Asante Kotoko captain Amos Frimpong is optimistic about their chances of progressing from the CAF Confederation Cup group stage which gets underway on Sunday.
On their return to the ‘money zone’ since 2008, the Porcupine Warriors have been drawn against Zambian duo Nkana FC and Zesco United and Sudanese outfit Al-Hilal Omdurman.
A match against the North Africans is set to get the Ghanaians’ campaign underway.
“Our first priority is to qualify from our group,” Frimpong told Fox FM.
“And looking at our performance so far, if we add a little to it, we can qualify.”
Meanwhile, Ghana coach James Kwesi Appiah, a former boss of Al-Hilal, has assured Kotoko of their security in Sudan amid fears about the safety of the country.
“The insecurity is at South Sudan, not North Sudan where Kotoko are travelling to play, so there is no problem,†Appiah told Oyerepa FM.
“The tension is not in that [part of the] country but in the southern part, so the team should be courageous and have a winning mentality.
“I will urge all Ghanaians to support Kotoko as they go because it is now a national affair.â€
Kotoko beat Kariobangi Sharks of Kenya 2-1 on aggregate in the first round and Coton Sport Garoua of Cameroon 5-3 on aggregate in the playoff round to make the group stage.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is likely to announce the reviewed utility tariffs next week, instead of Friday, February 1, according to persons close to the Commission.
Why the “postponement�
JoyBusiness understands the “change-indate†had got to do with delays in finalizing necessary engagements with all the other stakeholders on the new tariff levels.
PURC had hoped to finish engaging the utility companies by Thursday as well, for the announcement to be made on Friday, February 1 2019.
But sources at the PURC say the new owners of the Electricity Company of Ghana, this week came up with a concern that would make it difficult for the Commission to start applying the new tariffs from Friday, February 1.
JoyBusiness is also learning that the Public Utility Regulatory Commission had already settled on the new utility tariffs, and this postponement has nothing to do with their inability to finalize work on the tariffs.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced, in coordination with the Department of State, the implementation of visa sanctions on Ghana due to lack of cooperation in accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States.
Pursuant to her authority under Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen notified Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the Government of Ghana has denied or unreasonably delayed accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States.
As a result, Secretary of State Pompeo has ordered consular officers in Ghana to implement visa restrictions on certain categories of visa applicants. Without an appropriate response from Ghana, the scope of these sanctions may be expanded to a wider population.
The sanctions will remain in place until the Secretary of Homeland Security notifies Secretary Pompeo that cooperation on removals has improved to an acceptable level.
“Ghana has failed to live up to its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States,†said Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. “The United States routinely cooperates with foreign governments in documenting and accepting U.S. citizens when asked, as appropriate, as do the majority of countries in the world, but Ghana has failed to do so in this case. We hope the Ghanaian government will work with us to reconcile these deficiencies quickly.â€
“Actress Yvonne Okoro has debunked reports suggesting that she lost several relationships because she made them public.
Yvonne Okoro in an interview with Nana Ama Mcbrown said broadcasting her relationship as she had done in the past has not helped her so she had learnt a lesson to “zip her mouth†this time round.
She noted also that society frowns on and brands women who happen to have had more boyfriends as bad people without even knowing what happens in the relationship which leads to the breakup.
“On the other hand, society does not see anything wrong with a man who has more relationships, they are viewed as champions while we (women) are called names so I am zipping my mouth now,†Yvonne said.
But in a tweet, she mentioned that she never said her relationships went sour because she made them public.
She said “I dont let things bother me..but this is nonsense..When and where did i say i have been dumped by several men because i made my relationships public??I respect what you do.We need each other,But with all due respect..STOP WITH THE FAKE NEWSâ€.
Nana Tornado has once again offloaded his anger on his estranged Boss, Delay whom he says has only used him to make money.
Nana Tornado and Delay made some headlines over a year ago when the former parted ways with the latter over some personal reasons.
In a new interview granted the by the “Afia Schwarzenegger†star, he has used some unprintable words to describe the Delay Show host and reiterated that she only used him to make money.
According to Nana Tornado who was speaking on Tv Africa, it was never his intention to act but Delay met him through a mutual friend they had and on a cordial relationship basis, she convinced him to star her Tv Series so they never signed an official contract.
He added that he was never paid a by Delay but though he has gathered that she made a lot of money from the TV series.
A Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Robert Ahomka-Lindsey cast his ballot at the Emmanuel Eye Clinic polling station at exactly 0751 hours in the Ayawaso West Wougon by-election.
The Deputy Minister arrived at the polling centre at 0749 hours and within two minutes, he went through the verification process and voted.
The vacant seat is being contested by four candidates including; Madam Lydia Alhassan, of the New Patriotic Party, and widow of the late MP, Delali Kwasi Brempong, of the National Democratic Congress, William Kofi Doworkpor, of the Progressive People’s Party and Clement Boadi, of the Liberal Party of Ghana.
More than 80,000 voters in the constituency are expected to vote in the by-election.
One of the flagbearer aspirants in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has condemned the acts of violence meted out to supporters of the party in the ongoing by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.
Nurudeen Iddrisu is scandalized by the needless attack on the supporters and has called on the president to investigate the matter.
He made the call, Thursday when he visited scores of injured supporters receiving treatment at the Legon hospital after they sustained gunshot wounds and injuries from assault by hooded security officers.
At least six supporters of the party were admitted to the hospital with varying degrees of injuries, some seriously.
They had been shot at and assaulted after an altercation with the security personnel at a polling station in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.
The NDC has since officially withdrawn from the election insisting it would not have the blood of any of its members shed over a by-election.
Nurideen Iddrisu agrees with the decision taken by the party. In a statement issued shortly after visiting the injured persons, the flagbearer aspirant expressed surprise at the failure of the police to make any arrest.
He said the future of our election is challenged if hooded police will be deployed to provide security during elections.
“How can we be safe and go about voting in a peaceful election when you have hooded security men scavenging around polling stations armed with sophisticated weapons?†he asked.
He said the president, must as a matter of urgency condemn the action by the national security and institute an investigation into the attack.
“We must see action from the president. Otherwise, it will be fair to assume he was complicit in this heinous crime which will not bode well for our elections in the future.â€
He wished the victims speedy recovery and provided some financial support to them.
There was no show at the Takoradi District Court where Samuel Udoetuk Wills, the 28-year-old Nigerian suspected to be behind the kidnapping of three girls, was supposed to appear last Tuesday.
It was the second successive day that the case was called without the suspect showing up.
Checks by the Daily Graphic, however, showed that the suspect was still being held to assist with investigations that would lead to finding the kidnapped girls.
Wills was brought before the magistrate court, presided over by Mr. Michael Ampadu, on charges of escaping from lawful custody, causing unlawful damage to the police cell and resisting arrest, all of which he had pleaded not guilty to.
He was to appear before the court last Monday but to the disappointment of a large crowd that had besieged the court premises to see him, he was not brought to the court.
The case was adjourned to last Tuesday to enable the suspect to open his defense, but once again Wills was not brought to the court to the chagrin of the large crowd outside the court.
When the case was called yesterday, the police prosecutor only asked for an adjournment to February 11, 2019.
Escape
Wills allegedly escaped through one of the ventilation windows of the cell in which he was being kept about 6.25 p.m. on December 30 2018, having used a hacksaw blade to cut the iron rods used to secure the windows.
On January 3, 2019, the police re-arrested him in an uncompleted building at Kansawurodo, a suburb of Sekondi/Takoradi.
At the spot of the re-arrest, the police found a dress, headgear and a pair of rubber slippers one of the kidnapped victims wore on the day she went missing.
Background
Wills was sent to court on December 24, 2018, on charges of alleged kidnapping and was remanded in police custody.
He escaped from the cell on December 30, 2018, rearrested on January 3, this year and put before the court the same day and was remanded into prison custody.
He appeared before the court again on January 9 and January 16, respectively this year and was billed to reappear yesterday.
Ghana coach Jimmy Cobblah has named his final 21-man squad for the 2019 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Niger which starts this weekend.
The former Wa All Stars and Inter Allies trainer left out 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup star Emmanuel Toku from the squad after the midfielder failed to join in Niamey for pre-tournament training.
Only four from the Black Starlets team which finished second at the 2017 Africa U-17 Championship in Gabon made the cut.
A notorious character Faith Terkpor Mensah alias, Fred Oware best known for his serial fraud in the country has done it again; this time, from the 37 Military Hospital where again, he posed as a medical doctor and duped unsuspecting members of the public various sums of money, MyNewsGh.com has learnt.
The young man has been arrested numerous times for several offenses and on all occasions he managed to find his way out. A friend of his latest victim Selorm Brantie has narrated his modus operandi.
“He poses as a doctor at 37 military hospital. He gets people to come there under the pretense of being a doctor at the hospital. He hangs a lab coat and stethoscope inside the car park. He meets his quarry at the car park and while talking to the quarry people will come and call him Doc Doc and he will be giving them advice and stuff.†he wrote.
“He then transacts the business, issues dud cheque and vanishes waiting for the next victim. And he does it right in the premises of 37 hospital. He mixes with the staff inside and comes out pretending to be a surgeon.
“You are allowing this fraudster to still operate by signing lots of dud cheque and defrauding people by false pretense without doing anything about it even when victims report. How does this guy still walk around free? After all he did? How so? He just defrauded a friend of 15,000 cedis 3 days ago.†He added.
“Is the Ghanaian judicial system so lethargic that in spite of the numerous counts of fraud he is still a free man? What kind of systems do we run here?†He quizzed.
The National Democratic Congress is holding a presser to address issues regarding the Ayawaso-West Wuogon Elections, specifically, voting at the Baweleshie center which has been marred by violent clashes.
Some National Security Operatives are alleged to have fired gunshots at a polling centre a La Bawaleshie, injuring about six persons believed to be NDC supporters.
Following this, National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo announced to some media outlets that the party’s candidate is withdrawing from the elections for security reasons.
Meanwhile party members have thronged the party headquarters to express their displeasure about leadership’s decision and the series of events as they happened at Baweleshie.
“The Cas complaint was a way for us to maintain pressure on Caf,” ACFAC president Henri Claude Mballa Ongolo explained.
“When Cameroon were awarded the 2021 event, there was disapproval from some Ivory Coast officials and we weren’t sure they’d accept to host a later edition.
“Fortunately President Alasane Ouattara of Ivory Coast has agreed to stage the 2023 event and so we think the complaint no longer has its place.
“Our move was to ensure that Cameroon hosts a continental event and we think it’s paid off.”
Caf President Ahmad has praised Ouattara for agreeing to the switch.
“I thank the President for taking into account this aspect of solidarity so that we support this shift for the organization of Afcon 2021 in Cameroon, which is now at 80 per cent of the work and Côte d’Ivoire in 2023, and Guinea in 2025.” he said.
“To avoid misinterpretation, only Guinea can decide whether they prefer co-hosting or not. But CAf is in favour of a co-hosting of the Afcon.”
Egypt were chosen as replacements for Cameroon to host the 2019 tournament.
The Normalisation Committee has been caught in an embarrassing credibility crisis after failing to reveal the budget to local clubs, which has forced the delay start of the Special Competition, GHANAsoccernet.com Headquarters can report.
The country’s 16 Premier League clubs, in particular, are demanding for the variables expenses of the $800,000 earmarked for the four-month competition amid a transparency crisis which has hit the interim Ghana FA body.
The Normalisation Committee is yet to respond to a double -dose request cum reminder to the body regarding the financial arrangements of the competition.
The current situation has led to a stalemate between the two parties as they jostle over financial details of the competition, top officials have told GHANAsoccernet.com
Local clubs have been left in abeyance, seeking for full financial disclosure before committing to the competition which is being funded by the Ghanaian taxpayer.
The now-vibrant country’s elite football clubs rescinded their decision to boycott the Special Committee after an initial threat to pull plugs over several disagreements.
But the clubs now want a detailed budget for the competition so they can understand the financial requirements of the tournaments – a request which has flatly been denied by authorities.
The clubs have insisted they will secure additional funding for the competition once there is full disclosure on the $ 800,000 financial terms for the tournament – clearly the stalemate which has stalled the start of the tournament originally scheduled to kick start on February 3.
There are no clear signs from the Ghana Football Association on the exact date for the commencement of the hugely-anticipated tournament as fixtures are yet to be released with clubs left in limbo.
The launch of the competition remains unclear while the FA battle with clubs on the financial terms of the competition.
The current situation is a massive slap on a normalisation period for Ghana football as it betrays the essence of restoring trust in the game in the West African nation.
The Normalisation Committee was instituted by FIFA following the airing of the ‘Number 12’ video by controversial journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas which revealed widespread corruption in the game in June 2018.
High life singer Kwame Nkrumah Buabeng better known as Nero X has stated that Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) is not his priority.
Nomination entries for the 20th edition of VGMA is ongoing and various artistes are filing.
Nero X who broke into the Ghanaian music market with his hip gospel song “Oseey” has never won VGMA before after getting few nominations.
Speaking on Radio Central with Amansan Krakye, the singer disclosed that his focus is not on awards but when it comes he will gladly take.
“I don’t really focus on VGMA but when it comes fine. I have a whole lot of awards from outside the country, Chicago, Canada and even Ghana here I have a couple of awards. When you go to my room you will see them but it shouldn’t be about Ghana Music Awards only. I don’t do music for awards, when the fans are consuming the songs that’s the best award. I don’t focus on awards that much but when it comes why not”, he said.
Celebrated Ghana Actor, Fred Amugi has disclosed in his quest to make it in the industry he was once paid GH¢100 by a producer of a movie, MyNewsGh.com has filed.
According to him, that has been his lowest pay ever since he joined the movie industry more than two decades ago.
He made this known when he was interviewed by Bola Ray on the Starr Chat on Starr FM on Wednesday, January 30, 2019
The veteran actor mentioned that the producer paid that amount of money because he “just flashed through the movie in one sceneâ€.
He mentioned that feeling insulted by the amount, he told the producer he made the appearance for free.
Ghana Premier League giants Aduana Stars will play Division One side NEA Salamina in a friendly match on Sunday, 3 February.
The Dormaa derby is slated for Nana Agyeman Badu Park in Dormaa.
The Fire Boys will seek to reform their side after an abysmal performance at the Betway Cup 2019 with new young players while second-tier side NEA Salamina set to parade a formidable team.
Both clubs will be using this game as a warm-up friendly for the upcoming Ghana FA Normalisation Committee Special competition.
Aduana Stars run riot 4-0 against Salamina the last time the two sides met at the same venue.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has denied claims by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the voter roll to be used for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election scheduled for Thursday, 31 January 2019, has been bloated by over 1,000 names.
The NDC, in a statement, accused the EC of being behind the bloating.
In the statement, the NDC indicated that its attempt to access the proxy list, transfer list, and special voters list have yielded no results.
But the EC has described the allegations as “untrueâ€.
The EC explained that the NDC requested a copy of the said list late on Friday, 26 January 2019 when the activities at the Commission had winded down.
“It is significant to note that the author of the press release has unlimited access to the chairman responsible for Operations and could have reached him without much effort.”
“Letters of such nature go through a process of recording at the registry before they are brought to the attention of the addressees. Requests for confidential information require the approval of the chairperson or deputy chairpersons before same are released,†the EC explained in a press release.
The Commission added that while it believes in responding in a timely manner to requests from the political parties, it will not compromise its processes and laid-down systems for any entity.
The EC further said it finds it surprising that rather than approaching the Commission to discuss the issue, the NDC chose to go public, accusing the election management body of bloating the register to favour a particular political party.
“These allegations are baseless and unfounded and we call on the public to disregard them,†the release stated.
The EC assured the public that the Ayawaso West Wuogon register is clean.
Medeama have completed the signing of Ivorian midfielder Camara N’Guessan, 24 hours after terminating his contract with giants Hearts of Oak, GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively report.
The Mauve and Yellows have fought off major competition to land the intelligent offensive midfielder on a three-year deal, Ghana’s leading football website, GHANAsoccernet.com can confirm.
N’Guessan has signed a long-term contract in Tarkwa as he is set to replace departing Kwasi Donsu.
Hearts confirmed parting ways with the midfielder on Wednesday.
The Ivorian endured a frustrating spell in the capital where he made just three appearances for the side.
The lanky midfielder is expected to be the direct replacement for Kwesi Donsu, who is leaving for Colorado Switchbacks in the USL.
The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) has given an 11-day ultimatum to traders and hawkers at unauthorized areas around the Kumasi Kejetia Central Market redevelopment project and the Central Business District (CBD) of Kumasi to vacate.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, 30 January 2019, Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, said the traders have a stipulated time to relocate to the various satellite markets in the metropolis else they will be evicted forcefully.
He said the evacuation exercise is part of the ARCC roadmap towards the official opening of roads on the Kumasi Kejetia and Central Market redevelopment project to traffic.
He said no trader or hawker will be allowed to sell on pavements and streets or any space around the project while urging them to move to about 34 satellite markets provided for traders.
He indicated that the opening of roads related to the project is not an official opening of a market for trading in the area.
Asante Kotoko coach C.K Akunnor has announced his final 18-man squad for the Caf Confederation Cup Group C fixture against Al Hilal Omdurman in Sudan on Sunday.
Defender Abass Mohammed, who started the second leg of the play-off against Coton Sport in Kumasi, has been dropped due to injury while Augustine Sefah makes a return after serving his suspension.
Once again, striker Frederick Boateng could not make the squad due to ongoing contract talks with Egyptian side Petrojet.
Daniel Nii Adjei, who won the Caf Confederation Cup twice with former club TP Mazembe, does not figure on the list.
Zambian clubs Nkana FC and Zesco United will face off against each other in the other group game also on Sunday.
Ghpage.com has just confirmed that Daddy Lumba Junior aka Anokye Supremo is dead. He died in comma today, 30th January 2019 India after he had gone for a brain tumor surgery.
The surgery was successful but Lumba Junior sunk into a coma afterward and has been in a coma since then. Kofi Adoma of Kofi TV broke the news a few moments ago.
Currently, he is at the family house of Lumba Junior talking to the family of the late musician who took Daddy Lumba as his mentor.
It is currently not clear what may have led to his death despite assurance from his doctors that the operation was successful.
Background
Anokye Supremo, was fighting for his life at the Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Mukundapur in India after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor in his head.
According to reports from KOFI TV, the artiste had been in coma for some days since the operation, with the Surgeons hoping he revived as soon as possible.
The artiste, formerly known as Daddy Lumba Jr., was diagnosed with the ailment when he started experiencing a severe headache which he thought was a migraine.
Upon a visit to the hospital, he was told it was a tumor. He began to feel pains in his left eye which later led to blindness in the same eye.
In an interview with Citinewsroom he said, “It started in October and I thought it was a migraine. I went to the hospital and was told I had a tumor in my head which has caused an enlargement in my left eye,†he said.
Surgeons at the Rabindranath Tagore International, explaining the gravity of the situation, described the tumor as an aggressive one and could be cancerous.
“He has a very large tumor involving his eyes. He had no vision and we operated on his eyes. We have done our works and found a large tumor which can, unfortunately, be a cancerous tumor. He is still in the ventilator. And we hope he comes out.†The Surgeon said.
Prior to his trip to India for the surgery, Doctors it will take him about GHC 10, 000 to have a surgery done on the tumor. A GoFund was however set to assist with the medical bills.
The UK is due to leave the European Union at 23:00 GMT on 29 March. The backstop is an “insurance” policy to stop the return of checks on goods and people along the Northern Ireland border.
As it stands, the backstop would effectively keep the UK inside the EU’s customs union, but with Northern Ireland also conforming to some rules of the single market.
It was one of the main reasons Mrs May’s Brexit deal was voted down in Parliament by an historic margin earlier in January as critics say a different status for Northern Ireland could threaten the existence of the UK and fear that the backstop could become permanent.
Mrs May has said there are several possible alternatives to the backstop that she wanted to discuss with EU leaders.
These include a “trusted trader” scheme to avoid physical checks on goods flowing through the border, “mutual recognition” of rules with the EU and “technological” solutions.
She also wants to discuss a time limit on the backstop and a “unilateral exit” mechanism – both options ruled out by the EU in the past.
But the message from the EU was the backstop remained an integral part of the withdrawal agreement – the so-called “divorce deal” agreeing the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU.
Mr Barnier said: “Calmly and clearly, I will say right here and now – with this withdrawal agreement proposed for ratification – we need this backstop as it is.
“Rejecting the backstop as it stands today boils down to rejecting the solution which has been found with the British, but the problem remains.”
Ireland’s deputy prime minister earlier gave a warning over Mrs May’s future plans for the backstop, saying that anyone who allowed the “borders and divisions of the past” to return would be “judged harshly in history”.
Simon Coveney added: “There are some things that are more important than economic relationships and this is one of them.”
President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said he believed Mrs May’s “personal commitment” to avoid “slipping back to darker times past”, but he said the “safety net” of the backstop was necessary to prevent it.
He added: “We have no desire to use this safety net, [but] no safety net can be truly safe if it can just be removed at any time.”
But UK MEP Nigel Farage attacked the EU, claiming it had pushed Mrs May into the backstop in the first place.
The former UKIP leader told the European Parliament: “I accept [Mrs May] made a dreadful mistake by signing up to the backstop, [but] you summoned her at 04:15 in the morning, she left Downing Street, she went to meet the ultimatum you set her.
“She signed up to something that has proved to be a disaster. She signed up to something that no country, unless it had been defeated in war, would have signed up to.
“We now realise that mistake and the House of Commons, the country is overall looking for a deal.”
‘Very Cordial’
At the same time as the European Parliament was discussing Brexit, Mrs May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were holding their long-awaited meeting on the issue, following an earlier clash at Prime Minister’s Questions.
In the Commons Mr Corbyn repeatedly urged Mrs May to rule out a no-deal Brexit after a majority of MPs voted against the prospect in another vote on Tuesday.
But Mrs May said: “You cannot just vote to reject no deal, you have to support a deal.”
Their later meeting, away from the cameras, was “very cordial”, according to a Labour spokesperson.
“There was a useful exchange of views. We made the case for our plan. There was a detailed exchange of views on a customs union and single market relationship.”
The pair agreed to meet again soon, the spokesperson added.
The European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, echoed his colleagues by criticising the UK for not being clear about what they wanted from the deal.
He said the two years had been “exhausting” on both sides of the Channel, and called for Mrs May and Mr Corbyn to work together – “not only eating biscuits and drinking tea” – to come to a cross-party solution and to stop “using and abusing Brexit to get rid of each other”.
Mr Juncker said the votes in the Commons on Tuesday increased the risk of a “disorderly” Brexit, but he still believed there could be a deal done between the EU and UK, adding: “We will work day and night to make it happen, and to ensure we are ready in case it does not.”
The Inner Cities and Zongo Development Minister, Dr Mustapha Hamid, says he is going help women who are producing all sorts of delicacies to package their products to get better patronage.
Speaking at a Meet The Press series on Tuesday he said, it is unfortunate that all sorts of delicious foods and beverages are being prepared and sold for cheap when others are packaging and selling the same food to make a fortune.
“The president has mandated us [Ministry] to improve the livelihood of the people in these communities so we will help them to develop their businesses, package them properly and make more profit,†he said.
He cited the example of how Tamarind is being packaged into a drink and sold in Shell and other high-class shops around the country when it is sold for cheap by Zongo women.
The former Information Minister said his office in collaboration with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) will teach such businesswomen and caterers how to add value to their foods and beverages.
Popular Sobolo drink being prepared
“We will also increase their market access by compiling a Zongo food and beverages album which will highlight the food and the ingredients used in preparing them. These albums will be sent to all our embassies across the world,†he explained.
He believes this will give interested visitors to the country an idea of the unique foods and beverages so they try them out once they come in to visit.
“As I said, we will do this without apology…our mission is to help Zongo people and on Tuesday we started running ads in the media calling on these women to apply to be considered for assistance,†he said.
Dr Mustapha Hamid said for starters, 300 applicants from Accra will be taken in and assisted on a pilot basis. Other regions he said, will be subsequently considered.
More than 30,000 people fled the Nigerian town of Rann over the weekend amid fears of renewed attacks by the Boko Haram armed group, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday the town’s population “seems to be panicking and they are on the run as a pre-emptive measure to save their lives.”
Rann, near the border with Cameroon in northern Borno state, already saw an exodus of about 9,000 people earlier this month to Cameroon after a Boko Haram attack on January 14 killed 14 people.
Baloch said Cameroon sent back the 9,000 refugees and initially deployed troops that are part of a multinational taskforce to protect the town.
“It was a bit peaceful, but as far as we understand now, that multinational taskforce has left,” he said.
Refugees told aid workers that Boko Haram fighters had “promised to return to Rann”, he said, explaining the panic.
Baloch said UNHCR was reiterating its call to Cameroonian authorities “to keep the borders open, as we see thousands fleeing every day”.
Tough living conditions
Baloch said a recent upsurge in violence in northeastern Nigeria had driven more than 80,000 civilians to seek refuge in already crowded camps or in towns in Borno state, “where they are surviving in tough living conditions”.
Rann, he said, had already been housing about 80,000 displaced people.
“The escalation in the conflict has thwarted people’s intention of returning to their homes,” he said, adding some refugees who attempted to return home from Cameroon had been displaced multiple times inside Nigeria or forced to become refugees again in Cameroon.
“The hostilities have strained humanitarian operations there and forced aid workers to pull out from some locations,” he said.
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters that 260 aid workers were withdrawn from three locations in Borno state since early December.
Rights groups say more than 1,000 protesters including opposition leaders, activists and journalists were arrested on the streets during the almost daily demonstrations, which have been calling for President Omar al-Bashir to step down.
Correspondents say whilst this appears to be a concession to the protesters it remains to be seen if all will be set free including key activists who are highly critical of the government.
Actress and model, Princess Shyngle has shockingly revealed in an Instagram post that her small intestines and 5 ribs were removed before getting her “tapoli†body.
Princess Shyngle in an Instagram post revealed:
“5 ribs removed ???????????? 5 more to go ???????????????? small intestines removed ???? remaining the big intestines ???? gat to remove all these ribs ???????? who ribs ep ???? you call me fake I call myself a work of artâ€.
The majority of her followers have wondered how she got her “tapoli†body with big buttocks and finally the Gambian Ghana-based socialite has revealed how she got her “tapoli†body.
Ghpage.com has just confirmed that Daddy Lumba Junior aka Anokye Supremo is dead. He died in comma today, 30th January 2019 India after he had gone for a brain tumor surgery.
The surgery was successful but Lumba Junior sunk into a coma afterward and has been in a coma since then. Kofi Adoma of Kofi TV broke the news a few moments ago.
Currently, he is at the family house of Lumba Junior talking to the family of the late musician who took Daddy Lumba as his mentor.
It is currently not clear what may have led to his death despite assurance from his doctors that the operation was successful.
Ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has disclosed the circumstances that led to him employing his colleague Ahmed Hussein-Suale who was murdered on January 16 in Accra.
According to the BBC, Hussein-Suale grew up among eight siblings in Wulensi, a small town in northern Ghana, where he stood out for his fierce interest in politics. At 18 he moved to Accra to study political science at the University of Ghana, where he first met Anas.
Anas had already made a name for himself as an undercover reporter and Tiger Eye was a fledgeling team. Hussein-Suale sought him out the same way several early Tiger Eye employees had, by asking around until someone could tell him: that is the man known as Anas. Anas responded the way he did to all potential recruits – he set him a test: travel to Tema, north of Accra, and report a story there about cocaine. Hussein-Suale went to Tema and promptly failed. He blew his cover and got himself arrested. “He did not perform to my expectation,” said Anas, in an interview with the BBC last week. “And that was that.”
But Hussein-Suale wrote Anas a long letter explaining why he should be given another chance. “So I gave him another chance,” said Anas. “And from that day he excelled from one investigation to the next.”
Hussein-Suale’s first big story came in 2013 when he travelled with Anas to northern Ghana to expose witchdoctors behind the poisoning of children – often children with disabilities – believed to be possessed by evil spirits. In an elaborate sting typical of Tiger Eye’s style, the team arranged for the witchdoctor’s “concoction men” to visit a family home with a supposedly possessed child. While the concoction men were outside cooking their poison, the team swapped the infant for a prosthetic baby. When the men returned and took hold of the fake baby, police swooped.
The film – Spirit Child – aired internationally on Al Jazeera. Hussein-Suale, then 24, impressed Anas with his pragmatism, not hesitating when it came to entering the witchdoctor’s shrine. “The average African is spiritually afraid of traditions and gods,” Anas said. “But Ahmed was always bold.”
His natural demeanour was the opposite. He was quiet and unassuming, to a fault. “You would be likely to disregard him at first,” said Sammy Darko, Tiger Eye’s lawyer, “but that made him a good fit for investigative journalism.” He was also scrupulously attentive and diligent. He became known as the “encyclopaedia of the team” for his detailed knowledge of each project, and later as “spiritual leader” for his habit of leading a prayer before undercover operations.
His cubicle at Tiger Eye’s offices had notes and documents from various investigations piled on the desk and pasted on the walls. “He would go out quietly and do a lot of background work,” said a fellow investigator, “so that when we came on to the story we knew exactly what we were doing.” But he also had a playful streak. “I got annoyed with him once,” recalled Seamus Mirodan, the director of Spirit Child. “One of the villagers gave him a just-slaughtered guinea fowl as a gift. He put it in my tripod bag and it just shat itself all over the inside of the bag.”
In 2015, Hussein-Suale took the lead on a story that would rock Ghana and propel Tiger Eye into the national spotlight. “Ghana in the Eyes of God” – a three-hour undercover epic based on hundreds of hours of secret filming – exposed widespread corruption in Ghana’s judiciary, showing judges and court workers accepting bribes to influence cases.
More than 30 judges and 170 judicial officers were implicated. Seven of the nation’s 12 high-court judges were suspended. The film played to 6,500 people in four showings at the Accra International Conference Centre and brought gridlock to the streets of the capital.
For all Tiger Eye’s fans, not everybody appreciated the team’s methods. They faced accusations of entrapment. “It is wrong to induce somebody by an enticement of something lucrative, big money or whatever, then turn around and say the person is corrupt,” said Charles Bentum, a lawyer for several judges implicated in the expose. “You cannot exonerate the enticer and condemn the victim.”
The judiciary story made Anas famous in Ghana. Behind the scenes, Hussein-Suale’s combination of diligence and mettle was impressing his boss; he was becoming Anas’s, right-hand man. In early 2018, Anas asked Hussein-Suale to accompany him to Malawi for a grim story about “muti” – the practice of harvesting human body parts for good luck rituals – that a young Malawian journalist, Henry Mhango, had brought to them. They would collaborate on the story with the BBC. “I chose Hussein-Suale because I knew he had the capacity to withstand the shocks,” said Anas.
The Ghanaian government has announced a financial package for clubs participating in Caf inter-club competitions.
In a statement signed by the minister of youth and sports, Isaac Asiamah, each club playing in the Caf Champions League group stage will receive $200,000 while an appearance at the same stage in the Caf Confederation Cup will attract $150,000, meant to help reduce their financial burdens.
Per this initiative, Asante Kotoko, who have qualified for the Caf Confederation Cup group stage will be the first beneficiaries ahead of their game against Al Hilal Omdurman in Sudan on Sunday.
“As part of efforts to support football clubs that qualify to play in continental competitions, the ministry of youth and sports on behalf of the government has decided to boost clubs that qualify to group stage of the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup with $200,000 and $150,000 respectively,” a statement read.
“This gesture, the government believes, would go a long way to financially cushion the football clubs in their bid to bring honour to our country while encouraging them to attain excellence in these continental competitions,” the statement added.
Goal understands that several corporate bodies are also planning to support the clubs as part of their social responsibilities.
But chief executive Tim Cook said customers were also struggling with the firm’s high prices.
He said a strong dollar, which makes its products comparatively more expensive, had hurt its sales in emerging markets.
At the the moment, according to Apple’s official website, an iPhone Xs with a 5.8in display costs from $999 (£763) in the US compared with £999 in the UK and 8,699 Yuan (£989) in China.
Mr Cook said the tech giant had started this month to re-price its phones to shield customers from the impact of currency fluctuations.
“What we have done in January in some locations and [for] some products is essentially absorb part or all of the foreign currency move as compared to last year,” he said.
Still, executives said they expected the firm’s challenges to continue.
Apple predicted revenue for the three months to 31 March of $55bn-$59bn – suggesting a drop of at least 3.4% year-on-year.
“The macroeconomic environment, particularly in emerging markets, will continue to be there,” Luca Maestri, the firm’s chief financial officer, said.
Apple’s struggles are not unique. Global smart phone shipments contracted 5% in 2018, according to Canalys, a market analyst firm.
But the firm’s share price has dropped by around one third since October, amid investor concerns that buyer appetite for iPhones is weakening.
Fears intensified after the firm said it would stop reporting the number of iPhones, iPads and Macs it sold each quarter.
However, Apple shares gained more than 4% in after-hours trade on Tuesday, as the firm proved more resilient than expected.
Quarterly sales revenue dropped by more than 25% in its Greater China region, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, compared to the year before.
Sales also slipped about 3% year-on-year in Europe.
But in the Americas – the firm’s single biggest region – sales were up almost 5%.
Revenue from the services business also jumped 19% to a record $10.9bn in the quarter, which ended on the 31 December.
It’s Apple’s worst performing quarter for years, but that’s not to say investors won’t be mildly relieved.
After the firm’s warning earlier this month that it would be posting earnings well below expectations for what is typically its blockbuster quarter, investors were well-prepared to see the drop in iPhone sales, and as a result, revenues overall.
That bad news was balanced out – perhaps even cancelled out – by the good news on services.
A big increase compared to this time last year – 19% – and a very healthy gross margin of 62.8%.
Apple is transitioning, slowly, into a different kind of company that isn’t so reliant on hardware, and these numbers show that so far that transition is going well.
With $245bn cash in hand, it can afford to splash out and make investors even happier with a major acquisition or two in the entertainment space (but then, I’ve been saying that for a while now!).
Mr Cook said he remained confident in the business, pointing to strong sales of iPad and Macs, as well as growth in its services division, which includes Apple Pay.
Overall profit in the quarter fell less than 1% to $19.97bn.
“While it was disappointing to miss our revenue guidance, we manage Apple for the long term, and this quarter’s results demonstrate that the underlying strength of our business runs deep and wide,” he said.
In Ghana, those who become controversial in their comments are considered annoying. There are popular personalities who via one way or the other make strong and controversial comments that most Ghanaians consider annoying.
These personalities are also considered as persons who love to talk loud and reveal secrets. Here, YEN.com.gh brings to you seven most annoying popular personalities that Ghanaians consider annoying.
1. Kennedy Agyapong
Kennedy Agyapong is the Member of Parliament for Assin Central and owner of Kencity Multimedia (Oman FM and NET 2 TV). Kennedy Agyapong is known for his tough-talking and controversial comments.
Even though he is an MP, Kennedy Agyapong is often a panel on TV and radio and by so doing make a lot of controversial comments. Kennedy Agyapong’s comments are often regarded by most Ghanaians as annoying for which many slam him.
The MP does not hesitate to mention names and reveal information that are thought by many to be secretive. Even though Kennedy Agyapong is often slammed for making controversial comments and reveal secrets, he continues to speak in that manner.
2. Counselor George Lutterodt
Counselor George Lutterodt to many is one of the most annoying Ghanaians.
The counselor often comes under criticisms for making very blunt and controversial comments.
Counselor Lutterodt parades himself as a marriage and relationship counselor thus get to become panel on many relationship programs.
At almost all relationship shows that he gets to talk on, Counselor Lutterodt makes some controversial comments that get many slamming him.
Even though he is often slammed for his comments, Counselor Lutterodt do not seem to be perturbed by the slams, thus continue to make controversial comments often.
3. Lawyer Maurice
Ampaw Lawyer Maurice Ampaw is a barrister at law but appears often in the news for very controversial reasons.
Maurice Ampaw is noted for daring people and making very strong comments about some issues in Ghana. Due to his nature of comments and cases that he is often heard to be handling, Maurice Ampaw is often slammed by Ghanaians to be too loud.
4. Shatta Wale
Shatta Wale is a Ghanaian dancehall artiste. Real name Charles Nii Armah Mensah, Shatta Wale to many Ghanaians is one of the most controversial personality in Ghana. Many a time, Shatta Wale release videos throwing jabs at colleague musician and at a point described Ghana as a village.
The controversial and seemingly stubborn character of Shatta Wale makes him one of the most annoying Ghanaians.
Though he has a huge following in the music circle, some section of Ghanaians slam him for his insults and controversial comments.
5. Blakk Rasta
Blakk Rasta is a radio presenter at Zylofon FM. The reggae presenter is known for his controversial comments especially to do with politics and religion. Blakk Rasta during his radio programs is fond of slamming politicians for their alleged corrupt deeds. For these hard talk on politicians, many find them too unpleasant, thus often consider Blakk Rasta as annoying and loud.
6. A Plus Kwame
A Plus is a musician, comedian and a politician. Known for his political songs, A Plus is considered by Ghanaians as one of the most annoying personalities. A Plus is fond of posting controversial and secretive posts of social media. Many think the musician reveals information that should have been kept secret. It was for one of those reasons that musician fell out with the ruling NPP party.
7. Afia Schwarzenegger
Afia Schwarzenegger is a Ghanaian comedia, TV and radio presenter. Real name Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, Afia comes as one of the most annoying personalities in Ghana due to her controversial comments. Afia often goes on social media to talk about issues that are of concern to her. And in many of these comments, Afia makes certain utterances that many Ghanaians consider annoying. In her recent program that she hosted on TV Africa, Afia made certain allegations against politicians in Ghana. Her relationship saga coupled with social media rants constitute reasons why Ghanaians consider her as annoying.
Lawyers for the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) led by lawyer Akoto Ampaw, has asked an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Ackaah T. Boafo to dismiss a suit filed by lawyers for T-Tekpor Gas filling station at Afariwa against NPA, for closing down the station.
Management of the gas station has taken the downstream petroleum regulator to court for closing down the facility over claims that the presence of the station poses high risk to two adjoining schools namely, Tema International School and Ridge School.
At the court, lead counsel for T-Tekpor Gas station, Benjamin Baffoe Bonnie told the court that the respondent (NPA), in a letter to the plaintiff, did not specify a particular risk that had been identified by the technical expert whose professional activity was captured or came under Act 691, which governs the Authority.
He continued that “in our statement of case, we have stated that in a situation like that, the closure must focus on technical advice.”
He said the gas station had been operating for years, stating that “the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and others have been carrying out checks at the facility and none of them had raised issue of significant risk as the regulator claims.”
Lawyer Baffoe Bonnie indicated that the decision to close down a gas station is a determination by the Board of NPA per section 18, 19, and 20 of Act 2005, Act 691 and not a unilateral decision of the CEO, as it had happened in the case of T-Tekpor Gas Station.
“We’re saying that the CEO cannot usurp the powers of the board and take a unilateral decision, which is unlawful,” he argued.
“It is against this background that the decision of the respondent is not lawful, therefore, we call on the court to deliver justice by ordering the CEO of NPA to lift the suspension and also order that an independent expert ordered by the board to carry out a detailed report of the facility” he asserted.
However, mounting a strong defence for the NPA’s decision, lead counsel Mr Akoto Ampaw described claims by the applicant counsel as unfounded and one that seeks to mislead the court.
He stated: “The allegation is made in bad faith because he knows very well that the decision was founded on specific findings made by competent persons. So, it is a bogus argument he is making.”
He told the court that NPA constituted a Multi-Stakeholders Committee comprising officials of the Ghana National Fire Services (GNFS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority and NPA.
He said the committee was constituted in accordance with Section 2 sub-section (2) (f)(e)(g) of the NPA Act 691 and given these explanations, lawyer Ampaw rejected the call by the plaintiff’s lead counsel that the authority ought to have constituted an independent body of experts.
He said: “The statutes of the authority does not require in the Act 691 that there should be an independent body. It is a very strange request and we ask the court to ignore it.
“It is our respectful view that considering the issue, we couldn’t have put together an appropriate body than the Multi Stakeholders Committee (MSC). It is our submission that on the combined effect of section 2(2) of Act 691, the authority had more than abundant legal authority to set up the MSC,” he added.
Touching on the report of the committee, lawyer Akoto Ampaw said the committee made damning findings and that it would be highly irresponsible for NPA to ignore them for an explosion to occur and consume the two schools.
He told the court that contrary to the impression being created by the plaintiff’s lawyers that the T-Tekpor’s licence had been revoked, he said that is not true.
“The authority says you can go to your other business place and refill the cylinders and bring them there for distribution to your customers. My lord, this is sensible and reasonable,” he explained.
Concluding his submission, Lawyer Akoto Ampaw prayed the presiding judge that on the basis of section 2 sub-section (2)(f)(g)(h)(u), the application should be thrown out completely because its unmeritorious.
Meanwhile, the court has set February 18, 2019 to rule on the case.
Gay dating app Scruff has been criticised for banning images of men in underwear and swimming trunks.
Scruff said it had changed its profile picture rules after “repeated suspensions by app store distributors”.
The app has disappeared from Google Play several times in recent months. In January, it was removed for three days. And a source told BBC News it had been suspended during these periods.
Google told BBC News it did not comment on individual apps.
Several Scruff members responded to the announcement on social media, threatening to delete their accounts.
“Craigslist, Backpage, Tumblr, now even Scruff, a gay dating app you have to be of consenting age to use, is censoring how its users can post photos? This isn’t looking so good guys,” said vlogger Amp, who runs a sex education YouTube channel with 170,000 subscribers.
‘Explicit content’
Scruff is a social network and dating app for gay, bisexual and trans men. Members can browse a grid of profiles and speak to people in their area, or explore other locations.
However, the app has disappeared from Google Play several times in recent months. In January, it was removed for three days before returning.
In a blog post about the app’s temporary disappearance from Google Play in January, the company said: “Had this removal been permanent, it would have been devastating to our company and our community.”
It had now enacted “wide-ranging changes to its profile photo content guidelines” in order to “ensure continued and full compliance”, the blog post added.
The company also told BBC News it took content moderation seriously.
Google declined to tell BBC News why Scruff had been removed from the app store several times.
Part of the challenge facing Scruff and similar apps “is the fact that different app stores publish guidelines with varying degrees of specificity”, chief executive Eric Silverberg told BBC News.
Google does publish a policy for app developers regarding sexually explicit content but it is very short and subject to interpretation.
While images of sex toys, sex acts and sex with animals are expressly forbidden, the policy otherwise bans only “sexually suggestive poses”.
Prior to the change, Scruff’s policies already forbade:
suggestive or explicit sexual acts
exposed buttocks
covering the genitals with hands, towels or other objects
Its updated policy also bans:
photos taken in the shower
photos in swimming trunks or underwear
lowering the waistband to draw attention to the groin
Last week, when the updated policy was introduced, it also banned photos of “hugging and kissing” but his has now been changed to “sexually suggestive embraces” following criticism from its members.
Scruff said existing profile photos would be rechecked to ensure compliance with the new policy.
Rival dating app Grindr and LGBT social network Hornet both told BBC News they had not been suspended from Google Play.
However, the fetish app Recon is not available on Google Play, although a tamer version of Recon, which filters more explicit profile images, is available on Apple’s App Store.
While Google declined to comment, it made clear that its moderators did not discriminate based on sexuality or gender identity.
Highly anticipated game Kingdom Hearts 3 has been launched with a twist – the ending comes separately.
The move was made to prevent spoilers from leaked versions of the long-awaited sequel.
Excerpts of the game, which allows users to fight alongside Disney characters, have already been leaked online.
Once installed and completed, the game automatically downloads the epilogue.
“It’s definitely an unusual move. It is the first time I’ve heard of a game doing this,” said Caspar Stewart, media analyst at research company Enders.
The game, which was first announced at the E3 conference in 2013, has been a long time in the making.
It blends characters from Disney’s animated films – including Buzz and Woody, from Toy Story, and Elsa, Anna and Olaf, from Frozen – with Square Enix’s science-fiction franchise Final Fantasy.
Players go on a journey with protagonist Sora through a variety of Disney-themed worlds.
After some copies were leaked last month, Square Enix director Tetsuya Nomura told fans: “The game’s epilogue and secret movie, which are the biggest spoilers in this game, are planned to be released at a later date just in case, so they will not be shown before the game’s release.”
The epilogue aims to tie together all three versions of the game, the last of which was released 14 years ago.
“It’s been a long wait and the game is heavy on narrative with lots of video, so the epilogue will be important to the die-hard fans,” said Mr Stewart.
“As a deterrent to piracy, I’m not sure how effective it will be, but the real value lies in the publicity this will generate on the day it is released,” he said.
Asante Kotoko head coach, Charles Kwabla Akonnor has named an eighteen-man squad to face Sudanese club Al Hilal in the first group game of the 2018/19 CAF Confederation Cup.
The Porcupines fly to Ethiopia en route to Sudan on Thursday, and C.K Akonnor is keeping faith with two goalkeepers, six defenders, eight midfielders and two strikers.
Utility defender Augustine Sefah is back for the Sudan job after missing the second leg playoff tie against Coton Sport to accumulated cards, alongside defender Evans Owusu, who also missed the reverse fixture of that game.
Usual suspects Felix Annan, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, and Maxwell Baakoh make the trip; so also is midfielder Kwame Bonsu and striker Songne Yacouba.
The Ghana Export and Import Bank (EXIMBANK) is to extend a $1 million loan facility to ASTEK Company Limited to revamp the fruits processing operations of the company at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.
The loan which was facilitated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, will be used to procure fruits processing machines and other equipment to pave the way for the start of operations in September, 2019.
The resuscitation of the ASTEK company, which forms part of the One-district, One-factory policy, is to create jobs for the teeming youth at Nsawam and surrounding communities.
ASTEK, which began fruits processing work in 1982, shut down its operations in 2009 as a result of financial challenges.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh inspected the factory last Monday to see to the readiness of the company ahead of the release of the $1 million loan facility.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of ASTEK, Mr Albert Owusu, said during its peak period, ASTEK produced Refresh fruit juices and mineral water.
However, he said the company “ran into turbulence but maintained a skeleton staff.”
Mr Owusu said ASTEK submitted a proposal to the Ghana EXIM Bank, and indicated that with the help of Mr Annoh-Dompreh, the proposal had been accepted and the agreement signed between EXIM Bank and ASTEK for the release of $1 million for the fruits processing project.
He said the company had also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with outgrower farmers in Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Akuapem South to ensure the regular supply of pineapples and oranges to the company.
Mr Owusu said the processed pineapple and orange juices and slices would be exported to the United States of America (USA), Spain, Central Europe and some African countries.
He said the company would be processing 50 tonnes of fruits daily at the initial stage.
He added that 50 workers would be employed immediately and indicated that the number of workers would be increased four folds if the operations gained momentum.
Campaign promise
Responding, Mr Annoh-Dompreh said he made a pledge prior to the 2016 election that he would secure funding to revive ASTEK to restart its fruits processing work.
He added that after retaining the Nsawam-Adoagyiri seat, he made a strong point to the Ghana EXIM Bank that ASTEK had “the inherent capacity” to process fruits for exports.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh, who is the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in Parliament, said the idea was to promote economic activity and create jobs for the youth in Nsawam and surrounding areas.
Mr Cox had suffered a minor cut to his neck during the attack, the deputy governor of Mogadishu Central Prison, Abdikarim Ali Afrah, said.
Guards had managed to foil the attack thanks to a tip-off, he said.
“As one of the suspects was about to cut his [Mr Cox’s] neck, we managed to stop him. He sustained a very minor cut. He is doing well,” Mr Afrah told the BBC Somali Service.
The two men involved were suspected Islamist militants, Mr Afrah said.
One is thought to a be a member of al-Shabab, the other is believed to belong to the Islamic State group – both are fighting Somalia’s UN-backed government.
Embassy officials and staff from the US security company Bancroft, which employs Mr Cox, had visited the prison, Mr Afrah said at an earlier press conference.
Mr Cox had been catching a flight to Addis Ababa in neighbouring Ethiopia when security officials found several tear-gas canisters inside his suitcase.
Six financial institutions engaged in fund management in the capital market have voluntarily requested to cease operations, Starrfmonline.com has gathered.
They are; HFC Capital Partners Limited, Attai Capital Limited, Serengeti Capital Limited, Indigo Investment Management Limited, Verit Investment Advisory Limited and Waxson Investment and Pension Management Limited.
Confirming the development in a statement dated January 29, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it has after “a thorough assessment of the circumstances, approved their requests.â€
“The above companies are therefore not mandated to carry out any Fund Management activities. Consequently, the Commission wishes to inform the general public that anyone who engages in any transaction with any of these companies or their representatives, in their capacity as Fund Managers could be exposing him/herself to avoidable risk,†the statement added.
The Commission further assured all investors, market operators and the general public that it is committed to ensuring rigorous enforcement of all the rules for operators in the capital market in order to promote the growth and development of an efficient, fair and transparent securities market in which investors and the integrity of the market are protected.
The US Justice Department on Monday unveiled sweeping charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei in two cases likely to ratchet up tensions between the two superpowers including that of a top executive arrested in Canada on a US warrant.
The department unveiled 13 charges against Huawei Technologies, its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou the daughter of the company’s founder who is currently out on bail in Canada and two affiliates related to violating US sanctions on Iran.
Meng’s case has sparked a major crisis between Beijing and Ottawa, which is accused of doing Washington’s bidding.\
The indictment was unsealed as China’s top trade negotiator arrived in Washington for high-stakes talks with US officials, possibly complicating the discussions ahead of a March deadline to avert a deepening of their trade war.
In addition, 10 US federal charges were filed against two Huawei affiliates for stealing robot technology from T-Mobile.
“Both sets of charges expose Huawei’s brazen and persistent actions to exploit American companies and financial institutions, and to threaten the free and fair global marketplace,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
China reacted furiously, saying there were “strong political manipulations” behind the case against Huawei.
In a statement sent to AFP, Huawei denied “that it or its subsidiary or affiliate have committed any of the asserted violations of US law set forth in each of the indictments.”
The firm “is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms Meng (Wanzhou), and believes the US courts will ultimately reach the same conclusion,” it added.
Extradition request
Meng who was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 at Washington’s request is expected to fight extradition to the United States, amid heavy pressure on Canada from Beijing, whose subsequent detention of two Canadians is seen as an act of retaliation for Meng’s arrest.
Late Monday, Canada’s Justice Department confirmed that officials had received a formal extradition request from the US, reported Canadian broadcaster CBC, with a hearing set for February 6.
The firebrand Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong says he is not to be blamed for the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale despite revealing his identity on national television.
He described a question posed by the BBC interviewer Thomas Naadi about whether he contributed to Ahmed’s death as ‘rubbish’, advising that the journalist should, ‘ask intelligent questions’.
“The motive behind… for circulating those pictures was to warn Ghanaians of that guy when they come to their premise because that is what they do,” the legislator said.
Mr Agyapong also sympathised with the family of the slain journalist adding that Ahmed was exposed to a lot of danger because of the nature of his work.
The firebrand Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong says he is not to be blamed for the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale despite revealing his identity on national television.
He described a question posed by the BBC interviewer Thomas Naadi about whether he contributed to Ahmed’s death as ‘rubbish’, advising that the journalist should, ‘ask intelligent questions’.
“The motive behind… for circulating those pictures was to warn Ghanaians of that guy when they come to their premise because that is what they do,” the legislator said.
Mr Agyapong also sympathised with the family of the slain journalist adding that Ahmed was exposed to a lot of danger because of the nature of his work.
Some Ghanaians on social media have expressed shock and unhappiness about the revelation that seems to suggest Ghana’s public debt is now 172.9 billion cedis, and are asking the Akufo-Addo government to explain where all the borrowed money went to, MyNewsGh.com has filed.
Many Ghanaians used unprintable languages to describe some key players in government’s finance committee when they learnt that between July and November 2018, the country added 13.2 billion cedis to its debt.
The figure of 172 billion comprises money borrowed within Ghana and that borrowed from investors outside the country.
As of November 2018, the total amount that the government had borrowed from the domestic market reached 86.5 billion cedis while that borrowed outside the country amounted to 86.3 billion cedis.
The actual reasons accounting for the rise are not clearly known but the Bank of Ghana maintains that the figures still takes into consideration the 9.8 billion cedis bond that the government issued to support GCB and the Consolidated bank as part of the banking sector clean up.
The current figure of 172.9 billion cedis represents 57.9 percent of the total value of all goods and services produced within the country (GDP) for 2018.
But reacting to the news, some Ghanaians think they need clarity on what exactly the government has to show against the borrowed money.
What are they using the money borrowed for?
Hahahaha adjeeee tweeeaaaaaaa are they not the same people who promised not to borrow when elected?
Ghana beyond Aid….ayikoooòo….am loving my kentreyyy#
France’s data watchdog has announced a fine of 50 million euros ($57 million) for US search giant Google, using the EU’s strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the first time.
Google was handed the record fine from the CNIL regulator for failing to provide transparent and easily accessible information on its data consent policies, a statement said.
The CNIL said Google made it too difficult for users to understand and manage preferences on how their personal information is used, in particular with regards to targeted advertising.
“People expect high standards of transparency and control from us. We’re deeply committed to meeting those expectations and the consent requirements of the GDPR,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.
“We’re studying the decision to determine our next steps.”
The ruling follows complaints lodged by two advocacy groups last May, shortly after the landmark GDPR directive came into effect.
One was filed on behalf of some 10,000 signatories by France’s Quadrature du Net group, while the other was by None Of Your Business, created by the Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems.
Schrems had accused Google of securing “forced consent” via its Android mobile operating software through the use of pop-up boxes online or on its apps which imply that its services will not be available unless the conditions of use are accepted.
“Also, the information provided is not sufficiently clear for the user to understand that the legal basis for targeted advertising is consent, and not Google’s legitimate business interests,” the CNIL said.
“We have found that large corporations such as Google simply ‘interpret the law differently’ and have often only superficially adapted their products,” Schrems said in a statement after the ruling.
“It is important that the authorities make it clear that simply claiming to be compliant is not enough.”
‘Special responsibility’
The GDPR is widely considered the biggest shake-up to data privacy regulations since the advent of the web.
Even companies which are not based in Europe must follow the tough new rules if they want their sites and services to be available to European users.
The CNIL found that despite changes implemented by Google since last year, it was still failing to respect the spirit of the new rules.
It noted for example that specifics on how long a person’s data is kept and what it is used for are spread across several different web pages.
Modifying a user’s data preferences also requires clicking through a variety of pages such as “More Options”, and often the choices to accept Google’s terms are pre-checked by default.
“This type of procedure leads the user to give global consent… but the consent is not ‘specific’ as the GDPR requires,” the regulator said.
It said the record 50-million-euro fine reflected the seriousness of the failings as well as Google’s dominant market position in France via Android.
“Each day thousands of French users create a Google account on their smartphones,” the CNIL said.
“As a result the company has a special responsibility when it comes to respecting their obligations in this domain,” it said.
It is not the first time the regulator has taken Google to task over its policies.
In 2014 it fined the company 150,000 euros the maximum possible at the time for failing to comply with its privacy guidelines for personal data.
And in 2016 it imposed a 100,000-euro penalty over non-compliance with the EU’s “right to be forgotten” rule, allowing people to request having references to them removed from search results.
Goole has contested the decision, saying it should apply only to its European sites, such as Google.fr, and not the global Google.com domain.
Earlier this month the advocate general for the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg sided with Google in the case, though a final ruling has not yet been announced.
The firm had blamed the issues partly on an economic slowdown in China.
But chief executive Tim Cook said customers were also struggling with the firm’s high prices.
He said a strong dollar, which makes its products comparatively more expensive, had hurt its sales in emerging markets.
Mr Cook said the tech giant had started this month to re-price its phones to shield customers from the impact of currency fluctuations.
“What we have done in January in some locations and [for] some products is essentially absorb part or all of the foreign currency move as compared to last year,” he said.
Still, executives said they expected the firm’s challenges to continue.
Apple predicted revenue for the three months to 31 March of $55bn-$59bn – suggesting a drop of at least 3.4% year-on-year.
“The macroeconomic environment, particularly in emerging markets, will continue to be there,” Luca Maestri, the firm’s chief financial officer, said.
Apple’s struggles are not unique. Global smart phone shipments contracted 5% in 2018, according to Canalys, a market analyst firm.
But the firm’s share price has dropped by around one third since October, amid investor concerns that buyer appetite for iPhones is weakening.
Fears intensified after the firm said it would stop reporting the number of iPhones, iPads and Macs it sold each quarter.
However, Apple shares gained more than 4% in after-hours trade on Tuesday, as the firm proved more resilient than expected.
Quarterly sales revenue dropped by more than 25% in its Greater China region, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, compared to the year before.
Sales also slipped about 3% year-on-year in Europe.
But in the Americas – the firm’s single biggest region – sales were up almost 5%.
Revenue from the services business also jumped 19% to a record $10.9bn in the quarter, which ended on the 31 December.
It’s Apple’s worst performing quarter for years, but that’s not to say investors won’t be mildly relieved.
After the firm’s warning earlier this month that it would be posting earnings well below expectations for what is typically its blockbuster quarter, investors were well-prepared to see the drop in iPhone sales, and as a result, revenues overall.
That bad news was balanced out – perhaps even cancelled out – by the good news on services.
A big increase compared to this time last year – 19% – and a very healthy gross margin of 62.8%.
Apple is transitioning, slowly, into a different kind of company that isn’t so reliant on hardware, and these numbers show that so far that transition is going well.
With $245bn cash in hand, it can afford to splash out and make investors even happier with a major acquisition or two in the entertainment space (but then, I’ve been saying that for a while now!).
Mr Cook said he remained confident in the business, pointing to strong sales of iPad and Macs, as well as growth in its services division, which includes Apple Pay.
Overall profit in the quarter fell less than 1% to $19.97bn.
“While it was disappointing to miss our revenue guidance, we manage Apple for the long term, and this quarter’s results demonstrate that the underlying strength of our business runs deep and wide,” he said.
The Black Satellites of Ghana were held by Nigerien side Sahel FC to a 1-1 draw in their final friendly ahead of the Africa Youth Championship this weekend.
Ghana were down by a goal as early as the second minute, when Sahel FC forward Forouk Fuseini connected from a cross on the left side.
The Black Satellites pulled level in the seventieth minute through striker Sabit Abdulai.
The team has been in Niamey for almost two weeks now, preparing for the tournament with a number of friendlies.
Coach Jimmy Cobblah’s side remain winless in preparatory games but the team has been boosted by the arrival of first choice goalkeeper Manaf Nurudeen.
The Black Satellites are in group B of the competition alongside Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mali.
The semi finalist from the competition will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland later this year.
Ghana are three times champions of the Africa Youth Championship and the only side from Africa to win the World Cup.
Toxic smog forced hundreds of Bangkok schools to close Wednesday, as authorities struggle to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread health fears and taken on a political edge just weeks before elections.
The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government and prompting rare scenes of residents donning masks on streets and on public transport.
Reasons given for the lingering pall include exhaust from traffic, unfettered construction, the burning of crop stubble, and pollution from factories getting trapped in the city.
Authorities have seeded clouds to provoke rain, sprayed overpasses with water to catch micro-pollutants and even asked people not to burn incense sticks and paper during Chinese New Year celebrations.
The measures so far have drawn derision from many Bangkok residents, while stocks of pollution masks have run out in many shops.
But on Wednesday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration stepped up its health warnings, ordering all 437 city-controlled public schools to close from lunchtime through Friday, designating 1,500 square kilometres (580 square miles) of the city a “control area”.
“The situation will be bad until February 3 to 4, so I decided to close schools,” said Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang, adding he hoped the move would also empty the road of cars on the school run.
Three to four of the city’s districts are “severely hit with smog”, he added.
A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office said private and vocational schools would be closed as well, but did not give a number.
– ‘Public health crisis’-
At a downtown Bangkok school where parents arrived early to pick up their children, pupils said they knew about the risks posed by the dangerous pollutant particles, known as PM 2.5.
“I use a mask wherever I go,” said 12-year-old Chaiwawut Benpalee. “It will not affect us now, but it will in the future.”
Fleets of drones are set to be deployed to disperse sugary liquid solution to help clear the air of microscopic particles.
It is not clear how effective that will be given the scale of the smog cloaking the city.
Aswin also said City Hall may soon issue a warning against exercising in parks.
Air Visual, an independent online air quality index (AQI) monitor, on Wednesday pegged Bangkok at the “unhealthy” level of 171, up from 156 mid-month.
“It’s a public health crisis,” said Tara Buakamsri, Greenpeace country director for Thailand.
Measurements of harmful particulates are higher than some cities in China but well below the Indian capital New Delhi.
Siwatt Pongpiachan, a professor of environmental science at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), said that while the cold dry climate was part of the problem the government should “think seriously” about congestion measures limiting the number of cars on the road.
– Pollution politics –
The battle against smog comes during Thailand’s key tourist season, with the Chinese New Year getaway looming, in a country where earnings from foreign visitors make up around a fifth of the economy.
Edward Huang, a 28-year-old tourist from Taiwan who was wearing a mask, said visitors may be deterred from trips to Bangkok.
“The air is just so bad,” he told AFP.
The haze is also starting to seep into the political conversation.
Thailand is set to hold an election on March 24, the first since the military took over in a 2014 coup.
“I don’t see serious measures being taken,” tweeted Chaturon Chaisang, a key member of the Thai Raksa Chart party, urging more to be done beyond the school closures.
His party, closely linked to the politically powerful Shinawatra clan, has been quick to launch a “measure the pollution” app, while other parties have handed out masks — leaving the ruling junta appearing flat-footed in its response.
National Youth Authority (NYA) Chief Executive Officer, Emmanuel Asigri, says the benefit the youth in the country will derive from the construction of the various Multipurpose Youth Resource Centres cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
He said the project, aimed at equipping the youth with the requisite skill as well as providing platforms for them to express their talents will help the country a great deal.
To him, Ghana will be the ultimate winner when the facility is completed before the end of this year.
He said the facility will produce more sporting talents; a sure way of guaranteeing Ghana medals in future sporting tournaments.
In the area of Counseling and ICT, the NYA chief pointed out that the former was designed to offer professional advice to the youth regarding their respective careers, while the latter (ICT) will ensure that those with the passion for IT are trained and well versed with required techniques.
The NYA CEO said the construction of the various Multipurpose Youth and Resource Centres compliments the various projects and training programs intended to secure the future of the youth.
“No doubt, these facilities will go a long way to benefit the youth of this country, and I always say Ghana will be the ultimate winner. The benefit would be realized three or more years after completion, “said the NYA boss.
The Multipurpose Youth Resource Centre of Excellence has a football field, tartan tracks, volleyball/ basketball Courts, ICT/ Counseling Center, restaurant, hostel etc.
A provincial governor and close ally of South Korean President Moon Jae-in was convicted and jailed for two years Wednesday for his part in an online opinion-rigging scandal ahead of the 2017 presidential election.
Kim Kyoung-soo was found guilty of colluding with a blogger to artificially generate more than 88 million likes and dislikes on comments on 76,000 news stories.
The intent was to rig the algorithms of Naver, South Korea’s largest portal, to give more prominence to stories favourable to then-presidential candidate Moon.
In the event the liberal won the poll — held in the aftermath of the ouster of Park Geun-hye for corruption — by a landslide.
Kim had instructed the blogger — nicknamed Druking — to carry out the scheme and had been aware of an illegal computer programme being used, the Seoul Central District Court said.
The 51-year-old governor of South Gyeongsang province, who had denied the charges, will appeal but was immediately taken into custody.
“I will fight until the end,” Kim said, according to Yonhap news agency.
He retains his governorship for now but if the verdict is upheld by higher courts he will lose the position and be barred from running for office for five years.
Escalating attacks by Boko Haram militants have forced 30,000 people out of Nigeria’s northeast into Cameroonian borders over the weekend, the UN Refugee agency said on Tuesday.
Thousands have also fled to neighboring Cameroon and Chad in recent weeks, the agency said.
Hostilities have strained humanitarian operations and forced aid workers to pull out from some locations, and the destruction of livelihoods and infrastructure is widespread, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said at a press briefing in Geneva.
The recent upsurge in violence has also driven more than 80,000 civilians to seek refuge in already crowded camps or in towns in Borno State, where they are surviving in tough living conditions, Baloch said.
More than 250,000 people have already been displaced from northeast Nigeria, and surging militant attacks targeting civilians have forced thousands more to run for their lives each day, the UN said.
Two aid workers held hostage by Boko Haram were executed last year after they were kidnapped in a hospital in a displacement camp in Rann.
The UN agency said it would need $848 million to provide food and assistance to those that have been affected by the crisis in Nigeria.
It also launched an additional appeal for US$135 million to help those that have been displaced by the insurgency in the Lake Chad, which has also borne the brunt of attacks.
Boko Haram insurgents have waged a decade-long war burning villages, mosques and churches in northern Nigeria.
Military bases have come under intense attack from the group’s militants in recent months with reports of large numbers of army casualties. The army’s leadership often denies these reports.
In November, it was forced to admit that 44 soldiers died in an attack on its military base in Metele village, Borno.
At least 15 people were killed in a spate of attacks on four villages in Maiduguri in Borno State in the same month.
Insurgents have also reportedly reclaimed Baga, a village on the outskirts of Maiduguri and hundreds of residents, including the village head, have fled their homes.
