France:Nice attack kills 84

A truck ploughed into a crowd in the French resort of Nice, killing at least 84 in what President Francois Hollande today called a “terrorist” attack on revellers watching a Bastille Day fireworks display.
The truck driver, who was formally identified today, was shot dead after barrelling the truck two kilometres through the festive crowd on the palm-lined Promenade des Anglais, sending hundreds fleeing in terror and leaving the area strewn with bodies.The truck drove on to the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of Bastille Day revelers who'd gathered to watch fireworks in the French resort city of Nice late Thursday.

Source: indianexpress

Lionel Messi: Argentina forward retires from international football

Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international duty after missing in a penalty shootout as Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years.

"It's not meant for me. For me the national team is over. I've done all I can, it hurts not to be a champion," the 29-year-old said after defeat by Chile at the Copa America.With Barcelona, Messi has won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.

But his only major international honour is 2008 Olympic gold.Argentina were beaten 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final by Germanybefore two Copa America final defeats by Chile on penalties. Messi was also on the losing side against Brazil in the 2007 Copa America final.

"It's been four finals, I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn't get it, so I think it's over," he added.

"I think this is best for everyone. First of all for me, and then for everyone. I think there's a lot of people who want this, who obviously are not satisfied, as we are not satisfied reaching a final and not winning it.'

"It's very hard, but the decision is taken. Now I will not try more and there will be no going back."Messi had scored five times at the tournament, including a superb free-kick in the semi-final against hosts the USA to become his country's record scorer with 55 goals.

Argentina and Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero said he hoped Messi would "reflect" on his decision and reconsider, adding: "I think he spoke while he was heated, because a beautiful opportunity escaped us. I can't imagine a national team without Messi."

Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero described the mood in the Argentina dressing room as "the worst I've ever been in", and was quoted by South American media as saying: "There are several players who are evaluating not continuing with the national team."

Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international duty after missing in a penalty shootout as Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years.

"It's not meant for me. For me the national team is over. I've done all I can, it hurts not to be a champion," the 29-year-old said after defeat by Chile at the Copa America.With Barcelona, Messi has won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.

But his only major international honour is 2008 Olympic gold.

Argentina were beaten 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final by Germanybefore two Copa America final defeats by Chile on penalties. Messi was also on the losing side against Brazil in the 2007 Copa America final.

"It's been four finals, I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn't get it, so I think it's over," he added.

"I think this is best for everyone. First of all for me, and then for everyone. I think there's a lot of people who want this, who obviously are not satisfied, as we are not satisfied reaching a final and not winning it.'

"It's very hard, but the decision is taken. Now I will not try more and there will be no going back."

Messi had scored five times at the tournament, including a superb free-kick in the semi-final against hosts the USA to become his country's record scorer with 55 goals.

Argentina and Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero said he hoped Messi would "reflect" on his decision and reconsider, adding: "I think he spoke while he was heated, because a beautiful opportunity escaped us. I can't imagine a national team without Messi."

Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero described the mood in the Argentina dressing room as "the worst I've ever been in", and was quoted by South American media as saying: "There are several players who are evaluating not continuing with the national team."

After Sunday's match finished 0-0 in 120 minutes, Chile won 4-2 on penalties.

Messi's miss was Argentina's first attempt in the shootout and it ballooned over the bar after Romero had denied Chile's Arturo Vidal.

Lucas Biglia also missed from 12 yards, with Chilean substitute Francisco Silva scoring the decisive spot-kick in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Messi made his debut for Argentina in 2005, going on to make 113 appearances.

For Barca he has scored 453 times in 531 games, including a La Liga record 312 goals. He has won the Ballon d'Or award for the world's best player five times.

In 2014 he was named as the best player at the World Cup, with then-Fifa president Sepp Blatter saying he was "a little bit surprised" and Argentina legend Diego Maradona calling the decision "unfair".

Argentina are already six games into their qualification campaign for the 2018 World Cup. They are third in the table, two points behind leaders Uruguay.

The top four teams progress automatically to the finals in Russia, while the team finishing fifth qualifies for a two-legged play-off against the best team from Oceania.

source:bbc.com

David Cameron announces resignation after U.K. votes for 'Brexit'

LONDON —  British Prime Minister David Cameron announced he will stand down after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, a decision that sent global markets into a tailspin Friday.

The margin of victory was 52% to 48%.

“We should aim to have a new prime minister in place by the start of the Conservative Party conference in October,” Cameron said in a speech to the nation Friday. He said he informed Queen Elizabeth II of his decision.

It is the first departure from the alliance since the EU was formed 43 years ago. It could prompt other member nations to follow the U.K.'s lead and reverse a decades-long drive for European unity.

The outcome will have far-reaching political implications for the future of the 28-nation bloc as well as the political future of Prime Minister David Cameron.

Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K. Independence Party said that "dawn was breaking on an independent U.K." He is not an member of the official "leave" campaign, but supports an exit from the EU.

The White House gave a statement early Friday after the U.K.'s decision: "The President has been briefed on the incoming returns in the U.K. referendum, and he will continue to be updated by his team as the situation warrants. We expect the President will have an opportunity to speak to Prime Minister Cameron over the course of the next day, and we will release further comment as soon as appropriate."

The British pound fell 11% to a 31-year low as the "leave" camp appeared on course to win the historic referendum. Dow futures plummeted more than 600 points. Markets were also volatile in Asia. Japan's Nikkei 225 average dropped more than 1,000 points, or 7%, through late-afternoon trading.

The Bank of England — the U.K.'s central bank — said it was monitoring developments closely and "has undertaken extensive contingency planning."

Iain Murray, vice president for strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based public policy organization, said Britain’s "surprising vote" to leave the EU is "only the start of uncertainty and opportunity."

"Negotiations over the terms of exit will take at least two years, and no one knows what form they will take or what deal can be struck,” he said.

Piers Hillier, the chief investment officer at Royal London Asset Management, an investment company, said he expected the U.K. to fall into a recession following the referendum result, the Guardian reported.

“Unfortunately I see unstable market conditions lasting for between three and five years whilst new trade agreements are drawn up,” he said.

The British currency initially soared to a 2016 peak of $1.50 amid signs that "remain" was winning the day, but then moved lower with losses accelerating. It fell from $1.50 to below $1.35 as results suggested a strong possibility the U.K. would vote to quit the bloc.

source: usatoday

June 3 disaster: Mass burial for 50 unidentified bodies

 

Kasapafmonline.com is reliably informed that a mass burial is being considered for fifty (50) bodies from Ghana’s worst disaster, June 3 Flood and Fire disaster which are yet to be identified and collected for burial by their respective families, one full year after the horrific incident.

This website has it on authority that these bodies are currently being kept at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and 37 Military Hospital morgues.

Ghana was thrown into a state of mourning after a tragic flood and fire disaster which claimed the lives of over 152 people following an explosion on that eventful Wednesday.

The Goil Filling Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra became the site of a cruel catastrophe after a gas explosion left charred remains of persons who had sought refuge from the floods in the area.

As the incident happened in the night, the dead bodies could only be found and carted away on the morning of the following day to the Police, 37 Military and Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals mortuary.

The gory incident resulted in hundreds of family members trooping to the named mortuaries to find out if their missing relatives had died in the event.

Some were fortunate enough to identify their dead relatives despite how charred some of the bodies were, following which the affected families later went for the bodies and to hold funeral services for them and eventually bury them.

It is however unclear why family members of these 50 dead people have not yet gone to the morgues to identify and collect their dead relatives.

Source:ghanaweb

11 Death Toll On Yeji Disaster So Far

Eleven bodies have been retrieved

Eleven bodies in total have so far been retrieved from the Volta River following Sunday’s boat disaster which initially killed six children.

The bodies of the six children (all under three years old) were retrieved from the river on Sunday by a rescue team.Subsequently five bodies were retrieved on Monday May 30.

Apart from being overloaded with passengers, the boat that sunk also had cows on board, Pru District Chief Executive Emmanuel Kwame Poku revealed in an interview with Prince Minkah on Class91.3fm’s Executive Breakfast Show on Monday May 30.

The boat capsized after hitting a tree stump, a correspondent with Alive FM in the Brong Ahafo Region, Daniel Takyi, reported.

According to the DCE, the cows kept getting the boat off balance in their attempt to get up during the trip, per accounts related to him after the accident. “…I know they were overloaded and somebody even told me there were some cows in the boat, so anytime the cows want to stand up in the [boat], you know what will happen. So, it’s true overloading and the tree stumps are the causes of the numerous accidents we have been getting,” he said.

Mr Poku said the naval officers patrolling both ends of the river have been mandated to check overloading, and, so, wondered why the problem persisted.

 

In an earlier interview with Prince Minkah on the same programme, DSP Abraham Bansah, Yeji District Police Commander, also confirmed that overloading played a major role in the accident.

He has, therefore, suggested that there be naval officers positioned to patrol both ends of the Volta River to ensure that vessel owners do not overload.

The passengers were being ferried from Nantwekope to Yeji in the region when the accident occurred.

A survivor told journalists that he had to struggle to save his wife and mother in the course of the rescue efforts.

The rescue team is still searching for other passengers who could not be accounted for. There have been numerous boat accidents on the Volta River in the past years. Three people died about a week ago on the same river in a similar accident.

As part of measures to curb such accidents, the DCE revealed that a law has been passed banning boat movements on the river after 6pm. He said currently the pontoon used in ferrying loadand passengers across the river, “is out of use, so, we depend on the boats”. He also said despite the availability of life jackets, passengers shun using them due to the heat it attracts.

Source:ghanaweb

Over 90 percent of ECG meters not calibrated

The raging controversy around ECG's faulty billing of some consumers, arising out of a combination of factors, including a supposedly software defect and un-standardised metering, can be blamed on institutional failure on the part of the Ghana Standards Authority and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC); Public Agenda's investigations have revealed.
The Paper's probe into the billing controversy has revealed that over 90 percent of the electricity meters imported into the country by all manner of persons (including people who have no idea about metering equipment), for public distribution are not calibrated to meet international and local standards, as required by law, and in accordance with the requirements of the Ghana Standards Authority.
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is the national standards body established by the Standards Decree of 1967 (NLCD 199) which has been superseded by the Standards Decree of 1973 (NRCD 173). The Authority is also the custodian of the Weights and Measures Decree (NRCD 326, 1975). These legislations together mandate the Authority to undertake the following functions:

• National Standards development and dissemination

• Testing Services

• Inspection Activities

• Product certification scheme

• Calibration, Verification and Inspection of Weights, Measures and Weighing and Measuring Instruments

• Pattern approval of new weighing and measuring instruments

• Destination Inspection of imported High-Risk goods

• Promoting Quality Management Systems in Industry

• Advice the Ministry of Trade and Industry, on standards and related issues

Public Agenda's checks have however established that, in addition to the reported abuse of the meter procurement activities at ECG, the company has also failed to submit meters in its custody for calibration by the Standards Authority. Only a few of the meters have recently been sent to the Standards Authority for calibration.
Calibration is the activity of checking, by comparison with a standard, the accuracy of a measuring instrument of any type. It may also include adjustment of the instrument to bring it into alignment with the standard. It is like buying a watch and setting it to the local time to ensure that its reading aligns with the national reckoning of time.
“If we all refuse to set the time on the clocks we buy, then certainly we shall all have different time readings on our clocks, and one will be unable to tell which clock is giving the correct time” explained an industry expert, who spoke to the Public Agenda on condition of anonymity.
Calibration is very important in all manner of transactions that are based on measured volumes of tradeable, including oil, gas, water, and electricity. This is because even the most precise measuring instrument can be used to cheat if one cannot be sure that it is reading accurately.
This fact explains the practice in the downstream petroleum sector, where the Standards Authority calibrates the fuel vending machines of oil marketing companies every year. The industry regulator, the National Petroleum Authority, then follow-up with routine but unannounced inspections to ensure compliance.
Experts say, in the case of mechanical and electromagnetic meters, wear and tear, arising from continuous use can lead to wrong readings, and so they have to be re-calibrated after a reasonable period of use. The period is established on the basis of the stability of the instrument itself and a review of the calibration records that already exist to determine whether an adjustment is needed.
The internationally renowned, UK-based Optical Test and Calibration (OTC) organisation recommends a starting periodicity of 12 months for most instruments with an increase in calibration frequency (to 6 or 9 months) if adjustment is required, and a reduction in periodicity to 2 years after a sequence of annual calibrations has shown that adjustment has not been needed.
The situation in Ghana departs from the established best practice. Most meters are not calibrated, and even when they are, they are never re-calibrated throughout their lifetime.
The ECG claims it has its own laboratory to calibrate its meters, but that claim could not be verified by Public Agenda as at the time of filing this story. But even if that were the case, it raises the questions of integrity and public confidence which can best be addressed through third party verification – the very reason the Ghana Standards Authority was established by law.
It is indeed a grave failure on the part of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to have allowed the ECG to install meters that have not been independently calibrated. By failing to ensure the independent calibration of the installed meters, the PURC has clearly failed to protect consumers from the risk of being shortchanged through inaccurate meter reading.
Indeed, the inaccurate reading could also mean the ECG being shortchanged if the reading records lower than actual units of electricity consumption. Efforts to get the PURC to respond to these findings proved futile.

Source:ghanaweb