TIG Post

Author: aejay_wp

  • Owusu Bempahs fourth marriage allegedly hits the rocks

    Reports reaching Ghpage.com suggests that the founder and leader of Glorious Word Ministry International, Reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah has ended his marriage to his recent wife, Abena Animah.

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  • UAE helicopter crash kills four crew on rescue mission near zipline

    A rescue helicopter has crashed near the world’s longest zipline in the UAE, killing its crew.

    The Agusta 139 helicopter was on a rescue mission at Jebel Jais, a mountain in the Ras al-Khaimah emirate, when it came down on Saturday.

    The country’s National Search and Rescue Centre said four people had died.

    Video footage has emerged showing the helicopter in a tailspin and on fire on the mountainside.

    Local newspaper The National reports that it hit a cable before spiralling out of control.

    Tourism authorities told local media they could not comment on the matter while an investigation. ordered by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi, the ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, was ongoing.

    The National Search and Rescue Centre said pilots Saqr Saeed Mohamed Abdullah al-Yamahi and Hameed Mohamed Obaid al-Zaabi, were among the victims.

    Navigator Jasim Abdullah Ali Tunaiji and paramedic Mark Roxburgh also lost their lives.

    Mr Roxburgh, a South African, is said to have described himself as a “single dad” to a young child on social media.

    “As long as I can remember my dad taught me about self-sacrifice in the service of those in need,” he wrote on his Facebook profile.

    Social media were filled with tributes to the men as the news emerged, with many Emiratis offering condolences to loved ones.

    The world’s longest zipline opened at Jebel Jais in February.

    Toroverde, which runs the 2.83km (1.76 mile-long) adventure experience, confirmed it was closed in a statement online.

    “Toroverde Ras al-Khaimah regrets to report that there has been a very serious incident on the mountain, and due to this incident, Jebel Jais Mountain Park and access road have been closed until further notice, in order to give the emergency services the access they need,” the company said.

    “All the world’s longest zipline’s flights are cancelled until further notice and we will be in direct contact with all our customers by phone immediately.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Alfred Duncan speaks out against racism after chants aimed at Koulibaly

    US Sassuolo midfielder Alfred Duncan has spoken on the racist chanting suffered by Senegalese stalwart Kalidou Koulibaly during SS Napoli 1-0 defeat against Inter Milan last Wednesday.

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  • Farmers angry as KATH clears their 40-acre farmlands for training centre

     
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  • My few months at Inter have been exciting – Kwadwo Asamoah

    Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah has described his first six months at Inter Milan as “intense and exciting” after ending the year with a victory.

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  • I shed tears when Black Queens exited AWCON – Zida

     Vice Chairman of the Management Committee for Women’s Senior National team, the Black Queens Salifu Shaibu Zida has disclosed that he wept indoors seeing the team crashed out from the Total Africa Women’s championship.

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  • Jordan Ayew ends 2018 without a goal for Crystal Palace

    Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew could not end the year 2018 on a high note as his goal drought continued after his side’s1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.

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  • Hearts of Oak to unveil new 48-seater bus

    Ghana Premier League heavyweight, Hearts of Oak are set to unveil their new bus early next month when the team returns from the festive break.

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  • Shorter people are more likely to die in hospital Study says

    Patients in intensive care are more likely to die in hospital if they are short.

    Tall people have much better survival rates when they are very ill, a study of more than 400,000 British patients found.

    Around one in five very tall men die in intensive care, but that leaps to 29.2 per cent of the shortest men. Women see their death rates jump from 17.1 to 24.1 per cent if they are smaller.

    Experts say shorter people may be at risk because a lot of intensive care equipment is set up for average-sized male patients.

    This could see smaller people given too large a dose of medication, such as sedatives, which could lead to sleepiness and ultimately cause them to stop breathing. 

    The wrong sized breathing tube could cause damage to the vocal cords in shorter people, the research found. 

    Dr Hannah Wunsch, who led the study into 210 intensive care units in the UK, said: ‘There is no one thing which could explain this increase in mortality in shorter people admitted to intensive care.

    ‘There are so many aspects to how people are looked after which could contribute but together all these small things may have a large impact.’ 

    The researcher, from the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Sunnybrook Hospital in Canada, added: ‘The message from this research is for doctors to be more aware of people’s height.’

    Most people in intensive care tend to have medical complications such as sepsis and heart failure, although the unit also has a smaller proportion of accident and car crash victims. 

    Researchers looked at death rates for patients from 2009 to 2015 based on their height.

    The results, published in the journal Intensive Care Medicine, show that among men of around 6ft 5ins (200cm), 21 per cent will die. That rises to 29.2 per cent for the shortest men, who are just over 4ft 5ins (140cm) tall.

    For women of the same heights the death rate goes from 17.1 to 24.1 per cent.

    The average-height man’s odds of dying are just over 22 per cent, but that death risk increases by around 30 per cent for the very shortest.

    Part of the reason may be shorter people’s medical histories, as vulnerable people who had cancer in childhood may have been made smaller by chemotherapy. But the death rates are higher for shorter people even when their age and the severity of their illness are taken into account.

    Researchers warn that smaller people may inadvertently be overdosed with drugs, as they do not need as much medication as those of average height. 

    A central line put into their vein to deliver drugs can cause a heart flutter if it is too long, which in rare cases can be fatal.

    A ventilator not adjusted for someone’s height can damage their lungs as they are forced to take larger breaths than necessary.

    Dr Wunsch said: ‘We know doctors do not always measure people’s heights but equipment settings should often take this into account. The small differences relevant to how tall someone is can add up.’

    Source: dailymail.co.uk

  • The simple tips to improve your health

    If you are contemplating a new year’s health kick, you could be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed.

    Do yoga, run, lift weights, cut the carbs, or the fat (depending on the particular diet that’s in vogue), ditch the booze, reduce your stress.

    It is easy to feel like your life needs to be overhauled in order to be a healthy, happy human being.

    But what if you were to make only one change?

    We asked experts what single thing they would recommend people should do to improve their health, assuming they are an adult who is otherwise healthy and not a smoker.

    Focus on the mind

    It is easy to only think about our physical health.

    But according to Dr Nadine Sammy, associate lecturer for sport and exercise sciences at the University of Exeter, we should also be focusing on improving our minds by building self-awareness.

    You might think of this as something that prevents us from embarrassing ourselves, but, according to Dr Sammy, it is much more than this.

    Self-awareness is the ability to recognise and understand your moods, emotions and drives, and building it can play a crucial role in improving mental and physical wellbeing over time.

    “By understanding your feelings, motivations and behaviours in more depth, you can begin to act more consciously in order to make better choices for yourself,” she says.

    “For instance, what is your motivation to exercise? When are you most – and when are you least – likely to stick to your exercise routine and why?”

    There are many ways to do this, she says, including journaling, meditating, practicing mindfulness or simply making time for self-reflection after certain activities or at the end of the day.

    “Better understanding ourselves allows us to play to our strengths and build on our weaknesses, thereby spurring us on to be our best self,” she adds.

    Adopt a dog

    A gym membership, a pilates class, or a morning run – just some of the things that might come to mind when we think of becoming physically more active.

    But though going to the gym works for some of us, many will quit after a month or two, says Dr Rhys Thatcher, a reader in exercise physiology at Aberystwyth University.

    Instead, he recommends finding ways to routinely incorporate exercise into our daily lives.

    There are plenty of ways to do this, from avoiding the lifts at work to parking on the far side of a supermarket car park when you are doing the shopping.

    But there are particular benefits to adopting a dog, he says.

    If you make sure to walk it for at least 30 minutes twice a day, you will be boosting your activity while also getting the emotional benefits of dog adoption.

    “This way you get to spend time outside, you get to exercise, you get a loyal companion and at the same time you get to improve the life of another living thing, all of which have been shown to improve physical and mental health,” says Dr Thatcher.

    Get your 30 a week

    We have all heard about getting our five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

    But according to Dr Megan Rossi, a research fellow at King’s College London’s department of nutritional sciences, it is not only quantity we should be striving for, but also diversity.

    We should aim for at least 30 different plant-based foods per week, she says.

    That is because plant-based diversity is thought to have a key role in good gut health.

    The bacteria in our gut – collectively known as the microbiome – have a profound role in our health.

    Allergies, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s, and even depression have all been linked to the bacteria in our gut.

    One way we can get more plant-based diversity in our diets easily is by being a little savvier about some of the foods we purchase, says Dr Rossi.

    “Instead of just buying chickpeas go for the four-bean mix. Instead of buying one type of seed buy the four-seed mix,” she says.

    Smile more often

    After the excesses of the holiday season, many of us will be planning to lose a couple of stone or setting a target for how many times we go to the gym each week.

    But the problem with “arbitrary” goals like these is that they are often difficult to achieve and failing to reach them can be demoralising, says Dr James Gill.

    Instead, he recommends focusing first on trying to be happier.

    “There are lists of specific things that you can do to actively make your life healthier, but if you are not enjoying your life you probably won’t stick to any difficult or challenging changes for the coming year,” says Dr Gill, a locum GP and researcher at Warwick Medical School.

    But how do you go about becoming happier?

    Dr Gill recommends making one change in your life that will make you smile more often. At the same time, identify one thing that makes you unhappy and try to do something to improve it.

    “Get those two in the bag, and you’ll be ready to look to other things to really give your health a boost further into the year.”

    And finally, get enough sleep

    It may seem obvious, but we should all aim to get enough sleep (seven to nine hours a night for most healthy adults).

    Even being mildly deprived of it (five hours a night) can affect a range of cognitive functions, including decision making, says Dr Gavin Buckingham, senior lecturer in sport and health sciences at the University of Exeter.

    There are lots of things we can do to get a better night’s sleep, from avoiding caffeine too close to bed to having a consistent bedtime.

    But Dr Buckingham’s top tip is to stop using electronic devices like phones and laptops well before bedtime or at least put on a filter that blocks the blue light in them.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Majeed Waris delighted to put injury nightmare behind him

    Ghana forward Abdul Majeed Waris says he is happy to put his troubled injury past behind him revealing he plays with so much “positivity” now.

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  • Why are more boys than girls born every single year?

    Every year, there are always more baby boys than girls born in England and Wales. Fact. Why?

    Since records began in 1838, the cries of babies born every year have been predominately male.

    In not one year, stretching back to the start of Queen Victoria’s reign, have girls outnumbered boys at birth.

    In 2017, in England and Wales, for example, there were 348,071 live male births and 331,035 live female births – a difference of roughly 17,000.

    And that higher tally of males compared to females born each year is a pattern that has repeated itself for nearly 180 years.

    In fact, a ratio of roughly 105 male births for every 100 female ones is generally seen as natural and normal.

    It is fairly consistent around the world, although in some countries like China and India the gap is wider because male offspring are more desirable.

    More surprisingly, it is a ratio that has been known about since the 17th Century.

    Graph of boys and girls born in England and Wales

    But why this ratio exists is not yet completely understood – although there are several theories.

    It’s all about evolution
    The first theory is an evolutionary one which says that in order to have an equal number of males and female in adulthood, there have to be slightly more males born.

    That is because being a male is a dangerous thing. Males are more likely than females to die in childhood and at all stages of life – from accidents, taking risks, suicide and from health problems.

    “At every age, in almost every time and place, a man is more likely to die than a woman,” says Prof David Steinsaltz, associate professor of statistics at the University of Oxford.

    So more males than females at the start of life should mean equal numbers of men and women in adulthood, so the theory goes.

    In fact, adult women always end up slightly outnumbering adult men in the UK, according to Office for National Statistics figures – and living longer.

    Sperm and timing
    There are lots of different factors that could determine whether a male sperm (carrying a Y chromosome) or a female sperm (carrying an X chromosome) is first in the race to fertilise the woman’s egg.

    These include the ages of the parents, the woman’s ovulation cycle, levels of stress, diet and sexual position.

    One popular theory is that the odds of having a girl increase by having sex several days before ovulation and then abstaining so that the female sperm, which live longer, but swim more slowly than male sperm, outlast their counterparts.

    Conversely, if sex happens closer to ovulation or after it, the best swimmers get to the egg first and boys are produced.

    Parents may swear by these techniques, but scientists say there is little evidence they make any difference.

    There is also some research which suggests parental stress could lead to the birth of more girls, while living through wars and conflicts may give rise to more male conceptions.

    Survival in the womb
    If planning that sexual encounter does not have an impact on gender, then could something else be happening during pregnancy?

    If there are equal numbers of female and male-producing sperm and roughly equal numbers of conceptions, then more female foetuses must perish to give males the upper hand.

    Some research suggests females are more likely to be lost in the womb during early pregnancy, but other studies have shown males foetuses are more fragile later in pregnancy and lead to more stillbirths.

    Scientists say it is hard to pin down what actually happens and the reasons why.

    What we do know is that more male conceptions reach term and more boys are born.

    Source: Philippa Roxby / bbc.com

  • NPA orders T-Tekpor gas station at Afariwa Junction to close down today

    The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has directed the management of T-Tekpor Gas Refilling station located at Afariwa Junction in the Ashaiman Municipality to decommission the facility by December 31, 2018.

    The directive by the downstream petroleum regulator follows a recommendation by a Multi -Stakeholder Committee, after a petition from the Assembly Member of the area, Charles Kissi raised some concerns that the siting and operations of the facility poses significant risk to two adjoining schools viz, Tema International School and Tema Ridge School) in view of the hazardous nature of LPG.

    A letter signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NPA, Hassan Tampuli, and sighted by this reporter, explained the circumstances leading to the action by his outfit.

    The letter stated: “Following a directive by the Ministry of Energy to the NPA to investigate the concerns of the petitioners and advice accordingly, the Multi-Stakeholders Committee (MSC) was tasked to conduct the necessary investigations. The MSC comprises representatives of the NPA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC), Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) and Department of Factories Inspectorate. 

    “As part of the investigative process, the MSC met with all the stakeholders involved including representatives of T-Tekpor Energy Limited facility and at the meeting, all the various parties submitted documents covering their operations to the Committee for review. Subsequently, the MSC visited your LPG refilling plant to conduct risk assessment of the facility. The Committee also visited the two adjoining schools to appreciate the concerns of the petitioners. Following the visits, the MSC deliberated on the findings of the investigation and concluded that the current location of your refilling plant poses a threat to the neighbours of the facility especially the two adjoining schools.

    “The Committee further noted that in the event of explosion, the consequence will be catastrophic as the population in the two schools exceeded 700. The MSC, therefore, recommended that the LPG refilling plant should be relocated as soon as possible to avert any potential disaster.

    “We wish to inform you that the NPA, in consultation with the Ministry of Energy, has approved the recommendation of the Multi-Stakeholder Committee. Consequently, we regret to inform you that your authorisation to operate the said refilling plant will not be renewed after the 31st December, 2018. You are, therefore, directed to take immediate steps to suspend your operations and also decommission the refilling plant by the said date. However, you may consider filling cylinders of your customers at any approved LPG refilling plants and distribute them at the current location.”

    The letter concluded by warning management of the facility that its failure to adhere to the directive would attract severe sanctions.

    Dissatisfied, however, by the NPA’s directive, the management of T-Tekpor Gas Filling Station had filed a suit at an Accra High court to challenge the decision.

    When contacted the CEO of NPA Hassan Tampuli confirmed the issue and stated that his outfit is only waiting for the final determination of the case for them to know their next line of action.

    Source: Michael Creg Affu

  • Former Hearts captain Thomas Abbey signs for Malaysian club PKNP FC

    Former Hearts of Oak skipper, Thomas Abbey has sealed his move to a Malaysian club PKNP FC.

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  • Who is conferring degrees, diplomas awarded by Technical Universities?

    The Technical Universities Act, 2016 (Act 922) as amended established Technical Universities (TUs) in 2016 and 2018. It created principal officers and gave them specific responsibilities and duties. And these duties are expected to be performed in full. For that matter, provisions of Act 922 as amended cannot be cherry-picked.

    This piece attempts to show that the part of the law that addresses the issue of the appointment of the Chancellors of the Technical Universities is very important and it must be complied with without going contrary to the Act.

    The Issue

    The problem on the ground is that there are no Chancellors but the Technical Universities graduate students and confer on them degrees, diplomas and certificates.

    To this end, the main issue to be addressed is whether or not the Technical Universities can confer degrees, diplomas, or certificates on deserving persons when they have not appointed Chancellors?

    The Position of the law

    The Technical Universities Act, 2016 (Act 922) provides as follows:

    Section 14 (1) A Technical University shall have a Chancellor who is appointed by the Council and takes precedence over the other officers of the Technical University.

    Subsection (2) as amended by the Technical Universities (Amendment) Act, 2018 (Act 974) provides that the criteria and modalities for the nomination and election of the Chancellor shall be prescribed by the statutes of the Technical University.

    (6) The Chancellor shall confer on qualified persons degrees, diplomas, and certificates awarded by the Technical University in accordance with this Act and procedures prescribed by the Statutes of Technical University.

    (7) The Chancellor may delegate functions under subsection (6) by directions in writing to the Council.

    Additionally, Section 13 (1) of Act 922 provides that the principal officers of a Technical University are (a) the Chancellor (b) the Chairperson of the Council of the Technical University; and (c) the Vice-Chancellor of that Technical University.

    And under functions of a Council, Section 6 of Act 922 does not mention that it can confer degrees, diplomas or certificates but only provides at subsection (o) perform any other functions that are ancillary to the aims of that Technical University.

    The law quoted above can be summarised as follows: the first principal officer of a Technical University is the Chancellor who takes precedence over the other officers.

    Among other things, the Chancellor confers degrees, diplomas, and certificates awarded by the Technical University. And most importantly, the Chancellor may delegate this role to the Council through writing but not by any other means.

    The Facts

    It is trite that six Technical Universities were established in 2016 (and two in 2018) and they had interim Councils until somewhere in August 2017 that substantive Councils were formed. Among others, the Council is responsible for the enactment of Statutes to operationalize Act 922. The Statutes should contain the criteria and procedure to appoint a Chancellor.

    It is also a fact that these TUs have over the last two years organised graduation ceremonies and awarded degrees, diplomas, and certificates to deserving persons. It is known that these Technical Universities run the Higher National Diploma (HND) in various disciplines. The HND is awarded by the National Board for Professional and Technical Education (NABPTEX). However, the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degrees are either awarded by the TUs themselves or in collaboration with one another or with other universities home or abroad. And the TUs award certain certificates which are neither HND nor BTech.

    Analysis

    Pursuant to Section 14 (6), it is the statutory duty of the Chancellor of a Technical University to confer these BTech and certificates awarded by the Technical University.

    If a TU awards its own degree, diploma or certificate, it is the duty of the Chancellor of that TU to confer them.

    In the absence of the Chancellor, that is, when no Chancellor has ever been appointed, the Council of the TU will act ultra vires if it attempts to confer these degrees, diplomas or certificates awarded by the TU. It shall be illegal or unlawful or contrary to Act 922 as amended for a Council or any other officer of a TU to confer degrees, diplomas or certificates awarded by the TU.

    The only moment where a Council of a TU can confer these is when a Chancellor takes his pen and paper and writes to the Council and delegates this role to the Council.

    And if no Chancellor has ever been appointed, who will be there to write to the Council? Persons that are not in existence cannot write to delegate.

    For the HNDs run by the NABPTEX, because they are not awarded by the Technical Universities themselves, they do not necessary need a Chancellor to confer them. But for BTech and other certificates awarded by the TUs, the Chancellor is the only person mandated by the law to confer same on deserving persons.

    From the checks, none of the eight Technical Universities has appointed a Chancellor. But they have gone ahead to confer BTech and other certificates in 2018, with some going to do so early 2019. It can be said without fear and without any equivocation that the Councils or the Principal Officers, as the case may be, which conferred these degrees and certificates in 2018 or before acted outside the bounds of their jurisdiction when it is a naked fact that no Chancellor has ever been appointed.

    How to Appoint a Chancellor

    Section 14 (2) of Act 922 as amended dictates that the criteria and modalities for the election of the Chancellor shall be prescribed by the Statute of the Technical University. It is the Statute only that can contain the procedure and qualifications of the Chancellor. It shall be offensive to the law and decided cases such as the Dual Citizen Case procured by Professor Asare if the Statutes delegate that function to the Council or any other person. The Statutes of the TUs must contain every modality leading to the election of the Chancellor.

    Who can Appoint a Chancellor?

    Section 14 (1) provides that it is the duty of the Council of a Technical University to appoint the Chancellor. It is not the duty of the Government through the Ministry of Education or through the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to make this appointment.

    And before any blunder is made, the understanding of Act 922 as amended is that the Chancellor may attend Council meetings but the Chancellor does not and cannot chair any Council meeting. The chairing of Council meetings is the statutory duty of the Chairperson of the Council. And in his absence, the members of Council present shall nominate an external member to chair the meeting.

    The Way forward

    Article 23 of Constitution, 1992 provides that Administrative bodies and administrative officials shall act fairly and reasonably and comply with the requirements imposed on them by law and persons aggrieved by the exercise of such acts and decisions shall have the right to seek redress before a court or other tribunal.

    The duties imposed by Act 922 as amended must be complied with without any further breaches. The various Chancellors must be appointed by the Councils before any Technical University can confer degrees, diplomas, or certificates on deserving persons in the coming months. This means that work on the Statutes must be expedited to ensure the appointment of the Chancellors.

    Consequently, failure on the part of the Council of the Technical Universities to appoint the Chancellors will arm any citizen with the right to seek redress before a court.

    This may result in injunctions on graduation ceremonies in the coming months.

    For the foregoing, the teaching body, administrators and student representative councils in the Technical Universities must ensure that this requirement of Act 922 as amended is fully complied with by the Councils.

    Citizens who will go to court for redress must not be seen as spectators but as country-loving citizens. The rule of law should be preferred by all well-meaning Ghanaians.

    The author is Senior Lecturer at Koforidua Technical University

    nanayogyasi@ktu.edu.gh

    Source: Nana Y. O. Gyasi

  • KP Boateng speaks out on racism after chants aimed at Koulibaly

    Ghana ace Kevin-Prince Boateng has added his voice and thoughts on the racist chanting suffered by Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly during a Serie A fixture between Inter Milan and SS Napoli last Wednesday.

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  • Video of Church members kneeling to welcome pastor goes viral

    Religion is a big part of people’s lives, especially those in Nigeria. Many would go to any length to obtain the favour and mercy of whoever they consider being the Supreme Being. Because pastors and men of God are usually to be messengers of the Sovereign, they usually receive a fair share of the loyalties people give to the Divine.

    The assertion above recently proved itself true through what can be regarded as a quizzical and surprising situation. A video showing an undisclosed man of God as he walked into his own church has been making rounds online and attracting the attention of people.

    What is remarkable about the video is not the man or the car he came down as he walked into his church. Rather, it is the attitude and disposition of his church members at his arrival that has got many people talking.

    As seen in the video, as soon as the man’s car approached, the members of his church who were loitering around the environment instantly knelt down and put their two hands together in what looked like a mode of worship.

    The members who mostly wore white garments remained in this posture as the highly reverred man of God stepped out of the car.

    What was even more strange was that the driver who quickly opened the car door for the man remained kneeling while doing so. As the man walked further into the interior of his church, many more people knelt in obeisance to him. It was almost as if they could not look him in the face.

    This video that has been making rounds online has attracted a lot of controversy as many could not understand the whole point of having to kneel down for a mere man.

    Indeed, this is quite a very strange way of worship. None of the church members is yet to defend it in any way.

    But then, considering what has been practised in the past by church worshippers, this is not so surprising.

    Source: Yen.com.gh

  • Why Burnaboy did not perform at Ghana Rocks 2018

    Event organisers Charterhouse Productions have apologised to patrons of their Ghana Rocks 2018 concert after one of the headline acts was absent at the show.

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  • 6 financial institutions you should not save with in 2019

    The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has brought out a list of financial institutions that are unlicensed to carry out deposit taking activities in the country.

    This follows the high levels of uncertainty that have hit the banking sector and its institutions in recent months.

    In the past few months, a number of banks have been caught up in this web, rendering their customers hapless in retrieving their investments.

    Recently, Menzgold was in the news following disagreements with the Bank of Ghana (BoG) regarding its operations.

    The gold dealership firm has since been ordered to shut down its gold trading activities by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    Meanwhile, seven indigenous banks have already collapsed in the last two years after being deemed financially insolvent. These include UT Bank, Capital Bank, Beige Bank, Sovereign Bank, Royal Bank, Construction Bank and UniBank.

    In a latest statement, the Central Bank has warned the public to be wary of the financial institutions they deal with.

    The BoG specifically listed six financial institutions that it says are not duly licensed to carry out deposit-taking activities.

    “Hence, anyone who does business with these entities does so at his or her own risk and the Bank of Ghana will not be liable for the refund of any deposit lost by the depositor,” the statement added.

    Below is the list of the unlicensed financial institutions:

    1. Global Coin Community Help International Limited (GCCH)

    2. Wealth Drive Ghana Limited (WDG)

    3. Devonshire Place Capital Ghana Limited

    4. TCL Markets Ghana Limited

    5. FX-Crypto Traders

    6. Sonsis Susu Services

    Source: yen.com.gh

  • Im happy I killed my Pastor uncle Killer of Assemblies of God Pastor speaks

    The killer of a pastor of Assemblies of God Church at Tema Community 4, Rev Dr David Nabegmado has said he stabbed his uncle to death because his Uncle was ”killing the family”, and he has no regrets, MyNewsGh.com has learnt.

    Rev Dr Nabegmado was stabbed early this morning during Church Service by his nephew. He was confirmed dead.

    Rev. Dr. Nabegmado was attacked by his Nephew while he was preparing to leave his inner office to the main church auditorium to preach.

    MyNewsGh.com learnt he died due to excessive bleeding by the time they reached the Community 4 hospital, where Doctors confirmed he died before they got there.

    A video of the young suspect in the custody of the police has since found its way on the internet.

    The young suspect is seen telling his captors he is happy his uncle his dead.

    Wearing a bloodied shirt, he told them “He (murdered pastor) has been killing the family. Go to the house and see”, he told them.

    Source: Mynewsgh.com

  • Egyptian forces ‘kill 40’ in response to tourist bus attack

    Egypt’s interior ministry has said at least 40 fighters have been killed on Saturday in response to an attack on a tourist bus in which four people were killed the night before.

    According to the official state news agency MENA, security forces killed the suspected fighters in raids in Giza and northern Sinai – a volatile desert region that has been a hotbed for various armed groups.

    A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus near the Pyramids of Giza, south of the capital Cairo, on Friday, killing three Vietnamese tourists and their Egyptian guide.

    The blast wounded 11 others, including Vietnamese tourists as well as the Egyptian driver.

    No group claimed responsibility for the blast.

    The bombing is the first deadly attack against foreign tourists in Egypt in more than a year and comes as the tourism sector, a vital source of foreign currency revenue, recovers from a sharp drop in visitor numbers since a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

    Egypt has for years been battling an armed movement in the thinly populated Sinai, which has gained pace since the military overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013.

    Other armed groups are active in Cairo, as well as other cities, where they have targeted security forces, judges and pro-government figures in the past few years.

    The government says the battle against such groups is a priority as it works to restore stability after the years that followed the 2011 protests.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Sudan opposition leader arrested hours after new protests

    Sudanese security forces have arrested a top opposition leader following a crackdown on new anti-government demonstrations held in several cities on Friday.

    The protests were the latest in a wave of demonstrations that began across much of Sudan on December 19 – first against a rise in prices but later against the government of President Omar al-Bashir, in power since a 1989 military coup.

    The demonstrations coincide with worsening economic woes that saw a currency devaluation, fuel shortages and a steep rise in the price of bread, a main fare for most Sudanese.

    The opposition Sudanese Congress Party said that a few hours after protests began in Omdurman on the west bank of the Nile on Friday, its chief, Omar el-Digeir, was arrested by security forces.

    “He has been taken to an unknown location,” the party said in a statement.

    The Sudanese Writers’ Association said that well-known poet, Mohamed Taha, had also been arrested on Tuesday after he participated in a protest in Khartoum, the capital.

    “We don’t know his whereabouts,” the association said.

    The Sudanese journalists’ network said that two scribes were also detained.

    As many as 19 people have been killed so far in the crackdown on protesters, the government said, but Amnesty International put the death toll at 37 since December 19.

    The United Nations on Friday called on the authorities in Sudan to investigate the deaths.

    Police on Friday fired tear gas at hundreds of worshippers who staged demonstrations in the railway city of Atbara north of Khartoum, Obeid in the western North Kordofan province, and Senar and Wad Madani south of the capital.

    Photographs posted by activists on social media showed thick plumes of smoke rising from some neighbourhoods in Khartoum as protesters burned rubbish and tyres.

    In Omdurman, crowds of worshippers chanted “Freedom, Peace, Justice” as they poured out of a mosque belonging to main opposition National Umma Party, a witness said.

    But they were quickly confronted by anti-riot police, the witness added.

    Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said the demonstrations against the price rise are morphing into a national movement against the government.

    “It is not only these protests that people have been carrying out to try to voice their demands, some of them have also been on strike, doctors have announced that they are going to go on a strike until the government steps down.

    “Many journalists are also marching in solidarity of those who were harassed and arrested while covering the protests, they also said they will go on a national strike against the government,” Hiba said.

    A group of opposition parties met late on Thursday and agreed to “push for more protests” in the coming days, the Sudanese Communist Party said in a statement.

    It is not the first time Bashir has faced protests against his rule. There were demonstrations in January over the same issues, with police using tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in Khartoum. Similar protests were held in Sudan in late 2016 after the government cut fuel subsidies.

    The oil-rich country’s economy was badly affected when it split with South Sudan in 2011 and the government is also battling several rebel groups.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Award-winning lyricist behind ‘Killing Me Softly’ dead at 91

    Norman Gimbel, the Oscar and Grammy-winning lyricist behind “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “The Girl From Ipanema” and the theme from iconic sitcom “Happy Days,” has died aged 91.

    His death was announced on Friday by BMI, which described him as “a truly gifted and prolific writer” who will be greatly missed by friends and fans at the music rights organization.

    The Brooklyn native died at his home in Montecito, California, on December 19, his son Tony Gimbel told The Hollywood Reporter.

    Gimbel won an Academy Award for Best Original Song alongside co-composer David Shire for Jennifer Warnes’ “It Goes Like It Goes” in the 1979 film “Norma Rae.”

    He also wrote Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” with longtime collaborator Charles Fox, which won a Grammy in 1973. The hit was later covered by 1990s hip hop group the Fugees.

    “Norman’s lyrics have extraordinary beauty and sensitivity and understanding of the human condition,” Fox wrote in his biography, “Killing Me Softly: My Life in Music.”

    He said the two men collaborated on more than 150 songs over three decades.

    “As friends, we helped to dust off many cars over the years as we’d lean against them discussing the work at hand or our lives and families, or chasing the dreams in our work together.”

    They also jointly wrote Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name,” released just after the singer died in 1973.

    Gimbel’s English lyrics for Brazilian bossa nova hit “The Girl from Ipanema,” which won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965, made the jazz standard one of the most covered songs of all time.

    But it was his work for television where Gimbel was best known, including the catchy theme to “Happy Days” — with its line: “Sunday, Monday, Happy Days! Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days!” — and “Laverne & Shirley’s” joyous “Make All Our Dreams Come True.”

    Gimbel’s death came days after “Laverne & Shirley” star Penny Marshall died at age 75.

    Among his other credits are music for the shows “Wonder Woman” and “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

    In 1984 the lyricist was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which said his songs have appeared in more than 70 movies.

    Writing on Facebook, one of Gimbel’s co-writers Robert Folk, who collaborated on about 15 songs with him, said: “Norman was an incredible talent; brilliant in every way, and one who had successfully navigated every genre in popular music.

    “I remember one of countless moments with Norman so fondly, when after a playback via phone of a newly finished song for a prominent filmmaker, he said to me privately….

    “‘Don’t ever tell them how easy this work is for us, and how much fun we’ve had writing these songs!… Or else they’ll never pay us all this money again!’”

    Gimbel is survived by his children Tony, Nelly, Peter and Hannah, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    Source: France24

  • Assemblies of God head pastor killed at church premises in Tema

    The head pastor of the Central Assemblies of God Church at Tema Community Four, Rev Dr David Nabegmado was stabbed to death Sunday morning at the church premises where he was preparing to deliver a sermon.

    According to information gathered by Graphic Online, the deceased was accosted by an assailant said to be his nephew while moving from the church office into the main auditorium for the day’s service at about 9am.

    Rev Nabegmado was scheduled to minister to the church on Sunday when the incident occurred. 

    The reason for the attack is not readily known.

    Assemblies of God pastor stabbed 1

    But Graphic Online has gathered Rev Nabegmado died at the Tema General hospital where he was taken to for treatment.

    The police have since picked up the suspect, identified as Francis Nabegmado and has also retrieved the weapon – a knife – which was used to stab Rev Nabegmado.

    Francis is said to have lived with Rev Nabegmado for some time.

    The video below depicts the scene at the church premises immediately after the attack when Rev Nabegmado was on his way to a health facility.

    Rev Alfred Kweku Akumbie, Greater Accra East Regional Secretary of Assemblies of God Church confirmed the killing of the Assemblies of God Head Pastor at Tema Community 4 to Graphic Online.

    In the video below, Rev Akumbie explained that he was called and informed about the incident and that it was the General Superintendent, Rev Dr Frimpong Manso who informed him that something had happened at Community 4 central church.
     
    He confirmed that Rev David Nabegmado was pronounced dead at the hospital.

    Meanwhile, the police have picked up one suspect and retrieved the weapon used for the killing, a knife.

    The suspect, Francis M. Nabegmado (white top) in the custody of the police in a vehicle. This was after he was arrested and handed over to the police.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • 2 killed after car run into parked truck at Tech junction

    Two people died in Kumasi on Saturday dawn when their vehicle run into a parked truck at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) junction.

    The articulated truck loaded with goods had developed a fault and had been parked on the highway.

    Eyewitnesses said the saloon vehicle, an Opel Astra with registration number GT 5216 T run into it at the outskirts of the Kumasi Metropolitan Area.

    The articulated truck driver’s assistant, who has been identified only as Kofi explained that they parked on Friday evening after they contracted a mechanic to fix the fault for them.

    He said he was on the spot directing traffic throughout the night until he decided to rest when the traffic slowed down but was later called by another accident after the Opel run into the back of the truck.

    One of the two occupants was pronounced dead at the nearby KNUST Hospital whilst the other who was referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) was also pronounced dead on arrival.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • How a hungry and jobless Nigerian who tried taking his own life ended up in prison

    Last year Ifeanyi Ugokwe was arrested and locked up for weeks. His crime: he tried to take his own life.

    After weeks of being hungry and jobless, the 25-year-old says he reached breaking point after a security guard pushed him to the ground while he was searching for work at a building site.

    “I was tired of walking around that day. And I was determined to work there… so I tried to force my way in, then he pushed me, and I fell down flat on the floor,” Ugokwe told CNN.

    “I started begging him because I was tired, I really needed that job because I needed to eat.”

    Humiliated, Ugokwe went to a nearby lagoon and jumped in.

    After being rescued by passing fishermen, Ugokwe says he was handed over to police officers who arrested him and put him in jail.

    Attempting suicide is a criminal offense in Nigeria, under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act, and carries a penalty of up to one year in prison. A holdover from when Nigeria was a British colony, the law was abolished in Britain under the Suicide Act of 1961, which happened after Nigeria gained its independence in 1960.

    Ugokwe says he’s speaking out about his attempt to take his own life despite stigma around the subject in Nigeria because he doesn’t want people to suffer as he did.

    When he woke up on the fisherman’s boat, Ugokwe says he was angry that his attempt had failed.

    Following his arrest, Ugokwe was held at a cell near the Lagos lagoon, in the country’s economic capital, before being transferred one week later to another cell on the Lagos mainland.

    Ugokwe says he was unaware that attempted suicide was a crime in Nigeria.

    “When they put me in the cell, the first thing that came to my mind was what did I do? I didn’t kill anybody. I did not steal. What am I doing here? What did I do wrong? It’s my life, not (the) government’s life,” he said.

    Shortly after his arrest in February, Ugokwe appeared before a magistrate to determine whether he had committed an offense. His case was postponed and he was transferred to another facility on Lagos Island.

    It was there he met Imanuella Ojeah, a criminal lawyer and a member of the Elevation Church in Lagos, whose volunteer prison unit makes weekly trips to local prisons.

    “I remember he seemed tired of life. He begged me to get him out of that place. He told me… I am not mad. I am just depressed and don’t have money to eat,” Ojeah told CNN.

    Ojeah and her team represented Ugokwe at his next court appearance at Sabo Magistrates Court, a few weeks later, in April 2017. They were asked if someone was willing to act as a guarantor for Ugokwe and look after his welfare if he were released.

    Ojeah found someone from the Elevation Church who agreed to look after Ugokwe and the magistrate dismissed the case.

    Although Ugokwe found freedom, the legal process around these types of cases is lengthy and complicated for people suffering from serious mental health issues, says health law expert Cheluchi Onyemelukwe who is campaigning to abolish the suicide law in the country.

    “What happens in the legal process is the police arrest you, put you in a cell, and then charge the matter to court and you are arraigned before a magistrate who determines whether it appears an offense has been committed,” she says.

    As in Ugokwe’s case, the survivor is then remanded to jail to wait for a trial date. If found guilty, they may be imprisoned for a maximum of one year.

    Although jail terms for suicide survivors are rare, Onyemelukwe says it is the process of arresting and taking them through a legal process that is particularly cruel.

    Death rate for suicide per 100,000 people in Africa in 2016

    “I believe it doesn’t reflect who we are as Nigerians… it is inhumane and I know that we can do better than that. I think it is probably the worst possible thing that you could do to somebody who finds themselves in that sort of situation,” she said.

    “People who are thrown into a cell right after… wonder why the suicide wasn’t successful. It makes people that I have spoken to feel helpless and feel like there really isn’t a reason to go on.”

    Ugokwe says he contemplated suicide again while in jail because of the conditions he was held in.

    “The worst part of it was not just that they put me in prison, it was that they locked me in a cell with crazy people. I was with mentally disturbed people. Most of the people there were talking to themselves and jumping around.”

    In jail, Ugokwe says he and other inmates were forced to take pills.

    “At first, when they brought the pills to me, I refused… there was nothing wrong with me, but then I was beaten and forced to take the pills.

    “Those pills had terrible effects on me… all I want to do is sleep and eat.”

    A spokesman for the Lagos division of the Nigerian Prisons Service, which operates prisons in the country, denied Ugokwe’s allegations.

    “Allegations and incidents of force-feeding, beating and or forceful admission of medication on inmates are false and do not occur in any prison within the Lagos Command,” Rotimi Oladokun told CNN in an emailed statement.

    “The Controller of Prisons, Lagos Command has no tolerance for such excesses and will not condone such under his command,” he added.

    The Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem told CNN that although attempted suicide is criminalized in the country, the state does not recommend that anyone should be locked up.

    Suicide rates are usually underreported in Nigeria because of the stigma associated with it. However, the World Health Organization estimates that there are 9.5 suicides per every 100,000 people in the country.

    African countries where suicide is illegal

    Some common causes are depression and anxiety linked to high levels of poverty.

    A 2017 WHO report found that Nigerians have the highest incidences of depression in Africa, with around 7,079,815 suffering from depression, a figure that represents 3.9% of the population.

    In 2015, Lagos State amended its law to recommend hospital treatment for those who have attempted suicide.

    But the law has yet to be changed at a national level and is not currently being considered for review, according to health law expert Onyemelukwe.

    “We are guided by what the law says,” Kazeem says. “But in the hierarchy of offenses, this is a simple offense, and the recommended action is hospitalization.

    “The law does not say anyone should be incarcerated. Attempted suicide is not a crime. It shows some form of disorder which needs medical attention.”
    Kazeem added: “My office has not prosecuted anyone. The state government does not prosecute attempted suicide victims. We are not aware of any prosecutions, if it was brought to my attention, we would advise against it.”

    Kazeem said police officers do have prosecutorial powers in Lagos State and he could not speak to whether such a trial went ahead in Ugokwe’s case.
    However, Kazeem acknowledged that more training was needed for police officers.

    “We are going to do that education process. They are doing the wrong thing if they lock up victims,” he said.

    CNN made several requests for a comment from the Lagos State Police Commissioner but did not receive one.

    There are frequent reports in local media of survivors being arrested and tried for attempting suicide.

    In July this year, a 27-year-old man was charged in court with attempting suicide in June.

    Other African countries like Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Gambia, and South Sudan also outlaw suicide.

    Onyemelukwe says the suicide law, a legacy of the colonial era, has no place in Nigeria today.

    “I want Nigerians to see real people who have attempted suicide and have survived and realize that these are people who could be our friends, our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, our fathers.

    “Attempted suicide in itself is a risk factor for contemplating suicide. In fact, it is the predictor of the fact that somebody will commit suicide. We are in a place where all of these laws deserve a second, a third, a fourth look until we change it,” she added.

    She believes police need to be given the power to refer survivors for treatment rather than arrested and put through the legal system.

    “The person doesn’t have to spend any time in prison,” she says.

    Life has started to get better for Ugokwe in recent months. He’s found friends he can call on when he’s feeling sad but he’s still trying to get back on his feet.

    Thinking back on his time in jail, Ugokwe says he wouldn’t want anyone to go through what he experienced.

    “No one deserves that,” he said.

    “At that time, I needed love. I didn’t need to be put in prison and punished for something I don’t even understand.”

    Source: edition.cnn.com

  • Two children die in Kokomlemle fire

    The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has confirmed the deaths of two siblings after they were trapped in a fire outbreak in their home at Kokomlemle in Accra. 

    Junior Okine, 10, and Stephen Okine, 5, were reported to be sleeping when there was a fire outbreak at about 10:30 pm.

     According to an eyewitness, the two cried for help for several minutes before their voices died down.

    Three other members of the family also sustained various injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

    Firemen are, however, denying reports that they delayed.

    According to the Station Officer at the Headquarters of the GNFS, Eugene Ahorni, residents around panicked after the fire started and they were in too much hurry to quench the fire causing them to feel the firefighters delayed.

    “…the moment there is a call, we just move, so how can they say we delayed,” quizzed.

    Listen to him speak to Joy News:

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • Elubo neighbourhood watch committee outdoored to beef up security

    A 25-member Neighbourhood Watch Committee has been inaugurated to assist the police to beef up security at Elubo enclave in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region.

    This is to help get rid of criminals who have used the area as their home where all negative activities are carried out including stealing of valuables, robbery and killings among others.

    The committee is expected to enhance security consciousness among traders and neighbours, encourage citizen’s participation in crime prevention and build strong informant base to arrest perpetrators.

    The members were selected from the Elubo Youth Association, Old Ankasa Community Youth Association, formed to ensure the welfare of the youth.

    Speaking at the inaugural ceremony held at the premises of Elubo Police Station on Friday, December 28, 2018, the Half Assini Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Akwasi Kankam Boadu, reminded the Neighborhood Watchdog Committee that their role as committee members does not permit them to take law enforcement actions, cause unlawful arrest, carry weapons, detain and brutalise suspects.

    “Your role is also not to engage in acts of vigilantism that has the tendency to mar this brilliant initiative, but to work closely with the police to abate crime”, he advised.

    “Crime in recent times has become sophisticated that the police need to work extra harder and adopt modern community engagement strategies to be a step ahead of criminals and the command would continue to adopt strategies and measures such as intelligence-led operations and increasing police presence at crime-prone areas,” he stated.

    He commended the youth for forming the committee. “Elubo Neighbourhood Watch Committee has come at a time when the police-citizen relation is needed to tackle crime”.

    Chief Superintendent assured the committee of police support and urged them to be transparent in the discharge of their activities.

    Chief Supt. Kankam said maintenance of security in society should not be seen as the sole responsibility of the police.

    He said every Ghanaian has a part to play and added that the public must accept to assist with credible information that would help the police to track down criminals.

    “The police needs credible information you the civilian to uproot criminals in our society and please provide us with credible information”, he pleaded.

    Chief Supt. Kankam said the police could not succeed in ridding the country of hardened criminals without the co-operation of the public.

    He advised members of the committee not to take the law into their own hands by meting out instant justice to suspected criminals they arrest but rather endeavour to hand them over to the police for investigation and
    prosecution.

    He said the Neighborhood Watchdog Committee was very important adding that this will help bring peace and unity in Elubo and its environs.

    “Peace is important in every community and where there is no peace there is no development so let us all support them”, he emphasized.

    He, therefore, seized the opportunity to appeal to NGOs and other benevolent organizations to support the Elubo Neighbourhood Watchdog Committee financially to deliver their duties.

    The Patron of the Committee, Chairman John Beneyeworh thanked the Ghana Police Service for mandating the Committee to work with the police in the area to combat crimes and other illegal activities.

    He urged the volunteers to do a sacrificial work and advised them to eschew acts that would infringe on the rights of people and also warned them to stay away from bad morals.

    He advised, “Do not take bribes, do not take the law into your own hands, do not involve yourself in any criminal activities”.

    He charged them to lead good behaviour for others to emulate from them and called on them to help the police to curb criminals in the community and its environs.

    The Patron also used the occasion to appeal to the volunteers to respect the security agencies in the area.

    He called on the traders and neighbours to help them eliminate criminals amongst them who are tainting the image of traders at the Elubo border.

    On his part, the General Secretary of Elubo Youth Association (EYA), Nana Frendoh Bosso Kwasi expressed his profound gratitude to the Western Regional Police Commander for listening to their appeal for providing the Elubo Police with a vehicle.

    Nana Frendoh revealed the motive behind the establishment of the Elubo Neighbourhood Watchdog Committee and said Elubo is a cosmopolitan town and also a gateway to Ghana in the Western part of the country.

    He added that such geographical area, a lot of people come in and leave but some also stay to pursue their businesses “So we live with different nationals from our sister countries such as La Coté d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo and Nigeria”.

    “Moreover, Elubo is a beacon of Jomoro Municipality in terms of economic activities and also one of the Ghana Revenue Authority Centres in the nation. In spite of this, Elubo still is underdeveloped. A lot of people are farmers, traders, businessmen and women”, he added.

    He said rampant stealing, robbery, killings and other crimes were facing the community adding “As the President of the Republic of Ghana said we should be citizens but not spectators and this motivates us more to establish this Committee to support the work of the police in this area”

    He added “Recent persistent stealing, robbery, killings and other related crimes against good people citizens of Elubo and its environs calls for a WatchDog Committee in each community to be instituted”.

    He, therefore, called on Ghana Police Council to increase the number police personnel in the area to fight against criminal activities such as drug trade.

    He was hopeful that the Neighborhood Watchdog Committee will help ensure security in the area.

    Speaking on behalf of the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Paul Essien, the Jomoro NPP Second Vice Chairman, Mr. Jackson Atiku said the NPP government would continue to provide security for its citizens and added that the government is in support of the committee.

    He urged them to eschew favouritism and also told them to be transparent.

    He advised them to be respectful and respect all the security agencies and also be truthful.

    He, therefore, called on the committee members to collaborate with the police in combating crime in the municipality.

    He said the MP and NPP government would continue to assist the volunteers in the provision of the necessary security and logistics and asked the police to collaborate with the volunteers for adequate assistance.

    He donated 500 Ghana Cedis on behalf of the MP to the Committee to support their operations.

    On his part, the Assemblyman for the area, Hon. Kwasi Nipah thanked the youth for devoting their precious time to form this committee to assist the police to track down criminals in the area.

    He advised them to do regular exercise to live healthy to discharge their duties effectively.

    He also urged them to take their education seriously and further their education to meet future opportunities.

    In this, Hon. Nipah appealed to the security forces to consider these volunteers anytime the state is looking for youth to be recruited into the security services.

    A member of the Elubo Youth Association who is also an Assembly Member of the area, Hon. Moses Andoh thanked the community and its environs for rally behind the establishment of the committee.

    He urged them to continue rally behind them and also urged the community members to be law-abiding citizens.

    Hon. Moses called on the media to be circumspect in their reportage on criminal activities and asked landlords to assist the volunteers.

    He seized the opportunity and pledged his total commitment to support the volunteers and added that he would provide education on security matters to them.

    He advised them against the use of offensive weapons in the course of their activities but to refer any arrests made to the police.

    He also advised members of the committee not to take the law into their own hands by meting out instant justice to suspected criminals they arrest, but rather endeavour to hand them over to the police for investigation and
    prosecution.

    The Chief of Elubo thanked the Elubo Youth Association and Ghana Police and also other security agencies for the establishment of the Neighborhood Watchdog Committee in his area and its environs.

    He said this committee will help bring peace in the area and pledged his support for the committee.

    Some of the Committee Members who spoke to the media promised the committee members would do their best to help protect lives and properties at the Elubo and its environs.

    He, therefore, called on the committee members to collaborate with the police in combating crime in the area.

    These security agencies were at the inaugural ceremony, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Customs Division, BNI among others and they all advised the Neighborhood Watchdog Committee members to be observant and be careful in the discharge of their duties.

    Source: Daniel Kaku

  • Hamamat Montia spent Christmas visiting kids at Lapaz Community Hospital

    Nobody wants to spend Christmas inside a hospital – especially not young children. But it’s an unfortunate reality for many youngsters around the world.

    When they should be waking up in their beds with the eager enthusiasm of discovering what Santa Claus left them under the Christmas tree, they spend the holiday under sterile white bed sheets with IVs strapped to their arms.

    Thankfully, there are people who are willing to give up their time to make others feel a little better. That includes Supermodel Hamamat Montia.

    This Christmas, Hamamat Montia was at Lapaz Community Hospital warming children’s hearts.

    Hamamat Montia donated Hammat African Beauty Skin Care Shea Butter for the kids to protect their skin from the harmattan season among other things.

    Source: Peacefmonline.com

  • We’ll add value to every Ghanaian’s life in 2019 VRA boss

    The Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Emmanuel Antwi Darkwa has wished Ghanaians a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year in advance.

    The CEO of VRA applauded the staff, stakeholders and the general public for their support and cooperation during the year.

    In an exclusive video to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Ghanaians, Emmanuel Antwi Darkwa revealed that his firm looks forward to add value, increase partnership and collaboration with customers next year.

    He said, “The VRA looks forward to further collaboration and partnerships in the coming year, as we add value to every Ghanaian life.”

    The CEO of VRA called on the general public to apply safety measures in the consumption of energy on daily basis during this holiday season.

    “We take this opportunity to advise the public to be safety conscious and energy wise during this holiday season and also at all times.”

    VRA was adjudged the Best Energy Company of the year whiles the CEO, Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa won the Best Energy personality of the year, at the 2018 Ghana Energy Awards ceremony which was held in Accra.

    Source: thebftonline.com

  • Protect export data integrity for national economic planning

    The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has asked stakeholders to ensure export data integrity by recording and transmitting accurate export data which is crucial for economic planning.

    According to Mr Samuel Dentu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, GEPA, “Date is utilized by the government institutions, donors, investors, banks and business for policy planning, designing of economic interventions and business decision-making.”

    He was addressing a sensitization programme organised for Freight Forwarders on the need to protect and transmit accurate export data in Tema which was necessitated by observation by GEPA that some inaccurate data loss due to non-presentation of some manually completed to the Customs Long Room.

    The workshop was the eighth and final programme in 2018 for freight forwarders across Ghana which was organised by GEPA in collaboration with GIFF and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.

    “Freight Forwarders enter the inaccurate data into online export declaration system with little circumspection and or with too much haste hence resulting in the capture of wrong data with values far lower or far above the actual.

    With respect to the data loss, the observation is that some freight forwarders fail to present duly completed and assessed export forms to customs long room that do not have online data capture system at border post.”

    He observed that another cause of date inaccuracies and loss was due to unannounced application of revised Custom Harmonised Codes (HS codes).

    “An immense volume of export data could be lost when there is failure to pre-announce due date for the commencement of application of revised HS codes to key stakeholders who extract raw data from online data capture systems such as GcNet/Singe Widow”

    According to him, the poor integrity of export data was a huge worry because”we at GEPA believe that the actual export earnings are higher than what is captured statistically.”

    Source: Ghananewsagency.org

  • Crime rate in Winneba dropped in 2018

    The Winneba District Police Command recorded a total of 293 criminal cases between January to December 2018 as against 502 cases in 2017, a drop of 209 recorded cases.

    Chief Superintendent Godfrey Tetteh Adjirakor, District Police Commander in Charge of the area disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Winneba

    Mr Adjirikor was speaking on the crime rate in the district and also to react to a press briefing organised by some concerned citizens in the area recently.

    He said they recorded one murder case during the period under review and that 12 of the recorded crimes were robberies as against 21 in 2017,

    Mr Adjirikor said the other breakdown of crimes were 66 cases of stealing compared to 141 in 2017, whiles assault cases dropped from 166 in 2017 to 81 in 2018.

    According to Chief Superintendent Adjirakor 100 out of the total recorded criminal infringements in 2018 were sent to court of which 36 convictions were obtained, compared to 12 convictions in 2017.

    The commander said the police in the area are there to protect lives and properties and not the other way round as being peddled, and that it is unfortunate that some concerned citizens in the municipality had fabricated stories just to tarnish the image of the Police.

    He denied that someone was killed in Gomoa Pomadze this year as being alleged by the concerned citizens.

    “With regard to the above stated crime statistics between January and December this year comparing to that of 2017, the police personnel in the municipality needs to be applauded for the good work done rather than being discredited “.

    Chief Superintendent Adjirakor said for the vision of the service to be realized, the public had a unique role to play by co-operating with the Police and volunteering information that could lead to the prevention of crime.

    Source: adomonline.com

  • Angelina Jolie hints at move into politics

    Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has hinted that she is considering a move into politics in the future.

    In an interview on the BBC’s Today programme, she said she would have dismissed this 20 years ago but would now go where she was needed.

    Jolie, who is a special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency, was the guest editor of the Today programme on Friday.

    She is an active campaigner on a range of issues, including refugees, sexual violence and conservation.

    In a wide-ranging interview with presenter Justin Webb, she discussed US politics, social media, sexual violence and the global refugee crisis.

    When asked whether she would consider getting involved in politics, she said: “If you asked me 20 years ago, I would’ve laughed… I always say I’ll go where I’m needed, I don’t know if I’m fit for politics… but then I’ve also joked that I don’t know if I have a skeleton left in my closet”.

    “I’m also able to work with governments and I’m also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done.”

    She added that “for now”, she would stay quiet.

    When Webb suggested that meant she could be on the list of 30 to 40 Democrats running for the party’s presidential nomination, she did not say no, replying “thank you”.

    Jolie is one of a range of guest editors, including David Dimbleby and Martha Lane Fox, who are taking charge of the programme between 22 December to 1 January.

    She also discussed the difficulties of monitoring her children’s social media activities, highlighting that like “most parents”, she cannot control everything they are exposed to.

    “There are certain realities to teenagers and also our generation doesn’t understand half of what they are doing with their tech so they can get around us pretty easy”, she said.

    She added that none of her children has asked to join Facebook, and she herself is not a member.

    “We’re the last family that hasn’t gone on Facebook!” she said.

    Jolie is also working with the BBC on a new weekly children’s news programme, Our World, which will be piloted in the new year.

    She will serve as executive producer on the show, aimed at seven to 12-year-olds, which hopes to engage children with international news, focusing on subjects like tech, the environment and social media.

    “As a mother, I’m so happy I will be able to sit and watch with my children and know they’re getting a real international sense of the world,” she said.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Sudan wallows in economic crisis

    Sudan is swimming in troubling waters. The country is increasingly facing economic difficulties, with inflation reaching 69%.

    Sudan has been living for several days amid tensions, fatal protest, hunger riots and large-scale demonstrations.

    The country, which is already experiencing a serious economic crisis with ever-increasing inflation, also has to face the population, protesting against rising prices and the shortage of raw materials.

    US based Policy analyst, Abdullahi Kalakhe, reveals more in an interview.

    watch the full interview below

    Source: africanews.com

  • Trump threatens to shut Mexican border in demand for wall funding

    Donald Trump has threatened to shut down the border with Mexico over illegal immigration if Congress fails to fund his proposed wall.

    “Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border,” the US president tweeted after nearly a week of deadlock in Washington over the federal budget.

    Confirming the threat to close the border was real, the White House said negotiations with Congress had stalled.

    The dispute has caused a partial US government shutdown.

    Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are either on unpaid leave or continue to work but do not know when they will be paid.

    Both Congress chambers met for just a few minutes on Thursday but took no steps to end the closure. The House and Senate will now meet again on Monday.

    Later in the week, a new House will be sworn in, dominated by opposition Democrats who won the mid-term elections last month, but Mr Trump’s Republicans will retain the Senate with a slightly larger majority.

    In October Mr Trump made a similar threat to close the southern US border when demanding action from Latin American governments to stop migrants, in what has become known as the caravan, trying to cross into the US illegally.

    What exactly did Trump say?

    “We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,” he tweeted on Friday.

    He is seeking $5bn (£4bn) to cover the cost of the wall but Democrats and some within Mr Trump’s own party insist they will not approve it.

    Mr Trump argued on Friday that the US had lost out to Mexico by $75bn a year under the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), which he replaced with a new deal with Mexico and Canada last month.

    He also promised to cut off “all aid” to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, where many recent migrants have come from.

    The president’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, confirmed that the Trump administration was willing to shut down the southern border.

    He said negotiations with Congress had “completely shut down” and suggested the Democrats were more interested in seeing Nancy Pelosi elected speaker of the House than they were in the border.

    What is the situation at the border?

    Thousands of desperate migrants from Central American states arrived at the Mexican side of the border in recent weeks in the hope of claiming asylum in the US.

    Faced with a long wait to be processed, some have tried to cross the border illegally and migrants could be seen jumping frontier fences again this week. Two child migrants from Guatemala died in the custody of US Customs and Border Patrol agents this month, and critics say care for migrant families and detention conditions are inadequate and unacceptable.

    US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is to see detention conditions at first hand on a visit to the border on Friday.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Richard Overton, US oldest veteran and oldest man, dies aged 112

    The United States’ oldest known WW2 military veteran, who was also thought to be the country’s oldest man, has died in Texas at the age of 112.

    Richard Overton served in an all-black army unit for three years and was involved in combat operations and beach landings in the Pacific during the war.

    He was honoured on Veterans Day in 2013 by President Barack Obama.

    He credited God for his long life – though he also said whisky and cigars had played their part.

    “I been smoking cigars from when I was 18 years old, I’m still a smoking ’em. Twelve a day,” he is quoted as saying by local TV.

    He was in his 30s when he volunteered for the army, served in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion, and was at Pearl Harbor not long after the Japanese attack in 1941.

    “He was there at Pearl Harbor, when the battleships were still smouldering,” Mr Obama said of Overton in 2013. “He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said, ‘I only got out of there by the grace of God.’”

    “We got in the foxholes, and bullets were coming over our heads,” Mr Overton said in one interview of one landing, reminiscing about how he had to clear dead bodies from the battlefield.

    Born in 1906, he spent most of his life in Austin, and for his 111th birthday last year, Austin City Council renamed the street he had lived on for more than 70 years Richard Overton Avenue.

    “With his quick wit and kind spirit, he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honoured to have known him,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement on Thursday, calling him “an American icon and Texas legend”.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Zuckerberg sees ‘progress’ for Facebook after tumultuous year

    Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said Friday the world’s biggest social network has “fundamentally” changed to focus on securing its systems against manipulation and misinformation.

    Capping a tumultuous year marked by data protection scandals and government probes, Zuckerberg said he was “proud of the progress we’ve made” in addressing Facebook’s problems.

    “For 2018, my personal challenge has been to focus on addressing some of the most important issues facing our community — whether that’s preventing election interference, stopping the spread of hate speech and misinformation, making sure people have control of their information, and ensuring our services improve people’s well-being,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

    “We’re a very different company today than we were in 2016, or even a year ago. We’ve fundamentally altered our DNA to focus more on preventing harm in all our services, and we’ve systematically shifted a large portion of our company to work on preventing harm.”

    He said Facebook now has more than 30,000 people “working on safety” and invests billions of dollars in security.

    Zuckerberg’s comments come at the close of a year when Facebook was roiled by revelations about the misuse of personal data by the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica in the 2016 US election and on data sharing with business partners.

    But he said the questions around Facebook are “more than a one-year challenge” and that the California giant was in the process of “multi-year plans to overhaul our systems.”

    “In the past we didn’t focus as much on these issues as we needed to, but we’re now much more proactive,” he said.

    The comments follow a message from Zuckerberg in January, before many of Facebook’s troubles emerged, when he outlined his goals of stemming abuse and hate and foreign interference, among other things, on the network used by more than two billion people.

    “My personal challenge for 2018 is to focus on fixing these important issues,” Zuckerberg said in January.

    In Friday’s message, Zuckerberg enumerated a series of steps taken over the past year, including fact-checking partnerships, advertising transparency and artificial intelligence to remove harmful content.

    He added that Facebook’s systems were also being retooled with the aim of helping “improve people’s well-being,” based on research it conducted.

    The research, he said, “found that when people use the internet to interact with others, that’s associated with all the positive aspects of well-being… But when you just use the internet to consume content passively, that’s not associated with those same positive effects.”

    One of the changes aims to reduce “viral videos” that are shared across the Facebook platform.

    “These changes intentionally reduced engagement and revenue in the near term, although we believe they’ll help us build a stronger community and business over the long term,” Zuckerberg said.

    Source: France24

  • Channel migrants: Home secretary declares major incident

    The rising number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel in small boats has been declared a “major incident” by the UK home secretary.

    Sajid Javid has asked for an urgent call with his French counterpart about the situation.

    The Home Office said there was “concern that it is only a matter of time before people lose their lives”.

    It comes after at least 221 migrants have attempted to cross the Channel to England since the start of November.

    Most recently, 12 people were detained off the coast of Dover in the early hours of Friday morning.

    Officials on both sides of the Channel have warned of the dangers of crossing what is the world’s busiest shipping lane in a small boat. Police have likened the journey to trying to “cross the M25 at rush-hour on foot”.

    In a statement, the Home Office said Mr Javid had “taken control of the response” to the situation.

    Mr Javid has been appointed “gold commander”, meaning he has ultimate responsibility for the handling and outcome of the incident and sets out a strategy of how to deal with it.

    He will now receive daily updates from the Home Office, and has spoken to Border Force officials, Immigration Enforcement and the National Crime Agency in a conference call.

    The Home Office added: “The home secretary has also asked for an urgent call with his French counterpart over the weekend to reaffirm the continuing need for the UK and France to work closely together to tackle the problem.

    “He has also commissioned detailed options from Border Force about the provision of additional vessels in the Channel, including another Border Force cutter, and whether this is likely to encourage more people to try and make the crossing rather than act as a deterrence.”

    Bridget Chapman, from the charity Kent Refugee Action Network, said the situation was in part a result of UK measures to “beef up the security around Calais”.

    “We’ve put a big fence up to prevent people from accessing trains and lorries and people are resorting to other methods to get here,” she told the BBC.

    “It’s winter, but the weather has been quite good. And I expect people traffickers are exploiting people, saying, ‘You know, things are going to tighten up after Brexit, you need to go now.’”

    ‘Organised criminality’

    Many of the migrants are Iranian or Syrian.

    More than five million Syrians have left their country since its civil war started in 2011, and in the past two years, Iranian citizens have made more UK asylum applications than any other nationality according to Home Office figures.

    A BBC South East investigation last month found that people smugglers were telling migrants they must enter before “the borders shut properly” after Brexit.

    British and French authorities have both said the rise in crossings is the result of “organised criminality” and “mafia networks”.

    Earlier, Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said the number of incidents over recent days was “deeply concerning” and crossing the water in a dinghy was “extremely dangerous”.

    She is due to visit Border Force officers in Dover on Saturday to discuss the situation.

    The MP for Folkestone in Kent, Damian Collins, questioned why the UK was not doing more to stop the boats leaving France in the first place.

    He said: “We need to make it really clear to the migrants and the gangs that if you try and do this you will be detected early, either as you’re preparing to leave or as soon as you’re in the water, and you’ll be returned to France.”

    Charlie Elphicke – MP for Dover and Deal – suggested more patrol vessels may be needed.

    “One is simply not enough and I think we need to ask questions, what are the two patrol craft doing in the Mediterranean – would they be better placed in the English Channel?”

    The people found off the Kent coast since November:

    28 December – Twelve migrants in two separate boats detained off the coast of Dover

    27 December – Some 23 migrants, including three children, were detained in Kent after crossing the channel in small three boats

    26 December – Three migrants brought ashore by Border Force

    25 December – Forty migrants, including two children, crossed the Channel in five boats

    15 December – Four children are among a group of 11 people rescued off Dover. Eight said they were Iraqi and the other three claimed to be Iranian

    12 December – Six men found in a dinghy off the coast of Dover

    11 December – Six people, thought to be from Iran were rescued from a small boat off the Kent coast. A second boat with eight men, all saying they were Iranian were picked up later the same day off Dover

    4 December – Two men were brought to shore at Dover

    27 November – An 18-month-old baby was among nine people rescued from a dinghy off Dover

    23 November – Eight men located in a dinghy off the coast of Dover

    22 November – Thirteen men and one woman were intercepted in two dinghies off the coast of Dover

    18 November – Nine suspected migrants were found clambering up rocks in Folkestone after apparently crossing the English Channel in a small boat

    16 November – Seven suspected migrants were found off Samphire Hoe, near Dover

    14 November – Nine suspected migrants – seven men, one woman and a toddler – were found off the Kent coast. Another 10 were found near Dover Docks and five men were found several miles of Ramsgate

    13 November – Fourteen men and three children entered Port of Dover on a French fishing boat believed to be stolen

    9 November -Seven men were found in the English Channel off Dover

    3 November – Eight suspected migrants were stopped off the Kent coast and seven others were stopped at Dover Western Docks

    Source: bbc.com

  • Two killed in roadside bomb attack near Egypt’s Giza pyramids

    A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus near the Pyramids of Giza, south of the capital Cairo, killing at least two people and wounding 10 others, Egypt’s interior ministry said.

    A homemade device exploded at 6:15 pm (3:15pm GMT) on Friday causing the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists, a ministry statement said.

    The improvised explosive was placed near a wall along the Mariyutiya Street in the Haram district near the Giza Pyramids, the statement added.

    The deceased were part of a group of 14 tourists who were being shown around by an Egyptian and a driver, both of whom were injured.

    Security services were immediately dispatched to the area and have opened an investigation into the explosion, the ministry said without giving any further detail.

    Egypt has battled armed groups in the Sinai Peninsula for years and that conflict has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, with armed groups targeting minority Christians or tourists.

    Friday’s attack however is the first attack to target foreign tourists in almost two years.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • German female IS recruit ‘let slave child die of thirst’ in Iraq

    A female Islamic State group member accused of letting a five-year-old girl die of thirst in scorching sunlight is facing war crimes charges in Germany.

    The 27-year-old German, identified as Jennifer W, and her husband bought the child as a house “slave” in the IS-occupied Iraqi city of Mosul 2015.

    Her husband chained the girl up outside after she fell ill and Jennifer W did nothing to save her, prosecutors say.

    She also faces murder and weapons offences charges.

    If found guilty in the terrorism court in the city of Munich she faces a maximum sentence of life in jail.

    The five-year-old girl was among a group of prisoners-of-war when Jennifer W and her husband bought her.

    German media say the child may have been a member of the Yazidi minority, many of whom were captured and enslaved by IS as the militant group swept across northern Iraq in 2014.

    “After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die in agony of thirst in the scorching heat,” prosecutors said in a statement.

    “The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl.”

    Jennifer W travelled to Iraq in 2014, where she became a member of IS’s self-styled morality police, the allegations against her say.

    Her role saw her patrol parks in Mosul and another IS-occupied city, Fallujah, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, prosecutors said.

    “Her task was to ensure that women comply with the behavioural and clothing regulations established by the terrorist organisation,” said the statement.

    Jennifer W was arrested by Turkish police months after the girl’s death after she visited the German embassy in the capital Ankara to renew her identity papers.

    She was extradited to Germany, where she was initially allowed to return to her home in the state of Lower Saxony because of a lack of evidence against her.

    German police arrested her in June as she tried to travel to Syria and she has been in custody since then.

    No date has yet been set for the trial.

    Mosul was liberated from IS last year after a three-year occupation and the group has now lost almost all the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria.

    Source: bbc.com

  • German female IS recruit ‘let slave child die of thirst’ in Iraq

    A female Islamic State group member accused of letting a five-year-old girl die of thirst in scorching sunlight is facing war crimes charges in Germany.

    The 27-year-old German, identified as Jennifer W, and her husband bought the child as a house “slave” in the IS-occupied Iraqi city of Mosul 2015.

    Her husband chained the girl up outside after she fell ill and Jennifer W did nothing to save her, prosecutors say.

    She also faces murder and weapons offences charges.

    If found guilty in the terrorism court in the city of Munich she faces a maximum sentence of life in jail.

    The five-year-old girl was among a group of prisoners-of-war when Jennifer W and her husband bought her.

    German media say the child may have been a member of the Yazidi minority, many of whom were captured and enslaved by IS as the militant group swept across northern Iraq in 2014.

    “After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die in agony of thirst in the scorching heat,” prosecutors said in a statement.

    “The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl.”

    Jennifer W travelled to Iraq in 2014, where she became a member of IS’s self-styled morality police, the allegations against her say.

    Her role saw her patrol parks in Mosul and another IS-occupied city, Fallujah, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a pistol and an explosives vest, prosecutors said.

    “Her task was to ensure that women comply with the behavioural and clothing regulations established by the terrorist organisation,” said the statement.

    Jennifer W was arrested by Turkish police months after the girl’s death after she visited the German embassy in the capital Ankara to renew her identity papers.

    She was extradited to Germany, where she was initially allowed to return to her home in the state of Lower Saxony because of a lack of evidence against her.

    German police arrested her in June as she tried to travel to Syria and she has been in custody since then.

    No date has yet been set for the trial.

    Mosul was liberated from IS last year after a three-year occupation and the group has now lost almost all the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Man United to consider Juventus boss Allegri in new manager search – sources

    Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri will be considered during Manchester United’s hunt for a new manager, sources have told ESPN FC.

    Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino is their top choice to replace Jose Mourinho, who was sacked last week, but United are committed to “a thorough and extensive” search before making a permanent appointment ahead of next season.

    Caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won his first two games after taking the job following Mourinho’s dismissal.

    The Norwegian, who is still under contract at Molde, has hinted he would also like to be considered for the role full-time but sources have told ESPN FC that United will push on with their search regardless of results on the pitch.

    Allegri, who features above Pochettino in ESPN FC’s rank of the world’s best managers, has a contract at Juventus until 2020 but has let it be known he would be keen on a move to the Premier League.

    The 51-year-old, who has led Juventus to four consecutive Serie A titles and reached the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017, was interested in taking over at Arsenal in the summer before Unai Emery was appointed as Arsene Wenger’s successor.

    He would fit the bill for United, who are also looking to reshuffle the structure of the club by appointing a technical director to fill the void between executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and the new manager.

    Mourinho was reluctant to have the changes implemented while he was in charge but it is a setup Allegri is used to have worked with sporting director Fabio Paratici at Juventus.

    Pochettino, meanwhile, has refused to rule himself out of the running to be United’s next manager although there is an acceptance at Old Trafford that it will be very difficult to persuade Tottenham to part company with a manager who has led them to three top four finishes in a row.

    He saw Tottenham become Liverpool’s closest challengers for the title on Boxing Day after they beat Bournemouth 5-0 and Manchester City fell to a 2-1 defeat at Leicester.

    Source: Kwese.espn.com

  • Shatta Wales ‘Thanksgiving Service’ fails to live up to expectation

    Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale’s concert to end the year failed to live up to expectation as the programme was characterised by several hitches and poor planning.

    The programme dubbed ‘Thanksgiving Service’ was organised by the self-acclaimed dancehall king to appreciate God for the year and repay his fans for their loyalty.

    Fans who trooped to Mantse Agbona at James Town for the programme had to endure frequent interruptions to the performances due to sound hitches.

    The performance of the main artiste of the night Shatta Wale wasn’t spared as he had to halt his show for close to 30minutes to get the issues resolved.

    The inability of organisers to resolve the issues with the sound eventually got the audience of the ‘Thanksgiving Service’ agitated and led to some throwing water bottles and sachets, stones and sand at the stage and sound technicians.

    As if the issues with the sound weren’t enough, the programme also seemed poorly planned with fans who stormed the venue to be thrilled by their favourite artistes leaving disappointed.

    Leader of Shatta Movement, who was the main artiste of the night came on stage after 3 am, nearly 5 hours after the show started with some disappointed fans seen walking away.

    ‘Too risky’ hitmaker Medikal was arguably the most popular artiste who performed on the night as most artistes who got on the stage were unknown.

    Further evidence of the poorly planned show was witnessed when the main MC of the show, Afia Schwarzenegger arrived after 2 am, more than 4 hours after the event started.

    The frustrated fans were not given anything to smile about as even the stage was in disarray with people scattered across, and movements disorganised.

    But for the timely intervention of some of the organisers, things would have gone out of hands as some infuriated fans began throwing sand and stones at the MC, Afia Schwarzenneger.

    The event saw the likes of Feli Nuna, Kofi Mole, and some upcoming artists on stage.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Kotoko handed tough CAF Confed Cup play-off draw against Cameroon’s Coton Sport

    Asante Kotoko will play Cameroonian giants Coton Sport FC de Garoua in the play-offs stage of the CAF Confederations Cup.

    The Ghanaian side will face the Cameroonian Champions at this stage of the competition after Coton Sports dropped from the CAF Champions League.

    Kotoko reached this stage after beating Kenyan side Kariobangi Sharks 2-1 on aggregate and will now look to cross the next hurdle before the group stages of the competition.

    Coton Sports were booted from the Champions League after losing to Egyptian side Al Ismaily 4-3 on aggregate in the final round of qualifiers.

    The Porcupine Warriors will travel to Cameroon for the first leg on the weekend of 11th to 13th January before hosting Coton Sports in the second leg in Kumasi a week later.

    Asante Kotoko last reach the group stages of the competition in 2008 and werefinalist in the inaugural year in 2004.

    “We have been drawn against Cameroonian giants, Cotton Sports, in the playoff round of the 2018/19 CAF Confederation Cup…More Soon,” Kotoko posted on Twitter.

    Meanwhile, the complete fixtures was announced this evening at the head quarters of CAF in Cairo.

    The winners in the play-offs will progress to the group stages of the competition.

    Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca are holders of the title.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Manchester City make Thomas Partey enquiry

    Manchester City have inquired about Ghana’s Thomas Partey as they look to sign a midfielder in the winter transfer window according to reports.

    The recent injury to Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho has seen the Cityzens suffer defeats in their last two Premiership games which makes their title defence on the slip away.

    They are now seven points behind leaders Liverpool FC.

    Pep Guardiola is keen on adding another midfielder to his set-up in January and has identified the Atletico Madrid star as a perfect man for his team.

    Man City had been in the chase to sign Ajax Amsterdam wonderkid Frankie de Jong but it seems the Dutch youngster prefer a move to FC Barcelona ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side.

    There have been rumours recently linking Partey a move away from the Wanda Metropolitano.

    Partey has featured 14 times for Atletico Madrid in the Spanish top division scoring two goals and assisting other two this term.

    The 25-year-old has also played five games in the UEFA Champions League for the Madrid based club.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • We are investigating malpractice allegations in new regions referendum – Jean Mensa

    The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa has explained that the allegations of malpractices in the new region’s referendum has come to the attention of the commission and investigations are underway.

    A number of videos alleging malpractices at various areas in the referendum has been shared on social media.

    At a press conference in Accra Friday evening to declare the results of the referendum, the chairperson of the EC said its attention had been drawn to “some videos circulating on social media, alleging wrong doing in the just ended referendum exercise.”

    She said the security agencies have been informed and investigations are underway.

    “The commission takes this seriously and have notified regional directors and security agencies. I think it is important to emphasise that the commission has as a hallmark of its operations, the principles of fairness, integrity and transparency in all its operations.”

    In some of the videos circulating on social media, persons suspected to election officers were also seen engaging in malpractice.

    Addressing the public concerns on the videos, Mrs Mensa said the EC will not shield any staff, permanent or temporary who is found to have violated the law.

    “We are waiting to hear from our officials and the security agencies on the line of action to take. We are not familiar with these officers, investigations are going on and I believe that we are also calling on members of the public to present any evidence that they may have to the commission and to the police. Once that is done, we will know the next line of action to take.”

    “But I think it is important to emphasise that the commission will not shield any person whether permanent or temporarily staff who is found to have violated the law and I think it is important we put that on record.”

    The commission said the security agencies are working to verify the authenticity or otherwise of the videos. “As an institution that has fairness, transparency and integrity as a hallmark of its operations, we are focused on ensuring that the will of the people is upheld at all times.”

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Next year will be good Nana Addo assures Ghanaians

    President Akufo-Addo believes his government is on course to move Ghana into the next stage of development in 2019. According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has so far laid a strong foundation, adding that next year promises to be good.

    The President made the statement in a pre-recorded Christmas message released by the Jubilee House on Monday.

    He urged Ghanaians to join hands with his government to build the progressive nation that all citizens desire.

    “Next year promises to be a good one. I encourage you to join hands with my government in building a progressive and prosperous Ghana we all want,” Nana Addo said.

    The President further touted the achievements of the NPP government in the last 23 months, but admitted that there is still more to be done.

    “Our achievements in office so far, even though modest, have been appreciable and visible for all to see,” he said, adding that his government has worked hard to create a “much stronger economy” which has been demonstrated by reduced inflation and fiscal deficits.

    President Akufo-Addo wished all Ghanaians a Merry Christmas, stating that the government will continue to support farmers in a bid to reduce imports into the country.

    “And we have seen this year, a bumper harvest which has brought food prices down a lot as a result of my government strategic support for farmers under the programme, planting for food and jobs. Our country now found itself in a situation where it is now exporting food to its neighbours instead of importing food,” he said.

    According to him, not a single grain of maize was imported into the country this year, adding “soon we will do the same for rice.”

    Source: pulse.com.gh

  • VRA boss salutes Ghanaians for support in 2018

    The Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Emmanuel Antwi Darkwa has applauded the staff, stakeholders and the general public for their support and cooperation during the year.

    Mr Emmanuel Antwi Darkwa revealed in his Christmas message that the VRA looks forward to add value, increase partnership and collaboration with customers in 2019.

    He said, “The VRA looks forward to further collaboration and partnerships in the coming year, as we add value to every Ghanaian life.”

    The CEO of VRA called on the general public to apply safety measures in the consumption of energy on daily basis, during this holiday season.

    “We take this opportunity to advise the public to be safety conscious and energy wise during this holiday season and also at all times.”

    VRA was adjudged the Best Energy Company of the year while the CEO, Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa won the Best Energy personality of the year, at the 2018 Ghana Energy Awards ceremony which was held in Accra.

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • EC to probe Referendum rigging allegations

    The Electoral Commission (EC) says it is investigating allegations of vote rigging in the just ended historic Referendum on the creation of six new regions.

    The Commission has vowed not to shield any of its staff found culpable and is asking the public to provide any evidence they may have to the police.

    It follows the emergence of videos showing some supposed commission staff engaged in ballot stuffing.

    In the videos circulating on social media, the supposed EC official is seen thumb printing ballot papers one after the other.

    In a statement copied to Joy News, the EC said its attention “has been drawn to some videos circulating on social media, alleging wrongdoing during the just ended Referendum exercise.

    “The Electoral Commission has contacted its regional officers and the Security Agencies to verify the authenticity or otherwise of the videos.”

    Below is a copy of the statement:

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • President Akufo-Addo pledges GHC100K for National Cathedral

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pledged GH¢100,000 from his personal resources towards the construction of the proposed National Cathedral.

    President Akufo-Addo made the pledge Friday night at the launch of fundraising for the cathedral at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.

    Hollywood star Idris Elba and international model Naomi Campbell also attended the fundraising dinner.

    President Akufo-Addo was the Special Guest of Honour for the fundraising dinner. There were a number of positive pledges for the project.

    Particularly two people pledged GH¢1million each towards the project whilst another pledged US$50,000.

    There were some GH¢100,000 pledges same as what President Akufo-Addo pledged.

    Among the dignitaries who attended the fundraising dinner were the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife Samira, the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Mike Ocquaye, the Chief Justice, Ms Sophia Akuffo and former President Jerry John Rawlings.

    President Akufo-Addo whilst campaigning to be elected as President made a vow to God to build a National Cathedral when elected President.

    According to Archbishop Duncan Williams of the Action Faith International, who is among the leading figures behind the project, building the cathedral was therefore a fulfilment of President Akufo-Addo’s vow to God.

    Source: Myjoyonline.com