KBC Channel 1

Author: BBC News

  • Ghana`s parliament vote to abolish death penalty

    Ghana`s parliament vote to abolish death penalty

    Ghana`s parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, joining a long list of African countries that have done so in recent years.

    Currently, there are 170 men and 6 women on death row, their sentences are soon to be replaced with a life imprisonment sentence.

    Death penalty has been a mandatory sentence for murder in Ghana.

    Opinion surveys conducted indicate that most Ghanaians approve the abolishment.

    During the last year, seven people were sentenced to death in Ghana-but none were executed. In Ghana treason is also deemed punishable by death. The last execution took place in 1993.

    MP Francis-Xavier Sosu put forward the bill to amend the Criminal Offences Act and received support from the parliament`s Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

    A London-based campaign organization, the Death Penalty Project (DPP), had worked with  Sosu to get the law changed.

    A statement from DPP stated that Ghana is the 29th African country to abolish the death penalty, and the 124th globally.

    In recent years, many African states have abolished the death penalty, including Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zambia.

  • Travel recovery to boost global economy, says IMF

    Travel recovery to boost global economy, says IMF

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased its forecast of how much the global economy will grow this year to 3%.

    The 0.2% improvement from April’s forecast was partly driven by increased post-pandemic travel.

    A strong jobs market and services sector was also included in the predicted uptick.

    But soaring consumer prices and higher interest rates remained risks in developed nations, the IMF said.

    China’s delicate economic recovery was also amongst the biggest risks on the horizon.

    The IMF’s chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told the BBC that the recovery from the pandemic is still having an impact.

    He said in the first three months of 2023, there was a “strong resilience” in the demand for services, going out, and travel and tourism.

    “Those countries [that] are tourist destinations have done relatively well. Those countries [that] are more manufacturing hubs have done maybe a little bit less strongly,” Mr Gourinchas added.

    The latest numbers from the International Air Transport Association show that in May global air traffic continued its recovery, reaching 96.1% of pre-covid levels.

    However, the IMF says there is limited room for further recovery in tourism dependent economies in southern Europe, some of which have been badly damaged by wildfires.

    So-called emerging economies such as China and India are set to see the fastest growth this year as advanced economies including Europe and the United States grow at a slower pace.

    The United Kingdom has had one of the biggest upgrades in growth since the last forecasts in April, with the IMF reconfirming May’s expectation of growth of 0.4%, rather than a decline of 0.3%.

    The IMF said this reflected falling “stronger-than-expected consumption and investment from the confidence effects of falling energy prices”, and “lower post-Brexit uncertainty”.

    However it leaves UK’s growth as the second slowest in the G7 group of major economies with only Germany faring worse, with a 0.3% contraction expected.

    The Eurozone’s biggest economy is already in recession because higher prices have led consumers to cut back on spending.

    Mr Gourinchas encouraged central banks to do what they could to continue bringing down soaring consumer prices, known as inflation.

    The US Federal Reserve, Bank of England and European Central Bank are all still some way off hitting their 2% inflation targets.

    Banks have been raising interest rates to make borrowing more expensive, and to cool down the economy. It has led to interest rates being at their highest since before the 2008 global financial crisis.

    The US central bank and the European Central Bank are both widely expected to increase the cost of borrowing again this week.

    There is continued uncertainty as a result of the ongoing debt problems in China’s property market as the country’s nervous recovery from the pandemic continues.

    The fate of China, the war in Ukraine, inflation and the higher cost of borrowing money are some of the biggest challenges facing the global economy, the IMF cautions.

    It says that although the outlook for the global economy is looking more positive, it remains below the 3.8% average seen in pre-pandemic 2000 and 2019.

  • Bayer: Weedkiller maker to take $2.8bn hit as sales fall

    Bayer: Weedkiller maker to take $2.8bn hit as sales fall

    Germany’s Bayer AG says it expects to take a €2.5bn ($2.8bn; £2.2bn) hit from a slower demand for its glyphosate-based products, including the controversial weedkiller Roundup.

    The announcement came as the company lowered its outlook for the year.

    In all, it has set aside over $15bn (£11.7bn) to settle lawsuits alleging its herbicides are linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other cancers.

    Bayer has denied wrongdoing but said the payouts would end “uncertainty”.

    On Monday, the Leverkusen-based company said it expected a net loss of €2bn in the three months to the end of June.

    Bayer said this was mainly due “a significant further decline in sales of glyphosate-based products.”

    The firm also forecast that its pre-tax profits could fall to as low as €11.3bn this year, compared to the €13.5bn it reported in 2022.

    A Bayer spokesman told the BBC that more glyphosate-based products had entered the market following the pandemic, resulting in a lower demand for the firm’s weedkillers.

    “The normalisation of the competitive environment around glyphosate was more pronounced than we had expected. This was the principal cause of our outlook,” the spokesman added.

    Roundup was originally launched by US firm Monsanto nearly five decades ago. It became known the world’s best-selling weedkiller.

    In 2018, Bayer bought Monsanto in a $63bn deal. The tie-up gave Bayer control of more than a quarter of the global supply of seeds and pesticides.

    The same year, a California court issued the first ruling linking Roundup to cancer and awarded substantial compensation to claimants.

    In the lawsuits, Roundup users blamed the weedkiller and its active ingredient glyphosate for their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other cancers.

    In 2020, Bayer announced a $10.9bn settlement aimed at resolving tens of thousands of lawsuits, while maintaining that glyphosate was safe.

    In March last year, the company said it had resolved 107,000 out of around 138,000 cases involving Roundup.

    “The Roundup settlement is the right action at the right time for Bayer to bring a long period of uncertainty to an end,” Bayer’s chief executive Werner Baumann said in 2020.

    He repeated the company’s view that the science indicates: “Roundup does not cause cancer, and therefore, is not responsible for the illnesses alleged in this litigation”.

    Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many weedkillers, although the science about its safety is still far from conclusive.

    Some countries have banned herbicides that contain glyphosate, while others continue to allow them.

    In the UK, there is no nationwide ban on glyphosate, although some councils in the country have stopped using it due to safety concerns.

    Bayer is set to report earnings on 8 August.

  • At least 12 killed in Cameroon building collapse

    At least 12 killed in Cameroon building collapse

    A building has collapsed in Cameroon`s biggest city, Douala, killing at least 12 people and injuring 5 others.

    It is still unknown the number of people inside the four-storey building when it collapsed onto another residential block in the early hours of Sunday morning.

    Distressed neighbors have described hearing screams and frantically trying to dig people out. The rubble is being searched for survivors.

    Teams from Cameroon`s fire brigade, the Red Cross and other rescue services are still working at the scene.

    The regional governor, Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, has sought to reassure people- saying that the situation is under control and rescue teams will make sure nobody is left beneath the wreckage.

    The cause of the building in Douala`s Ange Raphael neighborhood collapsing remains unknown, but the residents have told journalists it looked dilapidated.

    City authorities have been demolishing homes at risk from flooding or landslides, but this particular block was not earmarked for demolition.

    Building collapses are not uncommon in Cameroon.

    Back in 2016 a dilapidated building in Douola that flouted construction rules collapsed, killing five people.

  • Unilever will let Russia employees be conscripted

    Unilever will let Russia employees be conscripted

    Unilever has said it will let Russian employees be conscripted to be sent to Ukraine if they are called up.

    The consumer goods giant, which has about 3,000 employees in Russia, has policies that cover the well-being and safety of its workers.

    However, in a letter to campaign group B4Ukraine, it said it would comply with Russian conscription law.

    Unilever has been under pressure to pull out of Russia, but says the situation is “not straightforward”.

    In a letter to B4Ukraine, which campaigns for companies to cease operating in Russia to hurt its economy, Unilever said it “absolutely condemns the war in Ukraine as a brutal, senseless act by the Russian state”.

    It also said it had responsibility for its 3,000 workers, adding that it had “global principles including the safety and well-being of our employees”.

    Nevertheless, the British firm, which makes products including Marmite and Cornetto ice creams, said it was “aware of the law requiring any company operating in Russia to permit the conscription of employees should they be called”.

    “We always comply with all the laws of the countries we operate in,” wrote Reginaldo Ecclissato, Unilever’s chief business operations and supply chain officer.

    A spokesperson for the firm declined to say whether any Russian employees had been called up.

    Any who are will not continue to be paid by the firm, the spokesperson added.

    In its letter, it said it had paid 3.8bn roubles (£33m; $36m) in tax to the Russian state in 2022, which was a similar amount to the previous year.

    The majority of its business in Russia is personal care and hygiene products, but it continues to supply ice cream.

    At least 25,000 Russians have been killed in the war, according to research by the BBC’s Russian service and Russian website Mediazona, but other sources put the figure much higher.

    In February, UK intelligence services estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 Russian troops had died.

    Russian soldiers have also been accused by the UN of war crimes, including rapes, “widespread” torture and killings.

    Unilever and other Western firms have been under pressure to pull out of Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.

    However, Unilever has said this is “not straightforward”. If it abandoned operations, they would be “appropriated and then operated” by the Russian state.

    It has not managed to find a way to sell the business that “avoids the Russian state potentially gaining further benefit, and which safeguards our people”.

    It said there were no “desirable” ways forward, but continuing to run the business with “strict constraints” was the best option at present.

    However, the Ukraine Solidarity Project, which is part of B4Ukraine, said Unilever’s response was “jaw-dropping”.

    “One day you’re manufacturing ice cream, the next you’re gearing up for the front line. You can’t say Unilever isn’t offering its employees varied work experience,” said campaigner Valeriia Voshchevska.

    “If this is protecting your workers, I’d hate to see what putting them in harm’s way looks like.”

  • ‘Barbie’ wins Box Office with $337M global debut

    ‘Barbie’ wins Box Office with $337M global debut

    “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is the biggest movie of the year!

    The Barbie film has become the US and Canada’s most significant film of the year so far, said distributor Warner Bros.

    An estimated $155m (£120m) was made in its opening weekend, the company said, in those markets. Worldwide, Barbie‘s debut took in $337m (KSh. 53.5B).

    Meanwhile, the new release Oppenheimer – which also debuted on Friday – made $93.7m (£72m) in the US, said Universal Pictures.

    The features come at a time when cinemas in general are struggling as they lose out to competition from streaming.

    Meanwhile, in the UK, Vue said both films had led to the cinema chain seeing its busiest weekend in four years.

    Vue, which has 91 cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland, said it saw its biggest weekend in four years and second biggest weekend in history by admissions, with director Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on track to become the biggest film of 2023, ahead of Super Mario Bros.

    The two films brought in half a million people to Vue screens, with 4,000 sold-out viewings for Barbie across the UK and Ireland, the company said.

    Vue added that its most popular sites for Barbie include Cambridge, Glasgow St Enoch, Leeds Kirkstall, Bolton, Islington in London and Bolton.

    Oppenheimer’s plot is centred on the development of the first atomic bomb, starring Cillian Murphy and directed by Christopher Nolan.

    Meanwhile, Barbie tells a coming-of-age story of the children’s character where she explores her identity and encourages her friend Ken to establish individuality.

    The two films were both released on Friday and the competition between them was referred to on social media as “Barbenheimer”.

    The opening weekend for Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has seen its ticket sales overtake that for the opening weekend of blockbuster Super Mario Bros, making Barbie the biggest film of 2023 so far.

    On Twitter, one user said that it had been years since she had felt like going to the theatres to re-watch a movie, but Barbie had achieved that for her. She said it would “remain a timeless masterpiece over the years – ideas really are forever”.

    Before the films’ release, Odeon in the UK said more than 200,000 advance tickets had been bought and some 10,000 filmgoers were expected to see both the Barbie and Oppenheimer films during the opening weekend.

    Meanwhile, Vue cinema in the UK reported on Friday that Barbie‘s pre-sale purchases were “higher than any other blockbuster released this year”. Admissions on Friday were the highest for any Friday since the pandemic – and the chain’s third-biggest Friday ever.

    Universal Pictures said Oppenheimer had made £8.05m in the UK and Ireland since Friday.

    It added that Oppenheimer was forecast to have a better opening three days than Christopher Nolan’s other blockbusters – space-themed Interstellar, war thriller Dunkirk and sci-fi hit Inception.

    Earlier in July, stars left the premiere of Oppenheimer early because of strike action over grievances including the encroachment of artificial intelligence in the making and writing of Hollywood films.

    The film made $93.7m (£75m) in international markets, bringing its global total to $174.2m (£135m), Universal Pictures said.

  • Biden nominates first woman to lead US Navy

    Biden nominates first woman to lead US Navy

    Her nomination by Mr Biden must still be confirmed by the US Senate.

    One lawmaker is currently blocking the Senate from confirming military leaders to protest a military abortion policy.

    If confirmed as Chief of Naval Operations she will be the first woman to become a member of the elite group of senior military officers who make up the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    A 38-year veteran, she was only the second woman to achieve the rank of four-star admiral.

    In a statement, Mr Biden hailed what he called her “extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas” and said she “will again make history” when she is confirmed for the role.

    According to reports in US media, Adm Franchetti was not the first choice of the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who instead recommended TOPGUN graduate Samuel Paparo as the next Navy chief.

    Mr Biden also promoted Adm Paparo, nominating him to become the commander of the US military forces in the Pacific.

    The US Coast Guard is currently led by a woman – Admiral Linda Fagan – but that military branch falls under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense.

    Adm Franchetti is due to take up the position in the fall when the current chief’s four-year term expires. But she will begin the job in an acting capacity, as it’s unlikely that she will be quickly confirmed by the divided senate.

    Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is currently blocking the senate from confirming more than 270 military promotions over a Pentagon policy that pays the travel expenses of service members who have to go out of state to have an abortion.

    In his statement, Mr Biden criticised the senator, saying “what Senator Tuberville is doing is not only wrong—it is dangerous”.

    He added: “He is risking our ability to ensure that the United States Armed Forces remain the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And his Republican colleagues in the Senate know it.”

  • Tony Bennett: Legendary singer dies aged 96

    Tony Bennett: Legendary singer dies aged 96

    Tony Bennett, the legendary New York pop and jazz singer, has died aged 96.

    Bennett was known for songs such as The Way You Look Tonight, Body and Soul and (I Left My Heart) In San Francisco.

    During a career that spanned seven decades, the crooner sold millions of records and won 20 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award.

    He delighted generations of audiences – from the 1950s to the 2020s – with stylish renditions of classic songs.

    In 1951, Bennett had his first big hit with Because of You.

    In 2021, Love For Sale – his second album of duets with Lady Gaga – followed it to the top of the charts.

    He was the oldest man to have a number one album in the United States and, in a seven-decade career, sold more than 50 million records worldwide.

    Born in August 1926, Anthony Dominick Benedetto grew up in poverty in the Queens district of New York.

    His father, John, was an Italian immigrant who scratched out a living as a grocer. After a long period of ill-health, he died when Tony was 10.

    Bennett believed that his talent was inherited and that his father’s early death pushed him to succeed.

  • TSMC delays Arizona production in blow to Biden

    TSMC delays Arizona production in blow to Biden

    Chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) has delayed the start of production at its factory in the US state of Arizona, in a setback to President Biden’s technology ambitions.

    The firm says chip manufacturing will no longer start next year, due to a shortage of skilled workers.

    The White House has laid out plans to bring more chip production to the US.

    It comes as an ongoing trade row centred on the technology intensifies between Washington and Beijing.

    TSMC’s shares closed more than 3% lower in Taiwan on Friday.

    On Thursday, TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said production of advanced microprocessors at its Arizona factory in the south west of the US would now begin in 2025.

    During an earnings presentation, Mr Liu said the plant, which has been under construction since April 2021, faced a shortage of workers with the “specialised expertise required for equipment installation in a semiconductor-grade facility.”

    He added that the firm was “working to improve the situation, including sending experienced technicians from Taiwan to train the local skilled workers [in the US] for a short period of time”.

    TSMC also forecast a 10% drop in sales this year, because of slower demand for semiconductors.

    The company said its profits fell by around 23% to 181.8bn Taiwanese dollars ($5.8bn; £4.5bn) in the three months to the end of June, compared to the same time last year.

    TSMC first announced plans to build a facility in Arizona in 2020, during the presidency of Donald Trump.

    In December last year, the firm said it would more than triple its investment in the project to $40bn (£31.1bn). This marked one of the largest foreign investments in American history.

    At that time, Mr Liu said the first of TSMC’s two semiconductor production facilities at the Arizona plant would be operational by 2024, with the second coming online by 2026.

    A long-running technology dispute has seen the US impose a series of measures against China’s chipmaking industry, while investing billions of dollars to boost America’s semiconductor industry.

    The US produces around 10% of the global supply of computer chips, which are key to everything from cars to mobile phones. In 1990 the country accounted for almost 40% of global production.

    Last year, President Biden signed legislation committing $280bn to high tech manufacturing and scientific research in the US.

    The investment included tax breaks for companies that built computer chip manufacturing plants in the country.

  • Netflix debuts its first original African animation series, “Supa Team 4”.

    Netflix debuts its first original African animation series, “Supa Team 4”.

     

    [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy7zO64aAkA[/embedyt]

    The eight-part series is set in a futuristic version of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, and tells the story of four female teenage superheroes who are on a mission to save their city.

    Malenga Mulendema, Zambian writer and creator of the series says that she hopes the series breaks ground for more African stories to be told on platforms like Netflix.

    “The story is similar across the continent – the talent is there and the stories are there but the opportunities are few and far between. With partnerships with companies like Netflix, you have more chances to create and have the world see your stories.”

    Malenga Mulendema created the series after becoming one of the winners of a pan-Africa talent search by animation companies Triggerfish and Disney.

    Zambian rapper, singer and songwriter, Sampa the Great, has also lent her voice to the series, singing the show’s theme song.

    “Animation series shaped our childhoods and to know young Zambians get to see what they’ve never seen on TV before is amazing!” she posted on Instagram.

    The series will be available in English and Zulu.

    In recent years, Netflix has diversified its production outside of the US scoring success with shows like Money Heist (Spanish) and Squid Game (Korean).

    Netflix has also introduced a slate of original Kenyan productions including Country Queen, Disconnect 2 and African Folk Tales (Anyango and the Orgre).