SOUTH KOREA DIVIDED, TROUBLED South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung sought to project a message of unity as he took office on Wednesday in a country wracked by political division since a short-lived martial law declaration in December. "No matter whom you supported in this election, I will serve as a president for all, to embrace and serve every citizen," Lee said during his swearing-in ceremony at the National Assembly. He also pledged to reinvigorate the nation's economy and pursue policies that help ordinary people, both at home and abroad. His declaration comes as multiple national and international organizations, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), are downgrading growth forecasts for the South Korean economy. The OECD this week predicted only a 1% GDP growth in 2025. "It is time to restore security and peace, which have been reduced to tools of political strife, to rebuild livelihoods and the economy damaged by indifference, incompetence and irresponsibility, and to revive democracy that has been undermined by armored vehicles and automatic rifles," Lee said. The reference to vehicles and weapons is a barb against his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office and is still on trial for briefly declaring martial law six months ago. While the move sparked outrage across the country, some members of the military, the Presidential Security Service (PSS) and sections of the public sided with Yoon before his eventual arrest. 4th June,2025

WORSENING DROUGHT AND WATER SCARCITY Water scarcity is a fact of life in Malta. The island in the middle of the Mediterranean, between Italy and North Africa, has no lakes or rivers and doesn't get much rainfall. And with a hot, dry climate, a population of 563,000 — and more than six times that in yearly tourist visits — every drop counts. "We have lived forever without enough water," said Thomas Bajada, a marine biologist and recently elected member of the European Parliament. But, he told DW, that scarcity has forced his country to innovate. Today, around two-thirds of its drinking water comes from the sea, desalinated water that's blended with a minimal supply of groundwater. Investment in other technical solutions — smart water meters, leakage management, wastewater reuse — also helps keep the taps from running dry. For now, at least. Farmers in Cyprus struggle with water shortages 03:43 One-fifth of Europe already under water stress But as temperatures rise and weather patterns become increasingly unreliable due to climate change, Malta's water challenges are expected to spread. With many European cities and regions still relying on outdated water management practices, around one-fifth of the continent already faces water stress every year, the European Environment Agency (EEA) reported. It noted that Europe is anticipating water demand to double by 2050, leading to severe water shortages in the future. "Europe is at the forefront of a growing water crisis — one that threatens industry, agriculture, ecosystems and citizens' access to water," said Loic Charpentier, advocacy head at industry body Water Europe, which promotes water technology. Extreme heat and prolonged periods of drought, once rare in Europe, are becoming a yearly problem in many regions. Multiple heat waves in 2024 shattered temperature records, with Central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean region suffering the most from heat stress and shrinking water reserves, according to data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The first-ever European Climate Risk Assessment, released by the European Environment Agency in March 2024, stressed that these new weather extremes were already severely disrupting ecosystems, agriculture and economic activity, human health and water supplies. Drought and extreme heat could also "exacerbate existing risks and crises … leading to water and food insecurity, disruptions of critical infrastructure, and threats to financial markets and stability." Water scarcity leaded to 'rising conflicts' "No one sees what is coming when we speak about water, both water pollution and water scarcity," said Athenais Georges of the European Water Movement advocacy group. "It's a huge environmental and social justice issue, because if you have scarce water, you have rising conflicts. [We've seen] that already in other regions in the world." In 2012, the European Water Movement spearheaded the Right2Water campaign, signed by more than 1.6 million EU citizens, which called on the European Commission to make sure water remains a public service and "ensure that all inhabitants enjoy the right to water." The Drinking Water Directive, the EU's main law on drinking water, was revised following the campaign and entered into force in 2021. It obliges EU member countries to "improve access to safe drinking water" for all citizens. And yet, EEA data shows that some 30% of EU citizens still suffer water scarcity every year. 4th June,2025

UKRAINE'S AUDACIOUS DRONE ATTACK It's hard to exaggerate the sheer audacity - or ingenuity - that went into Ukraine's countrywide assault on Russia's air force. We cannot possibly verify Ukrainian claims that the attacks resulted in $7bn (£5.2bn) of damage, but it's clear that "Operation Spider's Web" was, at the very least, a spectacular propaganda coup. Ukrainians are already comparing it with other notable military successes since Russia's full-scale invasion, including the sinking of the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, and the bombing of the Kerch Bridge, both in 2022, as well as a missile attack on Sevastopol harbour the following year. Judging by details leaked to the media by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the latest operation is the most elaborate achievement so far. In an operation said to have taken 18 months to prepare, scores of small drones were smuggled into Russia, stored in special compartments aboard freight trucks, driven to at least four separate locations, thousands of miles apart, and launched remotely towards nearby airbases. 1:28 Watch: Footage shows attack drones homing in on their targets as they sit on the tarmac. "No intelligence operation in the world has done anything like this before," defence analyst Serhii Kuzan told Ukrainian TV. "These strategic bombers are capable of launching long-range strikes against us," he said. "There are only 120 of them and we struck 40. That's an incredible figure." It is hard to assess the damage, but Ukrainian military blogger Oleksandr Kovalenko says that even if the bombers, and command and control aircraft were not destroyed, the impact is enormous. "The extent of the damage is such that the Russian military-industrial complex, in its current state, is unlikely to be able to restore them in the near future," he wrote on his Telegram channel. The strategic missile-carrying bombers in question, the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160 are, he said, no longer in production. Repairing them will be difficult, replacing them impossible. The loss of the supersonic Tu-160, he said, would be especially keenly felt. "Today, the Russian Aerospace Forces lost not just two of their rarest aircraft, but truly two unicorns in the herd," he wrote. Beyond the physical damage, which may or may not be as great as analysts here are assessing, Operation Spider's Web sends another critical message, not just to Russia but also to Ukraine's western allies. My colleague Svyatoslav Khomenko, writing for the BBC Ukrainian Service website, recalls a recent encounter with a government official in Kyiv. The official was frustrated. "The biggest problem," the official told Svyatoslav, "is that the Americans have convinced themselves we've already lost the war. And from that assumption everything else follows." Ukrainian defence journalist Illia Ponomarenko, posting on X, puts it another way, with a pointed reference to President Volodymyr Zelensky's infamous Oval office encounter with Donald Trump. "This is what happens when a proud nation under attack doesn't listen to all those: 'Ukraine has only six months left'. 'You have no cards'. 'Just surrender for peace, Russia cannot lose'." Ukraine drones strike bombers during major attack in Russia Even more pithy was a tweet from the quarterly Business Ukraine journal, which proudly proclaimed "It turns out Ukraine does have some cards after all. Today Zelensky played the King of Drones." This, then, is the message Ukrainian delegates carry as they arrive in Istanbul for a fresh round of ceasefire negotiations with representatives from the Kremlin: Ukraine is still in the fight. The Americans "begin acting as if their role is to negotiate for us the softest possible terms of surrender," the government official told Svyatoslav Khomenko. "And then they're offended when we don't thank them. But of course we don't – because we don't believe we've been defeated." Despite Russia's slow, inexorable advance through the battlefields of the Donbas, Ukraine is telling Russia, and the Trump administration, not to dismiss Kyiv's prospects so easily. 2nd June,2025

STORMS CAUSED DAMAGE IN PARTS OF GERMANY OVERNIGHT Strong thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail, and gusty winds caused chaos in parts of Germany over the weekend. In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in particular, the storms have flooded basements and streets and uprooted trees. Within a few hours, there were hundreds of emergency calls. However, no injuries were reported. Some outdoor events had to be canceled at short notice, including an open-air concert on Münsterplatz in Ulm in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg and the 3RIDES Gran Fondo race in Aachen. Today, the weather is expected to be warm, but occasionally unpleasant. The south, central, and eastern parts of the country are mainly affected, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). 2nd June,2025

CORRUPTION, POLITICAL MISSTEPS UNDERMINING ‘GALAMSEY’ FIGHT Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has attributed corruption and political miscalculations as major factors behind the failure of the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as ‘galamsey’. He believes these challenges have undermined national efforts over the years to clamp down on the menace despite repeated interventions. Speaking at the Global Mining Summit held in Accra on Monday, June 2, the Asantehene warned that the continuous destruction of water bodies through illegal mining poses a serious threat to the country’s environment and future. He called for urgent and sustained action to halt the illegal activities. “The pollution of our water bodies, the destruction of our forests and the degradation of our virgin lands cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. It cannot be denied that the cocktail of regulatory failures, political miscalculation and corruption has combined to make the curbing of the menace more challenging. We have the opportunity to calmly dissect the policy options and tools available to deal with the problem,” he said. He also described the government’s introduction of Gold for Oil (Gold4Oil) as a positive initiative that opens new horizons for the mining industry, with the potential to attract increased investment and boost production yields. “The emergence of the new Goldbod is a creative initiative we need for the rise of the industry, increasing the prospect for more investment and higher yields. It injects a new urgency to the challenges we are trying to address,” he said. 2nd June,2025

BANKS MUST RETHINK RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT In today’s dynamic financial landscape, banks that succeed are those that truly understand the voice of the customer. This requires more than traditional relationship management. It calls for structured data, digital insights, and scalable customer experience (CX) strategies. In Ghana, where banking competition is intense and fintech companies are growing rapidly, the ability to turn customer pain points into strategic advantage may be the most important differentiator of all.Ghanaian food recipes Customer experience: the foundation of modern relationship management Historically, banks in Ghana have placed heavy emphasis on relationship officers – personal bankers whose role is to retain and grow customer accounts through interpersonal connections. While this approach has merit, it is no longer scalable or sufficient. Today’s customers expect more than friendliness. They want speed, personalisation, digital access, and proactive support, regardless of branch proximity. Most importantly, they want to be heard. In this context, effective relationship management must evolve from human connection to insight-driven engagement. It should be powered by data, technology, and an unrelenting focus on the customer’s experience, and this is encapsulated in Absa Bank’s brand promise, ‘Your Story Matters’. From human to hybrid: the case for CRM-driven engagement Modern Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms allow banks to digitise and personalise the customer journey. Rather than relying on a single person to manage multiple clients, CRM systems use data to track preferences and behaviours, flag friction points and complaints, trigger automated responses or tailored offers, and equip relationship managers with insight dashboards for smarter support. Ghanaian food recipes When implemented well, CRM tools do not replace human engagement. They enhance it. A branch manager with access to CRM analytics can greet a walk-in client by name, anticipate their needs, and offer relevant financial solutions in real time. What Ghanaian banks can learn from othersGhanaian food recipes Ghana has already seen early signs of this shift. Banks such as Absa Ghana have invested in digital onboarding, customer insight dashboards, and omnichannel support. Still, the full potential of CRM-led engagement is far from fully realised. Globally, banks like DBS in Singapore and Bank of America have embedded artificial intelligence into their CRM systems to deliver predictive insights and timely prompts to both customers and staff. These tools empower every banker to become a digitally enabled relationship manager. Customer experience is the strategy, not just a departmentGhanaian food recipes Customer experience should no longer be viewed as a support function or limited to service centre roles. It must be embedded into strategy, data analytics, product development, and organisational culture. CRM is simply the tool that brings this vision to life. To move from intention to action, Ghanaian banks must start treating customer experience as a core business priority, not a back-office function. This begins with investing in enterprise-grade CRM systems that connect core banking, digital channels, and customer service platforms. Without this foundation, insights remain fragmented and customer frustration increases. Just as importantly, customer experience must be treated as a performance metric in its own right. It should not be reduced to an annual Net Promoter Score or anecdotal feedback. The true value lies in how customer insights are used to shape internal processes, product design, and frontline engagement. Relationship managers will continue to play a vital role, but that role must evolve. They must become insight ambassadors, equipped with dashboards, data, and journey maps that allow them to anticipate needs and personalise support, not simply meet quarterly sales targets. Equally important is the creation of structured feedback loops. Too often, customer input is collected but never integrated into decision-making. When customers are involved in shaping products and policies, the result is not only improved services, but stronger loyalty.Ghanaian food recipes Finally, banks must use technology to enable personalisation at scale, especially in retail and SME banking where relevance drives conversion. CRM systems make it possible to deliver timely, tailored offerings that reflect individual customer behaviour rather than broad segments. Competing on relationships means competing on experience To conclude, the banks that will lead in Ghana’s next decade are those that combine trust with technology. These are the institutions that will make every customer interaction smarter, faster, and more relevant. Ghanaian food recipes Good relationship management is no longer defined by who you know in the bank. It is defined by how well the bank knows you. Banks must rethink, retool, and rewire how they engage with customers. Human connections still matter, but they must be supported by intelligent digital systems. When banks proactively address customer pain points, they do more than solve problems. They build loyalty, unlock growth, and position themselves for long-term success. 2nd June,2025

POLICE ARREST FOUR SUSPECTED HIGHWAY ROBBERS Four suspected armed robbers have been arrested at Potsin in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region following a violent robbery attack on the Winneba Highway. The suspects reportedly ambushed vehicles and robbed commuters of cash and personal belongings around 11pm on Sunday, June 1. According to police sources, the robbers initially fled the scene upon learning that a reinforcement team from the Central East Regional Police Command’s anti-robbery unit was on its way. However, the gang returned around 1:00 am to resume their operation, unaware that police were still patrolling the area. The Police arrested four individuals believed to be involved in the attack. The suspects are currently in custody and assisting with ongoing investigations. 2nd June,2025

MERGE OSP, EOCO FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Legal and Communications Team, Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, has proposed the merger of two key anti-corruption agencies, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), to strengthen Ghana’s fight against corruption.Ghanaian food recipes Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Monday, June 2, Adawudu argued that the duplication of roles and fragmentation of resources between the two institutions often hinders the effective investigation and prosecution of corruption cases. “My personal view is that OSP and EOCO should be merged. OSP, we do not have so much, but EOCO is all over the country and has the resources,” he said. He explained that by combining the nationwide reach and logistical resources of EOCO with the prosecutorial mandate of the OSP, Ghana would be better positioned to secure successful prosecutions and recover stolen assets. “If you can put the same at which they do, and they collaborate, I think that we will see more effective prosecution and retrieval of some amount than having one single institution,” he stated. Adawudu also criticised the current system where agencies pass cases between themselves due to overlapping or unclear jurisdiction. “Now we come with this one saying, ‘This job is not within my confines; let me send it to another institution.’ When you put these two institutions together, I think that it will be more efficient,” he added. 2nd June,2025