I HAVE NO FACEBOOK ACCOUNT- BY ASAMOAH GYAN

Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has confirmed again that he does not have a Facebook account, calling on the public to beware of persons who have created fake Social Media pages in his name.


The Shanghai SIPG striker tweeted on Tuesday asking the public to help report the individuals  behind the fake Facebook account in his name.



Some of them have been associated with fraud and has therefore warned the public to be careful  in their dealings with these accounts.

Gyan has previously issued a disclaimer to the public about people using his name and image to create fake Facebook and Twitter accounts.
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OBAMA TO SEND ABOUT 250 MORE TROOPS TO SYRIA ON MONDAY

 

US President Barack Obama will on Monday announce plans to send up to 250 more military personnel to Syria, according to a senior administration official, intensifying US assistance to rebels as a ceasefire falters.

Obama "tomorrow will announce that he has authorized up to 250 additional forces deploying to Syria," the source said, adding that the president would confirm the deployment in a speech in the northern city of Hanover.

US troops in Syria are mandated to advise and assist Syrian rebel and anti-Islamic State forces.

Obama is currently in Germany for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The pair will be joined Monday by leaders from Britain, France and Italy, a meeting called at Obama's request and which looks set to focus on the fight against the Islamic State group.

"The president has authorized a series of steps to increase support for our partners in the region, including Iraqi security forces as well as local Syrian forces who are taking the fight to ISIL," said the official.

Obama is set to announce the decision at the Hanover trade fair before the meeting with European leaders.

On Sunday Obama pressed for parties to the Syrian conflict to return the negotiating table and "reinstate" a faltering internationally-brokered ceasefire.

"I spoke to (Russian) President Vladimir Putin early last week to try to make sure that we could reinstate the cessation of hostilities," Obama told a news conference in Germany.

That was the clearest indication yet that the White House believes the increasingly troubled ceasefire has disintegrated as regime and rebel bombardments claimed 26 lives Sunday.

The White House has argued that the ceasefire, while imperfect, is worth pursuing and is the only way out of the brutal five-year war.

But its stance is bringing Washington and its allies into ever more conflict with rebel groups on the ground, which continue to be on the receiving end of regime attacks.

Pressure on Obama is increasing in the United States, which is in the throes of a fiercely fought presidential election race, and from European allies who want to halt a massive influx of refugees.

Many of Obama's critics have called for a safe zone to be established, something that could bring Western militaries into direct conflict with Russian and Syrian forces already in the area.

Obama insisted that establishing a safe zone "is not a matter of an ideological objection on my part".

"As a practical matter, sadly, it is very difficult to see how it would operate short of us essentially being willing to militarily take over a big chunk of that country."

Obama has come under criticism for his handling of Syria's war, with opponents saying he could have done more to stem the bloodshed.

But the US president -- who came to power vowing to withdraw US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan -- has stood fast in his opposition to plunging the United States into another ground war in the Muslim world.

THE WORST LEAD POISON OUTBREAK IN NIGERIA

In March 2010, the international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) discovered an outbreak of lead poisoning in remote villages in Zamfara State, Nigeria. More than 17,000 people were severely poisoned and 400-500 children died as a result of soil lead contamination associated with artisanal gold mining/processing in residential compounds. International organizations collaborated with Nigerian health authorities and local civil and traditional governments to provide emergency medical, environmental, technical, and public health response.

Remediation activities, conducted in three phases from May 2010 to July 2013, were modeled on Idaho/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “Superfund” protocols. Post-cleanup activities included medical treatment in MSF-run clinics, monitoring the sustainability of the remediation, and implementation of safer mining practices. The epidemic has been characterized as unprecedented, and the ensuing cleanup one of the largest and most comprehensive ever undertaken by an African government. 

Remediating the villages presented numerous resource, logistic, cultural, institutional, and technical challenges. The remote area is difficult to access and has little infrastructure. Village life is ruled by overlapping civil, tribal, and Sharia governments, exhibits gender-segregated social structure, suffers numerous endemic diseases with limited healthcare, and a workforce dependent on primitive tools and labor practices. The cleanup evolved from an emergency response initially developed and directed largely by international personnel from TerraGraphics (TG) to a multi-disciplinary program carried out by Nigerian federal, state, and local governments employing village workers.

The Source of Lead Poisoning

The source of the epidemic was artisanal gold mining that became prolific in 2009-10. For several months, ore processing was conducted at numerous sites within the villages. Because local religious and cultural practices include the sequestration of married women, ore crushing, washing, and gold recovery were undertaken within homes to utilize the women’s labor. During the rapid increase in mining activities, a dangerous gold ore exceeding 10% lead was introduced. By April 2010, with death and illness prevalent, the local Emirates ordered a temporary suspension of artisanal ore processing and later required that all operations be moved approximately outside the villages. However, extremely hazardous waste and contaminated soils remained in the residences and communal areas.

MSF/TG focused on emergency medical treatment and environmental response. MSF, ZMOH, and FMOH developed village chelation therapy clinics. All entities agreed that children could not live in contaminated homes as it would compromise the treatment. Coupled with local resistance to relocation, this required the villages to be remediated prior to commencing chelation.

Remediation Activities

Remediation continued over three and one-half years in three phases, encompassing 8 villages and 17,000 residents.

Phase I Remediation was an emergency response in two villages (Dareta and Yargalma). While MSF and ZMOH established village clinics and implemented treatment protocols, TG and ZMOE developed emergency remediation protocols appropriate to local resources. The work was conducted by ZMOE with TG providing technical guidance. By September 2010, remediation and relocation of mining activities had reduced the average blood lead level of children entering treatment from 173 µg/dL to 86 µg/dL. 

• June 2010-July 2011
• Funding: Zamfara State, TG, Blacksmith Institute (BI), and MSF
• 148 Homes remediated
• Exposures reduced for >2,100 residents
• Allowed MSF to treat >100 children

Phase II Remediation addressed five villages (Abare, Duza, Sunke, Tungar Daji, and Tungar Guru) resident to 6,385 people. During Phase II, further investigation by the CDC and Nigerian authorities suggested that artisanal gold mining was occurring in other areas and significant lead contamination was confirmed in more than 30 villages. Another study revealed water quality problems related to the mining activities.

Additional surveys conducted by TG and ZMOE found extensive contamination in Bagega Village, where 1,500 children under age five were at severe risk for lead poisoning. An adjacent abandoned processing site (Industrial Area) had more than 8,700 cubic meters of high concentration lead waste extending into the main water reservoir serving the region. 

• October 2011 - March 2011
• Funding: United Nations (UN) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Zamfara State, TG, and BI
• Exposures reduced for >6300 people
• Allowed MSF to treat >1,200 children

Phase III commenced following 18 months of advocacy encouraging the Nigerian federal government to complete the remediation in Bagega. TerraGraphics International Foundation (TIFO), the non-profit humanitarian successor to TG, was retained to provide remediation oversight when funding was released in February 2013. Efforts are ongoing by the Nigerian governments and the affected communities to sustain the remedy and adopt safer mining techniques.

• February - July 2013
• Funding: Nigerian Federal Government
• 352 homes, 54 public areas, the Industrial Area, the contaminated reservoir remediated
• Exposures reduced for >7,000 residents
• Allowed MSF to treat >650 children 

Summary

• >27,000 cubic meters of contaminated soils and mining waste removed
• 820 residential compounds and ore processing areas in 8 villages remediated
• Soil lead exposures decreased 97%
• 2349 children to received chelation treatment
• Mean pre-treatment blood lead levels for children <five years of age declined from 173 µg/dL to <20 µg/dL over the four year remedial program
• > 2,300 children < 5 years of age received chelation therapy

The unprecedented outbreak and subsequent response demonstrate that, given sufficient political will and modest investment, the world’s most challenging environmental health crises can be addressed and resolved within the capabilities of host countries.

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OIL CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA

Over the last decade we have worked with and supported many local partner organisations and communities in the Niger Delta on the issues that affect them. Issues such as improving oil spill response and compensation, mediating inter-communal conflicts, addressing local energy needs, supporting the struggle against slum clearance, monitoring elections, dealing with corruption and striving for environmental and social justice. In this time we have learned that it is only when Civil Society, Government and Industry work together can truly sustainable solutions be found that will help build a lasting peace.

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Carter Center Celebrates 100 Elections

 

Twenty-six years ago, in May 1989, The Carter Center sent its first-ever team of election observers to Panama, where their work exposed General Manuel Noriega's scheme to falsify tally sheets to swing the elections in favor of his handpicked candidate. That set in motion a series of events that led to Noriega's downfall and the instatement of the rightful president. It also established The Carter Center as a leader in what was then the still relatively new field of election observation.

In the intervening years, the Center's observation teams have witnessed elections in 38 countries. Their arrival — always at critical times in a country's history — helps ensure that human rights and democratic values are respected and inspires confidence in the voting process. The Carter Center has developed a reputation as a trusted, impartial witness who speaks the truth.

In May 2015, The Carter Center observed its 100th election, this one in Guyana. As we celebrate this important milestone, we take time to reflect on some of the 99 that have preceded it.