Fighting Floods A Shared Responsibility….. – Asenso Boakye Asserts As He Tours Affected Areas

 

The Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye on Sunday, May 22, 2022, led a technical team comprising officials from the Ministry of Works and Housing, the Hydrological Services Department, and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) on a tour of some areas in Accra and Tema Accra and Tema that experienced flooding as a result of the heavy downpour over the weekend.

The purpose of the visit by the Minister was to ascertain the cause and impact of the flooding and to commiserate with the affected people.
The Minister toured affected areas such as Odawna, Nkrumah Circle, Adabraka, Osu, Teshie, Sakumono and parts of Tema.

He observed that, “areas that had benefited from the construction of major drains and other flood control measures under government’s National Flood Control Programme (NFCP) did not suffer the adverse impact of the floods.”

The Minister noted that the government has invested over of GH¢450 million in the National Flood Control Programme alone over the past few years and that has culminated in the reduced incidence of flooding, particularly in major flood-prone areas in Accra. He further added that the government is collaborating with the World Bank to invest another $200 million dollars in the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project to tackle the perennial flooding challenge in the Odaw Drainage Basin in flood control measures across the country in the past few years

The Minister urged residents to support the efforts of the government by maintaining proper solid waste practices and desist from indiscriminate dumping of solid waste and building in waterways. “The fight against floods is a shared responsibility”, he stated.

The Minister also reminded Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to strictly enforce relevant laws to deter citizens from building in waterways and other unauthorized places. He further urged them to take steps to remove developments obstructing the free flow of water to reduce the risk of flooding.

Accompanying the Minister on the tour were officials of the Ministry including Mr. Solomon Asoalla, Chief Director, Rev Osei Yaw, Director of PPBME, Mr. Hubert Osie Wusu-Ansa, Acting Director of the Hydrological Services Department, and Dr John Kissi; Official of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) led by Mr. Abu Ramadan, a Deputy Director-General and Chief Executive of the Klottey Korley Municipal Assembly, Nii Adjei Tawiah.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

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Nigeria cancels planned resumption of train services

 The Nigerian government has cancelled the resumption of train services between the capital Abuja and the northern city of Kaduna earlier scheduled for Monday.

The services were suspended in March after gunmen blew up the railway with an explosive device, forcing a train carrying hundreds of passengers to stop.

They then opened fire, killing at least nine people and kidnapping more than 60 others who are still in captivity.

It’s not yet clear why the resumption of the services has been postponed indefinitely.

Families of the hostages had been angered by the planned resumption saying the decision was a sign of insensitivity by the authorities.

The families also blamed the authorities for not doing enough to rescue their relatives from the kidnappers.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation, the agency in charge of rail services, has in a statement appealed to the families of the abducted people to be patient and co-operate with the authorities trying to ensure the safe release of their loved ones.

It has also apologised to train passengers for the further delay saying a new resumption date will be announced “soonest”.

The authorities had said repairs on the damaged rail track were completed and was ready for train movement.

The road between Abuja and Kaduna is considered one of the most dangerous in Nigeria as armed gangs kidnapping people for ransom frequently target travellers.

Many people prefer to travel by train although it has also been targeted at least twice.

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Australia’s new PM sworn in ahead of Japan summit

 Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as Australia’s new leader and will fly immediately to an international summit.

Mr. Albanese’s Labor Party defeated Scott Morrison’s conservative government in an election on Saturday.

It remains unclear whether Mr. Albanese will form a majority or govern with the support of cross benchers.

The prime minister left for Tokyo on Monday to meet the leaders of the so-called Quad nations – the US, India and Japan.

Earlier in the day, he was sworn in with four key cabinet members, including new Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who is travelling with him to Japan.

Richard Marles is the new deputy prime minister and employment minister, Jim Chalmers is treasurer, and Katy Gallagher is attorney-general and finance minister.

It is Australia’s first Labor government in almost a decade. The party has won 74 lower house seats but counting continues to determine whether they can get the 76 needed to form a majority.

But the primary vote for both major parties fell – almost a third of Australians put the Greens, independents and other minor parties as their first preference.

The Quad group is seen as largely aiming to counter growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

It will meet on Tuesday following recent diplomatic tensions in the Pacific, after the Solomon Islands last month signed a security pact with China.

The US and Australia hold fears the deal could allow China to build a naval base there.

In a statement ahead of the meeting, Mr. Albanese said: “The Quad Leaders’ Summit brings together four leaders of great liberal democracies – Australia, Japan, India, and the United States of America – in support of a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific.”

Ms Wong – Australia’s first overseas-born foreign minister – signalled they would bring “new energy and much more to the table” on climate action, after “a lost decade”.

Climate change played a huge role in the election result, with a surge in support for candidates wanting urgent action.

Mr. Morrison’s government had committed to a 2030 emissions reduction target of 26%-28% – about half that of the UK and US. Mr. Albanese’s government has a target of 43%.The Greens have picked up seats in Queensland, usually considered a conservative heartland

The Greens are expected to pick up four lower seats, adding to seven climate-focused independents. They could put pressure on Labor to take even stronger action, especially if it fails to reach a majority.

Mr Morrison’s unpopularity and his party’s stance on climate have been blamed by some Liberal MPs for wiping out their vote.

Losses included senior party figures, including deputy leader Josh Frydenberg, in traditional Liberal strongholds.

Mr. Morrison stepped down as party leader on Saturday and former defense minister Peter Dutton is the favorite to succeed him.

Mr. Dutton – from the party’s right – has been a controversial figure at times. Some question whether he could rebuild Liberal support in more progressive, metropolitan areas.

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Putin ‘Survived Assassination Attempt Two Months Ago’

 

Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt not long after starting his war in Ukraine, the country’s intelligence chief has claimed.

Kyrylo Budanov said Putin was ‘attacked.. by representatives of the Caucasus’ – a region that includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and parts of southern Russia – around two months ago.

‘[It was an] Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really happened… It was about 2 months ago,’ Budanov said. ‘I repeat, this attempt was unsuccessful. There was no publicity about this event, but it took place.’

If true, it would be the only known attempt on Putin’s life since he launched all-out war against Ukraine on February 24.

Budanov did not directly link the assassination attempt to the Ukraine war, and Putin has a number of well-established enemies in the region from previous conflicts.

He gave the order for Russian to invade Georgia in 2008 – a war that ended in an uneasy stalemate – and has been fighting a low-level conflict against Islamist insurgents including ISIS in the region for many years.

The security situation has also been destabilised in recent years by fighting between Armenia – a close ally of Russia – and Azerbaijan, which included a war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2020.

Hostilities along their shared border had ticked up in the early months of this year, just before Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Putin is said to be fearful of assassination since declaring war, after hit squads were sent into Ukraine to take out President Zelensky in the early days of the conflict.

Read Full Story …. Dailymail.co.uk >>> :   

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

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