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The video of a ‘Pastor Daniel’ petting lions went viral; turns out it was fake news

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A fact-checking investigation carried out by the BBC has debunked claims by some social media accounts of a purported African Christian leader labelled ‘Pastor Daniel’ who, like the biblical Daniel, miraculously tamed lions.

The man had become an internet sensation, generating interest and excitement among social media users. But revelations by the BBC have now poured cold water on the spurious claims.

According to the BBC investigation, the claims have turned out to be false after the video of the said person petting three lions had already gone viral and was widely shared online in several African countries.

In the report, the BBC described the content of the viral video, thus: the man “in a blue suit can be seen playing with the lions, at one point putting his hand inside the mouth of one of them.

“Outside the enclosure, a small crowd is watching, some filming or taking pictures. The itself is real enough and there appears to be no manipulation of the footage.”

However, the platform provided an in-depth analysis of the video, knocking out the authenticity of the claim.

“Widespread claims have spread online that he is a church pastor recreating the Biblical story of Daniel in the lions’ den in a bid to prove his powers to his followers.

“The video has been widely shared in recent days in Ghana and Nigeria, but appears to have originated in Somalia. In Kenya, a local television station has shared the video on its social media accounts.”

Further fact-checking by the BBC went thus:

“The BBC has identified the man, and he’s not a church leader. Using a reverse image search we found a news story on YouTube from 2021 filmed at a tourist park in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in which an enclosure matched that holding the lions in the viral video.

“We were also able to determine that the man interviewed in the earlier film, named as Mohamed Abdirahman Mohamed, was the same as the one in the clip being shared across Africa in recent days.

“He is a zookeeper and has been working at the park for over eight years. The story mentioned a tourist park in Mogadishu, which by searching the name on TikTok in Somali led us to an account where the original video had been posted.

“There are other videos of Mohamed with the lions, the oldest posted in March this year. We also traced a Facebook page in the park’s name where in April, they had promoted the lions as an attraction available during Eid – the Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramadan.”

Culture

Ghana’s Afua Asantewaa begins second GWR sing-a-thon attempt

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Ghanaian singer, Afua Asantewaa, on Saturday, began her second attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest singing marathon by an individual.

The sing-a-thon which began in the early hours of Saturday, December 21, at Heroes’ Park, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, will run until December 25, and will see the determined songstress perform non-stop, focusing exclusively on Ghanaian songs.

According to Asantewaa’s manager, Madam Gladys Osei Owiredu, the audacious initiative is aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Ghanaian music to a global audience.

Owiredu confirmed that preparations for the event had been extensive but expressed confidence in Asantewaa’s readiness to finally break the record.

“I can confirm that she is ready for the task ahead. It’s been challenging—by way of preparations—but I can say she is ready,” Owiredu said.

Asantewaa’s second attempt follows her first effort in December 2023, which fell short of surpassing the current record of 105 hours held by India’s Sunil Waghmare.

But despite the setback, her team remains optimistic about breaking the record this time with corporate sponsors including International Maritime Hospital, Ghana Gas, Nasco Electronics, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited rallying behind her, underscoring the importance of the attempt in amplifying the global significance of Ghanaian music.

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Ghana’s Supreme Court dismisses suit challenging anti-LGBT bill

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Ghana’s Supreme Court has dismissed two separate suits challenging the legality of one of the proposed anti-LGBT legislations awaiting assent into law by the president.

The separate suits were filed by two legal practitioners, Amanda Odoi and Richard Sky, challenging the bill, seeking to declare it illegal and prevent the president from signing it.

The two cases had challenged the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

But in a ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to dismiss the legal challenges to the new anti-LGBT legislation that has been criticised by rights groups.

The controversial bill was passed earlier this year by Ghanaian lawmakers with three years imprisonment for people identifying as LGBT and five years for forming or funding LGBT groups.

While dismissing the cases, presiding judge, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, who delivered the ruling on behalf of the seven-member panel, said the cases were premature.

“Until there’s presidential assent, there is no act, the two cases were “unanimously dismissed,” she said.

The ruling is the latest blow to the LGBTQ community in Ghana and paves the way for the president to sign into law what many say is one of Africa’s most restrictive piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose term in office ends on 7 January, had delayed signing it pending the outcome of the Supreme Court challenge but the judges said the case could not be reviewed until it had been signed it into law.

It expected that incoming president, John Mahama, will sign the bill into law as he had always expressed his support for the bill during his electioneering campaigns.

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