SEVERE FLOODING IN MUMBAI Heavy monsoon rains have caused severe flooding across Mumbai, submerging vehicles, inundating shops and disrupting transport in several parts of the city. Videos circulating on social media show floodwaters sweeping through commercial and residential areas, turning roads into rivers and leaving cars half-submerged while shops were overrun by floodwaters. The heavy rainfall, which exceeded 60 millimetres within a short period, caused widespread waterlogging, leaving commuters and residents stranded and bringing traffic to a standstill in several areas. Flooding was reported in Andheri, Sion, King’s Circle and parts of Navi Mumbai, where rail services were also disrupted. Authorities have advised residents to remain cautious as more rainfall is forecast. Mumbai experiences severe flooding during the monsoon season, with poor drainage, clogged waterways and rapid urbanisation often contributing to the impact of heavy rains. 4th July,2026

53, DIES WHILE PERFORMING TAWAF AT HOLY KAABA The Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG) has confirmed the death of a Ghanaian prospective pilgrim, Musah Sidi, aged 53, who collapsed while performing the sacred ritual of Tawaf at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and passed away shortly afterwards. In a press release issued on Friday, May 22, 2026, the PAOG announced the sad news with the Islamic declaration: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un" – To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. According to the Office, the deceased collapsed at the Haram during Tawaf, the ritualistic act of walking in a circular path around the Kaaba – a central rite of the Hajj pilgrimage. He died shortly after the incident. The bereaved family has been duly informed of his demise. The body is being prepared for Janaza prayers, which are scheduled to take place after Jummah prayers, following which interment will be conducted in accordance with Islamic traditio The PAOG noted that passing away while performing Tawaf is considered a profound blessing and a sign of a beautiful ending for a blessed Muslim. In Islamic tradition, a pilgrim who dies in a state of worship and in Ihram is promised immense spiritual honour in the hereafter," the statement read. The Office extended its deepest condolences to his immediate family, sympathisers, and loved ones, praying that Allah forgives his shortcomings and grants him Jannatul Firdaus – the highest level of paradise. The statement was signed by Mohammed Amin Lamptey, Director of Communications of the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana. 24th May,2026

ATTEMPTING TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT TRUMP A gunman burst out of a hotel doorway and charged through a security checkpoint in just four seconds as President Donald Trump was attending a press gala, according to new footage released by prosecutors. The CCTV video appears to show a security agent opening fire in the direction of the sprinting gunman, who is carrying a long-barrelled weapon, though it is unclear if he discharges it. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. He has not yet entered a plea. The US justice department says the video also shows Allen "casing the area" at the hotel on the day before the dinner, when he allegedly checked in as a guest. He is seen walking down a Washington Hilton corridor on the eve of the gala and popping into the hotel's gym, according to prosecutors. The defendant is accused of carrying a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun and three knives as he ran through a terrace level, one floor above the basement ballroom where the high-profile press gala was unfolding. Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, cabinet members and other White House officials were rushed from the venue after gunfire rang out. The new video, posted on X on Thursday by US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro, appears to be a higher quality version of a clip shared by Trump on social media in the aftermath of Saturday's incident. The latest footage shows nearly a dozen security agents gathered around a security checkpoint at the hotel. A man wearing a long dark coat walks through the corridor and disappears into a doorway. A moment later the gunman, having shed his coat, re-emerges and sprints through a metal-detector with both hands on what appears to be a gun. His coat was concealing a 12-gauge shotgun, according to an affidavit filed by prosecutors. The footage appears to show an officer fire his handgun at the suspect. Prosecutors have said the agent was hit by gunfire, but the alleged assailant was not shot. A Secret Service spokesman told the BBC on Thursday: "The officer was struck in the ballistic vest, but was not seriously injured." Ballistics experts have been investigating whether the Secret Service officer was hit by a bullet fired by the suspect, or by other law enforcement at the scene. Pirro said in Thursday's post on X: "There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly fire." However, a memo filed by prosecutors on Wednesday, asking a judge to hold Allen in custody pending trial, makes no mention of any officer being shot. It says that as the suspect ran through the checkpoint, a Secret Service officer "observed the defendant fire the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom". Earlier statements in charging documents alleged that one officer was hit in the ballistic vest by a single shot fired by the suspect. Defence lawyers for Allen have questioned prosecutors' claims that their client opened fire. On Thursday the director of the US Secret Service told Fox News that the suspect had fired at a Secret Service agent at "point-blank range". "All the evidence that I've seen, the suspect shot our officer point-blank range with a shotgun," Sean Curran told the network. Our officer heroically returned fire while being shot point-blank range in the chest with a shotgun, he was able to get off five shots. It appears that the suspect hit his knee, while being engaged by the officer, on one of our magnetometer boxes and began to fall to the ground. "That's what appears to be, and at that moment is when officers and agents were able to subdue him and pile on top of him." Allen faces additional charges, including transportation of a firearm between states to commit a felony and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence - both of which have maximum sentences of 10 years. 1st May,2026

IRAN SAYS IT WILL RESPOND IF US RENEWS ATTACKS Iran says it will respond with “long and painful strikes” on US positions across the Gulf region if Washington renews attacks, and has restated its claim to the Strait of Hormuz, complicating the plans of the United States for a coalition to reopen the waterway. Two months into the US-Israel war on Iran, the strait remains closed, choking off 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies. That has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of an economic downturn. Pakistan-led efforts to resolve the conflict have hit an impasse. Despite a ceasefire in place since April 8, Iran continues to block the strait in response to a US naval blockade of its ports, preventing oil exports – Tehran’s economic lifeline. Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “This is because of the war and the defence of our right – that is, according to international law, it is legitimate, legal, and accepted,” he said on Thursday night, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported. He accused the US of “exploiting a waterway” of which Iran is the coastal state. “In such circumstances, you cannot allow this waterway to be misused,” he said. Two months into the US-Israel war on Iran, the strait remains closed, choking off 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies. That has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of an economic downturn. Pakistan-led efforts to resolve the conflict have hit an impasse. Despite a ceasefire in place since April 8, Iran continues to block the strait in response to a US naval blockade of its ports, preventing oil exports – Tehran’s economic lifeline Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “This is because of the war and the defence of our right – that is, according to international law, it is legitimate, legal, and accepted,” he said on Thursday night, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported. He accused the US of “exploiting a waterway” of which Iran is the coastal state. “In such circumstances, you cannot allow this waterway to be misused,” he said. 1st May,2026

COCOBOD RELEASES GH¢2.6 BILLION The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has released GH¢2.6 billion to Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) for payment to cocoa farmers across all cocoa-growing regions. In a press release dated July 2, 2026, COCOBOD said the funds are meant for payment to farmers for cocoa purchases, with part of the amount earmarked to clear outstanding balances owed by LBCs for cocoa taken on credit. The Board stated that since the beginning of the 2025/26 crop season, it has paid GH¢34,523,447,255.64 to LBCs for onward payment to farmers. It added that approximately GH¢1.4 billion of the latest release will be used to settle remaining debts owed to cocoa farmers. COCOBOD said it is working with LBCs to ensure farmers receive their payments and has put monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure funds reach intended beneficiaries. The Board assured cocoa farmers that no farmer will be denied payment for cocoa sold through approved purchasing systems and urged those with outstanding payments to engage the relevant LBCs. It said the release reflects the government’s commitment to safeguarding farmer welfare and strengthening Ghana’s cocoa sector. 4th July,2026

MICROCREDIT INSTITUTIONS IN GHANA The Bank of Ghana (BoG) defines Microcredit Institutions as a specific category of licensed Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs) whose primary function is to provide small, uncollateralized loans (microcredit) to low-income clients, small-scale businesses, and individuals who are typically excluded from the traditional banking system. They are generally categorised under the BoG’s supervisory framework for Other Financial Institutions (OFIs) and are distinguished by the scope of services they are permitted to offer: 1.Primary Activity: They are licensed to provide Microcredit (small loans) and offer little to no other financial products. 2.Deposit-Taking Status: They are strictly Non-Deposit-Taking Institutions (unlike Tier 2 Microfinance Companies and Savings & Loans Companies), meaning they are not authorised to accept savings or current account deposits from the public. 3.Target Market: Their services are specifically aimed at promoting financial inclusion for low-income clients, operators in the informal sector, and small businesses who cannot access credit from formal banks. 4.Regulatory Status: They are corporate entities that must obtain a valid Tier 3 licence from the Bank of Ghana to operate legally as Money Lenders or Non-Deposit-Taking Financial NGOs (FNGOs). Below is a list of the Bank of Ghana’s authorised microcredit institutions in Ghana. No. Bank Name Address / Location Contact 1 BILLS MICRO-CREDIT LIMITED Mamprobi, Accra 0302687475 / 0273887113 / 0206385648 2 CARBON MICRO-CREDIT COMPANY LIMITED Accra North 0302546950 / 0244204450 3 CASHCOW MONEY LENDING LIMITED Amasaman 0244230584 4 CUD MONEY LENDING LIMITED Cantonments, Accra 0577668351 5 DAD MICRO-CREDIT LIMITED Cantonment, Accra 0246441101 / 024448089 6 DICKMAFLE MONEY LENDING LIMITED Agbozume 0244028009 7 DL MONEY LENDING LIMITED Kumasi 020201577 / 0500106010 8 F.O.D MONEY LENDING SERVICES LIMITED Accra 0577738770 9 FIDO MICRO CREDIT LIMITED Accra 0540114250 10 HERITAGE AND LEGACY MONEY LENDING COMPANY LIMITED Accra 0207431581 11 INFINITY CAPITAL MONEY LENDING LIMITED Burma Camp, Accra 0302964372 / 0203469586 12 LINK EXCHANGE MICRO-CREDIT LIMITED Cantonments, Accra 0302242746 13 MACELLA MONEY LENDING LIMITED Ashaiman 0205369118 / 0307031193 14 MAGNET MONEY LENDING LIMITED Madina, Accra 0302969087 / 0206619118 15 MHT MONEY LENDING LIMITED Achimota, Accra 0302948885 / 0302975587 / 0245925125 16 MULTITRUST MONEY LENDING SERVICES LIMITED Ahinsan 0244232044 / 0322082759 / 0244650074 17 NDL MONEY LENDING LIMITED Cantonments, Accra 0206467368 18 NECTAR MONEY LENDING LIMITED Cantonments, Accra 0302962311 19 NEW ACME TRUST MONEY LENDING LIMITED Mamprobi 0243220404 / 0342290780 / 0303937588 / 0505715683 20 PATKAT MONEY LENDING COMPANY LIMITED Mankesim 0244623454 / 0234979892 / 0208581251 / 0270230824 21 PRIMEFEX MONEY LENDING LIMITED Cantonments, Accra 0245704280 / 0342290529 22 PWF CAPITAL MONEY LENDING LIMITED Mamprobi 0208141968 / 0268141968 23 SELVAN AND SALIA CAPITAL MONEY LENDING LIMITED Cantonments 0208350396 / 0249001534 24 SIKAPRESS MONEY LENDING COMPANY LIMITED Niiboiman, Accra 0302676435 / 0302676336 / 0244172628 25 STAR CAPITAL MONEY LENDING LIMITED Airport 0572231930 / 0302542177 / 0302542182 / 0289601918 26 VISION FUND GHANA MONEY LENDING LIMITED Cantonment, Accra 0302502064 / 0244258848 / 0546702691 / 0501423871 27 WELCOME MONEY LENDING SERVICES LIMITED Takoradi 0312000602 28 YOBSONS MONEY LENDING LIMITED Mallam, Accra 0208377974 / 0242210520 / 0302332633 Tags: Bank of Ghana 4th July,2026

LAKE BOSOMTWE SHOWING GOLD GLITTERS Anyone who has visited Lake Bosomtwe before, especially at the Abono town side may have heard the famous oral narrative of how the lake was discovered in relation to the hunter called 'Bompe', his dog 'Daakye' and the hunt for an antelope (Otwe). It is interesting especially hearing the narrative from the children at the Abono side of the lake explaining that the hunter, Bompe was on a hunting spree one night with his dog - Daakye - and they came across an antelope (Otwe). He reportedly fired at the antelope and thought he had hit it, but the wounded antelope fled the scene. The hunter is said to have followed the blood droplets presuming the angle at which, he hit the antelope, it was going to drop dead nearby. According to the narrative, the hunter followed and saw the antelope resting near a small body of water, but when he made an attempt to approach it, the antelope reportedly jumped into the water and was not seen again. The hunter thinking the pond was too small for the antelope to drown reportedly jumped into the water but did not find it. Since he could not find it, he reported back to his village/cottage folks who concluded the pond was a sacred site believed to be housing a god [Bosom]. According to the narrative, the small magical body of water rapidly swell into the lake we see today. A combination of the word Bosom in relation to the sacred site for the god [Bosom] and the antelope (Otwe), gave the name Bosomtwe [antelope god - Otwe Bosom otherwise referred to as Bosomtwe] According to NASA's Earth Observatory, the Lake Bosomtwe area is also considered a "place where souls bid farewell to Earth before entering the afterlife." The scientific narrative of a meteor slamming into planet earth In reality, modern-day geologists have a more fiery, explosive explanation for the lake’s origin. Scientific analysis shows that an asteroid about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) wide slammed into the African rainforest just over 1 million years ago, leaving one of the youngest and best-preserved complex impact craters on Earth. Meaning, the lake actually formed around 1 million years ago, when a roughly 3,300-foot-wide (1 km) meteor slammed into planet earth, creating "arguably the best-preserved complex young impact structure known on Earth," according to the International Commission on Geoheritage. The catastrophic collision likely triggered "a blinding flash of light and an immense fireball [that] would have incinerated life for dozens of kilometers," Marian Selorm Sapah, a senior lecturer in the University of Ghana's Department of Earth Science, told the Earth Observatory. If the same event occurred today, it would likely obliterate the city of Kumasi, she added. According to the geologists, the energy released would have generated a massive shockwave, flattening forests and hurling tons of vaporized rock and debris around the crater. Meaning, a similar impact in that same location today would result in the complete destruction of everything within a radius of several hundred kilometers, including major cities like Kumasi, according to Sapah. The volume of dust and aerosols injected into the upper atmosphere would also likely block enough sunlight to lead to an “impact winter” with long-term effects on agriculture. Lake Bosumtwe, a bowl-shaped body of water southeast of the fast-growing city of Kumasi (partially visible in the top left of the photo above), spans 49 square kilometers (19 square miles). The roughly circular body of water, which is up to 240 feet (70 meters) deep, is Ghana's only natural lake. It is in the Bosomtwe district of the Ashanti Region A report on science.nasa.gov on the explosive beginning for Lake Bosomtwe states that the exotic geology has drawn attention to the crater for economic reasons as well. When the asteroid struck, the shockwave fractured the crust around the crater, creating an extensive network of faults and cracks that allowed hot fluids to circulate. The event helped concentrate gold and other minerals from a gold-bearing rock layer called the Birimian Supergroup near the surface and primed the area around the crater to become a target of small-scale gold mining, locally referred to as galamsey (gather and sell). The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured December 21, 2024 image of Bosumtwe. The other image captured on December 29, 2015 shows the same area in December 2015. These images, along with a separate analysis by remote sensing experts, show a marked expansion of mining, particularly southwest of the lake, as well as rapid expansion of farmland and villages around the lake in recent decades. The greener water in 2024 is likely due to the lake having a higher concentration of some types of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton in the lake varies seasonally due to changing environmental conditions. Some research suggests that land use change near the lake may be contributing to increased loads of nutrients and making certain types of phytoplankton more abundant. A team of NASA-funded scientists developed an app that uses Landsat images to track the expansion of gold mining in this region and helps distinguish between artisanal and industrial-scale mines. While industrial-scale mining typically occurs within large open pits, artisanal mining is usually more superficial; however, it often leaves swathes of deforested land and mercury-contaminated waterways. Most of the new mining seen around the lake was classified as artisanal. The stark visual evidence of anthropogenic change juxtaposed with a million-year-old geological landmark is striking,” Sapah said. “The clear encroachment of settlements, agriculture, and mining activities right up to the lake’s steep crater rim is a testament to both the image resolution and the scale of the change.” 28th May,2026

300 GHANAIANS EVACUATED FROM SOUTH AFRICA As families and government officials gathered to receive them. the evacuees included 26 persons detained for visa violations in South Africa. They touched down at about 3 p.m. in a chartered Ethiopian Airlines flight amid cheers and relief Many were seen waving the Ghana flag and singing patriotic songs, while others also shed tears of joy, as they stepped on home soil after weeks of uncertainty and fears, having been subjected to ridicule and harassment to return to their countries by Black South Africans, leading the charge of xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians and other African nationals. The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye-Quayson, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Dr Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, led a government delegation to welcome the returnees. They were joined by officials from the ministry, the Ghana Immigration Service and other security agencies, the Ghana Airport Company Ltd, as well as anxious family members who had waited hours at the arrival hall of Terminal Two. The atmosphere was charged with excitement and gratitude at the arrival hall, where a short ceremony to welcome them took place. They were provided with hot meals as a welcome refreshment, while each would also go home with one bag of food items. Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting Ghanaians abroad. The government also promised to offer the evacuees immediate support. Mr Ablakwa indicated that the evacuation demonstrated the government’s resolve to safeguard the dignity and safety of every Ghanaian, no matter where they were. Today, the Mahama Administration is demonstrating that wherever Ghanaians are, we will make sure you are protected, your dignity is respected, and we will go the length of this world to bring you back home safely,” he said. The Foreign Affairs Minister added that the government would ensure they were not left to struggle alone. Mr Ablakwa assured the returnees that they would receive transportation allowance to reach their hometowns and a special reintegration package to help them restart their lives. President Mahama says that all of you should be given two special allowances--- a transportation allowance and a reintegration allowance--- a special package to help you put your lives back on track,” he said. He credited the successful operation to the collaboration between the Office of the Chief of Staff, NADMO, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the International Organisation for Migration, and the staff of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Mr Ablakwa also disclosed that the government negotiated with the South African government for the release of the 26 Ghanaian detainees, who were arrested due to visa violations. The Foreign Affairs Minister also thanked Ethiopian Airlines for its cooperation during the evacuation and commended the passengers for their conduct. 28th May,2026