OJ SIMPSON DIES AGED 76 OJ Simpson, a former United States football star acquitted of murder in a widely watched trial in the 1990s, has died at age 76. San Francisco-born Orenthal James Simpson rose to fame in college before playing in the NFL. In a statement shared on social media on Thursday morning, Simpson’s family said he died on Wednesday after a battle with cancer. “He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace,” the statement said. According to an Al Jazeera report, US media outlets reported in February that Simpson was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Known by the nickname “The Juice”, Simpson was a star running back at the University of Southern California. He won the Heisman Trophy, the top honour in American college football, in 1968 before making the jump to the National Football League (NFL) a year later as the Buffalo Bills’ number-one draft pick. He played 11 seasons of professional American football and racked up numerous accolades. However, Simpson became a controversial figure after he was charged with the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in 1994. Simpson was reportedly ordered to surrender to police, but five days after the killings, he fled with a former teammate and led police in a low-speed chase through Los Angeles. Simpson’s months-long trial — dubbed the “trial of the century” — was televised and drew widespread media attention in the US and around the world. Reports suggest Simpson’s acquittal in 1995 also divided the country. Some Americans viewed it as a miscarriage of justice, while others believed he was unfairly targeted by a racist police force. “I don’t think most of America believes I did it,” Simpson told The New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. “I’ve gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.” His life saga was recounted in the Oscar-winning 2016 documentary O.J.: Made in America, as well as various TV dramatisations. Simpson also briefly had a book deal, announced in 2006, for a manuscript called If I Did It. Public outrage, however, scuttled its publication, and the family of murder victim Ron Goldman ultimately acquired the rights. In the wake of Simpson’s death, the Goldman family told NBC News that they would not mourn his passing. “The only thing I have to say is it’s just further reminder of Ron being gone all these years,” Fred Goldman said. “It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone.” 1st May,2024

ANTONY BLINKEN PUSHED FOR A CEASE-FIRE TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting with Israeli leaders on Wednesday in his push for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying “the time is now” for an agreement that would free hostages and bring a pause in the nearly seven months of war in Gaza. He said Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to get a deal off the ground. Blinken is on his seventh visit to the region since the war erupted in October in his bid to secure what’s been an elusive deal between Israel and Hamas that could avert an Israeli incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering. The current round of talks appears to be serious, but the sides remain far apart on one key issue — whether the war should end as part of an emerging deal. “We are determined to get a cease-fire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldn’t be achieved is because of Hamas,” Blinken told Israel’s ceremonial President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv. “There is a proposal on the table, and as we’ve said, no delays, no excuses. The time is now,” he said. Blinken said the deal would also allow much needed food, medicine and water to get into Gaza, where the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis and displaced much of the territory's population. After meeting with Herzog and also with families of Americans held by Hamas at his hotel, Blinken briefly greeted several dozen demonstrators calling for an immediate hostage release deal on the sidewalk outside. Chanting “SOS, USA, only you can save the day" and “In Blinken we trust, bring them home to us,” the protestors urged him to make their case to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken will meet Netanyahu and his War Cabinet later Wednesday. Blinken told the families that there was a very strong proposal on the table and that Hamas needs to say yes to it. “That is our determination, and we will not rest, we will not stop until you’re reunited with your loved ones,” he said. His comments came on the last leg of his regional visit, with previous stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where he urged Hamas to accept the latest proposal, calling it “extraordinarily generous” on Israel’s part. According to the State Department, he will also visit an Israeli port where aid for Gaza is entering. The United States has staunchly supported Israel's war since Hamas' unprecedented attack on Oct. 7 into southern Israel. But it has grown increasingly critical of the staggering toll borne by Palestinian civilians in Gaza and has been especially outspoken against Israel's plan to invade Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city where some 1.5 million Palestinians have fled from fighting elsewhere in the territory, saying that any major offensive there would bring potential harm to civilians and should be avoided. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to invade Rafah, which he says is Hamas’ last stronghold in the coastal strip, and on Tuesday he pledged to do so “with or without” a cease-fire deal. The current deal that is being discussed — with brokering by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar — would see the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for a six-week halt in fighting as part of an initial phase, according to an Egyptian official and Israeli media. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would also be released, including some serving long sentences. But a sticking point remains over what happens next. Hamas has demanded assurances that an eventual release of all hostages will bring a complete end to Israel’s nearly seven-month assault in Gaza and a withdrawal of its troops from the devastated territory. Israel has offered only an extended pause, vowing to resume its offensive once the first phase of the deal is over. The issue has repeatedly obstructed efforts by the mediators during months of talks. While the talks appeared to be gaining steam, on Wednesday, an Egyptian official said that Hamas had asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clarity on the terms of the latest cease-fire proposal being discussed, a demand that could delay progress. The official, who has close ties to the talks and who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to freely discuss the deal, said Hamas wants clear terms for the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and to ensure that the second stage of the deal will include discussing the gradual and complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip. The official said the current deal didn’t fully explain who would be allowed to return north and how it would be decided. While talks are ongoing, the fighting in Gaza continues. Late Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike hit a house in central Rafah — a city Israel has struck repeatedly despite the masses that have taken refuge there — killing at least two children, according to hospital authorities. The bodies of the dead children were taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital. An Associated Press journalist saw the bodies at the hospital morgue as their relatives mourned the deaths. On Wednesday, Israel’s military said it was operating in central Gaza, where it said jets struck militants, including one said to be setting up explosives. The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says the militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others. The war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine. 1st May,2024

THE OLYMPICS ARE NEARLY HERE Start the countdown clock. In exactly 100 days, more than 10,000 athletes and tens of thousands of spectators will converge on Paris for the start of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games, a 16-day extravaganza that marks the first time the City of Lights has hosted the world’s pre-eminent sports festival in a century. In keeping with the slogan for this year’s Olympics, “Games Wide Open,” the opening ceremony will take place outside a stadium setting for the first time. The plans are ambitious: a 3.5-mile boat parade along the Seine before as many as 325,000 onlookers on the river’s banks. The hundreds of athletic events — hosted by dozens of venues across Paris and other cities in metropolitan France — will likewise be open to large crowds. In many respects, the Paris Games promise to be one of the most elaborate cultural rituals since Covid swept across the world beginning in late 2019. Health restrictions forced the organizers of Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 to sharply limit the scale of the festivities, with events largely closed to the public. Paris 2024, powered in part by pent-up demand for communal experiences, symbolizes an international post-pandemic vibe shift. But with that spirit of openness comes all-too-familiar challenges. The festivities in Europe’s most densely populated city are shadowed by security concerns. The International Olympic Committee and French officials have insisted that they are putting strict security measures in place. Yet the recent history of violence in France — including the 2015 terror attack in Paris that left 138 people dead and at least 416 injured — stalks public consciousness there. The geopolitical backdrop for the Paris Games is no less troubling. The war between Israel and Hamas recently crossed the six-month mark, raising fears of a protracted conflict and wider regional instability. The devastation in the Gaza Strip has provoked international outrage, isolating Israel on the global stage. Meanwhile, Russia continues to gain ground in its military offensive against Ukraine as some Western nations worry about the rise of authoritarianism. These international crises could come into play during the Games in the form of protests and other political demonstrations. “It is certain that the international context is particularly tense today,” Tony Estanguet, president of the Games’ organizing committee, recently told Radio France. “I believe in this universal event. It’s up to us to preserve, to talk about sport and not to politicize the subject too much.” Nevertheless, Olympics organizers are determined to put on a show that stuns the throngs assembled on the boulevards of Paris, not to mention the millions of people expected to watch the Games unfold on their televisions and mobile devices. If the surge of enthusiasm for the Super Bowl, Taylor Swift, March Madness and the solar eclipse is any guide, then audiences are craving spectacle — and the Paris Games could be just the ticket. 1st May,2024

GATEWAY TO AFRICA In ancient Greek and Roman legend, the Pillars of Hercules –marking the edge of the known world – were mighty columns that once stood either side of the strait where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic. One was on the Rock of Gibraltar, a pocket of British territory next to mainland Spain, and the other was Ceuta, a prominent outcrop on the North African coastline. Today, Ceuta is a Spanish exclave, a piece of a country entirely surrounded by another, in this case Morocco. And while it may only be 18 miles from the Spanish mainland, this tiny pocket of Europe in Africa is one of the most unusual places on either continent. Surrounded on three sides by water, Ceuta is protected by high medieval walls, stone citadels and barbed wire that all hint at its tumultuous history. With an area of just seven square miles and a population of around 85,000 people, this peninsula jutting abruptly into the Mediterranean Sea has been in the possession of Spain since 1580. But the exclave is more than just a colonial hangover; with architecture, culture and cuisine blending influences from both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, this could be Spain’s most multicultural city. “Ceuta was given the title of the most loyal city in Spain,” Mila Bernal, a local tourism office representative, told CNN Travel. “Because the citizens decided they wanted to be Spanish, not Portuguese.” Ceuta’s history is complicated. Standing on the 16th-century Royal Walls still surrounding the exclave’s old town, Bernal explained how the Portuguese conquered Ceuta in 1415 when the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula swept across the Mediterranean Sea and into the Moorish heartlands. Portugal and Spain were united under a single monarch in 1580, and so Ceuta fell under the rule of the Iberian Union until 1640 when Portugal broke away. The people of Ceuta though – who’d largely emigrated from Spanish, rather than Portuguese, territories on the European mainland – decided they’d rather side with Spain. Prized for its strategic location, the city’s history stretches back to antiquity, and given its prominent position guarding the Strait of Gibraltar, every major Mediterranean power has either claimed or conquered Ceuta. Phoenician ruins dating to the 7th century BCE can be found next to Ceuta’s cathedral. The Mediterranean seafarers founded a small settlement here as part of their growing maritime empire. Later came the Carthaginians and Romans, who needed to secure the gateway to Africa. “The Romans believed that Mount Hacho was the pillar of Hercules. This was the end of the world for the Romans,” said Bernal, pointing at the tall peak overlooking the exclave. “They named the city Septum, after its seven hills, which evolved into the modern name ‘Ceuta. A monumental bronze statue depicting Hercules pushing aside the great pillars today greets disembarking passengers on Ceuta’s Mediterranean seafront. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantines took over Ceuta, and fierce battles were fought with Vandals and Visigoths for control of the territory. In the 8th century, the Islamic Umayyad dynasty swept across North Africa, conquering all in its path, including Ceuta. Arab, Moorish and Berber kingdoms came to control the city until the Portuguese and Spanish arrived in the 15th century, staking a European claim that’s endured for the last 400 years. The easiest way to get to Ceuta from Europe is by ferry from Algeciras, a port city on the Spanish mainland across the dolphin-filled waters of the Strait of Gibraltar. Many Spanish people make the trip for a vacation, and it’s certainly not without its tourist attractions. Exploring the territory’s tapas bars and Catholic cathedrals, visitors will find lingering reminders of past rulers in the shape of the Roman Basilica Museum – which contains some of the oldest Christian relics ever discovered in North Africa – and the Arab Baths and Moorish architecture, which wouldn’t be out of place in the southern Spanish cities of Granada, Cordoba or Morocco’s port of Tangier. There are hikes to epic viewpoints like Mirador de San Antonio, which offer panoramas of Ceuta, Morocco, and the Strait of Gibraltar. And there are beaches for relaxing and soaking up the sun. Then, in Benzú, on the territory’s northern coast, there are opportunities to enjoy Moroccan-style tea in the shadow of a mosque, hike to old forts and modern watchtowers on the border, and continue onwards to visit the hectic Moroccan city of Tétouan. Fought over for millennia, Ceuta is officially classed as an autonomous Spanish city. It’s also part of the European Union and is one of two Spanish exclaves on North Africa’s Mediterranean coastline. The other is Melilla, a city also of some 85,000 people, around 250 miles east of Ceuta, that also borders Morocco. As might be expected, Morocco disputes Spain’s sovereignty over both of these exclaves, citing geographical and historical ties with the territories stretching back to the Islamic conquests. In the 18th century, the Sultan of Morocco failed to take Ceuta after a 30-year siege. Another siege in the early 19th century also failed. In the following centuries, border disputes led to intermittent wars and fighting, until much of Morocco was colonized by Spain and France in the 19th and 20th centuries. While Morocco gained independence in 1956, Spain held onto Ceuta and Melilla. It’s a dispute that still runs deep, and in 2023, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez complained to Moroccan authorities when Moroccan maps included both Ceuta and Melilla within the country’s borders. The year before, Spanish media reported Sanchez as stating that “Ceuta and Melilla are Spain, full stop” after Morocco had complained to the United Nations that “Melilla is a prison occupied by Spain.” The tit for tat is endless, but all too often the dialogue comes to a head on the ground in Ceuta. While the city no longer marks the edge of the known world, as it did for the Romans, as an EU outpost in Africa, Ceuta has come to be seen as a gateway to Europe for many migrants in search of a better life. As a consequence, the territory’s land border with Morocco is surrounded by watchtowers and barbed wire, which can be seen from the beach if you hop on a bus from the city to the town of Benzú. Morocco often uses Ceuta as a political bargaining tool, threatening to open its side of the border and allowing large numbers of African migrants to attempt entry into the EU. Morocco steadfastly holds onto the claim over Ceuta, but for Spanish people living in the exclave, it is an integral part of Spain. “Morocco always wants Ceuta,” said Bernal, before citing one of Spain’s long-held arguments for Spanish sovereignty. “But it was never Moroccan, Morocco never existed until the 19th century so how can they reclaim what was never theirs.” Despite being part of modern Spain, Ceuta’s curious identity reflects its North African location. On Playa de la Ribera, where Spanish holidaymakers soak up the sun, the Muslim call to prayer can be heard and minarets seen on the skyline. Every day, thousands of Moroccans cross the border to work in Ceuta, and Arabic and Spanish are both spoken on the streets. Churches sit alongside mosques, as well as Sephardic synagogues and even Hindu temples. From 2022, Ceuta declared that Muslim holidays like Eid al Fitr would be public holidays, on par with Christian celebrations in the exclave. Geographically, Ceuta is in North Africa, politically it’s Spanish, but culturally, elements of both continents and worlds – Muslim and Christian – coexist side by side. 1st May,2024

ANAS’ FACE SHOULD BE VIEWED IN CHAMBERS BEFORE HE TESTIFIES Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss Kwesi Nyantakyi has alleged paying a staggering $100,000 to Anas Aremeyaw Anas to prevent the release of the Number 12 documentary which made the the former unpopular. The documentary, spearheaded by Anas, exposed widespread corruption within the football administration in Ghana. It revealed Nyantakyi on tape taking bribes among other things Nyantakyi, who resigned from his positions at the GFA, CAF, and FIFA following the documentary’s release, alleges that Anas demanded $150,000 through his legal representatives to suppress the incriminating footage. However, Nyantakyi could only muster $100,000, which he handed over in an attempt to prevent the damaging revelations from coming to light. Despite Nyantakyi’s efforts, the documentary was ultimately released, leading to widespread condemnation and his subsequent ban from football. In a startling revelation on Onua TV, he recounted the events, revealing that even after the documentary’s release, he sought a refund of the bribe money, which was returned to him in installments. “Before the video was released, his lawyers reached out to me through his lawyer, a certain Kwame Gyan, a lecturer at Legon. I met him at his residence around Westland and gave them the money,” he said in an interview with Onua TV. “But they told me the amount was inadequate and later went ahead to release the video. “After the video came out, I asked for a refund and even the refund was done in pieces. Today, they would bring $20,000, the next day another $10,000. They were giving me stories, but eventually I got everything back,” Kwesi Nyantakyi said. 1st May,2024

MILITARY OFFICER KILLED A military officer has been shot dead over land dispute at Millenium City in Kasoa. The incident which occurred on Tuesday, April 30 saw two other officers narrowly escape death. The deceased together with the two other officers are said to have confronted some individuals working on a land claimed to have been purchased by one of the officers. Winnebo Ndego, the individual who is said to have facilitated the land transaction confirmed the purchase of the land by one of the officers. However, Ndego said the officers since buying the land have faced opposition from a group of individuals led by Fiifi, alleged to be a land guard and have prevented further development of the land by the officers. Despite previous reports made by the officers to the police, the situation remained unresolved. On Tuesday, April 30, the officers visited the land only to find out that a group of workers have been stationed and working at the site. They urged them to cease their activities and accompany them to the police station for resolution of the matter. However, the workers disagreed and this escalated the arguments. The officers then decided to return to the police station for a follow-up on their initial report. Upon reaching the police station, they were informed by an officer on duty that their case had been forwarded to the Central East Regional Police Command. The officers decided to proceed to the Regional command and follow up on their case, as they proceeded, they were allegedly ordered by one Benlord Ababio alias Nana Ben who is said to be a sub-chief to stop following up on the case. However, the officers refused and decided to drive to the Regional Command and follow up on their initial report. Nana Ben allegedly opened fire on the vehicle, a private Toyota RAV4 car with registration number GR 3591-24, killing one of the soldiers instantly as they attempted to drive to the Regional Command. The body of the officer has been transported to the hospital and police investigation is yet to commence on the incident. The Ghana Armed Forces is also yet to comment on the unfortunate death of one of its officers. 1st May,2024

CALL FOR PROTECTION AGAINST CRIMINALS Fish processors at European Town in Sekondi are calling for an urgent intervention to remove alleged criminals from the area to improve their security. They complain of incessant robberies which make the place unsafe for them. Maame Kofua processes fish at M’anntsi M’annkabi, a suburb of European Town in Sekondi. Maame Kofua is originally from Dwoma (Manford)in the Central Region. Like most of her colleagues here, she has come from another fishing community along the coast just to work. Their accommodation at M’anntsi M’annkabi can be likened to a hostel. Their work is mainly smoking and drying of fish they buy mainly at the Albert Bosomtwe Sam Fishing Harbor after which they sell at the market centers. Maame Kofua is a widow with five children. It is this business that sustains her family. From buying the fish and cleaning to processing, every member of the family plays a role. Unfortunately, all is not well here. She complains of being disturbed by “criminal elements” who live in the ghettos which have sprung up in the community. According to her, they are also mostly strangers who have been sacked from their communities. “Those criminals are really worrying us. We are strangers here and it’s impossible to keep all our belongings in the room. You know we can’t even keep the fish in the rooms. When they come around, they loot everything, our fish and working tools.” She says they rely on loans for the business so the impact is dire. “I have taken a loan of 10,000 cedis and I am required to pay 550 cedis each week so I am compelled to work harder in order to meet the deadlines. When I don’t get fish to buy at the shores, I have to go to the cold store to buy which is more expensive”, she said. Almost every woman here has a bad experience with the criminals to share. “We live in fear because we are always afraid of being robbed so we are unable sleep”, says Esi Akroma “So the leaders of Sekondi, Nana Kobina Nketsia, we beg you, help us. This town belongs to you. We are only strangers here to work. Now it is dangerous to walk around from 9:00pm”, Mena Bassaw added. Maame Kofua says these alleged criminals live in ghettos behind the fish smoking sheds and they strike at the least chance. They are calling on the traditional and community leaders to urgently intervene as their livelihood is under threat. SDG 8 emphasizes the need for productive employment and decent work for all, underlining that livelihoods should not only provide survival but also dignity and fairness. 1st May,2024

SMUGGLING GUNS TO GHANA A United States Army Major, Kojo Owusu Dartey, has been found guilty by a federal jury on multiple charges related to smuggling firearms to Ghana concealed within blue barrels of rice and household goods. The 42-year-old officer, currently stationed at Fort Liberty, faces a maximum sentence of 240 months, scheduled to be pronounced on July 23, 2024. The conviction follows a joint effort between US law enforcement agencies and Ghanaian authorities, shedding light on an international arms trafficking operation. Dartey was charged with dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the US, illegally exporting firearms without a license, making false statements to a US agency, making false declarations before the court, and conspiracy. US Attorney Michael Easley expressed gratitude for the collaboration with Ghanaian officials, highlighting the role of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the International Cooperation Unit Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana in the investigation. He also acknowledged the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attachés in Accra, and the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs. Court records and trial evidence revealed that between June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey acquired seven firearms in Fort Liberty and directed a US Army Staff Sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three firearms for him. These firearms, including handguns, an AR15, 50-round magazines, suppressors, and a combat shotgun, were concealed in blue barrels along with rice and household items and shipped from the Port of Baltimore to the Port of Tema in Ghana. The Ghana Revenue Authority intercepted the firearms, triggering an international response involving US agencies. Simultaneously, Dartey was involved in another trial as a witness, where he misled law enforcement about personal matters and lied under oath about a relationship, leading to additional charges. The case was investigated by the ATF, Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the US Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, with prosecution led by Assistant US Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz, supported by technical expertise from David Ryan of the DOJ Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. 1st May,2024