear tests and fired test missiles at will.

The rapprochement began in January when Mr Kim suggested he was "open to dialogue" with South Korea. The following month the two countries marched under one flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

• Have the Winter Olympics repaired North-South Korea relations??
• North Korea and South Korea set up hotline ahead of summit

Mr Kim's new appetite for diplomacy led to the key turning point, a meeting with senior South Korean officials in March and from that came the announcement that Mr Kim would also meet Donald Trump.

Source: bbc.com

South African anti-apartheid campaigner and former first lady Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has died aged 81.

She and her former husband Nelson Mandela, who were both jailed, were a symbol of the country's anti-apartheid struggle for three decades.

However, in later years her reputation became tainted legally and politically.

Crowds of mourners and political figures flocked to her home in Soweto, in Johannesburg, after news of her death broke.

• Obituary: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
• Naomie Harris: 'Winnie Mandela had an awful time'
• Nelson Mandela: The women who loved him

Family spokesman Victor Dlamini confirmed earlier on Monday that Mrs Mandela "succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones" following a long illness, which had seen her go in and out of hospital since the start of the year.

'Mother of the Nation'

Mrs Madikizela-Mandela was born in 1936 in the Eastern Cape - then known as Transkei.

She was a trained social worker when she met her future husband in the 1950s. They went on to have two daughters together.

They were married for a total of 38 years, although for almost three decades of that time they were separated due to Mr Mandela's long imprisonment.

It was Mrs Madikizela-Mandela who took his baton after he was jailed for life, becoming an international symbol of resistance to apartheid. She too was jailed for her role in the fight for justice and equality.

To her supporters, she became known affectionately as "Mother of the Nation".

Who has paid tribute?

In a televised address President Cyril Ramaphosa - whom Mrs Madikizela-Mandela praised earlier this year - called her as a "voice of defiance" against white-minority rule.

"In the face of exploitation, she was a champion of justice and equality," he said on Monday.

"She as an abiding symbol of the desire of our people to be free".

Retired archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu said she was a "defining symbol of the struggle against apartheid".

"Her courageous defiance was deeply inspirational to me, and to generations of activists," he added.

Energy Minister Jeff Radebe, reading out a statement on behalf of the family, paid tribute to "a colossus who strode the Southern African political landscape".

"As the ANC we dip our revolutionary banner in salute of this great icon of our liberation struggle," he said.

"The Mandela family are deeply grateful for the gift of her life and even as our hearts break at her passing we urge all those who loved her to celebrate this most remarkable South African woman."

African National Congress (ANC) chairperson Gwede Mantashe said: "With the departure of Mama Winnie, [we have lost] one of the very few who are left of our stalwarts and icons. She was one of those who would tell us exactly what is wrong and right, and we are going to be missing that guidance."

South Africa's pride and joy - and my neighbour

Analysis by Milton Nkosi, BBC News, Johannesburg

I knew Winnie Madikizela-Mandela personally. We come from the same neighbourhood in Soweto.

To many, she was the pride and joy of the nation, an icon in her own right - never mind the fact she was Nelson Mandela's wife.

Mrs Madikizela-Mandela was also the first black social worker in the country. Her love and desire to help those in need was always burning from deep inside.

But she was not nothing but sweet talk. She met the brutality of racial segregation with fire. Each time the police came to arrest her at her home in Orlando West, she held her own.

She never gave in. Not one inch - and sometimes, this landed her in trouble. As anti-apartheid activist Mosioua Lekota noted in her defence: "Those who did nothing under apartheid never made mistakes."

She will be remembered for her fight against an inhumane system, rather than for the mistakes she made in that fight.

Why was she controversial?

However, Mrs Madikizela-Mandela found herself mired in scandal for decades.

She was accused of conducting a virtual reign of terror in parts of Soweto by other members of the ANC in the late 1980s, and heard backing the practice of "necklacing" - putting burning tyres around suspected informants' necks.

• Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's life in pictures

She was also found guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to six years' imprisonment for her involvement in the death of 14-year-old township militant Stompie Seipei. She always denied the allegation, and the sentence was reduced to a fine.

Mrs Madikizela-Mandela (pictured in 1988) became a symbol for the anti-apartheid movement in her own right

Mr Mandela, who stood by her throughout the accusations, was finally released from prison in February 1990.

But two years later, their marriage crumbled. The couple divorced in 1996, but she kept his surname and maintained ties with him.

She stayed involved in politics, but was again embroiled in controversy when she was convicted of fraud in 2003.

Source: bbc.com

South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma is to face prosecution for 16 charges of corruption relating to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal.

The case centres on a 30bn rand ($2.5bn; £1.7bn) deal to modernise the country's defence in the late 1990s.

The charges - which Mr Zuma denies - include counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering.

Mr Zuma, 75, was forced to resign as president last month by his party, the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

He was facing his ninth no-confidence vote in parliament before he left office.

Chief Prosecutor Shaun Abraham said he believed there were "reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution" in the case.

French arms supplier Thales will also face charges, a prosecutor said. Thales declined to comment, reports the AFP news agency.

Mr Zuma is alleged to have sought bribes from Thales to support an extravagant lifestyle. His financial adviser at the time was found guilty of soliciting those bribes in 2005 and Mr Zuma was later sacked as deputy president.

Original charges against Mr Zuma were controversially dropped shortly before he became president in 2009.

He now faces one charge of racketeering, two charges of corruption, one charge of money laundering and 12 of fraud.

• Jacob Zuma - the survivor whose nine lives ran out
• In depth: The charm - and trials - of Jacob Zuma

Shaun Abrahams, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, said a trial court was the appropriate place for the matter to be decided.

He dismissed representations made by Mr Zuma asking that the charges be dropped.

The former ANC chief had argued that the charges against him were characterised by misconduct, "irrational behaviour" and media leaks on the part of prosecutors, Mr Abrahams said.

Long court battle awaits

Analysis by Milton Nkosi, BBC News, Johannesburg

As Jacob Zuma is no longer president, he cannot use state resources to support his defence.

But let's not get too ahead of ourselves - Mr Zuma is known for fighting every single battle right until the end.

Therefore, expect some pushback even after this heavy blow.

He is, by law, allowed to challenge this decision. In other words we might see a delay before any trial actually starts.

And even when the trial begins, it will be long and drawn out.

But for now his political enemies, particularly the opposition, are celebrating that he is closer to facing a judge in court than ever before.

Mr Zuma weathered an array of corruption allegations during his nine years in power.

In 2016, a report by South Africa's anti-corruption watchdog alleged that the billionaire Gupta family had exploited their ties with him to win state contracts.

• Six reasons why S Africa's president quit
• Who are the Guptas?
• How the Guptas' brand turned toxic

Both the Guptas and Mr Zuma deny any wrongdoing.

The same year, South Africa's highest court ruled that Mr Zuma had violated the constitution when he failed to repay government money spent on his private home.

An anti-corruption body found he had spent $23m (£15m) on refurbishments including a swimming pool and an amphitheatre. He has since repaid some of the money.

Mr Zuma has always denied the allegations against him.

Zuma's corruption charges: A brief history

• First filed in 2005 when Mr Zuma's financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was jailed for fraud and corruption.
• Mr Zuma went on trial in 2006 but the case collapsed when the prosecution said it was not ready to proceed more than a year after he was charged.
• South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) controversially dropped the charges in 2009, shortly before he won the presidency.
• Political opponents campaigned tirelessly for him to face trial.
• South Africa's High Court reinstated the charges in 2016 and Mr Zuma lost a Supreme Court appeal to overturn them.
• The country's chief prosecutor, Shaun Abrahams, has now decided to pursue a case against the former president.

The controversial arms deal

In 1999, the South African government announced its largest-ever post-apartheid arms deal, signing contracts totalling 30bn rand ($5bn; £2.5bn) to modernise its national defence force

The deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, France and South Africa

Allegations of bribery over the deal dogged the governments of both President Jacob Zuma and and one of his predecessors, Thabo Mbeki.

Schabir Shaik was found guilty in 2005 of trying to solicit a bribe from Thint, the local subsidiary of French arms firm Thales, on behalf of Mr Zuma. He was released on parole on health grounds after serving just over two years

Another official, Tony Yengeni, who was chairman of parliament's defence committee at the time of the deal and chief whip of the ANC, was convicted of fraud in 2003. He was also freed on parole after serving five months of a four-year sentence.

Source: bbc.com

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has fired FBI official Andrew McCabe, who had been accused of political bias by President Donald Trump.

In January Mr McCabe resigned as deputy director and was placed on leave.

He had been deeply involved in the FBI investigations into Hillary Clinton's use of email and Russia's alleged meddling in the presidential campaign.

The sacking comes two days before his 50th birthday, when he was expected to retire with pension rights.

The move was recommended by an internal investigation, which concluded that Mr McCabe had "made an unauthorised disclosure to the news media".

In a statement issued late on Friday Mr Sessions said: "Based on the report of the Inspector General, the findings of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility, and the recommendation of the Department's senior career official, I have terminated the employment of Andrew McCabe effective immediately."

Mr McCabe called his dismissal an attack on his credibility, and said it was part of a "larger effort" to discredit the US intelligence community.

He said he believed was being "singled out" because of the events he witnessed and the role he played in the aftermath of the firing of last year of then-FBI director James Comey.

Mr Trump dismissed Mr Comey in July last year over his handling of the inquiry into Mrs Clinton's emails.

But Mr Trump's Democratic critics said he was being punished for the FBI's investigation into alleged links between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia.

Mr Trump has frequently criticised Mr McCabe and in December tweeted: "FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!"

Source: bbc.com

Former US President Barack Obama has warned against the irresponsible use of social media, in a rare interview since stepping down in January.

He warned that such actions were distorting people's understanding of complex issues, and spreading misinformation.

"All of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate a common space on the internet," he said.

Mr Obama was quizzed by Prince Harry on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Prince Harry, fifth in line to the throne, is one of several prominent figures who are guest-editing the programme over the Christmas period.

Obama on the extremes of social media

The former president expressed concern about a future where facts are discarded and people only read and listen to things that reinforce their own views.

"One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases.

"The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesn't lead to a Balkanisation of society and allows ways of finding common ground," he said.

Mr Obama's successor Donald Trump is a prolific user of Twitter, but Mr Obama did not mention him by name. Mr Trump has been accused of overusing Twitter and following only a narrow range of users, though he maintains it allows him to connect directly with the American people.

Mr Obama suggested face-to-face contact would help counteract extreme views.

"Social media is a really powerful tool for people of common interests to convene and get to know each other and connect.

"But then it's important for them to get offline, meet in a pub, meet at a place of worship, meet in a neighbourhood and get to know each other.

"Because the truth is that on the internet, everything is simplified and when you meet people face-to-face it turns out they're complicated."

What were the pressures of being president?

"It's hard, being in the public eye is unpleasant in a lot of ways. It is challenging in a lot of ways.

"Your loved ones are made vulnerable in ways that might not have been true 20 years ago or 30 years ago.

"So it is a sacrifice that I think everybody has to be at peace with when they decide to go into politics. But, ultimately, I think the rewards of bringing about positive change in this world make it worthwhile."

Mr Obama pays tribute to the support of his family, especially his wife Michelle, describing how glad he is that she was "my partner throughout that whole process".

And leaving office?

Mixed feelings given "all the work that was still undone".

"Concerns about how the country moves forward but, you know, overall there was serenity there," he added.

Mr Obama compared his time in office to being a relay runner.

"If you ran hard, you did your best and you were able to pass that baton successfully and the world was a little better then you had done your job."

He cites Obamacare - ensuring more people can afford basic healthcare - as a major achievement.

"What an enormous blessing it is to say that 20 million Americans have health insurance that didn't have it before."

How does he see the future?

Without dismissing the problems faced by the world, he remains an optimist.

"If we take responsibility for being involved in our own fate, if we participate, if we engage, if we speak out, if we work in our communities, if we volunteer, then all the problems that we face are solvable despite all the terrible news that you see.

"If you had to choose a moment in human history in which you'd want to be born you'd choose today because the fact is that the world is healthier, wealthier, better educated and more tolerant, more sophisticated and less violent."

What does Prince Harry have to say?

As well as editing, Prince Harry was himself interviewed on Today.

"I haven't done that many interviews but it was quite fun, especially interviewing President Obama despite the fact he wanted to interview me.

"It's been a big learning curve but also these are incredibly important topics we all need to think about and need to be discussed."

The prince's programme focused on issues such as the armed forces, mental health, youth crime and climate change.

Source: bbc.com

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has quit, reportedly in protest at a shake-up of the communications team.

Mr Spicer stepped down because he was unhappy with President Donald Trump's appointment of a new communications director, reports the New York Times.

Combative Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci has been picked for the role that Mr Spicer partially filled.

Mr Spicer's press briefings were a cable news hit, but he withdrew from camera in recent weeks.

Profile: Who is Anthony Scaramucci?

The shake-up comes as the White House faces inquiries into alleged Russian meddling in last year's US presidential election and whether Mr Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow.

The New York Times reports that 45-year-old Mr Spicer "vehemently" disagreed with the appointment of Mr Scaramucci, which he believed to be a "major mistake".

Spicer's low points

• inflating crowd sizes at Trump inauguration at first briefing
• his appearance, particularly his suits, reportedly criticised by Trump
• saying Hitler never used chemical weapons and referring to Holocaust "centres"
• butt of text message joke by adviser Steve Bannon about his weight
• defending Trump "covfefe" tweet by saying it had hidden meaning
• frozen out of meeting with the Pope in Rome, despite being devout Catholic
• not invited to Paris for Trump visit

The search for a new appointment began after Mike Dubke resigned from the communications director job in May.

Mr Spicer has been serving as both press secretary and communications director since Mr Dubke's exit.

On day one in January, Mr Spicer set the tone of his relationship with the press by bursting into the briefing room to berate journalists for their reporting of crowd numbers at President Trump's inauguration.

His proclivity for gaffes and garbling of his words, as well as making debatable assertions, soon saw Mr Spicer's name trending on Twitter.

He was mercilessly lampooned on the topical comedy show Saturday Night Live, where Melissa McCarthy played him as a gum-chewing, loud-mouthed thug who brandished his lectern at reporters.

Mr Spicer became something of a punchline when he reportedly sought refuge by a hedgerow on the White House grounds to evade reporters' questions on the night Mr Trump fired the FBI director in May.

Mr Scaramucci, who has no previous experience in communications roles, is currently senior vice-president of the Export-Import Bank, a US government agency which guarantees loans for foreign buyers of American exports.

Source: bbc.com

US President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser has turned down the job offer.

Retired Vice-Admiral Robert Harward was widely tipped for the post after Mr. Trump fired Michael Flynn on Monday.

A White House official said Mr. Harward cited family and financial commitments, but US media said the sticking point was he wanted to bring in his own team.

Mr. Flynn had misled US Vice-President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the US.

The latest setback emerged hours after Mr. Trump robustly denied media reports of White House disarray, insisting in a news conference that his administration was running like a "fine-tuned machine".

The White House is expected to name its new communications director on Friday, and US media say the job will go to Mike Dubke, the founder of Republican media group Crossroads Media.

Mr. Harward told the Associated Press the Trump administration was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally".

"It's purely a personal issue," added the 60-year-old former Navy Seal who is currently based in Abu Dhabi as an executive for US defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

Asked about reports that he had asked to bring in his own staff at the National Security Council, Mr. Harward said: "I think that's for the president to address."

Mr. Flynn, a retired army lieutenant-general, was ousted amid claims that before he was even appointed as national security adviser he had discussed sanctions with a Russian envoy.

This would have potentially breached a law banning private citizens from engaging in diplomacy.

Mr. Flynn initially denied having discussed sanctions with Sergei Kislyak, Moscow's ambassador to Washington.

But on Monday, Mr. Trump asked for his resignation following revelations that Mr. Flynn had misled the vice-president about his conversations with the diplomat.

Leading Republicans have called for an investigation into intelligence leaks that led to Mr. Flynn's resignation.

Source: bbc.com

A Texas woman was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison for illegal voting, The Dallas Morning News reported. A Tarrant County jury found Rosa Maria Ortega guilty of voting in the November 2012 general election and the May 2014 Republican primary runoff in Dallas County “when she knew she was not a United States citizen.” Ortega, 37, was arrested in 2015. She is a legal U.S. resident, but is not a citizen and therefore, not qualified to vote.

'So Profoundly Wrong': Judge Nap Slams Court's Ruling on Immigration Order

Trump Tweets Reply to Immigration Order Ruling: 'See You in Court'

She testified that at the time she voted she did not understand the differences between the rights granted to a citizen and a legal resident.

"If I knew, everything would have been done the correct way," Ortega testified. "All my life I was taught I was a U.S. citizen."

Attorneys for the state showed the jury that she checked a box on her driver's license form indicating she was not a citizen, despite her testimony to the contrary.

Ortega was sentenced to eight years and a $5,000 fine on each count.

Source: foxnews.com

A village in Hungary has banned the wearing of Muslim dress and the call to prayer. By leading what it calls "the war against Muslim culture", it hopes to attract other Christian Europeans who object to multiculturalism in their own countries. The village of Asotthalom is close to the Hungary-Serbia border.

"We primarily welcome people from western Europe - people who wouldn't like to live in a multicultural society," Laszlo Toroczkai tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. "We wouldn't like to attract Muslims to the village."

Mr Toroczkai is mayor of Asotthalom, a remote village in the southern Hungarian plains, situated around two hours from the capital Budapest.

"It's very important for the village to preserve its traditions. If large numbers of Muslims arrived here, they would not be able to integrate into the Christian community.

"We can see large Muslim communities in western Europe that haven't been able to integrate - and we don't want to have the same experience here," he says. "I'd like Europe to belong to Europeans, Asia to belong to Asians and Africa to belong to Africans. Simple as that."

The refugee crisis has contributed to a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment across large parts of Europe and Hungary is no exception.

At the height of the migrant crisis, as many as 10,000 people crossed the border - just minutes from Asotthalom - from Serbia into Hungary each day.

The mayor has capitalised on the anxiety about such an influx and introduced by-laws of questionable legality.

The new local legislation bans the wearing of Muslim dress like the hijab and the call to prayer and also outlaws public displays of affection by gay people. Changes are also being brought in to prevent the building of mosques, despite there being only two Muslims living there currently.

Many lawyers think the laws contravene the Hungarian constitution and, as part of a general review of new local legislation, the government will rule on them in mid-February.

The laws, however, have support among many members of the community.

One resident, Eniko Undreiner, said it was "really scary" to see "masses of migrants walking through the village" last year as they crossed into the country.

"I spend a lot of time at home alone with my young kids - yes, there were times when I was scared," she says.

The two Muslims living in the village did not want to speak to the BBC for fear of attracting attention to themselves.

However, one member of the village said they were "fully integrated" within the community.

"They don't provoke anyone. They don't wear the niqab, they don't harass people... I know them personally. We get on just fine."

Migrants enter Hungary in October 2016, at the height of the migrant crisis

The mayor hopes the village can be at the forefront of what he calls "the war against Muslim culture".

He has employed round-the-clock border patrols, which he thinks will attract white Europeans to live there.

The Knights Templar International has been advertising homes in Asotthalom on its Facebook page.

Its members include Nick Griffin, former leader of the British National Party, and the party's former treasurer Jim Dowson.

"I have been contacted by Jim Dowson," Mr Toroczkai explains. "He came to Asotthalom a few times as a private individual, just to have a look. Nick Griffin also came with him."

Mr Griffin has previously described Hungary as "a place to get away from the hell that is about to break loose in western Europe".

"When it all goes terribly wrong in the West, more will move to Hungary and Hungary needs those people."

We have asked Knights Templar International and Nick Griffin for an interview, but neither responded.

Mayor Laszlo Toroczkai says Muslims "would not be able to integrate" into the village's Christian community

Mr Toroczkai says he would be happy to welcome people from England.

Asked if he is trying to establish a white supremacist village, Mr Toroczkai replies: "I didn't use the word white. But because we are a white, European, Christian population, we want to stay [like] this.

"If we were black we'd want to stay a black village.

"But this is a fact and we want to preserve this fact."

Source: bbc.com

MPs are to begin two days of debate over the government's parliamentary bill to get the formal process of Brexit under way.

Discussions on the European Union Bill have been extended to midnight on Tuesday to accommodate more speakers, with a vote to take place on Wednesday.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has ordered his MPs to vote with the government, but some are expected to defy him.

Ministers want to get the bill passed in time to trigger Brexit by 31 March.

The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill would allow Prime Minister Theresa May to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, getting official talks between the UK and the EU started.

The Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party are to vote against it, but Labour's leadership is backing it, meaning the government is expected to win.

The size of the Labour rebellion will be closely scrutinised, with several of his MPs indicating they plan to defy Mr Corbyn.

Two shadow ministers have quit, saying they want to vote against it.

Former Conservative Chancellor Ken Clarke has also said he will vote against the bill.

If the vote goes the government's way, the bill will return to the Commons next week for the committee stage when opposition parties will try to push through a series of amendments.

Speaking in Dublin on Monday, Mrs May said MPs would face a very clear choice when they came to vote on the bill.

"The people of the United Kingdom voted on June 23 last year. They voted in a referendum that was given to them overwhelmingly by Parliament," she said.

"The people spoke in that vote. The majority voted to leave the European Union. I think it is now the job of the Government to put that into practice. I hope that when people come to look at the Article 50 Bill they will recognise it is a very simple decision: do they support the will of the British people or not?"

The bill was published last week, after the Supreme Court decided Parliament must have a say.

The government had argued that this was not necessary, and that Mrs May had the power to get Brexit started without consulting MPs and peers.

But in his judgement, Supreme Court President Lord Neuberger said: "By a majority of eight to three, the Supreme Court today rules that the government cannot trigger Article 50 without an act of Parliament authorising it to do so.

"Withdrawal effects a fundamental change by cutting off the source of EU law, as well as changing legal rights. The UK's constitutional arrangements require such changes to be clearly authorised by Parliament."

Guy Verhofstadt, the EU parliament's Brexit negotiator, told the BBC's Newsnight programme that Mrs May would not be allowed to "pick and choose" those benefits of EU membership she might want the UK to retain.

"We need a fair partnership," he said. "You cannot create a status for countries outside the European Union where it is even more favourable than for the countries that are members. No taxpayer in Europe will accept such an outcome."

But he said Europe needed to be "generous" not just to the UK as a country, but, in his opinion, to those UK citizens who wanted to remain in Europe.

"Maybe some advantages of the European Union could be kept for those people in the UK who want to have them in the future and that is a generous offer, I think."

Source: bbc.com

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has declared a 90-day state of emergency a day before his official mandate ends.

He decried "extraordinary" foreign interference in his country's affairs and December's election.

Regional leaders have been unsuccessfully trying to persuade Mr Jammeh to hand over power to Adama Barrow, who won the polls.

The move comes after Nigeria deployed a warship to put further pressure on Mr Jammeh to step down.

Regional bloc Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States, has prepared a Senegal-led force but maintains that military intervention would be a last resort.

In his televised announcement, Mr Jammeh said "any acts of disobedience to the laws The Gambia, incitement of violence and acts intended to disturb public order and peace" are banned under the state of emergency.

He said security forces were instructed to "maintain absolute peace, law and order".

Earlier, the National Assembly passed a motion condemning what it called the "unlawful and malicious interference" of the African Union and the country's neighbour, Senegal, in The Gambia's affairs.

Ministerial resignations

Mr Barrow, a property developer, is meant to be inaugurated as the new president on Thursday. His spokesperson expressed shock and sadness at the declaration, says the BBC's Umaru Fofana in Banjul, the capital.

It is remains unclear if a curfew is being imposed, our correspondent says.

Mr Jammeh initially accepted the election results but then decided he wanted them annulled after the electoral commission admitted some errors, although it insists this did not affect the final outcome.

The Supreme Court is unable to hear the challenge until May because of a shortage of judges, and Mr Jammeh has said he will not step down until then.

Adama Barrow: From estate agent to president

Gambians flee ahead of 'inauguration'

At least three Gambian ministers, including the foreign minister, have resigned in recent days. Thousands of Gambians have also fled to Senegal, and further afield to Guinea-Bissau, amid fears of violence.

BBC Africa security correspondent Tomi Oladipo says the Nigerian warship is being deployed to put on a show of strength rather than to launch an attack.

A military source says that the vessel - the NNS Unity - is currently sailing off the coast of Ghana.

Senegal is leading Ecowas' standby regional force and is also preparing its ground troops ahead of Thursday's deadline.

The Gambia's small army is not expected to put up a fight in the event of an intervention, but even if it did, its forces would be quickly overrun, our security correspondent says.

In the December polls, Mr Barrow won 43.3% of the vote compared with Mr Jammeh's 39.6%. A third candidate, Mama Kandeh, got 17.1%.

Yahya Jammeh seized power in the tiny West African country in 1994 and has been accused of human rights abuses, although he has held regular elections.

The African Union has said it will no longer recognise Mr Jammeh's authority after his term ends. Mr Barrow is currently in Senegal.

Source: bbc.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Donald Trump win the presidential election, a US intelligence report says.

The unclassified report says the Russian leader "ordered" a campaign aimed at influencing the election.

Moscow has not commented, but Russia has previously denied the claims.

After being briefed on the findings, Mr Trump stopped short of accusing Russia of interfering, saying only that the election outcome was not affected.

The 25-page report says that the Kremlin developed a "clear preference" for Mr Trump.

Russia's goals, the document added, were to "undermine public faith" in the US democratic process and "denigrate" Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, harming her electability and potential presidency.

"We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election," it said.

The unclassified version contained no detailed evidence of Mr Putin's alleged role, but it said Russia's actions included:

• Hacking into the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and top Democrats;
• Using intermediaries such as WikiLeaks, DCLeaks.com and Guccifer 2.0 persona to release the information acquired from the hackings;
• Using state-funded propaganda and paying social media users or "trolls" to make nasty comments

Source: bbc.com

The life of the sixth Parliament of the 4th Republic has ended. President John Mahama's tenure as president has effectively ended too even though he had an eventful afternoon commissioning another project, the new WAEC hall. It was his last commissioning ceremony. The MPs of the old Parliament are also no more, except those who managed to retain their seats. The new MPs have been sworn into office to begin a new life in Parliament, a new journey in the legislature, one heavily tilted towards the New Patriotic Party majority. New Speaker  Prof Mike Ocquaye was also sworn in.

There was drama in Parliament as Ex-president Rawlings in a conciliatory gesture walks to former Accra Mayor Oko Vanderpuije, now MP, to have a chit-chat or maybe apologize for an earlier stunt which went viral.

Some two days ago, the ex-president in a hey! don't- come-near- me-posture, twice left Alfred Oko Vanderpuije embarrassed as he climbed the staircase to the House of Parliament. Vanderpuije, with his usual long beard attempted a Buddhist bow in reverence to Mr Rawlings but got snubbed in the process. The video went viral.

But tonight the ex-president has reconciled at least with a walk of grace to the man he despised.

Certified presidential results show that Nana Akufo-Addo of NPP is the president-elect of the Republic of Ghana. He had 53.85% of the total votes cast and the incumbent, President John Dramani Mahama of NDC having 44.40%. The result was declared by, Mrs. Charllotte Osei, the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana.

More to follow.

Provisional presidential results based on 216 Constituencies out of 275 puts Nana Akufo-Addo of NPP as the projected winner of Ghana’s elections. According to the multi-media group of companies, Nana Akufo-Addo is leading with 4,526,046 votes representing 53% of valid votes cast while his close contender and the incumbent, President John Dramani Mahama of NDC having 3,856,129 votes representing 45.15%. It is almost statistically impossible for President John Mahama to obtain the 50% plus one required by the Constitution of Ghana to win the presidential ballot. Out of an estimated 10million votes, the winner of the elections will need 5,272,633 votes to be declared the winner.

The presidential candidate of the NPP, Akufo-Addo, has 4,213,710 and need just 1,117,663 votes to cross that mark. On the contrary, the incumbent John Mahama has garnered 3,856,129 votes from 206 constituencies provisionally declared by the multimedia group. With only 69 constituencies left out of the 275, of which 21 are in the NPP stronghold (Ashanti and Eastern regions), the incumbent is unlikely to garner 1,561,931 votes to overturn the result as collated by the group.

More to follow.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has explained that a total of 65,001 voters would be voting under special voting on December 1, 2016.

They are made up of 871 media personnel, 23,567 security services officials and 40,563 election officials.

The Head of Communications at the EC, Mr Eric Kofi Dzakpasu made this known in a radio interview on Accra based Asempa FM Monday afternoon.

He was providing explanations on the special voting, proxy voting, election materials which the commission has started transporting to the regions on the political talk show programme Ekosii Sen, hosted by Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong (KABA).

Special voting is a special dispensation under the electoral laws that allows registered voters who will not be able to present themselves at their polling stations on voting day as a result of the roles they will play in the elections to vote on a date before the rest of the electorate vote on the date set for the elections.

The category of people who are allowed to do special voting are security personnel, officials of the EC and journalists.

After voting, the ballot boxes are sealed, kept at police stations and sent to constituency collation centres on Election Day (Dec 7) to be opened, counted and added to other polling stations to get a constituency total.

Read also Proxy voters: 534 on the list - EC explains

Source: graphic.com.gh

The Supreme Court in a unanimous decision has thrown out the suit on special voting saying it would be prejudicial to make the results known before Election Day.

According to the court, declaring the special votes before the main elections could influence the public in their voting pattern.

The Supreme Court explained that declaring the results of the special voting as plaintiffs had wanted will be unconstitutional.

This is because, Article 49 of the constitution called for the declaration of results at the end of polls which in the wisdom of the court will be closed on Election Day, December 7, reports Graphic Online's Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson.

Special voting

Special voting is a special dispensation under the electoral laws that allows registered voters who will not be able to present themselves at their polling stations on voting day as a result of the roles they will play in the elections to vote on a date before the rest of the electorate vote on the date set for the elections.

The category of people who are allowed to do special voting are security personnel, officials of the EC and journalists.

The suit was initiated by Dr Kwame Amoako Tuffour, a retired lecturer; Benjamin Arthur, an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practitioner, and Adreba Abrefa Damoa, a pensioner. They were challenging the constitutionality of the rules governing the exercise.

They argued that Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) 94, which states that special voting ballot boxes will be sealed to be opened on close of voting on Election Day for counting, was unconstitutional.

They, accordingly, were invoking the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to declare that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 49 of the 1992 Constitution, ‘special voting’, as provided for by Regulation 23 of the Public Elections Regulations, 2016, C.I. 94, was a part of public elections.

They therefore sought a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 49 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992, and Section 13 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992, PNDCL 284, the ballots to be cast pursuant to Regulation 23 (1), (2), (3)(,(4),(5),(6),(7),(8),(9) and (10) of the Public Elections Regulations, 2016, C.I. 94 by special voters in the December 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections ought to be counted and announced there and then on the date(s) of the special voting by the presiding officers before communicating same to the returning officer. 

The plaintiffs were further seeking an order striking down Regulation 23 (11) of the Public Elections Regulations, 2016, C.I. 94, as being inconsistent with Article 49 (2), (3) (a) and (b) of the Constitution and Section 13 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992, PNDCL 284. 

 

Practicality

Counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr, in his submission, stated that the law that made room for special voting was not in accordance with Article 49 of the 1992 Constitution, which states that votes ought to be counted and declared immediately after the polls.

EC’s argument

Counsel for the EC, Mr Poku, in his submission, was of the view that counting the votes and declaring the results on the day that the special voting was conducted would erode confidence in the elections and have a negative impact on the polls.

That, he said, was because those allowed to vote during special voting were EC officials, security personnel, journalists and other identifiable groups who helped in the organisation of the elections.

Source: graphic.com.gh