US busts '$50m Ghana-based cyber fraud scam': US investigators say they have busted a "Ghana-based criminal enterprise", with the arrest of six of its "ringleaders" in the US on charges of laundering more than $50m (£36m). "The scams we allege in this investigation include romance scams targeting the elderly, business e-mail compromise scams, and even fraudulent Covid-19 relief loans," the FBI's William F. Sweeney said in a statement. Four of the accused had between them controlled more than 45 bank accounts in which more than $50m had been deposited between 2013 and 2020, the statement alleged. A vast majority of the deposits consisted of large wire transfers and cheque or cash deposits from various US-based individuals and entities, the statement added. As part of the investigation, four luxury vehicles suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of fraud had been seized, the statement said. The vehicles were: Two 2019 Rolls Royce Cullinans, One 2020 Bentley Continental GT, One 2020 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG.

Why obesity is spreading across Africa: Processed food drives the obesity epidemic in cities. As the hard-up take jobs far from home, they are eating outside their homes as much as the rich do. Many flock to street stalls that hawk chips, sweets and pre-prepared millet and sorghum. Junk food is everywhere. A survey found that 25% of children aged between six months and five years in Niger had scarfed at least one packaged snack or drink in the previous 24 hours. It was 30% in Burkina Faso, and over 40% in Mali and Ivory Coast. Few people are educated about the risks of junk food. Junk food is “exciting for people, it’s new, it’s convenient,” says a nutritionist. More...