Italian police arrest several suspected migrant smugglers

Rome, A total of 12 people were arrested in Sicily on Thursday on human trafficking charges.

 

Authorities in the central Sicilian town of Caltanissetta said 11 Tunisians and seven Italians were accused of facilitating illegal immigration of mostly North African citizens to Italy.

 

The operation involved around 120 officers.

 

Investigators allege the criminals brought migrants from various points along the Tunisian coast across the Mediterranean to Sicily in several small, high-powered boats.

 

Police first grew suspicious of such illegal activity when one of the boats sank at a port in the southern Sicilian town of Gela in February of 2019.

 

 

Each crossing to Sicily involved 10 to 30 people and took about four hours. Suspects charged around €3,000 ($3,105) to €5,000 per person, according to police.

 

The gang operated from Niscemi, north of Gela, in cooperation with an entrepreneur who provided the migrants and traffickers with work contracts to secure their stay in Italy.

 

Recorded phone calls also revealed that the smugglers were willing to leave the migrants for dead if the boats faced engine trouble.

 

The topic of migrants arriving by boat is highly controversial in Italy. The newly elected far-right government seeks to halt arrivals.

 

According to the Interior Ministry, more than 93,200 people have reached the country’s shores so far in 2022.

 

Recently, Italy refused to accept hundreds of migrants who were rescued from maritime distress by international aid organizations, causing a dispute with Germany and France.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Couple builds Accident, Emergency Centre for Wiawso Government Hospital

Sefwi-Wiawso (WN/R) A couple, resident at Sefwi-Wiawso in the Western North Region, has handed over an ultra–modern Accident and Emergency Centre to the Wiawso Government Hospital.

 

The 40-bed capacity building, comprising doctors and nurses changing rooms, males and females’ recovery wards, pharmacy, triage and washrooms, was solely funded by Mr and Mrs Ramus Kwofie.

 

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the commissioning, Mr Kwofie, also the Chief Executive Officer for the Raycof Group of Companies, said he and the wife were moved by the poor state of the facility during a visit some years back.

 

He said they saw people in critical condition receiving treatment on the bare floor on the veranda, while others were lying on benches.

 

“The sight did not go down well with us, hence the decision to put up the edifice when the hospital management team approached us to support them with cement for the construction of an emergency centre,” he said.

 

The philanthropist used the occasion to appeal to people from the area both home and abroad to support the hospital as the Government alone could not do it.

 

 

Mr Kwofie commended Col. Anthony Aduhene (Rtd), for donating a monitor to the facility, and Kwabena Boison who helped to clear the land, as well as the staff for their cooperation.

 

 

Dr Marion Okoh-Owusu, the Western North Regional Director of Health Services, expressed her profound gratitude to the couple for the facility, which would enhance health care delivery in the region.

 

She called on other corporate institutions to emulate the gesture of the Kwofie Family to ensure quality health care for the people.

 

Mr Louis Owusu Agyapong, the Wiawso Municipal Chief Executive, commended the couple for the facility to replace the over 30 years old centre, which could take only four patients at a time.

 

He charged the management to maintain it regularly so it could last longer.

 

Nana Elluo Panyin III, Kyedomhene for the Wiawso Traditional Council, who represented the Wiawso paramount chief, pledged the Council’s commitment to expanding facilities at the Hospital.

 

Dr Jonathan Mensah, Medical Director at the Hospital, said the facility had come at the right time and that it would be used immediately.

 

He appealed to other health professionals, especially specialists, to accept postings to the Wiawso Government Hospital as management was ever ready to support them to make them comfortable.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Police assures public of in country security during World Cup

Accra, The Police Administration has assured the public of adequate security measures to maintain security, law and order in the country during the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament.

 

The World greatest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, commences on November 20, 2022, in Qatar.

A statement issued in Accra by Madam Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Chief Superintendent of Police, Director, Public Affairs, said the police acknowledged the euphoria that engulfed the nation during such tournaments, especially when the Black Stars were participating, with the attendant security implications, assuring that adequate security measures were in place.

 

It said in addition to the security measures put in place, members of the public, who intended to organise public viewing of the tournament at specially designated places were advised to contact Police Regional, Divisional and District Commands for further security directives or call 0277585542 for support.

 

“This is a temporary number dedicated to the World Cup related matters only,” it added.

 

The statement said while the Police were working to ensure the nation enjoyed a peaceful and incident-free tournament, “we wish to also urge the public to be security conscious so that in their excitement and jubilation, they do not fall victim to crime and do not also infringe on the rights and freedoms of others.”

 

It wished the Black Stars, a successful tournament in Qatar

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ada East Presiding Member urges sub-committees to be proactive

Ada (GAR), Mr Godwin Agudey, the  Presiding Member of Ada-East District Assembly, has urged sub-committees in the various metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) to be proactive and devise innovative ways to strengthen the assemblies.

 

“Everything about assemblies gains its strength from the sub-committees, give me a strong sub-committee and I will tell you a strong assembly,” he said.

 

At a general meeting of the Ada-East Assembly, Mr Agudey said a weak sub-committee hindered the progress of its assembly and cautioned the members to work hard to push for the development of the district.

 

The meeting was to reconstitute the sub-committees; finance and administration, works, social services, development planning, justice and security, agriculture, and local economic development.

 

He tasked them to oversee the smooth operation of the Assembly by executing roles that would lead to its growth.

 

The Presiding Member entreated the sub-committees to discuss issues of relevance to residents of Ada so as to get the full benefits from their programmes.

The Local Governance Act 936 (2016), section 23 (4) stated that “The District Assembly may dissolve and re-constitute a subcommittee that is not performing its functions efficiently”.

 

Mr. Agudey, therefore, warned that sub-committees, which did not work accordingly, would be dissolved.

 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ouverture de l’exposition sur le cloud « Magnifique Jinhua, fascinante Afrique » dans le cadre de la semaine de coopération et d’échanges culturels Chine-Afrique (Édition Outre-Atlantique – Afrique)

DAR ES-SALAAM, Tanzanie, 18 novembre 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Le 16 novembre 2022, l’exposition sur le cloud « Magnifique Jinhua, fascinante Afrique » de la semaine de coopération et d’échanges culturels Chine-Afrique, accueillie par le département provincial de la culture et du tourisme du Zhejiang et le gouvernement populaire municipal de Jinhua, et organisée par le bureau municipal de la culture, de la radio, de la télévision et du tourisme de Jinhua, se tient à Dar es-Salaam, en Tanzanie.

L’exposition sur le cloud « Magnifique Jinhua, fascinante Afrique » déploie le panorama de Jinhua, dans la province du Zhejiang, du point de vue de l’histoire, des paysages, de l’art, du patrimoine culturel immatériel, de la nourriture, etc. Jinhua est la ville mondiale des petits produits et la ville culturelle internationale du cinéma et de la télévision, qui se caractérise par « l’ouverture de la route de la soie ». Jinhua possède les célèbres sculptures sur bois de Dongyang, le jambon de Jinhua, le thé du millénaire et le vin de riz, qui ont tous une grande influence mondiale.

M. Chen Guangsheng, secrétaire du Parti du département provincial de la culture et du tourisme du Zhejiang, et M. Ruan Ganghui, vice-maire de la ville de Jinhua, ont tous deux prononcé des discours en ligne lors de la cérémonie d’ouverture. Ils espèrent qu’à travers l’exposition sur le cloud, la province du Zhejiang pourra mettre pleinement en valeur ses avantages dans la coopération et les échanges culturels avec l’Afrique, améliorer la réputation internationale de Jinhua et promouvoir le renforcement continu des échanges culturels entre la Chine et l’Afrique.

Wang Siping, conseiller culturel de l’ambassade de Chine en Tanzanie,déclare que cette activité renforcera la compréhension mutuelle et les échanges entre Jinhua, dans la province du Zhejiang, et l’Afrique, et que la coopération entre les deux parties dans le domaine de la culture et du tourisme deviendra plus large et plus brillante. Selon Amos Nnko, directrice adjointe de l’Office du tourisme de Tanzanie, ministère des Ressources nationales et du Tourisme, l’exposition sur le cloud constituera une expérience qui permettra de promouvoir la coopération Chine-Afrique. Elle se dit très heureuse de voir la Chine et l’Afrique avancer main dans la main dans les domaines de la culture, de l’art et du tourisme.

Après la cérémonie d’ouverture, l’exposition sur le cloud « Magnifique Jinhua, fascinante Afrique » est lancée en ligne simultanément en Tanzanie, au Zimbabwe, à Maurice, à Djibouti, en Éthiopie et dans d’autres pays. Les Africains peuvent apprécier les beaux paysages et les traditions culturelles de Jinhua, dans la province du Zhejiang en Chine, par le biais d’Internet, et améliorer leur compréhension et leur connaissance de Jinhua, de la province du Zhejiang et même de la Chine.

Lien vers l’exposition sur le cloud « Magnifique Jinhua, fascinante Afrique »

http://online-exhibition.tourzj.gov.cn/jhyz/EN/index.html

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1949996/image_5018834_31254595.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1949997/image_5018834_31254955.jpg

SABC AND HISENSE PARTNER TO LAUNCH THE NEW SABC STREAMING SERVICE SABC+ TO THE PUBLIC

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the leading public broadcaster on the African continent, has launched its long-anticipated OTT platform, SABC +.  In partnership with the global consumer electronics and home appliances market leader, Hisense, the corporation will distribute the SABC+ app through the home screen of the Hisense powered by VIDAA Smart TVs and mobile devices in time for the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ on 20 November. Together, these two powerhouses will bring 29 matches of the FIFA World Cup and the official FIFA World Cup Daily, by Hisense show, FOR FREE.

The SABC+ streaming app will provide the best that the SABC has to offer including 19 radio stations and 3 free-to-air television channels SABC 1, SABC 2, SABC 3, as well as the SABC Sports Channel and the SABC’s 24-hour news channel.

As part of commemorating this milestone, SABC and Hisense, the official sponsor of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, will also announce an exciting competition where two lucky winners and a companion each will enjoy a 3-day exclusive experience to the FIFA World Cup, including tickets to the final match.

The SABC’s Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mr Madoda Mxakwe stated “As we forge ahead with our digital and streaming strategies, it is essential for the public broadcaster to partner with a company such as Hisense to enable us to fulfil of our public mandate, whilst utilizing innovative ways to provide cutting edge content to the public.” “The SABC + app also presents a growth path to enhancing revenue and build a strong foundation for future financial sustainability of the SABC”, concluded Mxakwe.

“We are excited to team up with SABC, in a joint effort to bring a better quality of life to local fans,” said Vivi Liu, the CEO of Hisense South Africa. “Hisense has been pursuing scientific, technological innovation and bringing happiness to millions of families. We believe that through this partnership, we can create the best possible viewing experience at home for football fans, so as to allow them to focus on enjoying every moment of a FIFA World Cup match. Powered by the VIDAA smart TV operating system, Hisense is dedicated to bringing more of the best video streaming content to its big screens.”

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1949679/kv_sabc.jpg