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Macron, Merkel float ‘ambitious’ EU virus fund
France and Germany are proposing a €500bn ($545bn; £448bn) European recovery fund to be distributed to European Union (EU) countries worst affected by COVID-19.
In talks on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that the funds should be provided as grants.
The proposal represents a significant shift in Mrs Merkel’s position.
Mr Macron said it was a major step forward and was “what the eurozone needs to remain united”.
“I believe this is a very deep transformation and that’s what the European Union and the single market needed to remain coherent,” Mr Macron said following discussions via video link.
Mrs Merkel, who had previously rejected the idea of nations sharing debt, said the European Commission would raise money for the fund by borrowing on the markets, which would be repaid gradually from the EU’s overall budget.
Grants provided by the proposed recovery fund should also be used to help finance the bloc’s investment in a greener future, the two leaders said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the proposal “acknowledges the scope and the size of the economic challenge that Europe faces”.
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said the plan was “ambitious, targeted and welcome”.
Other EU countries must agree with the proposal, however, and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz later insisted that his country backed providing loans to member nations hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, rather than grants.
“Our position remains unchanged,” Mr Kurz wrote in a tweet, adding: “We expect the updated [EU budget] to reflect the new priorities rather than raising the ceiling.”
In EU political terms this is huge.
Chancellor Merkel has conceded a lot. She openly agreed with the French that any money from this fund, allocated to a needy EU country, should be a grant, not a loan. Importantly, this means not increasing the debts of economies already weak before the pandemic.
President Macron gave ground, too. He had wanted a huge fund of a trillion or more Euros. But a trillion Euros of grants was probably too much for Mrs Merkel to swallow on behalf of fellow German taxpayers.
The resulting compromise: a win-win for the two leaders. They hope. -BBC
News
Upper West Regional Police Command secures conviction against notorious robbers
The Upper West Regional Police Command is pleased to announce the conviction and sentencing of Abdulai Ibrahim alias Baba, 34 (Driver Mate) and Abdulai Kipo, 36 (Butcher), for their involvement in conspiracy to commit crimes to wit robbery and robbery.
The duo were found guilty and sentenced to 28 and 18 years imprisonment in Hard Labour, respectively.
The accused persons were implicated in a series of robberies across the Napogbakole, Danko, SSNIT, and Konta areas of the Wa Municipality.
Their arrest and conviction were made possible through intelligence-led investigations and meticulous gathering of evidence by the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate.
The conviction and sentencing were carried out at the Wa Circuit Court, presided over by His Honour Jonathan Avoogo.
The court’s verdict underscores the Command’s commitment to ensuring justice and safety in the region.
The Upper West Regional Police Command reaffirms its determination to make the region safe for peaceful coexistence and will continue to work tirelessly to combat crime and protect its residents.
News
Police arrest two suspects for possession of suspected narcotic substance at Ayi Mensah
The Ghana Police Service has arrested two suspects for possession of eleven (11) large compressed sacks of a substance suspected to be narcotics at Ayi Mensah in the Greater Accra Region.
The suspects, Mathew Narkotey and Augustine Teye, were arrested by a team from the National Operations Department (NOD) on June 7, 2025 during routine patrols. The suspects were onboard a Mazda pick-up truck with registration number GT 3490-P when a search uncovered the suspected narcotic substance concealed in the vehicle.
The vehicle and the suspected substances have been impounded and are currently secured at the Joint Operations Centre for evidential purposes.
Both suspects are in police custody assisting with investigations, while efforts are underway to arrest one Martey, named by the suspects as the intended recipient of the consignment.
