The Flagstaff House, or as commonly is refereed to as Flagstaff House, is the official presidential palace of the Republic of Ghana, located in the capital city Accra.

As it is newly reconstructed building, it is considered to be as one of the most beautiful presidential palaces in the world, and definitely is making every single list in Africa.

The previous seat of the President of Ghana was in the Osu Castle, which seat have moved all the time as the ruling political party took over the power in the country.

The New Patriotic Party was the instigator for the reconstruction of the building, a job given to an Indian contractor, where the NPP inaugurated the building in November 2008.

However, that same year when the National Democratic Congress party took over the power, didn’t want to move there, and preferred the Osu Castle.

That is why the Flagstaff House was used as offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana, which was only a temporarily solution.

Nonetheless, in the past when the building was built, it was officially used as administration building for the British Gold Coast Government.

In the end, the NDC decided to move in the newly reconstructed building, a move which occurred in January 2013. Still, it is definitely one of the best modern looking buildings which can allure every visitor of the capital of Ghana to see it in person, and even closer.

There is no information whether the building is open for the general public, but one can consider himself or herself lucky, if he or she sees it in person.

Preparations are under way in New Zealand for a severe storm that threatens to hit parts of the country already damaged by deadly flooding.

Cyclone Gabrielle is expected to hit the country’s North Island from Saturday night – potentially bringing strong winds and further heavy rain.

Residents have been told to ensure they have enough supplies to last three days in case they are trapped at home.

The storm comes weeks after torrential rain inundated the city of Auckland.

Tens of thousands of sandbags have been distributed there due to concerns the sodden ground and weakened infrastructure have made homes more vulnerable to flooding.

Evacuation shelters have been set up once again and Air New Zealand, the national carrier, has cancelled several domestic flights ahead of the cyclone’s arrival.

Photographs and videos posted on social media showed long queues at supermarkets and bare shelves as people prepared for more severe weather.

Local media have reported that New Zealand’s most northern region, Northland, has already begun to experience high winds.

Cyclone Gabrielle has been downgraded from a category three storm to a category two, meaning less destructive winds are now expected.

However, forecasters have warned that they could still be strong enough to damage trees and power lines and that enough rain could fall to cause further flooding and landslides in the coming days.

Relief planes carrying urgent food and aid from Saudi Arabia have arrived at Adana Airport to support earthquake victims in Syria and Turkiye.

The King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid told Arab News on Thursday: “The first Saudi relief plane arrived at Adana Airport in Turkiye this morning as part of the Saudi air bridge.

“Later, a second Saudi relief plane arrived at Adana Airport, carrying 98 tons of relief materials, including food baskets, tents, shelter bags, blankets and rugs, in addition to medical materials.

“This aid is within the framework of the humanitarian and relief efforts provided by Saudi Arabia through its humanitarian arm, the KSrelief, to support the affected groups in various parts of the world in the various crises and tribulations that they are going through.”

KSrelief on Wednesday launched a national campaign to support those affected by the earthquakes which hit Syria and Turkiye on Monday, in implementation of the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“KSrelief, in partnership with relevant Saudi authorities, is supporting everyone who was injured and otherwise affected by this event.

“This national campaign will collect donations through the Sahem donation website portal. The public can also donate by direct transfer to KSrelief’s dedicated bank accounts.

Relief planes carrying urgent food and aid from Saudi Arabia arrive at Adana Airport to support earthquake victims in Syria and Turkiye.

“Donations received even before this launch have reached more than SR13 million, which certainly reflects the generosity and humanity of the Saudi people.”

He added: “We are ensuring that through this campaign many projects in various sectors will be implemented, including a relief airlift to be launched within the next few hours.

“Shelter, medical and food aid will be sent through the airlift, along with rescue teams traveling to earthquake-affected areas to save the lives of the injured.”

Al-Rabeeah said rapid intervention teams, emergency medical groups, and volunteer Saudi cadres were being transported to the area to help relieve the suffering of the people affected in Syria and Turkiye.

The King and Queen Consort have been thanked for a “generous donation” by the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) which is helping earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also tweeted that they were supporting the appeal.

William and Kate said they were “horrified to see the harrowing images” in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

Funds will provide medical aid, shelter, food and water to thousands.

UK aid agencies – including the British Red Cross, Oxfam and ActionAid – are joining together to raise money.

The charities say access to clean water is going to be difficult in the coming days and waterborne diseases will be a hazard.