Download speeds across mobile networks are now faster than wi-fi in many countries, research suggests.
Speed tests in 80 countries revealed wi-fi was left lagging in 33 nations, according to wireless coverage mapping company OpenSignal.
Mobile data should also get a further speed boost when 5G networks arrived, it said.
Wi-fi remained the fastest way to go online in most countries surveyed, including the UK and Ireland.
But OpenSignal noted that because anyone could set up a wi-fi network in a location already used by others, performance could suddenly lag due to “congestion” of the airwaves involved.
By contrast, mobile networks have to license the spectrum they use, so in theory, the company said, they should deliver a more consistent experience.
“The perception that mobile networks are inferior to wi-fi has persisted, wrongly,” wrote analyst Ian Fogg in the report.
Australians enjoy the greatest advantage over wi-fi, with mobile download speeds being on average 13Mbps faster. Other nations in a similar position included Qatar, France, Mexico, Turkey and South Africa.
Places where wi-fi was on average more than twice the speed of mobile data included Hong Kong, the US, Thailand, Israel and Russia.
In the UK, wi-fi was about 60% faster than mobile because, said the report, its mature fixed network helped data get to hotspots and on to users quickly.
The differences in network speeds were more pronounced when only the latest 4G networks were taken into account.
A major port of entry in San Diego was closed for several hours on Sunday after a group of migrants on the Mexican side of the border rushed the area, leading US Border Patrol agents to fire tear gas at the group.
About 500 migrants overran Mexican police near the San Ysidro Port of Entry. As they tried to cross the border, agents on the US side deployed tear gas to disperse them. US Customs and Border Protection said the migrants threw rocks at Border Patrol agents, prompting agents to respond with tear gas because of the risk to their safety. Mexican and US authorities said several people were arrested on suspicion of attempting to cross the border illegally.
The incident marked an escalation of tensions that have been mounting since groups of Central American migrants began arriving in the Mexican border city, drawing protests and threats from US President Donald Trump to close the border. Meanwhile, Tijuana’s mayor and city residents have been calling for the migrants’ exit.
Migrants cross the almost dry riverbed of the Tijuana River in an attempt to get to El Chaparral Port of Entry in Tijuana on Sunday.
Migrants return to Mexico after US Customs and Border Protection deployed tear gas. The migrants were trying to illegally cross the border wall into the United States from Tijuana on Sunday.
US Customs and Border Protection fire tear gas toward migrants at the border in Tijuana on Sunday.
Migrants clash with Mexican police at the US-Mexico border after getting past another line of Mexican police in Tijuana on Sunday.
A migrant covers his face near the El Chaparral border crossing after US Customs and Border Protection used tear gas to disperse a crowd on Sunday.
Migrants climb over a fence as they try to reach the US-Mexico border in Tijuana on Sunday.
A migrant covers his face as he runs from tear gas.
Central American migrants are stopped by federal police officers near El Chaparral Port of Entry.
A migrant, one of thousands traveling from Central America toward the United States, is pushed back as she attempts to break through a line of Mexican police to reach the border wall.
People attempting to cross into the United States gather near their vehicles as the San Ysidro Port of Entry stands closed at the US-Mexico border on Sunday in Tijuana. Migrants circumvented a police blockade at another port of entry and US Customs and Border Protection temporarily closed the two crossings in response.
A migrant woman helps carry a handmade US flag up the riverbank at the border after getting past Mexican police in Tijuana on Sunday.
Migrants cross the Tijuana River to reach the border fence between Mexico and the United States in Tijuana.
Three Honduran migrants huddle at the riverbank amid tear gas fired by US Customs and Border Protection.
Migrants cross the nearly dry Tijuana River as they make their way around a police blockade toward the El Chaparral Port of Entry.
Migrants run along the Tijuana River near the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana on Sunday.
At least 35 people died in a boat accident on Lake Victoria in Uganda on Saturday, according to the Ugandan Police Force.
Police said the boat was “in poor mechanical shape” and was overloaded with passengers on a lake cruise when it capsized.
A marine unit has rescued 26 people, and searches are ongoing to find more passengers. More than 50 people are unaccounted for, said Army Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki Asimwe.
Authorities said they expect the death toll to rise.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni offered condolences to the victims, adding that “according to preliminary information from the security services” the boat was “private, unregistered, unlicensed and maybe uninsured.”
Somalia’s President also tweeted about the incident, saying the people of Somalia “stand by Uganda [in] this trying moment of grief.”
Ugandan police spokesman Patrick Onyango said there was bad weather at the time of the accident.
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister has asked the reconstituted Volta Regional Peace Council to take “keen interest” in the “conflict of ideas” that had greeted the creation of Oti Region and help resolve the issues.
He asked the Council to create a platform for “aggrieved individuals to reconcile their divergent ideas within acceptable societal norms and rules.”
Dr. Letsa said this at the inauguration of a 13-member reconstituted Peace Council in Ho, under the chairmanship of Reverend Seth Kwesi Mawutor, who represented the Christian Council.
Members of the Council include; Most Rev. Gabriel Ababio Mante, Catholic Bishops Conference, Rev. Joseph Senyo Pongo, Ghana Pentecostal Council, Lady Rev. Charity Agbley, National Council for Christian and Charismatic Churches, and Mr Muftau Raji Ibrahim, Ahamadiyya Muslim Mission.
Others are; Mr Ismael Masoud, Al-sunnah Muslim Group, Alhaji Saeed Anass Dawuda, Tijaani Muslim Group, Osofo Akotey Agbofa Atsyo, Practitioners of African Traditional Religion.
The rest are; Major Edward Sarpong Appiah and Mrs Helen Dzide, both representing the Regional Coordinating Council, Mr Clemence Gyato and Mrs Ayaakor Dela Enuameh-Agbolosoo, both from identifiable groups and Togbe Gbogbolulu V, from the Regional House of Chiefs.
Dr. Letsa said the Regional Coordinating Council and the Regional Security were open for advice from the Council and they counted on it for conflict prevention, management, resolution and the building of sustainable peace in the Region.
Osofo Kofi Atabuatsi, a Board Member of the National Peace Council, said the need for peace in the country had never been more apparent than now, when the country’s socio-political systems appeared not to be responding effectively to emerging conflicts.
“Our youths are becoming increasingly agitated over limited opportunities, with impunity eating into the very fabric of our society and the threat of extremism looming large over our sub-region,” he noted and called on the Council to buckle up ahead of the task for peace and sustainable development.
Osofo Atabuatsi commended the media for its role in peace building and urged it to continue to be circumspect and sensitive in reporting actual or potential conflict situations, because information played vital roles in conflict management and peace building.
Mr David Normanyo, Regional Executive Secretary, Peace Council, said the old Council helped to contain many conflicts in the Region and called for support from stakeholders for the new Council to ensure sustainable peace and development.
Rev. Mawutor pledged the readiness of the Council to discharge its work with commitment, honesty and sincerity and appealed for training on trauma healing and alternative dispute resolution.
Police at the Borae Police Station in the Krachi Nchumuru District of the Volta Region have appealed to government and benevolent institutions to provide the Station with an office space to enhance policing in the District.
The appeal was necessitated by the bad state of the District Police Station, which is described as a “death trap”, compelling officers at the charge office to work under a mango tree.
Mr Gyan Mante Frimpong, the District Police Commander, said the structure had been declared “not fit for use” for the past five years but had not seen any renovation, affecting the work of officers.
He said the situation had forced the officers to work under the tree, because they could not tell when the building would finally collapse.
He said occasionally, they had to move records and other important documents to safer places.
The District Commander said the roof of the building was leaking “so badly” that, when it rained, they had to find refuge at other places with consequences on crime prevention.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday commiserated with the family of the late Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko, the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, who died on Wednesday.
The President was accompanied by senior members of the NPP and government, including National Chairman of the NPP, Freddie Blay, Mr Alan Kyerematen, Minister for Trade and Industry, Energy Minister Peter Amewu, a Deputy Chief of Staff, Francis Asenso Boakye and the National Organiser of the NPP, Sammy Awuku.
Mr Agyarko died last Wednesday in the United States where he was receiving treatment for an illness at the age of 60.
President Akufo-Addo, conveying his deepest condolences to the widow and family of the late politician, described him as one of the pillars of the New Patriotic Party.
“We have lost one of the strongest members of our party… I am deeply saddened and I share in your pain,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He assured the family of the government’s commitment to give the family the needed support to provide the late MP a befitting burial.
The family informed the President that Mr Agyarko fell ill a couple of weeks ago and was taken to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
They said Mr Agyarko was sent to the United States for further treatment and died on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Agyarko was the Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority from 2001 to 2009.
He was born on December 10, 1957 at Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region. He obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
He was serving a second term in Parliament and was the Chairperson of the Environment, Science and Technology Committee. He was also a member of the Government Assurance Committee and the Health Committee.
He was a Presbyterian and is survived by a wife and five children.
More than 170 members of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra have been honoured for their dedicated services and contributions towards the growth of the archdiocese.
The awardees included the lay faithful, priests and the religious.
The Archbishop Andoh awards ceremony which was held at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra formed part of activities to commemorate the 125th anniversary celebration of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra.
Among the recipients of the awards were Justice S. K. Brobbey, a retired Supreme Court Judge, Commissioner of Police (CoP) Prosper Kwame Agblor, the Supreme Knight of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, Sir Knight Ambrose Yennah, Mrs Esther Hamilton, former headmistress of Apam Secondary School, Mr Emmanuel Prince-Agbodjan, an Architect and Mr Anthony Cobba-Biney, a retired Surveyor and former Estate Officer of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra.
The Archbishop of Cape Coast and Apostolic Administrator of Accra, Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, who was the guest speaker, said the archdiocese had instituted three categories of awards in honour of past archbishops.
These were the Bishop Adolph A. Noser (SVD), Bishop Joseph Oliver Bowers (SVD) and Archbishop Dominic Kwadwo Andoh awards.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle explained that the awards were meant to honour deserving parishioners and those who had distinguished themselves in the deanery and archdiocese respectively.
He pointed out that the Archbishop Andoh award was to honour parishioners who had been outstanding and exemplary in the archdiocese this year.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle commended the award winners and all those who had contributed towards the 125th anniversary celebration of the archdiocese, which would be climaxed with a High Mass at the Black Star Square on Sunday, November 25, 2018.
The chairman of the Anniversary Planning Committee, Monsignor Francis Adoboli said the church had every reason to celebrate 125 years of its existence and admonished the Catholic faithful to be thankful to God for His abundant blessings.
The Ministry of Information yesterday launched the Fifth National Policy Summit (NPS) with a call on Ghanaians to show interest in outcomes of the summit.
Scheduled to take place from December 9 to 10, the summit would take place in the Western Regional Capital, Takoradi.
It is on the theme “Improving Performance in State Owned Enterprises and Agencies” and would be held under the distinguished patronage of the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo.
Performing the launch, the Deputy Minister of Information, Nana Ama Dokua Asiama-Adjei said the summit would comprise eight parallel sessions and each would be addressed by chief executives and heads of selected state organisations.
She said the organisations would include; the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Accra Digital Centre (ADC), State Housing Corporation (SHC), Ghana Free Zones Board (GFZB), Microfinance and Small Scale Loans Centre (MASLOC), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), National Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan (NEIP) and the Committee on Illegal Mining.
Nana Asiamah-Adjei said like the other summits, the fifth one would be aligned to the coordinated programme of Economic and Social Development Policies.
She noted that government recognised the fact that information sharing was critical in creating awareness, promoting transparency, participation and decision making among the citizenry at all levels.
In line with this, the NPS was instituted to act as a platform for policy makers, businesses and civil society to engage and dialogue on how to work together to achieve the economic and development objectives of the country.
The Deputy Minister said apart from these, it was also intended to promote social accountability in the public policy cycle, mainstream development communication in the public sector and improve transparency and public access to information.
She said the topics to be discussed under the fifth summit would include: “Making the best of Ghana’s oil- the role of GNPC”, “Supportring Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Ghana”, “Bridging the housing deficit- the role of SHC” and “The role of credit in boosting small scale businesses”.
The other topics would include: “The role of Free Zones Board in boosting export”, “Safeguarding the health of consumers through improved regulatory activities”, “Promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Ghana to enhance job creation” and “Protecting our natural resources through an improved regulatory regime.”
In four years’ time, the Qatar World Cup will be under way.
The Gulf state’s hosting has been mired in controversy since Fifa’s shock decision to award it the tournament in 2010.
From being the first World Cup staged in the winter, to whether fans can drink alcohol, here is what we know so far about Qatar 2022.
When is it taking place?
The tournament will start on 21 November, with the final on 18 December – the national day of Qatar.
That will mean a change in schedule for the Premier League and Europe’s other major leagues, as they are normally in full swing by November.
One solution for Europe’s leagues could be to bring forward their winter break.
Uefa said a decision on the scheduling of that season’s Champions League and Europa League will not be made until 2021.
Qatar’s World Cup will be across 28 days, four fewer than the 32 of Russia 2018.
There could be 16 more teams in 2022 – with proposals to expand the tournament from 32 to 48. However, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin says such a plan could create “many problems”.
What time will the games kick off?
Fifa is yet to decide.
Qatar is three hours ahead of the UK, and kick-off times should be favourable for those watching on television.
“More than three billion fans across Asia and Europe will benefit from prime-time viewing during the tournament thanks to convenient kick-off times,” Qatar’s supreme committee for delivery and legacy (SC) said.
How hot will it be?
Hopefully a lot cooler than had it been held in the summer, when temperatures can reach 40C.
The SC says the average temperature will be 18-24C, and will be “perfect” for players and fans.
Can fans drink?
“Alcohol is not part of Qatari culture,” the SC told BBC Sport, and it is illegal to drink alcohol in public and be drunk in public there.
Alcohol is available in hotels, and that will be the case at the World Cup. It will also be on sale in other “designated areas”. What those areas are is yet to be decided, though organisers are planning fan parks.
It will be up to Fifa to decide if alcohol will be available in stadiums.
How easy will it be to attend?
Organisers are considering a similar scheme to the Fan ID that was used in Russia, which provided visa-free entry to the country.
Nationals from a total of 80 countries can already take advantage of visa-free entry.
Can LGBT fans attend?
Though homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, the SC said “everyone will become welcome in 2022” – but it is not clear how the current law will be applied.
An SC spokesperson said: “Qatar has hosted numerous major international sporting events where every fan has felt welcome and safe. The World Cup will be no different.”
Where are the stadiums?
With the longest distance between stadiums the 34 miles (55km) between Al Bayt Stadium-Al Khor City and Al Wakrah Stadium, organisers are considering offering packages enabling fans to attend two group-stage matches on the same day.
The shortest distance between stadiums is just three miles – from Al Rayyan Stadium to Education City Stadium.
Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will be the first fully demountable tournament venue in World Cup history. It will be built out of shipping containers and other modular building blocks that will be repurposed post-tournament into smaller sports and non-sports venues
Are they finished?
The 40,000-seater Khalifa International Stadium, situated eight miles from Doha, has been redeveloped and is the only one open – it will host the World Athletics Championships next year.
The other seven are at various stages of construction, with the SC saying work will be completed by 2020.
The 80,000-seater Lusail Stadium will host the opening match and final
What has been the cost?
Organisers say the total budget for the stadiums and training sites is $6.5bn (£5bn).
Concerns have been raised about the treatment of migrant workers building the new infrastructure, with human rights organisations condemning labour practices.
“Ever since Qatar was awarded hosting rights we’ve been pressing the authorities to clean up their act over the exploitation of migrant workers,” said Allan Hogarth, Amnesty International’s head of policy and government affairs.
“Promised reforms have been slow in coming and we remain concerned that 2022 will arrive and Qatar’s hundreds of thousands of foreign workers will still be facing exploitation and poor working and living conditions.”
Amnesty International said in September that dozens of migrants working on the city that will host the final had gone unpaid for months.
A spokesman for the Qatari government said the contractors involved, Mercury MENA, were not directly involved in the building of the stadium but in the building of the city.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the World Cup will “leave a great legacy”.
“On the social side, it has had a very important social impact in the whole region,” he added.
“When you think about all the debates on human rights and workers’ welfare… without the World Cup, these debates would not have happened and the improvements which happened would not have happened either.”
The tournament organisers said: “The health and wellbeing of our workers is our top priority. There are currently more than 30,000 workers on our sites.
“The SC’s worker welfare standards cover ethical recruitment, accommodation and working conditions. Regular audits support compliance, while contractors in breach of the standards are subject to enforcement measures, including contract termination and blacklisting.”
How good are the hosts at football?
This will be a first World Cup appearance for the team currently ranked 96th in the world.
They recently beat Switzerland – the world’s eighth best side – 1-0 and drew 2-2 with Iceland, as well as beating Ecuador 4-3.
Spanish World Cup winner Xavi and Dutch legend Wesley Sneijder are playing in Qatar’s top division.
“There were many fears about Russia, but it turned out to be a very safe World Cup, a very welcoming World Cup, in a country that made fans feel good,” said Infantino.
“The whole population contributed to that and I’m sure the same will happen here in Qatar. The Russian World Cup was the best ever, and the World Cup in 2022 has to be even better.”
Can England win it?
Speaking in 2013, then Football Association chairman Greg Dyke said they should aim to.
And, after their semi-final appearance in Russia this year, the vibe around the national-team set-up is certainly positive.
They have qualified for next year’s Nations League finals, beating Spain and World Cup finalists Croatia along the way but only time will tell whether they can end 56 years of hurt in Qatar.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited as part of efforts to rid the country of filth is to distribute 50,000 waste bins free of charge across the country.
Chief Executive Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong who disclosed this at the launch of an environmental campaign to rid the country of filth and educate the citizens on environmental cleanliness, said his outfit has secured $10 million from Ecobank Ghana Limited for the production of the bins.
The programme dubbed “Environmental Care Campaign (ECC),” an initiative of the Church of Pentecost formed part of the five-year strategic plan of the church, to partner government to accelerate the development of the country.
Under the theme “My Environment, My Responsibility,” the programme to be executed across the country in partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, would start with a massive clean-up exercise at Kasoa this weekend.
Speaking at the launch of the programme in Accra yesterday, Dr Agyepong said the distribution bins was critical in winning the fight against filth in the country, saying if the people have bins, they will not litter or throw rubbish on the street or the ground, which end up in the drains.”
Dr Agyepong said Zoomlion Ghana Limited was proud to partner the Church of Pentecost to implement the ECC, saying “Zoomlion has all the equipment and personnel to rid the country of filth.”
The CEO of Zoomlion said waste was wealth and efforts must be made to recycle the huge tonnes of waste generated in the country daily for useful purposes, stressing that like Mauritius, Singapore, and Dubai were raking in more revenue through waste.
“Unlike gold and oil and gas which need huge capital outlay to exploit, waste is abundant in the country and does not require huge capital to buy the resources,” he said.
The Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye said the ECC was one of the many Church-State partnership captured in the church’s vision for the next five years dubbed Vision 2023 and under the theme “Possessing the Nations: Equipping the Church to transform every sphere of society with values and principles of the Kingdom of God.”
He said the church was not concerned about the spiritual needs of its members, but the physical needs as well, saying “the Church of Pentecost is a wealthy church and cannot operate effectively in a society engulfed with filth.”
He said the programme would focus on four key pillars namely education, clean-up exercises, community-based initiatives and other activities.
To this end, Apostle Nyamekye said the church had produced 300,000 brochures on ECC in eight local languages to be used in public education on the programme.
The Minister of Sanitation, Madam Cecilia Dapaah who represented the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, lauded the Church of Pentecost and Zoomlion Ghana for the programme, saying “this is a clear indication of what non-state actors can do to support the government to accelerate the development of the country.”
He said promoting sound environmental cleanliness was a shared responsibility and it behooved on the church, civil society and corporate bodies to support the government deal with waste and promote good environmental practices.
Mrs Dapaah pledged government’s commitment to support the programme to ensure that it became successful.
