At least six people have died during a crowd crush at a military recruitment event in a stadium in Ghana.
Wednesday’s “tragic” crush appeared to have been caused by “an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates,” said a statement from Ghana’s armed forces.
Twenty-two others were injured, including five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had turned up to El-Wak stadium, in the capital, Accra, with the hope of joining the military.
Ghana has a youth unemployment rate of about 32%, the latest government statistics show, and such recruitment events normally draw large crowds and often result in chaotic scenes.
The deadline to apply for this event was extended by a week to accommodate more applicants, as some had experienced difficulties in the process.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the crush occurred ahead of the event’s scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
Calm has been restored, and the recruitment exercise has now started.
MBW’s Stat Of The Week is a series in which we highlight a data point that deserves the attention of the global music industry. Stat Of the Week is supported by music data analytics firm Chartmetric.
Believe-owned distribution platform TuneCore, a prominent player in the global independent music distribution space, revealed on Wednesday (November 12) that self-releasing artists have earned more than $5 billion via its platform since it was founded in 2006.
TuneCore describes the milestone as “the first public achievement of its kind” among distributors for self-releasing artists.
The milestone comes over a year and a half after TuneCore crossed the $4 billion threshold.
That means TuneCore has paid out around $1 billion since June 2024, or about $59 million per month between June 2024 and November 2025.
The figure represents cumulative earnings across TuneCore’s entire artist base over nearly two decades, spanning bedroom producers, emerging acts and established performers across all genres and markets.
TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson described the achievement as “a defining milestone for independent music.”
“It shows that creative freedom and financial success can go hand in hand. Reaching this milestone didn’t just happen; it’s the result of listening closely to what artists need today and evolving TuneCore to power their growth,” added Gleeson.
“By combining innovation with intention, we’ve built programs like TuneCore Accelerator to help artists reach new audiences, and publishing services that ensure they collect every cent their music generates. This milestone reflects the extraordinary talent and drive of our artists around the world, and we’re proud to be the partner helping to fuel their success.”
“This milestone reflects the extraordinary talent and drive of our artists around the world, and we’re proud to be the partner helping to fuel their success.”
Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore
In addition to the payout figure, TuneCore also announced that artists in its Accelerator program have generated over 21 billion new streams and facilitated 2.5 billion artist discoveries.
TuneCore charges artists a flat annual fee to upload their music to DSPs like Spotify, AppleMusic, AmazonMusic and TikTok, and it pays those artists 100% of the royalties earned from their music.
In its latest report, TuneCore also revealed that 75% of new artists and labels joining the platform over the past year were from outside of the United States.
TuneCore’s Digital service partners celebrated the milestone on Wednesday.
“This achievement is a testament to TuneCore’s unwavering commitment to innovation for the independent artist community.”
Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music, YouTube: “This achievement is a testament to TuneCore’s unwavering commitment to innovation for the independent artist community. For almost two decades, they’ve been committed to providing the infrastructure for artists to build durable careers and monetize their work.
“We share that mission—ensuring that YouTube is the global destination for their artists to build meaningful connections with their fans. We are proud to partner with TuneCore and celebrate this monumental success!”
“TuneCore artists make up a vital component of TikTok’s music library and, as a longtime supporter of independence, we are proud to partner with them to amplify rising artists and help them find new fans among TikTok’s global audience.”
Tracy Gardner, TikTok
Tracy Gardner, Global Head of Music Business Development, TikTok: “TuneCore artists make up a vital component of TikTok’s music library and, as a longtime supporter of independence, we are proud to partner with them to amplify rising artists and help them find new fans among TikTok’s global audience.”
“TuneCore paying $5B to artists is an inspiring milestone that reflects how far independent music has come in the streaming era.”
Charlie Hellman, Spotify
Charlie Hellman, SVP, Global Head of Music, Spotify: “We are proud to partner with TuneCore to uplift independent artists and enable countless songwriters, producers, and performers to turn their passion for music into a career.
“TuneCore paying $5B to artists is an inspiring milestone that reflects how far independent music has come in the streaming era.”
“We commend TuneCore for helping so many talented independent artists from around the world earn money and build careers on their own terms.”
Oliver Schusser, Vice President, Apple Music and Beats: “At Apple, we celebrate the creativity and value of creators across every stage of development, and we commend TuneCore for helping so many talented independent artists from around the world earn money and build careers on their own terms. Congrats!”
Oliver Schusser, Vice President, AppleMusic and Beats, said: “At Apple, we celebrate the creativity and value of creators across every stage of development, and we commend TuneCore for helping so many talented independent artists from around the world earn money and build careers on their own terms. Congrats!”
TuneCore also highlighted a couple of recent artist success stories from its platform.
Among TuneCore’s users is California rapper MikeSherm, who joined in 2015 after building an initial following on SoundCloud and YouTube.
His tracks have accumulated “hundreds of millions of streams,” establishing him as a prominent independent voice in the San Francisco Bay Area hip-hop scene.
Sherm said: “I think independent music is taking over the whole world because you have all the resources you need already on the internet.”
South London neo-soul artist BINA., who has reached over 250,000 monthly Spotify listeners and won the One To Watch award at the 2025 AIM Independent Music Awards, credited TuneCore with providing accessible tools.
She said: “The future of music is independent. At TuneCore, we’re not just celebrating earnings—we’re celebrating empowerment, creativity, and the artists who are rewriting the rules of the industry.”
Chartmetric is the all-in-one platform for artists and music industry professionals, providing comprehensive streaming, social, and audience data for everyone to create successful careers in music.
new video loaded: Northern Lights Illuminate Skies Above North America
The northern lights could be seen in skies as far south as Texas late Tuesday and early Wednesday after the sun emitted masses of charged particles that disrupted the Earth’s magnetic field — and created a dazzling display.
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Justice Minister German Galushchenko allegedly took part in the scheme involving state nuclear power firm Energoatom.
Published On 12 Nov 202512 Nov 2025
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Ukraine has suspended Justice Minister German Galushchenko for his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal involving the state-run nuclear power company, Energoatom, during his tenure as the country’s energy minister.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Wednesday that Galushchenko had been suspended from his duties, which will be carried out by Deputy Justice Minister for European Integration Lyudmyla Sugak.
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Galushchenko, who served as energy minister for four years before taking over the justice portfolio in July, is accused of profiting from a scheme that laundered money from Energoatom.
Ukraine’s Pravda news outlet reported that anticorruption authorities raided Galushchenko’s offices on Monday.
‘I will defend myself in court’
In a statement, Galushchenko said he had spoken with the prime minister and agreed his suspension is appropriate while he defends his case.
“A political decision must be made, and only then can all the details be sorted out,” said Galushchenko. “I believe that suspension for the duration of the investigation is a civilised and correct scenario. I will defend myself in court and prove my position.”
According to Ukraine’s Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the alleged $100m scheme was orchestrated by businessman Timur Mindich, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
SAPO’s investigators say Galushchenko helped Mindich manage illicit financial flows in the energy sector, while contractors working with Energoatom were forced to pay bribes of 10 to 15 percent to avoid losing contracts or facing payment delays.
Accusations of kickbacks in the energy sector are particularly sensitive in Ukraine, much of which is facing lengthy daily blackouts as it fends off massive Russian attacks on its infrastructure.
The scandal also highlights a potential challenge to Ukraine’s European Union membership bid, for which eradicating corruption remains a key condition.
Addressing the country on Monday, Zelenskyy urged full cooperation with the anticorruption inquiry and said anyone implicated should be held to account.
Zelenskyy’s comments come just months after he was forced to reverse plans to curb the independence of the country’s key anticorruption watchdogs – SAPO and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine – following widespread protests.
Scientists have identified a significant link between low levels of choline and the prevalence of anxiety disorders, suggesting that upping intake of this essential nutrient found in a range of foods – from eggs to seeds – could potentially improve symptoms of these debilitating conditions.
University of California Davis (UC Davis) researchers analyzed data from 25 studies that compared levels of neurometabolites in a total of 370 patients with at least one anxiety disorder diagnosis and 342 controls. Neurometabolites are the chemical products of metabolism in the brain, indicating neural activity, and have increasingly been the focus of scientists for conditions like schizophrenia and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. In the study, the researchers looked at a range of these brain metabolites including n-acetlyaspartate (NAA), total creatine, total choline, myo-inositol, glutamate, glutamate and glutamine, GABA and lactate.
Observing measures produced through proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS), the scientists identified that levels of choline were significantly lower – average of 8% – in the brains of people with anxiety disorders compared with the control, and the difference was most pronounced and consistent in scans of the prefrontal cortex, the region that regulates emotion, behavior and executive function.
“This is the first meta-analysis to show a chemical pattern in the brain in anxiety disorders,” said study co-author Jason Smucny, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC Davis. “It suggests nutritional approaches – like appropriate choline supplementation – may help restore brain chemistry and improve outcomes for patients.”
Choline is an essential nutrient, which we need to get from our diet because the levels produced in the liver (as phosphatidylcholine) isn’t sufficient. The most common dietary sources of it are as the fat-soluble phospholipids phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin found in a broad range of foods including eggs, beef liver, red meat, chicken, potatoes, yogurt, fish, cruciferous vegetables and grains. About 90% of US adults are not meeting their daily choline requirements (550 mg/day for men, 425 mg/day for women who aren’t pregnant or menopausal).
While the chemical plays a large role in cell function, it’s also key in the production of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter for memory, mood and other brain and nervous system functions. So low levels in the prefrontal cortex, which is charged with many of these functions, could impair vital brain operations for our mental health. Anxiety disorders are linked to dysfunction in the fear-sensing amygdala – and the prefrontal cortex.
“Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting about 30% of adults. They can be debilitating for people, and many people do not receive adequate treatment,” said senior author Richard Maddock, a psychiatrist and research professor at UC Davis.
In the study, the conditions under the “anxiety” umbrella included social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. They’re linked to imbalances in neurotransmitters, including norepinephrine that plays a critical role in the body’s “fight or flight” stress response. The researchers suggest that, for people with anxiety, this fight-or-flight response may demand higher levels of choline than in non-anxious brains, which could be draining this chemical’s levels as a result.
“An 8% lower amount doesn’t sound like that much, but in the brain it’s significant,” said Maddock, who has spent decades treating patients with anxiety disorders and undertaking research to better understand brain chemical imbalances. “We don’t know yet if increasing choline in the diet will help reduce anxiety. More research will be needed.”
In 2008, Maddock identified a link between choline levels and anxiety disorders, and while he expected to uncover this to be consistent in the latest meta-analysis, it was a surprise to see just how consistent and meaningful the association was. The research remains observational – low choline doesn’t cause anxiety – but it certainly warrants further investigation.
The researchers caution the use of choline supplements, but note that the role of diet on mental health is often overlooked. And use of advanced H-MRS technology – a non-invasive MRI scan that uses the magnetic fields and radio waves to detail the chemical makeup of tissue – could help identify key deficits.
“Someone with an anxiety disorder might want to look at their diet and see whether they are getting the recommended daily amount of choline,” Maddock said. “Previous research has shown that most people in the US, including children, don’t get the recommended daily amount.”
“Some forms of omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in salmon, may be especially good sources for supplying choline to the brain,” he added.
Syvia Bongo (R) and her son were accused of exploiting former President Ali Bongo’s (L) condition after he suffered a stroke in 2018
A court in Gabon has sentenced the former first lady and the son of deposed President Ali Bongo to 20 years in jail following a two-day trial.
On Tuesday night, Sylvia Bongo and Noureddin Bongo were found guilty of embezzlement and corruption after a trial that began a day earlier in their absence.
They were both fined 100m CFA francs ($177,000; £135,000), with Noureddin ordered to pay an extra 1.2tn CFA francs ($2.1; £1.6bn) for financial damages suffered by the Gabonese state.
They were accused of exploiting Ali Bongo’s condition after he suffered a stroke in 2018 to run Gabon for their own personal profit. They denied the charges ahead of their trial, describing it as “a legal farce.”
Ali Bongo was ousted in an August 2023 coup led by Brice Oligui Nguema, who has since shed his military uniform and was elected president earlier this year.
Following the military takeover, Bongo’s wife and son were detained in Gabon for 20 months before being released in May and permitted to leave the country for London on medical grounds.
The former president is not facing prosecution and was also released from house arrest where he had reportedly remained, although Gabonese authorities said he was free to move about as he wished.
Gabonese state prosecutor Eddy Minang on Monday told the court that they were “surprised” not to see the former first lady and her son in court as the trial began.
Noureddin described the conviction as a “rubber-stamping exercise”, saying it had been “predetermined in [Oligui Nguema’s office] a long time ago”.
He said it was “disappointing that a finding of guilt has been made without any semblance of evidence”.
Their conviction comes as a surprise for the unusual swift handling of the case, which they have alleged to be politically motivated. The trial had been expected to last until Friday.
The trial of the other accused will continue, local reporters have told the BBC. Nine co-accused, former allies of the Bongos, were present in court at the start of the trial, according to reports.
AFP via Getty Images
Noureddin Bongo was additionally ordered to pay $2.1bn to compensate the state
Sylvia Bongo was born in France and holds French nationality as does her son.
They have claimed they were tortured by the military during their detention in Gabon and filed a case in France last year. Gabonese authorities have denied the allegations.
Noureddin was ordered to pay the extra $2.1bn fine due to his role as the General Coordinator of Presidential Affairs, a position that allegedly made him the main architect of a corruption syndicate.
The fine is the Gabonese authorities’ estimate of the monies he had allegedly embezzled.
He was also accused of forgery as he reportedly had the president’s signature and seal, which were allegedly used to siphon funds from the state. He denies all the charges.
The Bongo family ruled Gabon for more than five decades. Ali Bongo was in power for 14 years before he was ousted. He had succeeded his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled for 42 years.
Over the years, the family has been accused of amassing wealth for themselves at the expense of the country – allegations they deny.
Despite being an oil-rich nation, about a third of Gabon’s population lives below the poverty line, according to the UN.
One of the largest deals ever for a stablecoin startup has fallen through. Coinbase and the U.K.-based BVNK have called off acquisition talks, a spokesperson for the crypto exchange confirmed to Fortune. It wasn’t immediately clear why the two companies iced the deal, which had gotten as far as the due diligence process and seen the crypto giant and BVNK enter into exclusivity in October, meaning the startup couldn’t entertain offers from other bidders.
The acquisition price for BVNK—which helps customers use stablecoins for payments, cross-border transactions, and other use cases—was around $2 billion. If the deal had gone through, it would have been nearly double the $1.1 billion the fintech giant Stripe paid to acquire the stablecoin startup Bridge in an acquisition that closed in February.
“We’re continuously seeking opportunities to expand on our mission and product offerings,” said the Coinbase spokesperson in a statement. “After discussing a potential acquisition of BVNK, both parties mutually agreed to not move forward.”
A spokesperson for BVNK declined to comment.
Stablecoin selloff
Despite Coinbase scuttling its plans to acquire BVNK, stablecoin M&A has been a hot trend in crypto and fintech over the past year.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to underlying assets like the U.S. dollar. They are designed to stay stable, as opposed to more volatile tokens like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Proponents say stablecoins can upgrade legacy financial infrastructure, speed up cross-border payments, and reduce transaction fees.
Their rise has caught the attention of big banks and the largest payments networks—so much so that Mastercard has explored stablecoin acquisitions of its own. The payments giant was previously in the running to acquire BVNK and now is in discussions to acquire the crypto and stablecoin infrastructure company Zerohash for between $1.5 and $2 billion, Fortune previously reported.
Smaller fintechs have also bet on stablecoins. In October, the late-stage payments company Modern Treasury acquired the stablecoin startup Beam for around $40 million. Crypto companies are also exploring their own stablecoin plays, including the decentralized finance heavyweight Aave Labs and the Monad Foundation, which is behind a forthcoming blockchain.
Coinbase would have been the largest crypto-native company to invest heavily into stablecoin infrastructure. The crypto exchange has made a series of high-profile acquisitions since January, including its $2.9 billion purchase of the crypto derivatives exchange Deribit.
“All of this M&A is really in service of our core focus around trading and payments,” said Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, during the exchange’s third-quarter earnings call.
Update, Nov. 11: Headline and top of article tweaked to better reflect statement from Coinbase.
