National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has entreated the government to take sole responsibility for the unpalatable state of the economy.
While delivering what the party terms as the “True State of the Nation’s Address” on Monday at University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), he noted that Ghanaians are sick and tired of the “flimsy” excuses government has continued to preach.
“Ghanaians want relief from the socioeconomic hardship visited on them by the NPP administration and not flimsy excuses Ghanaians want a government to be truthful even in difficult times and listen to them in humility,” he said.
He noted that COVID-19 is not blame for the nation’s woes as purported by government. According to the NDC Chair, Ghana, way back as 2019 has recorded significant economic challenges.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said the public debt had increased from “120bn in 2016 to 225 in 2019, representing an increase of 105 bullion in the country’s debt stock.”
“COVID was nowhere. Ukraine and Russia had not even thought about fighting,” he added.
Defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final on Sunday capped a “perfect campaign,” according to new world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who also won the Indian Wells title for the first time.
Alcaraz cruised 6-3 6-2 to win in 72 minutes in spite of Medvedev entering Sunday’s championship match on a 19-match winning streak.
Alcaraz’s victory in Indian Wells marked his third ATP Masters 1000 victory in three finals, during which time he failed to lose a set.
Without dropping a set during the Indian Wells Open, the 19-year-old Spaniard said it was a “perfect” week for him.
“It feels amazing to lift the trophy here [and] to recover the number one,” Alcaraz told reporters, having reclaimed the top rank from Novak Djokovic due to his victory.
“It has been the perfect tournament. It was a goal for me, this tournament that I really wanted to win. For me, it’s amazing.”
The lopsided nature of Alcaraz’s victory over Medvedev in the final caught many by surprise, hitting 19-4 winners against the in-form fifth seed.
“Honestly I didn’t expect that,” Alcaraz said. “I expected a tough match but I played perfect. I said before against Daniil you have to play your best and tactically at your best level as well. I did perfect today. That’s why it looks easy but it wasn’t.”
Alcaraz added he was delighted to reclaim the number one rank which he had lost after Djokovic won the 2023 Australian Open, which he missed due to injury.
Djokovic was unable to participate at Indian Wells due to being unvaccinated for COVID-19, with the pair actually not facing off at any events this year.
Alcaraz returned from abdominal and hamstring injuries last month at the Argentina Open and Rio Open before competing at Indian Wells, while Djokovic was in action at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The next opportunity for the pair to face off as at April’s Monte Carlo Masters.
“Novak is one of the best players in the world,” Alcaraz said. “That’s obvious. I always say, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I really wanted to play against Novak again. We miss him on tour and hopefully to have him back very, very soon.”
Alcaraz added: “It feels great to be back on the No1. Of course, every player on the ATP wants to be the number one. For me, it’s a dream come true again. Obviously being in front of such great players like Novak, the top player, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Despite Djokovic being unable to compete at Indian Wells, Medvedev said he felt Alcaraz’s return to the top rank was a true No1.
“One hundred per cent,” Medvedev said. “It’s unfortunate Novak can’t play all the tournaments. If you get injured, Rafa is injured for some time, we cannot say if Rafa isn’t injured he would be number one, because we cannot know. Same about Novak.
“For sure if he was able to play last year and this year all the tournaments there is a possibility that the rankings would be different but Carlos is deservedly No1, he won more points than everybody else in the last 52 weeks and he was also year-end No1 last year.”
For the first time in almost 18 years, Rafael Nadal is no longer ranked among the top 10 male tennis players in the world.
Since April 2005, Nadal had consistently ranked in the top 10, but due to an injury that prevented him from competing in Indian Wells, he dropped to number 13 on Monday.
After defeating Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, the 36-year-run old’s came to an end on the same day his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz recovered the top ranking from Novak Djokovic.
Since losing to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open in January, Nadal has struggled with a hip issue from which he has not yet fully recovered.
Though the 22-time grand slam winner could return to the top 10 once he is back in action, it will not be in the next month as he has also withdrawn from the Miami Masters.
The latest ATP rankings saw Djokovic drop to second place, while Medvedev moved from sixth to fifth, Felix Auger-Aliassime leapt from 10th to sixth, Hubert Hurkacz nudged into the top 10 as he moved up two places to ninth, while Taylor Fritz dropped from fifth to 10th.
Deen and Visa Pillay, a couple from Durban, negotiate life and marriage despite the fact that they are both blind.
Deen noted that he was born in Mayville, had his sight, and went to regular school until he was 15 years old.
Between 1976 and 1986, he gradually lost his vision and, as a result of an issue with his pupils, become largely blind. This made life difficult for him.
He relocated to Pietermaritzburg’s Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind. He attended Durban University of Technology to study shipping after high school, and at age 31 he entirely lost his sight.
“I had to become independent. I had to learn mobility and the surroundings of my house, and that is when I joined the KZN Blind and Deaf Society,” he said.
In 2009, he met Visa Pillay, the society’s fundraiser and marketing administrator.
My eyesight deteriorated at 13 years old,” said Visa.
A school visit by doctors led to a referral to King Edward VII Hospital, where she underwent two operations for a major cataract.
“I couldn’t go to school. I then went to St John’s Hospital in Johannesburg and they found that I had a retinal detachment. I spent four months in hospital – it was part of my childhood life,” she said.
“I finished school at Supreme College and studied through Damelin. The start of 2009 was a depressing time, but I had to continue. I had to learn to live in the dark world and adjust to cooking and crossing the road, and the Blind and Deaf Society helped me learn those skills,” she said.
That year the couple fell in love and married.
“It was a blind date,” said Deen with a chuckle. “I was volunteering when I met a beautiful woman and I fell in love. I found a job at a special school, and from day one I told the principal that I am a blind man here to lead the deaf. I always say this to encourage people,” he said.
He sings and dances at church and other gatherings.
“He is a beautiful singer,” said Visa.
The couple also work in different volunteer programmes, such as children’s homes, on weekends and public holidays.
“I use my work as a fundraiser at the society to uplift and motivate people. Some people lose their sight after an accident, and I tell them my story. I also show them how to navigate life in the dark using technology, and I also teach them braille,” she said.
On Sunday, Yiaga Africa reported that the Governorship and State Assembly elections were successfully conducted thanks to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing platform (IReV).
At a news conference in Abuja about the governorship and state assembly elections backed by the European Union through its Support to Democratic Government in Nigeria program, Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, a board member of Yiaga Africa, made this statement (EU-SDGN).
Yiaga Africa, according to Nwagwu, applauded INEC for the great improvement in the administration of election logistics, particularly the early start of voting thanks to the election officials’ fast arrival in most polling places.
“Unlike the Feb. 25 presidential election, the INEC Election Results Viewing (IReV) portal functioned optimally in this election, enabling citizens to download polling unit-level results.
“Electronic accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was successfully implemented in a significant number of polling units observed by Yiaga Africa.
“Yiaga Africa calls on INEC to ensure proper oversight of the results collation process and ensure that results declared under duress or in breach of the Electoral Act, INEC Guidelines or Manual, are reviewed in line with Section 65 of the Electoral Act.”
Nwagwu said as INEC continued to collate results, citizens, candidates and supporters are encouraged to remain calm and peaceful, and reject any call for violence.
He said that only INEC has the legal mandate to announce the election results and return a candidate as a winner.
“We urge all stakeholders to respect the commission’s constitutional power and refrain from declaring election results.”
Nwagwu said that Yiaga Africa observers noted that the Governorship and State Assembly elections were signposted with voter suppression, electoral violence, electoral impunity, vote buying and capture of the results management by political thugs.
This, he said, were in Delta, Lagos, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kano, and Taraba states.
He said that Yiaga Africa was saddened by the cases of attacks on voters, INEC officials, journalists, election observers and personnel of the EFCC by political thugs.
“Reports also indicate that at least eight fatalities were recorded within the last 24 hrs.
“These election-related deaths are unacceptable and highly condemnable. It is important for security agencies to hold the political thugs and their sponsors accountable for these deaths and attacks.”
He said that Yiaga Africa condemned, in unequivocal terms, acts of voter suppression fuelled by ethnic profiling, political thuggery and desperation to secure electoral victory at all costs.
He said that in flagrant abuse of the constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act, registered voters and fellow citizens were denied the right to vote in some states.
“On Professional Conduct, Yiaga Africa received reports that security personnel were unprofessional and partisan in 26 polling units observed.
“Yiaga Africa received reports that polling officials were unprofessional and partisan in 21 polling units observed.”
Nwagwu reported that Yiaga Africa validated 216 critical occurrences on Election Day, March 18, during the course of the day, which is more than was observed in the polls on February 25.
Intimidation and harassment at voting places, violent disturbance, ballot box snatching and destruction, results manipulation during collation, and obstruction of election observation, according to him, have all occurred.
According to Nwagwu, Yiaga Africa got 44 allegations of people bribing people to vote with money or by giving them food.
Thus, he said, Yiaga Africa urged the members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to make sure that security personnel were deployed in a sufficient and effective manner at the collation centers.
He added that Yiaga Africa called on political parties, their supporters and voters across the states to remain calm and peaceful as the results collation process is still ongoing.
As traders worried that a developing banking crisis may slow down global economic development, oil prices fell dramatically on last Wednesday.
West Texas Intermediate futures hit their lowest point since December 2021 when they dropped more than 5% to end at $67.61 per barrel. The global standard, Brent crude, dropped 4% to $74.36 per barrel.
“The oil market is going to be stuck in a surplus for most of the first half of the year, but that should change as long as we don’t see a major policy mistake by the Fed that triggers a severe recession,” said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda. “Now near the mid-$60s, WTI crude’s plunge is at the mercy of how much worse the macro picture gets.”
He added that a repeat of October’s lows might put more downward pressure on WTI oil and that energy equities might struggle given the deteriorating demand outlook and the likelihood of a short-term surplus.
“Longer-term views however still support having energy in your portfolios as a lot of the oil giants have robust balance sheets that support continued buybacks and dividends,” he added.
The drop came as global risk markets sold off following news that Credit Suisse’s biggest investor, the Saudi National Bank, would not provide more assistance for the embattled bank. The news led to a more than 20% drop in the bank’s U.S.-listed shares. It also raised concern over the state of the global banking system less than a week after two U.S. regional banks failed.
The stress in smaller banks led Goldman Sachs to cut its U.S. GDP growth forecast.
“Small and medium-sized banks play an important role in the US economy,” Goldman economists wrote. “Banks with less than $250bn in assets account for roughly 50% of US commercial and industrial lending, 60% of residential real estate lending, 80% of commercial real estate lending, and 45% of consumer lending.”
“US policymakers have taken aggressive steps to shore up the financial system, but concerns about stress at some banks persists,” they added. “Ongoing pressure could cause smaller banks to become more conservative about lending in order to preserve liquidity in case they need to meet depositor withdrawals, and a tightening in lending standards could weigh on aggregate demand.”
The Federal Reserve is slated to hold a policy meeting next week. Entering this week, traders had priced in at least a 25 basis-point rate hike. However, CME Group’s FedWatch tool now shows nearly a 2-to-1 chance of rates staying at current levels.
Belgium is renowned for its delicious chocolate, mouth-watering waffles, and exquisite beer. But did you know that this Northwestern European country also boasts of an awe-inspiring park and museum complex that will leave you in awe?
Nestled in the Province of Limburg near Genk, the Bokrijk Provincial Domain offers an experience unlike any other – ‘Cycling through Water”. This immersive adventure allows cyclists to traverse more than 200 meters through a tranquil pond without getting wet. That’s right, no wetsuits required!
At one point during your journey, the surface of the water will be at eye level on both sides, providing a breathtaking view that mirrors the Red Sea parted by Moses in the Biblical tale of the Israelites’ escape from the Egyptians.
Opened in April 2016, the Bokrijk Provincial Domain is located at node 91 of the cycle node network in Bokrijk, which is part of the extensive De Wijers pond landscape. So grab your bike, pack your sense of adventure, and get ready to ride on water without getting wet!
South African security forces have said that 87 people had been arrested in the last 12 hours across the country over public violence ahead of planned protests by the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party.
The EFF has called for a national shutdown to protest crippling power cuts and demand the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The party is demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa step down because he is allegedly not running the country properly.
“On the 20th of March, we have to shut down this country to show the whole world that we are concerned about the state of affairs. We can’t fold our arms,” Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, said in a video message on the weekend.
He said the shutdown could be the beginning of an unstoppable revolution. The party has requested non-essential workers to remain home or join the protest.
The party’s main constituency are the poor and working class Black South Africans who feel left out of the country’s prosperity since the governing African National Congress (ANC) ended white minority rule in 1994.
Ramaphosa warned Thursday that the EFF’s planned protests were not a mere shutdown but an attempt to overthrow the government.
Of the eighty-seven arrested, 41 were in Gauteng, the province which includes the capital Pretoria and the main city Johannesburg, 29 in were in North West province, and 15 in Free State, National intelligence body NatJOINTS said in a statement, adding that there has been arrests in other provinces such as Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape.
Parliament said in a statement on Sunday that the South African military would deploy 3,474 troops for a month until April 17 to prevent and combat crime in cooperation with the police.
“Law enforcement officers are on high alert and will continue to prevent and combat any acts of criminality,” NatJOINTS said.
Chris Hughton, the coach of the Black Stars, says his goal is to use his expertise throughout the years to create a successful team for Ghana’s Senior National Team.
On Monday, March 20, the former Brighton manager addressed the media during his official introduction at the SG Mall in Kumasi, in the Ashanti region, saying he would develop the players at his disposal and foster a winning mindset to assist achieve some success.
“There will be questions, why is this player playing and why is that player playing, but ultimately I want to see a winning team and…using the players to the best of their abilities,” Chris Hughton said.
The former Newcastle manager also claimed that he was qualified for the Black Stars position because of his standing and credentials at the top level of football management.
“My standing and credentials at this level I think that is good. I have a lot of experience as a head coach and I will use that experience to pick the team, pick the players and adjust to less training and preparation time for a game.”
The former Technical Director for the Black Stars also promised to pay more attention to the local league and identify players who fit his footballing philosophy.
He, however, described Ghana’s campaign at the 2022 World Cup as disappointing. According to him, the biggest disappointment was the defeat to Uruguay which he believes the Black Stars should have won.
The 64-year-old who replaces Otto Addo has been given a 21-month contract which is subject to renewal based on performance.
Sonnie Badu, a preacher and musician, has urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to alter its outlook and behavior.
He finds it distressing that the football organization has essentially coerced several players into early retirement throughout the years.
His opinions were expressed in an open letter to the GFA following Christian Atsu, a player for the Black Stars,’ funeral and burial.
In contrast to Lionel Messi, the PSG star and Argentina captain, who won the World Cup in Qatar at the age of 35, Atsu, sometimes referred to as the Messi of Ghana, took a step back at the age of 31.
“Dear GFA @chris_atsu has been finally laid to rest. However, let me say this .. Let this be a reform of mindset and a change of attitude…. I know our @ghana_fa_official chairman will do things differently
“I heard in recent interviews people saying that he was the Messi of Ghana… Well you guys retired him quick – whiles Messi is still playing the World Cup… Messi is 35 and Astu was 31 …
“Let us learn how to make players feel important while they are alive. We should not wait for something to happen to them before we take over their funeral expenses and all of that,” his letter read in part.
The March 17, 2023 final funeral rites of Christian Atsu attracted people from all walks of life as the forecourt of the State House buzzed with activity.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his vice were in attendance along with a high-powered government delegation. Also in attendance was the former president John Dramani Mahama.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) was led by its president Kurt Okraku who also led members of the association and a group of former Black Stars players.
Member of Parliament hopeful for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, Fred Nuamah, has revealed in what capacity he attended the funeral of the late Christian Atsu.
Fred has clarified that he went there as a sport manager and also to offer his support. Many Ghanaians who attended or watched the funeral service from their various homes may have assumed that the Ghanaian actor was there because of the position he is fighting for.
When asked by the host, MzGee, whether he planned to attend Atsu’s funeral, Fred Nuamah, who was a special guest on Utv’s United Showbiz, disclosed this.
“I am into sport management thus I went with one of my footballers who is Emmanuel Adebayor. So, if you saw me at the funeral, then it means I was there as a sport manager and not a parliamentary hopeful as you asked”
“Anyone who is into sport management, and if someone who is part of the sporting field dies and the footballers are invited, managers are also supposed to go so I went there as a sport manager”, Fred Nuamah’s reply to the host.
He continued by saying that, the late Christian Atsu hails from his mother’s hometown so there was no way he could miss Christian Atsu’s funeral.
He stated, “The man we are talking about is from my mother’s hometown so it was prudent on my part for me to attend the funeral. Also, I went as someone who knew the man who is leaving us”.
Grace Ashy, a gospel singer, has admitted that she wished Christian Atsu’s passing had not been real but a dream.
Christian Atsu died in the terrible earthquake that hit Turkey in February, and it took 12 days for rescuers to find his lifeless body.
Hundreds of Ghanaians attended the state funeral for the former Black Stars footballer to show their admiration for him.
Grace Ashy, one of the Black Stars song composers, revealed to the media that attending Atsu’s burial helped her accept his passing.
“I wished it was a dream but now that I am standing here I realize it wasn’t but it is real. I didn’t believe it but today I am witnessing it myself and it tells me that Atsu is really gone,” she said.
According to her, Atsu lived a life worth emulating by being a philanthropist who had a good heart for giving out to the less privileged in society.
“He has left a legacy for this nation. Apart from he being a footballer he had a call of giving to people. He was sympathizing with people. He never sat on his money, whatever he toiled to get he gave it out to help people in need,” Grace Ashy stated.
Emmanuel Eboue, a former international for Ivory Coast, has shared with the world his most cherished encounter with Christian Atsu in a game against the Ghanaian Black Stars.
Eboue admitted he knew Atsu because they were both Premier League players, but one of his most recent recollections of Atsu was when they competed against one another for the national team.
He claims that because they were both quick, Atsu pledged to make the match difficult for him.
“When we were playing Ivory Coast versus Ghana he was playing on my side so he told me brother today I will kill you today. I said no problem, you are fast I’m fast so today we will see. That was my last memory I have about him,” Eboue told Mx24gh in an interview.
Christian Atsu died in the devastating earthquake which struck Turkey in February with Atsu being under rubble for 12 days before his lifeless body was recovered.
The former Black Stars player was given a state burial with hundreds of Ghanaians attending to pay their last respect to the player.
The specifics of Chris Hughton’s introduction as the Black Stars’ new coach have been made public by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
Prior to that, the GFA made no mention of Chris Hughton’s contract when announcing his appointment as the Black Stars’ new head coach.
However, according to a recent update from the GFA, the head coach of the Black Stars would officially be introduced on Monday, March 20, 2023.
At precisely 10:00 am, the event would start at the SG Mall in Ayigya-Kumasi.
According to GFA, Chris Hughton’s introduction would be televised.
Just like the past, the unveiling of the new coach of the Black Stars is to give the media the opportunity to interact with the coach, as well as, get more information on the target set for him.
The GFA is expected to make known the details pertaining to the duration of the contract and estimated salary of the new head coach.
With rumours swelling changes in the backroom staff, coach Chris Hughton is expected to outdoor his technical team members.
Coach Chris Hughton who was previously the Technical Advisor of the Black Stars takes over from Otto Addo who resigned after Ghana exited the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Black Stars’ senior national team’s new head coach, Chris Hughton, will be formally unveiled today.
Around 10:00 am today in Kumasi, the unveiling will take held in the SG Mall, Ayigya.
The 64-year-old takes Otto Addo’s place as the team’s new head trainer. The talent coach for the German team Borussia Dortmund, Addo, resigned from his position when his nation was eliminated early from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
According to the Ghana Football Association [GFA], George Boateng and Didi Dramani will be the former Brighton manager’s assistants.
The nation’s football governing body will announce the terms of the contract and Hughton’s stay length.
Before his appointment as the head coach of the team, Hughton worked as the technical advisor for the team when Otto Addo was in charge as the head coach of the team ahead of the playoff games against Nigeria.
Following Ghana’s qualification to the Mundial, Hughton kept his role.
The former Newcastle United and Tottenham will be aiming to lead the Black Stars to its glory days due to his rich experience in the world of football.
Hughton’s first game will come up against Angola in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] qualifiers in back-to-back games this month.
The Black Stars will host the Palancas Negras at the Baba Yara Stadium on March 23 before travelling to Luanda for the return game in four days’ time.
Ghana are joint top of Group E alongside Angola with both teams with four points after two games.
Chris Hughton, the coach of the Black Stars, attended the Akwasidae festival just hours after arriving in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region, for his official unveiling and Ghana’s match versus Angola.
Mark Addo, vice president of the Ghana Football Association, and Akwasi Agyemang, deputy chairman of the Black Stars management committee, accompanied Chris Hughton to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi for the Akwasidae festival.
At the gathering where the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II meets his 52 divisional chiefs to make merry and talk about how the kingdom may advance, his first assistant coach, George Boateng, was also present.
It's a beautiful sunny day in Kumasi and it's Akwasidae too 🤩
In the FA Cup semifinals, Manchester City will play Sheffield United, and Manchester United will play Brighton.
The result of Sunday’s draw puts a Manchester derby in the final squarely on the table.
Although though City enters the match against the Blades as heavy favorites, Pep Guardiola’s team will not be taking anything for granted.
In a 6-0 thumping of Burnley on Saturday, Erling Haaland notched his sixth hat-trick of the year to help City advance to the semi-finals for the fifth consecutive year.
Carabao Cup champions United earned their second trip to Wembley this season after defeating nine-man Fulham 3-1 at Old Trafford.
Sheffield United, meanwhile, scored twice late on to beat fellow Championship side Blackburn 3-2 on Sunday at Bramall Lane.
City loanee Tommy Doyle netted the Blades’ winner in stoppage time but will be unable to feature against his parent club in the last four.
James McAtee is another regular who is on loan from the Premier League champions.
Evan Ferguson became the top-scoring teenager for a Premier League club across all competitions this season (seven) as he netted twice in Brighton’s 5-0 thrashing of Grimsby.
The semi-final ties will be played at Wembley across the weekend of April 22 and 23.
FA Cup semi-final draw
Brighton vs Manchester United
Manchester City vs Sheffield United
The draw for the #EmiratesFACup semi-finals has been made 🏆
According to Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, Senior Partner at Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Associates, the judge’s decision in the defamation case between Kennedy Agyapong, MP for Assin Central, and investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas was founded on the law.
He claimed that the judge deserves praise for “setting the law out right” and basing his decision on the evidence that was provided in court.
“The decision was not in a vacuum. Plain and simple. It wasn’t in a vacuum, it was based on the law, and that the law has a defined basis for what constitute defamation. And so therefore the decision was not in a vacuum.”
Speaking on JoyNews on Saturday, March 18, the legal practitioner acknowledged that it is not always that judges have their ruling right. Therefore, making references to the law might be wrong sometimes. However, in the instances where the law is set out right, the judge must be commended.
He added that a lot of people cannot appreciate the ruling properly because they are not lawyers.
In June 2018, the renowned international investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas sued Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, the MP for Assin Central, for defamation in relation to the content of the “Who watches the watchman” documentary.
Anas requested that the High Court grant aggravated damages of GHC25 million due to the MP’s publication of defamatory materials.
The MP during a live broadcast on TV revealed documents in an effort to undermine the investigative journalist who had produced a damning documentary about the corruption in Ghanaian football.
The video in question was from a live Twi broadcast on Net 2 TV on May 29, 2018, during which Mr. Agyapong unequivocally declared that Anas is a blackmailer, corrupt, extortionist, and wicked person.
In a similar vein, Mr. Agyapong, who owns the private radio station Oman FM, disseminated what Anas said were defamatory comments on May 31, 2018.
According to Mr. Awuah, there was no need for the court to determine whether truly the defamatory statements were made by the defendant, in that he had already admitted them.
Mr. Awuah posited that the alleged defamatory statements issued by Mr. Agyapong are not necessarily factual statements in themselves, but was rather a mere reaction to same said to him by the journalist when he reportedly indicated that the MP was responsible for the death of a colleague journalist, Ahmed Sualle.
Given this scenario, Mr. Agyapong is not obliged to provide evidence to his statements, according to Mr. Awuah.
“The question is whether or not in the circumstance of it, will the right thinking member of society come to the conclusion that indeed, Kennedy Agyapong actually meant that JB Danquah Adu was killed by Anas?,” he asked.
Meanwhile, following the court’s verdict, the plaintiff, Anas has expressed disappointment.
“We find the court decision an unfortunate travesty of justice and very inimical to the administration of justice and fairness. If for nothing at all the plaintiff made an allegation of murder against Anas” the Tyger Eye PI said in a statement.
The journalist says he remains resolute in his fight against corruption in the Ghanaian society.
Former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has submitted his candidacy paperwork to run in the Tamale South Constituency National Democratic Party (NDC) parliamentary primaries.
Haruna Iddrisu, who is widely expected to keep his seat, claims that his work in the constituency is still ongoing.
The fifth-term member of parliament for Tamale South delivered his nomination papers to the NDC’s Tamale South Constituency office while being accompanied by a sizable audience.
The Tamale South Member of Parliament claimed that he would be re-elected by a landslide, extolling his prowess and escalating influence over the years, while encouraging potential challengers to feel free and run against him.
“Today I am here to honour the NDC constitutional requirement of filing my nomination as the NDC unbeatable candidate for the 2024 general election and today marks the beginning of the NDC journey to victory in 2024. But the Tamale South seat is free, you can come in. The only thing I can assure you is that you won’t get more than 5% of the votes or probably 2%. You won’t make more than five percent,” he said.
Haruna Iddrisu indicated that he will work to ensure an absolute victory for the NDC in the Tamale South Constituency.
“Tamale South in the last presidential and parliamentary made a significant contribution of 69,000 votes and my pledge this year is that we will contribute ninety thousand votes for John Mahama or whoever leads the NDC in the 2024 elections,” he added.
Addressing supporters of the party after submitting his nomination forms, Haruna Iddrisu called for unity and hard work ahead of the 2024 general elections.
According to him, the mismanagement of the economy by the Akufo-Addo government vindicates the NDC as the best party to lead the country.
“We must all come together, shun divisiveness, and work towards an NDC victory, because that is the surest way to win power,” he indicated.
After being a student leader for years in his tertiary education period, Iddrisu transitioned into mainstream national politics and rose to become the National Youth Organizer for the National Democratic Congress in 2002.
He held that position for 8 years even whilst the Minister of Communications until stepping down in 2010.
Haruna first stood for MP in the 2004 parliamentary election in the then-newly formed Tamale South Constituency. He served as the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications and also the Minority Spokesman on Communications in the fourth Parliament when the NDC was in opposition.
He retained his seat in the 2008 parliamentary election by gaining 78.2% of the total votes cast. He once again retained his seat in the 2012 parliamentary elections by getting 74.6% of the total votes cast.
Even though his party lost the Presidential Elections, Haruna retained his seat in the 2016 Elections and was selected to lead the Minority Caucus as the Minority Leader of the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic in Ghana.
He served as the Minority Leader for NDC in Ghana’s 8th Parliament from January 2017till January 2023.
He has also held various positions in government, including Minister for Communications under the Mills and Mahama governments as well as Minister for Trade between 2013 and 2014. He was appointed the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations by President Mahama in July 2014.
The vast majority of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)-affiliated MPs will attend one of the largest Asante celebrations, Akwasidae, in Kumasi with Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has been invited to the event, which is being hosted by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace.
About 90 members of the majority caucus have signed up to attend the event with the vice president.
List of lawmakers attending the event sighted by DGN Online shows that about 30 of the MPs who hail from the Ashanti Region have confirmed that they are accompanying Dr. Bawumia to the event at Otumfuo’s Court in Kumasi on Sunday.
Ashanti Region has the largest nunber of MPs who have expressed their interest to travel with the aspiring presidential candidate of the ruling party.
Eastern Region came second with 11 MPs followed by Northern Region before Greater Accra who both had nine MPs expressing interesting to accompany the Vice President to grace the beautiful festival of the Asantes.
In all, 87 lawmakers on the majority side have penned their names of joing the Vice President to attend the colourful event in the second largest city in the country.
Dr Bawumia, joined the Asantemann to celebrate the 2021 Akwasidae festival of the Asantes with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, sitting in state at the Manhyia Palace.
He was accompanied by his wife, Samira Bawumia, both of whom were clad in splendid Kente cloth.
The Akwasidae Festival is a magnificent Ashanti celebration which is centered on ancestral reverence, remembrance and acknowledgment of past Kings and noble feats.
It serves as a celebration of the Golden Stool and a cultural vibrancy that brings together the Asantehene, sub-chiefs and subjects at the Manhyia palace.
The atmosphere at this festival is expected to be charged as a result of the special personalities that are expected to grace occasion aside the firing of musketries with traditional priests and priestesses thrilling the crowd with dances
The MPs are joining the Vice President after traveling with him to Kpembe to attend the funeral of the late Lepowura Alhaji MND Jawula in long buses.
Over 40 MPs, were seen seated in a bus from the Tamale Airport to Kpembe in the Savanah Region with the Vice President interacting.
Some of the Members of Parliament captured were the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Shiela Bartels, Mustapha Ussif, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Habib Iddrisu, Dr. Prince Armah, and Steven Jalulah, among others.
Below are list of members attending the 19th March Akwasidae in Kumasi with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
HON. MEMBERS WESTERN REGION 1. HON. KWABENA OKYERE DARKO-MENSAH TAKORADI 2. HON. JOSEPH CUDJOE EFFIA 3. HON. PRINCE HAMID ARMAH KWESIMINTSIM 4. HON. ANDREW KOFI EGYAPA MERCER SEKONDI 5. HON. SAMUEL ERICKSON ABAKAH SHAMA 6. HON. JOHN KOBINA ABBAM ABOAH SANIE MPOHOR CENTRAL REGION 7. HON. OPHELIA MENSAH MFANTSEMAN 8. HON. NAANA EYIAH GOMOA CENTRAL 9. HON. FESTUS AWUAH KWOFIE UPPER DENKYIRA EAST GREATER ACCRA 10. HON. TINA GIFTY NAA AYELE MENSAH WEIJA-GBAWE 11. HON. MOSES ANIM TROBU 12. HON. AKWASI OWUSU AFRIFA-MENSA AMASAMAN 13. HON. HENRY QUARTEY AYAWASO CENTRAL 14. HON. LYDIA SEYRAM ALHASSAN AYAWASO WEST WUOGON 15. HON. DAKOA NEWMAN OKAIKWEI SOUTH 16. HON. SHEILA BARTELS ABLEKUMA NORTH 17. HON. URSULA GIFTY OWUSU-EKUFUL ABLEKUMA WEST 18. HON. YVES HANSON -NORTEY TEMA CENTRAL EASTERN REGION 19. HON. MICHAEL OKYERE BAAFI NEW JUABEN SOUTH 20. HON. FRANK ANNOH-DOMPREH NSAWAM /ADOAGYIRI 21. HON. FREDERICK OBENG ADOM UPPER WEST AKIM 22. HON. GEORGE KWAME ABOAGYE ASENE/MANSO/AKROSO 23. HON. KOJO OPPONG NKRUMAH OFFOASE-AYIREBI 24. HON. ALEXANDER AGYARE KADE 25. HON. JOHN OSEI FRIMPONG ABIREM 26. HON. SAMUEL ATTA AKYEA ABUAKWA SOUTH 27. HON. KWABENA AMANKWA ASIAMAH FANTEAKWA NORTH 28. HON. KOFI OKYERE AGYEKUM FANTEAKWA SOUTH 29. HON. JOSEPH FRIMPONG NKAWKAW ASHANTI REGION 30. HON. OSEI KYEI-MENSAH-BONSU SUAME 31. HON. ALEX BLANKSON AKROFUOM 32. HON. PATRICK BOAKYE YIADOM OBUASI EAST 33. HON. JOSEPH OSEI-OWUSU BEKWAI 34. HON. EMMANUEL AKWASI GYAMFI ODOTOBIRI 35. HON. GEORGE KWABENA OBENG TAKYI MANSO NKWANTA
36. HON. EMMANUEL AGYEI ANHWERE ATWIMA NWABIAGYA SOUTH 37. HON. BENITO OWUSU-BIO ATWIMA NWABIAGYA NORTH 38. HON. YAW OSEI ADUTWUM BOSOMTWE 39. HON. KOFI AMANKWA-MANU ATWIMA KWANWOMA 40. HON. STEPHEN AMOAH NHYIAESO 41. HON. MATTHEW OPOKU PREMPEH MANHYIA SOUTH 42. HON. AKWASI KONADU MANHYIA NORTH 43. HON. KINGSLEY NYARKO KWADASO 44. HON. VINCENT EKOW ASSAFUAH OLD TAFO 45. HON. FRANSISCA OTENG MENSAH KWABRE EAST 46. HON. COLLINS ADOMAKO MENSAH AFIGYA KWABRE NORTH 47. HON. AMA POMAA BOATENG JUABEN 48. HON. JOHN AMPONTUAH KUMAH EJISU 49. HON. KWAKU ASANTE-BOATENG ASANTE AKIM SOUTH 50. HON. NANA AYEW AFRIYE EFFIDUASE/ ASOKORE 51. HON. PHILLIP BASOAH KUMAWU 52. HON. ADELAIDE NTIM NSUTA /KWAMAN BEPOSO 53. HON. KWAKU AMPRATWUM -SARPONG MAMPONG 54. HON. ISAAC YAW OPOKU OFFINSO SOUTH 55. HON. AUGUSTINE COLLINS NTIM OFFINSO NORTH 56. HON. JOHNSON KWAKU ADU AHAFO ANO SOUTH WEST 57. HON. FRANCIS MANU-ADABOR AHAFO ANO SOUTH EAST 58. HON. SULEMAN ADAMU SANID AHAFO ANO NORTH WESTERN NORTH REGION 59. HON. ALFRED OBENG BOATENG BIBIANI -ANHWIASO -BEKWAI 60. HON. KWAKU AFRIYIE SEFWI WIAWSO 61. HON. ALEX TETTEH DJORNOBUAH SEFWI AKONTOMBRA AHAFO REGION 62. HON. EVANS OPOKU BOBIE ASUNAFO NORTH 63. HON. PATRICK BANOR ASUTIFI NORTH 64. HON. BENJAMIN SEKYERE YEBOAH TANO SOUTH 65. HON. FREDA PREMPEH TANO NORTH BONO REGION 66. HON. KWASI AMEYAW-CHEREMEH SUNYANI EAST 67. HON. PAUL APREKU TWUM-BARIMAH DORMAA EAST BONO EAST REGION 68. HON. MARTIN KWAKU AGYEI-MENSAH KORSAH TECHIMAN SOUTH 69. HON. ALEXANDER GYAN KINTAMPO SOUTH 70. HON. STEPHEN PAMBIIN JALULAH PRU WEST NORTHERN REGION 71. HON. DOMINIC BINGAB ADUNA NITIWUL BIMBILLA 72. HON. JOHN BENNAM JABAAH ZABZUGU 73. HON. THOMAS MBOMBA TATALE/SANSULI
36. HON. EMMANUEL AGYEI ANHWERE ATWIMA NWABIAGYA SOUTH 37. HON. BENITO OWUSU-BIO ATWIMA NWABIAGYA NORTH 38. HON. YAW OSEI ADUTWUM BOSOMTWE 39. HON. KOFI AMANKWA-MANU ATWIMA KWANWOMA 40. HON. STEPHEN AMOAH NHYIAESO 41. HON. MATTHEW OPOKU PREMPEH MANHYIA SOUTH 42. HON. AKWASI KONADU MANHYIA NORTH 43. HON. KINGSLEY NYARKO KWADASO 44. HON. VINCENT EKOW ASSAFUAH OLD TAFO 45. HON. FRANSISCA OTENG MENSAH KWABRE EAST 46. HON. COLLINS ADOMAKO MENSAH AFIGYA KWABRE NORTH 47. HON. AMA POMAA BOATENG JUABEN 48. HON. JOHN AMPONTUAH KUMAH EJISU 49. HON. KWAKU ASANTE-BOATENG ASANTE AKIM SOUTH 50. HON. NANA AYEW AFRIYE EFFIDUASE/ ASOKORE 51. HON. PHILLIP BASOAH KUMAWU 52. HON. ADELAIDE NTIM NSUTA /KWAMAN BEPOSO 53. HON. KWAKU AMPRATWUM -SARPONG MAMPONG 54. HON. ISAAC YAW OPOKU OFFINSO SOUTH 55. HON. AUGUSTINE COLLINS NTIM OFFINSO NORTH 56. HON. JOHNSON KWAKU ADU AHAFO ANO SOUTH WEST 57. HON. FRANCIS MANU-ADABOR AHAFO ANO SOUTH EAST 58. HON. SULEMAN ADAMU SANID AHAFO ANO NORTH WESTERN NORTH REGION 59. HON. ALFRED OBENG BOATENG BIBIANI -ANHWIASO -BEKWAI 60. HON. KWAKU AFRIYIE SEFWI WIAWSO 61. HON. ALEX TETTEH DJORNOBUAH SEFWI AKONTOMBRA AHAFO REGION 62. HON. EVANS OPOKU BOBIE ASUNAFO NORTH 63. HON. PATRICK BANOR ASUTIFI NORTH 64. HON. BENJAMIN SEKYERE YEBOAH TANO SOUTH 65. HON. FREDA PREMPEH TANO NORTH BONO REGION 66. HON. KWASI AMEYAW-CHEREMEH SUNYANI EAST 67. HON. PAUL APREKU TWUM-BARIMAH DORMAA EAST BONO EAST REGION 68. HON. MARTIN KWAKU AGYEI-MENSAH KORSAH TECHIMAN SOUTH 69. HON. ALEXANDER GYAN KINTAMPO SOUTH 70. HON. STEPHEN PAMBIIN JALULAH PRU WEST NORTHERN REGION 71. HON. DOMINIC BINGAB ADUNA NITIWUL BIMBILLA 72. HON. JOHN BENNAM JABAAH ZABZUGU 73. HON. THOMAS MBOMBA TATALE/SANSULI
74. HON. UMAR FAROUK ALIU MAHAMA YENDI 75. HON. MOHAMMED AMIN ADAM KARAGA 76. HON. MOHAMMED HARDI TUFEIRU NANTON 77. HON. MUSAH ABDUL-AZIZ AYABA MION 78. HON. ALHASSAN TAMPULI SULEMANA GUSHEGU 79. HON. HABIB IDDRISU TOLON SAVANNA REGION 80. HON. ALHASSAN ABDALLAH IDDI SALAGA NORTH 81. HON. SAMUEL ABDULAI JINAPOR DAMONGO UPPER WEST REGION 82. HON. AMBROSE DERY NANDOM NORTH EAST REGION 83. HON. MUSTAPHA USSIF YAGBA-KUBORI 84. HON. OSCAR LIWAAL YUNYOO 85. HON. LARIBA ZUWEIRA ABUDU WALEWALE 86. HON. ABDUL RAZAK TAHIDU CHEREPONI UPPER EAST REGION 87. HON. ABANGA ABDULAI BINDURI
According to Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, Christian Eriksen is expected to make a full recovery from a chronic ankle ailment next month.
During United’s 3-1 EFL Cup victory over Reading on January 28, Eriksen suffered an injury after being on the receiving end of a strong Andy Carroll tackle.
The international player from Denmark had been anticipated to miss the most of the season, with initial expectations for an April or May return.
Ten Hag provided a favorable report on the playmaker who had previously played for Tottenham and Inter and who had been a key component of their comeback in the first half of the season.
“Yes, some point in April, he will be back,” Ten Hag said. “He is doing really well, really good in his rehab.
“The progress is very good and we have to see how that develops in the coming weeks.”
United have a busy upcoming fixture given their commitments across the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League, with nine games scheduled for April.
The Red Devils are currently third in the league in the race to clinch Champions League qualification, holding a three-point lead on fifth-placed Newcastle United.
The 31-year-old had made 29 appearances in all competitions this term for United, netting two goals with nine assists, including seven in the Premier League.
Despite not playing since January, Eriksen is still equal third with Mohamed Salah and Leandro Trossard for most league assists this term, behind Kevin De Bruyne (12) and Bukayo Saka (nine).
Bruno Fernandes (six) has the second-most Premier League assists this term for United, with Casemiro and Marcus Rashford both providing three.
Ghanaian actor and film director, Fred Nuamah, has noted that his companion, John Dumelo, declared to him his intention to run for the SALL Constituency during the National Democratic Congress’ primaries.
According to him, Mr Dumelo gave him his blessing to Ayawaso West Wougon Parliamentary seat as he had no intentions of running for the second time.
Speaking in a panel discussion on United Showbiz on Saturday, March 18, 2023, Fred explained: “John is not my friend; John is my brother so I won’t let politics destroy us. I did research, I spoke to my future constituents some years back at the time my brother (John Dumelo) said that he was going to the other side (SALL Constituency).
“This is an open secret, who’s in Ghana that doesn’t know that John went to SALL? So, I called on him… I am saying that I spoke to my brother about two years ago saying that once you want to leave, I do not want our seat here to be vacant. So, even with brotherly advice, he told me that Fred won’t you look elsewhere because the Ayawaso seat is expensive and I said no, because I live here, I want to go for this seat, and then because of the love we do have for each other,” he recounted.
Mr Nuamah further disclosed that he sought to get in touch with his friend after receiving reports of a possible return by Dumelo but was unsuccessful.
“Some months ago, I heard rumours that he’s coming back. So, I started calling him to find out, but maybe he was busy so he didn’t pick up my calls, I called him several times….so, I decided to send him messages, that brother, I have heard you’re coming back.
“But before the messages, he picked up one of my calls and I asked him if indeed he was coming back so I can withdraw. And he said I should hold on because he was expecting a call to confirm.
According to him, Mr Dumelo only reached out to him after he had picked his forms.
Meanwhile, John Dumelo who is set to contest with Nuamah for the parliamentary slot of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency recently said that it was Fred Nuamah rather who had expressly pledged to back his bid to contest for the seat he lost narrowly in 2020.
“We are not friends, as we speak now, we are not friends. We haven’t been friends for a couple of weeks now,” he told MzGee, host of the United Showbiz programme on UTV a week ago.
“At no point did I tell Fred that I am not contesting in Ayawaso West Wuogon, at no point,” he before adding that all claims that he (Dumelo) had opted against running were untrue, incluing one attributed to Yaw Sakyi
“That is a lie. I never had a conversation with Yaw Sakyi about Fred Nuamah. Never, I can never give Fred Nuamah my blessings, when he knows I am coming to contest in Ayawaso West Wuogon,” Dumelo added.
Dumelo described Fred’s decision to release his campaign flyer hours after attending his February 3 private birthday bash as a betrayal and a stab in the back for someone he has known for over 20 years.
Fred Nuamah, an actor, film director, and producer, has stated that the current misunderstanding between him and John Dumelo regarding the Ayawaso West Wuogon ticket for the NDC will soon be settled.
John Dumelo would not consider the creative who has teamed up with numerous other colleagues to run for political office, specifically to represent their people in Parliament, as a friend, but rather as a brother.
For many, the cordial relationship between the two is on the brink of death, but Mr Nuamah has indicated other wise, despite the fact that they are contesting the Ayawaso West Wuogon slot in the NDC primaries.
“John is not my friend. He is my brother and I won’t allow this politics to divide us and apart from him being my brother from the other side, the NDC is one party and the matter between us is an internal matter and for all you know, we have even resolved it already,” he said on United Showbiz.
When asked of the allegations being made against him for picking the forms, he reiterated it was John’s decision to go to SALL that made him pursue his interest.
“I don’t blame John for calling me a liar and betrayer because if I explain, you’ll understand me. I did a research with my future constituents some years back when my brother decided to go to the other side (SALL it is an open secret that John made up his mind to go to SALL so I don’t want to dwell on it).
“I called my brother about two years ago and I told him I don’t want our seat here to be vacant once you’re leaving here. So even with brotherly advice my brother told me that, Fred, why not choose a different place because this place is very expensive. And I told him no because I live here I want to go for this seat. And then because of the love we do have for each other, some months ago, I heard some rumours that my brother is coming back so I picked a phone to call him and maybe he was busy so he wasn’t answering. So I started sending messages and asked him that I’ve heard you’re coming back so if that’s the case, let me back out and he said wait, I’m waiting for a certain call so when the greenlight comes then I’ll give you the go ahead.
“So he gave me about two weeks and I even travelled and when I returned and started calling him, he never answered my call. I texted him, he never responded and I never hears from him again until I picked my forms recently.
At Stamford Bridge, Everton broke Chelsea’s winning streak with a stunning late equalizer by substitute Ellis Simms, boosting their chances of making it out of the Premier League.
The 89th minute saw the 22-year-old outmuscle Kalidou Koulibaly to slip in and make it 2-2 after Kai Havertz’s penalty appeared to have given Graham Potter’s team a fourth straight victory.
Chelsea took the lead early in the second half of a game they had been dominating before Abdoulaye Doucoure’s headed goal pulled them back.
FT. Ellis Simms’ late strike earns a big point on the road. Onwards, Evertonians! 👊
The hosts were again forced to rue wasted opportunities, with their flowing offensive play muted by a lack of deadly instinct inside the box.
The first cheer of anticipation came early from the boisterous home crowd. A leaping shot by Mateo Kovacic after Michael Keane’s headed clearance from a Ben Chilwell corner dropped to the outside of the box nearly missed the net.
Christian Pulisic, back in the team for the first time in two months, got in down the left and pulled the ball back for Chilwell to prod it towards the stretching Felix, whose contact was just too slight to turn it past Jordan Pickford.
The breadth of Chelsea’s play challenged Everton’s defensive organisation, attacking fluidly down either flank with Reece James and Chilwell at their incisive, energetic best. Enzo Fernandez hit short and long balls with deadly precision, and Felix stretched the visitors with his mesmerising close control.
Yet for all Chelsea’s endeavour, a first-half goal would not arrive. Felix – through whom every promising attack seemed to flow – tried with a drilled effort from 18 yards that flew straight into Pickford’s gloves. A clever free-kick move ended with a low shot from Fernandez which was blocked.
The hosts had started the game in the bottom half of the table but a winning run and at last a sense that Potter knows his favoured starting XI and shape had lifted the mood of Stamford Bridge. Even with Raheem Sterling out injured, they attacked like a team comfortable in one another’s company, full of spirit and belief.
The second half opened with more Chelsea pressure. Chilwell, excellent again throughout, crossed from the left and Havertz rose to power a header low at goal which was beaten out by Pickford. On the rebound, Keane narrowly beat Felix to the ball and cleared.
The goal was the architecture of Chelsea’s two best players. Fernandez hit another sublime pass which fell perfectly onto the left foot of Chilwell, who cushioned his cross into the middle. Keane was first to the ball for Everton but the defender was too off-balance to make good contact. His half-clearance reached Felix, who took a touch, took aim and with deft precision rolled the ball home off Pickford’s far post.
Keane almost made amends at once for his defensive lapse, freeing himself from his marker as the ball was whipped in by Demarai Gray but failing to make the contact the cross deserved.
The visitors were encouraged, and 20 minutes from time they were level. A corner from the right was met by James Tarkowski muscling above Chelsea’s defence to get his head to the ball, and as it dropped into the six-yard box Doucoure acted quickest to nod it over the line, as Havertz tried in vain to hook clear.
Chelsea responded like a team buoyed by new confidence. James won a penalty when he was barrelled to the ground by Tarkowski. That handed Havertz the chance to restore the lead, which he duly took, sending Pickford the wrong way.
But Everton would not be beaten. A minute from the end, Doucoure played the ball to Simms, who darted beyond a weak challenge from Koulibaly and side-footed past Kepa Arrizabalaga to secure what could be a priceless point in Everton’s battle for survival.
In order to go to the FA Cup semifinals, Manchester City destroyed Vincent Kompany’s Burnley 6-0 with yet another hat-trick from Erling Haaland.
As City mercilessly destroyed the Clarets at the Etihad Stadium, the prolific Norwegian added his sixth treble of the year to his five goals against RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
World Cup champion Julian Alvarez scored twice to celebrate his new deal, and 20-year-old Cole Palmer also scored, but former City captain Kompany had a dreadful homecoming to his former stadium.
A large portion of the buildup to the game had been focused on Kompany, who had a statue outside the stadium and had a dazzling playing career with City, where he won 10 major championships.
The 22-year-old has now scored a remarkable 42 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions this term.
Burnley, the runaway Championship leaders, started confidently and Stefan Ortega was almost caught out as he was rushed into a pass and gifted the ball to Ian Maatsen.
Rico Lewis raced back to avert danger and Ortega made amends somewhat a few moments later when he pushed away a long-range effort from Nathan Tella.
Yet as uneasy as City looked at times in their own half, they were confident and slick at the other end.
Burnley had an escape when Haaland misdirected a header from a Phil Foden cross and it took a good tackle from Jordan Beyer to prevent Alvarez shooting.
Such was City’s quality they could punish Burnley at any moment and a quickfire Haaland double just after the half hour put the game beyond the Clarets.
Haaland was fed on the edge of the area by Alvarez and, although Bailey Peacock-Farrell rushed out, he instinctively poked the ball beyond the keeper.
It was a smart finish but his next just moments later was even sweeter.
This time Foden was the provider after a charge down the left. His low ball into the area arced invitingly for Haaland and he lifted it neatly over Peacock-Farrell.
Burnley tried to respond and Maatsen forced a good save from Ortega just before the interval but City and Haaland were in no mood to relent.
Peacock-Farrell blocked a Riyad Mahrez volley and then beat away a Haaland strike but he could not stem the tide for long.
Haaland completed his treble just before the hour when, as usual, he was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound after Foden hit the post.
He gave Peacock-Farrell no chance as he rifled home and the score quickly became 4-0 as Kevin De Bruyne burst into the area and squared for Alvarez to tap home.
As he was in midweek, Haaland was taken off in the 63rd minute. That meant his contribution for the week totalled eight goals from just 126 minutes of action.
There was still no respite for Burnley as Foden’s cross was pushed into the path of Palmer and the substitute turned in.
The sixth came soon after as Alvarez raced onto a De Bruyne through ball and turned inside Ameen Al-Dakhil to thump home.
City coasted through the final few minutes and can now look forward to another trip to Wembley next month.
The full list of the 24 nominees for the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), the most prestigious music awards ceremony in Ghana, has been released by Charter House.
The numerous categories, according to Charter House, include chosen musicians who have made their names and professions as the public’s favorites.
On March 18, 2023, the award scheme’s organizers posted the list on their various social media channels. On Saturday, May 13, 2023, at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Convention Center, the award ceremony is scheduled to take place.
A political risk analyst and economist, Dr Theo Acheampong, has applauded the government’s move to reinstate the road toll, which was eliminated in 2021.
Every nation requires road toll payment, according to Dr. Theo Acheampong. He was therefore shocked when the administration got rid of the toll.
Also, he supported the government’s move to raise the toll price.
“It is a good decision. Everywhere in the world, people pay road toll. So when it was scrapped, I actually said it didn’t make much sense to scrap it in the first instance.
“It indicates the policy incoherence and inconsistency. So bringing it back is good, increasing the toll amount, I fully support that”, Dr Acheampong said when speaking on JoyNews.
Dr Theophilus Acheampong
It would be recalled that in November 2021, the Finance Minister announced the cessation of the collection of road tolls, subject to the approval of Parliament, during the presentation of the budget.
Mr Ofori-Atta cited congestion and traffic jams at the toll booths as justification for the decision.
On the back of this, the Roads and Highways Minister, Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Attah issued a press release to cancel the collection of road toll before Parliament could deliberate on the proposal which was presented by the Finance Minister.
However, in a memo dated March 10, 2023, the Finance Minister sought input on the new proposed rates from the Roads and Highways Ministry.
Mr Ofori-Atta’s proposal seeks an increment in the amount paid as road toll.
Commenting on the purpose for which the road toll would be used, Dr. Theo Acheampong said, “we want to see what the money is being used for and need to make sure that these new road toll that is being reintroduced, it was actually never scrapped, technically, it was zero-rated”.
He urged the government to channel the road levy into road projects that will benefit the country.
“We want to see that the monies are channeled into certain specific road projects and certain construction”, Dr Acheampong said.
The government has since said the reintroduction of the toll is part of steps being taken to shore up revenues.
Per the memo, the proposal is for a composite average of 88.05 per cent increase across board.
To this end, the Head of Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) Abbas Ibrahim Moro, has since disclosed that the union has no problem with the reintroduction of road toll but said they will only comply on condition that the money generated will be used for the right purpose.
He said many roads are still in deplorable states which leaves him baffled about where exactly the revenue has been channeled.
Defending the government’s decision to reintroduce road toll, Deputy Roads Minister Stephen Jalulah said it is because the E-levy is not raking in the needed revenue.
“Road tolls were only suspended, pending the approval of E-levy. Indeed, we use to get around GH₵70 million and that is a lot of money that can do something. But in the E-levy was a component of a chunck of money.
“If we had approved it earlier and if E-levy had worked the way it was conceived, I am not sure we’ll be having this conversation. But unfortunately, the E-levy failed us,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo is being mislead about the likelihood that the administration will receive an IMF Board clearance this month, according to the Minority leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson,
He said that the procedure that would result in the IMF Board considering Ghana’s request had not yet begun.
According to Dr. Ato Forson, these procedures won’t begin until China consents to provide Ghana with a debt financing assurance.
President Akufo-Addo
However, the Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP said China is currently not ready to accept the haircut being proposed by the Ghanaian government.
“Mr. Speaker, our President said on authority that Ghana would get an IMF Board approval by the end of this month, I don’t know who is briefing our President, but Ghana will not be able to get an IMF Board approval by the end of this month
“We need to get China to give Ghana financing assurance and that they are ready to take a haircut and China has not agreed,” he said in Parliament on Friday, March 17.
Ghana is currently before the Bretton Woods Institution for a $3 billion bailout.
As a result, the government has renegotiated its domestic debt and on course with the foreign partners as well.
Due to this, President Akufo-Addo during the 2023 state of the nation address was confident the government can secure the deal by the end the month.
According to the President, the government is systematically fulfilling the terms of the staff-level agreement reached with the IMF.
“I am confident with the cooperation we’re receiving from members of the Paris Club and the People’s Republic of China, which has sent a delegation from China’s Exim Bank to Accra over the weekend, to meet with officials of the Ministry of Finance, we shall be able to go to the board of the fund to conclude finally the agreement by the end of March,” he said.
But the Minority Leader said Ghana is not likely to clinch a deal with the IMF in March and would be lucky to get a deal in April.
On Saturday afternoon, John Dramani Mahama, a former president, will start a three-day campaign tour across the Ashanti Region.
This is the first phase of the former president Mahama’s campaign in the Region, according to his spokesperson, Mrs. Joyce Bawah Mogtari.
Mr Mahama will be visiting and interacting with branch and constituency executives in 20 of the 47 constituencies.
Mrs. Mogtari also disclosed that Mr. Mahama will on Tuesday join the royal families and people of the Savanna Region for the coronation of the newly enskinned Yagbonwura before returning to Accra.
The National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has pleaded with the residents of the Volta Region not to allow themselves to be used as voting machines that produce votes for the opposition National Democratic Congress in the general election of 2024.
In an interview on Volta-based Stone City FM, which was also carried on Keta-based Sandcity Radio, the youth leader, who is on a national tour to all the 16 regions of the country stated, “You are not voting machines.”
“It should be a hand-go-hand-come affair. The Volta Region has been loyal to the NDC since 1992. But what has been the reward for the region for this loyalty? The NPP has brought more development to this region despite our short stay in office compared to the NDC. We have offered young people hope and will continue to make the development of young people our priority,” he said.
Explaining further, the youth leader said “we are constructing eight district hospitals under Agenda 111 in the region, which includes Agortime Ziope District, Agortoe in the Anloga District, Ave-Dakpa in the Akatsi North District, Adeheta in the Akatsi South District, Adaklu Waya in the Adaklu District, Kpeve New Town in the South Dayi District, Dzolokputa in the Ho West District and Ve-Golokwati Afadzato in the Afadzato South District.
The Volta Regional Youth Resource Centre, the asphalting of roads, digitalisation, 1D1F, creating job opportunities, the hosting of the 66th Independence Day in the Volta region among others. Under President Kuffour, we also had Health Insurance, Free Maternal Care, etc”.
He continued further, “let us begin to have a conversation as to which of these two political parties have benefited more in terms of votes and which party has contributed more in terms of development. The youth of this region must do an analysis of the two parties and see which is good for the region in terms of development and progress”.
On the current state of the economy, Salam Mustapha indicated that the government has admitted the difficult moment the country finds itself in, and is working hard to restore the economy of the country, adding that it is only the NPP government that can ensure the economy is placed on a sound footing again.
“Yes, we, including His Excellency, the President, have all admitted that we are in a crisis largely due to exogenous factors of Covid-19 and the war in Russia and Ukraine. Ghana was the fastest-growing economy in the world somewhere in 2019, according to Reuters and Bloomberg.
“We were ahead of China and the USA. And it is only the NPP that can take us out of our current situation. Even our management of COVID-19 has been one of the best in the world. Under John Mahama and the NDC, when we were struck with mere cholera, we lost over 213 people in Ghana. If they couldn’t manage mere cholera, how could they have managed COVID?
“Even in our current state, we are still not doing badly, our lights are still on, and we still get fuel at the pump to buy. In the UK, Spain, Italy, and Nigeria, there is a shortage of fuel. There is dumsor there too.”
He further urged the people of the Volta Region not to become victims of the opposition party’s propaganda only aimed at deceiving the people of Ghana into voting for them, and plunging the nation into further difficulties, and derailing the progress being made in the Volta Region.
“Let’s not fall for the NDC’s propaganda, lies and treachery. They left office with virtually nothing left behind. All our statutory payments, GETFUND, NHIA, Common Fund, Road Fund, etc. were all in arrears. Even in the midst of all these difficulties, we still pay public sector workers monthly without delay, we still meet all our statutory payments obligations, our lights are still on, there is enough fuel at the pump, etc.
“We have carried water, and we have carried wine; and we can tell which one is heavier. Per the track record, it’s evident that the NPP has done more to the development and progress of the Volta Region than the NDC. It is now time for the good people of the Volta Region, especially the youth, to reward the NPP by voting for us in 2024 to break the 8 and do more for the Region,” he said.
Salam Mustapha appealed to the region to vote for the governing NPP to help maintain it in power to continue the good works it is doing for the region and Ghana as a whole.
“The NPP truly deserves a 3rd term based on our track record and performance. We have demonstrated enough commitment to solving the problems of the country more than the NDC. We have superior ideas and policy initiatives than NDC. I am not disappointed that Ghanaians are complaining because of the current economic difficulties. It is because they hold us in high esteem.”
The National Youth Organiser has been on a national tour to touch base with the youth and party’s youth organisers and their deputies across the country.
He is also using the opportunity to assess the strength of the party and energise the base. He is being accompanied across the country by his two deputies, Isaac Jay Hyde and Sandra Sarkodee-Addo, as well as the National Youth Administrator, Prince A. A. Sadat and Joe Waladi, Director of Operations and other supporting staff.
Several drawbacks of the gold for oil policy have been raised by an economist and a political risk analyst, Dr Theo Acheampong.
According to him, the market’s gold for oil consignment prices are greater than those for other fuel sources.
Dr. Theo Acheampong made the observation that the Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) that did not sign up for the program offer fuel at a lower cost.
He claims that this does not accomplish the policy’s second goal, which is to reduce petrol prices at the pump.
“As we speak currently in the recent pricing window, the gold for oil product that came in are actually selling slightly higher than products that are on the market that the normal BDCs who are not participating in this policy programme, are doing,” he stated in an interview on JoyNews.
Giving further details, Dr Acheampong said, “Petrol under gold for oil is selling at about 9.6 cedis per litre and from the non gold for oil sources are selling it at about 9.1 cedis per litre. So you got almost like a 50 pesewa difference. Similar thing with diesel.”
For this reason he dismissed claims that the gold for oil policy is the reason for a decline in fuel prices at the pumps.
He explained that, “what is driving the price at the local level which is a function of the international price and crude oil price, is the function of the exchange rate.”
“It cannot be the case that all the drop that we are seeing is truly attributable to this gold for oil policy,” Dr. Acheampong reiterated.
But in reaction, the Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer said the comment is not borne out of facts.
According to him, the price of fuel on the market is a margin game, adding that, “there is a cap within which the OMCs and the BDCs operate. So if you want to remain competitive, you can reduce your margin which is really the profit that you make on the product that you sell.”
Reading out the flat average prices per pricing window, he said “the window of January 21st when the first consignment came in, PMS by the BDCs was 889.59 per metric tonne and gold for oil was 888.36 per metric tonne.
“The week of the second February window PMS under the BDC regime is 848.35 and under the gold for oil is 839.83. Also the March 1 window, PMS was 829.73 and under gold for oil is 785.63,” he said.
It would be recalled that Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia speaking at the commissioning of a new head office for the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company in Accra on March 15 stated that the country will save $4.8 billion annually from the ‘Gold for Oil’ policy which began this year.
According to him, the ‘Gold for Oil’ policy which is now in its third month is already yielding a positive impact and is expected to cause a reduction in prices of petroleum products at the pumps.
However, Mr. Bawumia’s assertion was refuted by the Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah saying the recent decline in petroleum products has nothing to do with government’s gold for oil programme.
The former Minister for Energy and Petroleum said the decline is due to global fall in crude oil prices.
“Mr Speaker, when we are discussing this matter, we must be very serious. I heard the Vice President saying that petrol prices have gone down because of gold for oil…the reason the fuel prices have gone down is because crude prices were over $100 and it has come down to $72 globally. It has nothing to do with gold for oil,” he stated.
The Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Tamale Technical University has instructed students to boycott all academic activities with immediate effect.
This forms part of efforts by the Council to get management of the school to address the exorbitant fees that have been imposed on students.
In a press statement dated March 17, 2023, the SRC noted that students would not participate in teaching and learning “until our legitimate concerns are met.”
According to the SRC President, Seidu John-Paul, the Council’s “intentions are not to disrupt academic works but rather improve on our facilities to enhance teaching and learning in the University.”
Parliament recently approved a 15% maximum increment in university fees from the previous academic year. Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) urged public universities to adjust their fees in this regard.
Students of Tamale Technical University, displeased by the decision, which they say was taken on the blind side of the Student Representative Council boycotted lectures on Friday, March 10, 2023.
They argued that the increment is not justified, considering that there are so many challenges in the school that have not been addressed.
The majority leader of the student’s Parliament, Abdul Razak Aziz said “management took this decision without us, which makes the outcome invalid. Per our laws, the SRC is supposed to be involved in such decisions. We thus do not recognise whatever decision they have taken.”
They resumed academic work hoping for a favorable decision but this has not been the case.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Yaw Adutwum, has directed the University of Ghana to comply with the 15 percent fee increment as approved by Parliament and not charge beyond the threshold.
LaLiga is about to launch LaLiga Grassroots in Ghana, a program that offers players from all around the country the next step in their football development pathway.
This is in keeping with its commitment to talent development and football greatness.
This was made known during a spirited press conference that LaLiga Ghana and Nigeria representatives had with Ghanaian reporters on Wednesday in Accra.
The campaign is part of LaLiga’s global effort to build, develop, and promote grassroots soccer in every country.
Over the last 5 years, LaLiga Grassroots has facilitated 640 projects globally through 900 LaLiga coaches in 48 countries. As a result, more than 200,000 male and female players and more than 25,000 coaches have been trained using the LaLiga methodology. This includes the elements that make Spanish youth academies a global reference.
With Ghana set to be one of the latest beneficiaries, the LaLiga delegation held positive talks with key stakeholders in the country – the Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Taking the media through the LaLiga Grassroots concept, Communications and Projects Coordinator, Ayodeji Adegbenro stated:
“We thought of this stuff in Nigeria and some other parts of Africa but we are keen to actually start with Ghana because Ghana is a very important country to LaLiga and the LaLiga projects.
“We’ve had the project in South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria and Cameroon. We don’t have Ghana yet but hopefully, very soon Ghana will show up. An example of one of our projects is LaLiga egalite in Cameroon. It is basically a youth league for girls that started about two years ago. We train grassroots female coaches to train these girls.
“We’ve had meetings with the GFA and the Sports Ministry and we are hoping to replicate some of these projects in Ghana to aid the development of football at grassroots level.”
LaLiga Global Network Delegate for Ghana and Nigeria, Desmond Chiji also said: “The grassroots project is a big project for us. We believe so much in it as the next stage of our development. We would want to go into the cities and try and unearth the younger talents to give them this opportunity. This is something that we’ve experimented in other countries and we believe it is the next stage that we have to take our development to. It is a very interesting project for us, the stakeholders and potential partners to get on board.”
As part of LaLiga’s frameworks designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, Deportivo Alaves, Cádiz CF, Sevilla FC and Villarreal CF have collaborated with clubs and academies in the host countries, providing a means of sharing training methodologies and practices with grassroots leaders.
The heart of LaLiga Grassroots is located in Spanish capital Madrid, where the ESC LaLiga & NBA Centre opened its doors in the summer of 2022, becoming the hub of LaLiga’s grassroots football projects.
The centre’s main focus is LaLiga Academy Madrid — a long-term academic and sporting programme open to young footballers from all over the world. The centre also hosts LaLiga Training Stages, intensive training and coaching stays for clubs and federations from all over the world; LaLiga Camps, summer football training camps; and it also hosts different scouting projects.
When a Ghanaian football fan noticed Emmanuel Adebayor’s automobile on his way home from Christian Atsu’s state funeral on Friday, he decided to try the unthinkable and hang himself from the Togolese international’s speeding salon car in order to meet him.
The dramatic action which happened at the blind side of the police, nevertheless grabbed the notice of several mourners who were flowing out of the State House, venue for the official funeral for the late Black Stars winger.
The danger of the unidentified fan’s behavior and the reasons it shouldn’t be promoted were swiftly brought up.
Adebayor’s car was slowed down as he approached the roundabout by a small traffic bottleneck that had formed, allowing more supporters to catch up with him.
One of them told the media that the Togolese international footballer is very kind and any time he meets Ghanaian fans, he hands them money and so they would not miss that opportunity for anything.
Jorge Messi, the father of Lionel Messi, asserted that “false news” is being circulated regarding the future of the star striker at Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi, a player for Argentina, will have his contract at the Parc des Princes expire at the end of the current season, which will further fuel speculation about where he will play next in his career.
This week, reports stated Messi is seeking for €600 million to join the Saudi team Al Hilal and that PSG are unwilling to meet his wage demands under a new contract.
Also, it was said on Friday that Messi skipped a training session this week as a result of a dispute with head coach Christophe Galtier.
However, Jorge Messi took to social media on Friday to denounce all three articles.
“When will you stop lying?” he posted on his personal Instagram account, alongside screenshots from the three articles.
“Where’s the proof? Oh, it’s all false. OK. No matter how loud it is called. Do not believe it. We will no longer tolerate fake news to gain followers.”
Messi has 18 goals and 17 assists in 31 games for PSG this season, but he came in for criticism for his displays in their Champions League last-16 elimination to Bayern Munich.
Asked about the World Cup winner’s future at a press conference on Friday, Galtier said: “I know that Leo Messi and the board have been in talks.
“As for whether Leo Messi will be here next season or not, I have said that it is about desire. I know people are discussing it, but Leo Messi is happy in the dressing room.
“He has 18 goals and 17 assists this season. I know there was some criticism about the [Champions League] game against Bayern Munich, but he wasn’t the only one.
“As for his future, it is too early to know what will happen.”
Messi, who has also been strongly linked with a move to Major League Soccer, is in line to start PSG’s Ligue 1 meeting with Rennes at Parc des Princes on Sunday.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has requested that Pep Guardiola refrain from promoting him as the next manager of Manchester City.
This is because he is still in the beginning phases of his coaching career.
In Saturday’s FA Cup quarterfinal match, City legend Kompany—who spent 11 years at the Etihad Stadium and earned 10 major awards during that time—will take on his former team.
In what is sure to be a touching reunion, Kompany will make his first trip back to the stadium, where a statue honoring his tenure at the club was unveiled in August 2021.
Kompany has enjoyed great success in his first season as manager of Burnley, who are cruising toward promotion from the Championship after two seasons as coach of Anderlecht.
Guardiola reiterated on the eve of the game that he fully expects the 36-year-old to manage City one day, but Kompany says that is an unrealistic view at this point.
“He has got to stop saying it,” Kompany said. “I’m a Championship manager. I don’t know what you want from me.
“I think [Guardiola] should stay for another 10 years at Manchester City first and foremost.
“City are competing to win the Champions League; we are competing to win the Championship – I don’t think these kinds of conversations make sense.
“They need to have the best manager in the world. I want to be extremely respectful to the club I manage as well. This club to me means everything. I want this club to get better.”
Among other compliments, Guardiola praised Kompany – whom he worked with for three seasons – for instilling an “exceptional” style of play at Burnley so quickly.
Asked if Guardiola’s comments are putting added pressure on his own managerial career, Kompany said: “Pressure is a thing of your own mind.
“I think if you play in big finals you are okay with pressure, but I try to be as rational as I can.
“I am in an environment where the people I work with are rational enough to not make my job dependent on whether we beat Manchester City.
“I came to Burnley because I chose it for the people. It is an environment where I have a chance to learn and get better.”
Burnley have not won away at City since the 1973 Charity Shield, drawing four and losing 12 of their 16 visits since then.
Lucas Leiva has announced the end of his playing career after undergoing tests for a heart problem.
The former Liverpool and Lazio midfielder was forced to withdraw from training at Brazilian club Gremio in December after the discovery was made during a routine screening.
After spending some time to evaluate and undergo further tests, Lucas confirmed at a press conference on Friday that he has decided to call time on his playing days.
“Firstly I would like to thank Gremio for all the support in these three months,” a tearful Lucas said. “Today, I am announcing my retirement.
“It’s been a difficult period, I think this is the first time I’ve cried over this case. But I can only thank you. I’m ending where I’d like, not the way I’d like. But I’m sure a new cycle will begin.
“I had a lot of hope that it could reverse, but it was not the case. My health comes first.”
Lucas was joined by Gremio president Alberto Guerra, vice president Paulo Caleffi, coach Renato Portaluppi and team-mate Pedro Geromel, as well as doctors Marcio Dornelles and Paulo Rabaldo.
Dr Dornelles revealed that the Brazilian’s diagnosis was scarring in the myocardium. Further testing showed no change after three months away from football activity, and as a result, it was recommended that Lucas end his career.
Lucas made 337 appearances during a 10-year spell with Liverpool where he became a fan favourite at Anfield despite a difficult start, before joining Serie A giants Lazio in 2017.
After leaving Italy at the end of last season, the former Brazil international re-joined Gremio – the club where he began his career.
Gremio won promotion back to Brazil’s top tier in 2022 after finishing second in Serie B, with Lucas scoring in the 3-0 win over Nautico that clinched it.
Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has noted that the lives of some former legislators are filled with regrets and pains.
A Member of Parliament is perceived to be powerful, resourceful, and wealthy, but for some, the reality is quite different, he said.
This he stated is because “many MPs have retired as paupers and have had to endure the pain and stress of paying for private loans they contracted during their time in office to provide for the needs of their constituents.”
According to him, “although lawmakers are not strictly speaking, development agents, many MPs, and I am of no exception, have had to dig so deep into their private pockets to provide private infrastructure to benefit underserved communities in their constituencies.
He described the situation as unhealthy.
“If you do your checklist from 1992 to date and you see the situation that former MPs find themselves, you will regret and wonder why this perception of MPs, politicians being corrupt or they amass wealth – you can have a survey on this to rebuff this point I am making, but you realise that many MPs are really suffering after leaving office and sometimes they don’t have means of paying for their own medical bills,” he emphasised.
Touching on parliamentary issues, the Effutu MP says the drama that characterises some of the debates on the floor is only for the cameras.
“Let me reveal some secret; when you see MPs at each other’s throats, don’t be misled. Perhaps it may be for the optics,” he disclosed.
He also noted that “sometimes a point that a member of one side may not want to make, he would want to pass it on to a colleague on the other side to still make it on the floor.”
Asantehene Otumfuor Osei Tutu II has urged the government to be open and honest with the public about the country’s economic situation.
He believes that this will increase public trust in the government.
Speaking at the 56th congregation of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), he stated that there was insufficient consultation prior to the implementation of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
The implementation of the DDEP sparked widespread public outrage.
“Our debt level as a country has become unsustainable pushing the government to roll out a domestic debt exchange programme that aims to restructure the nation’s domestic and ensure some fiscal space for the country to operate. Sadly, it appears adequate public consultation did not take place until the programme commenced.
“In order to produce an outcome that will be in the best interest of everybody to promote peace and development, I want to implore the government to demonstrate a high level of transparency and be candid in these difficult times in order to gain the trust and confidence of the general public.
“Government should be more accommodating and reach out to those who may be even opposed to them politically. The interest of the country is paramount and we must all work together to prevent the collapse of the economy,” he said.
Otumfuor added: “As we move to negotiate with our external creditors, I urge the government to bring together the best players with the requisite expertise from all political perspectives, so whatever the decision the government chooses will be everyone’s responsibility.”
Otumfuor led the University’s Management to commission and inspect on-going projects, including the KNUST Teaching Hospital site, Jericho Wall Police post, post graduate building and three-storey offices and classroom for the College of Engineering, Otumfuor statue at Unity Hall Roundabout and KNUST bottling company site and planting of commemorative tree.
Every year, records are broken in the Champions League, which has hosted some of the world’s best teams and players since 1992.
Dominating on Europe’s biggest stage is a sure-fire way to go down in history as the pinnacle of club football.
This article examines the competition’s all-time goal scorers to determine which star has shone the brightest.
5. Raul (71 goals)
Real Madrid and Spain legend Raul sat comfortably at the top of the scorers’ table with 71 goals when he retired.
But in recent years the Spaniard has been knocked down to fifth on the list, most recently by Frenchman and fellow Los Blancos star Karim Benzema.
Raul had a highly-decorated career, winning the Champions League three times with his hometown club and being named the illustrious competition’s top scorer twice.
4. Karim Benzema (89 goals)
Karim Benzema’s goalscoring form shows no signs of stopping
Benzema is the fourth-highest scorer in Europe’s top club football competition and another strike in the second-leg victory over Liverpool has him edging closer to the top three.
Now 35, the Frenchman scored for Lyon on his tournament debut when he was just 17 years old.
His goals have helped Real be crowned European champions five times during his time at the Bernabeu but, with three prolific marksmen ahead of him, Benzema may not retire on the podium in this contest.
3. Robert Lewandowski (91 goals)
Robert Lewandowski added five goals to his Champions League tally this season
Bayern Munich great Robert Lewandowski reached the 80-goal mark in record time after taking just 100 games — two fewer than the next man on this list.
The Pole’s 15 goals in the 2019-2020 edition saw him take the Golden Boot and lead his side to the title.
But he will not have a chance to close in on his century with Barcelona failing to reach the knockout stage this season.
2. Lionel Messi (129 goals)
Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has continued to dazzle at Paris Saint-Germain
Argentine maestro Lionel Messi has graced the Champions League plenty of times since 2005 and is third in the all-time appearances list.
Spending the majority of his career playing for his childhood team Barca, he has racked up a century of goals and lifted the famous trophy four times.
And he has kept up his exploits at Paris Saint-Germain but has not yet been able to end the French outfit’s wait for continental success.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals)
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored numerous important Champions League goals
The Portuguese international has netted 140 times for three clubs, with the majority coming during his time at Real.
Ronaldo has appeared in 183 games in the competition since debuting for Manchester United in 2003.
With four Champions League titles under his belt from his time at Madrid and another from the Red Devils, the striker is one of the most decorated players ever.
Ex-Juventus star Ronaldo, 38, also became the first-ever player to score in two finals for two different winning teams — bagging the opener for United in 2008 and a 120th-minute penalty for Real in 2014.
Having avoided a GH25 million lawsuit from Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Kennedy Agyapong appears to be the happiest man in Ghana right now.
The Ghanaian investigative journalist sued the politician in 2018 over his ‘Who Watches The Watchman’ documentary. Anas claimed in his lawsuit that Mr Agyapong defamed him in a documentary that he aired on various platforms.
Anas requested that the court award damages to Agyapong and compel him to clear his name. The High Court, however, presided over by Justice Eric Baah, ruled that Anas Aremeyaw Anas had failed to prove that Ken Agyapong defamed him by airing the documentary.
This has left Kennedy Agyapong coming out victorious from the suit. To celebrate his win, a champagne party was held by the Assin Central MP and his staff, friends and family. In videos from the celebration, they talked about the case whilst they drink and dine.
In the video below, the excited NPP flag bearer aspirant, in his kaftan and barefooted, was spotted grabbing a glass of champagne, cheering to toast and sipping out of joy.
In the court’s view, the documentary in question rather exposed shady deals that Anas and his associates were involved in.
In a lengthy ruling, the court said that Agyapong provided sufficient evidence to prove that the Anas used the findings of his work to solicit money from persons implicated in the evidence gathered in his investigations.
It added that evidence also proved that those who were able to pay the sums of money demanded by Anas and his associates got exempted from videos that were shown to the public.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has requested that the Kejetia market be closed for the next three working days.
This comes after the Ashanti region’s central market was destroyed by fire on March 15, 2023.
According to Mr. Osei-Mensah, the three-day period will allow market management and the technical team to assess the extent of the damage caused by the fire outbreak and implement corrective measures.
According to a Starr FM report, the Ashanti Regional Minister said this while speaking to the press after touring the market on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
The Kejetia market which was ravaged by fire had a cloud of thick smoke emanating from parts of the building.
The Ghana National Fire Service has noted that about 30 shops were severely damaged.
A pioneer of private media in Ghana, Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey, has stated that Ghana’s growth has not been remarkable since it attained independence to take charge of its own activities.
Speaking to the media, he said “In our 66 years of independence and 32 years of the Fourth Republic and we need to ask ourselves since we became independent how far have we travelled down the road of managing our own affairs?
“I don’t think we’ve made much progress and we seem to be going back and if we’re not careful we shall become neo-colonies of the so-called developed countries.
“And I feel that after 30 years of the Fourth Republic and two turns of the two main political parties, what I see happening is that this country is going nowhere, in fact, we’re retrogressing,” he said on Thursday.
According to him, matters will be worse should this trend continue for two more decades.
Dr Wereko-Brobbey said his projection comes after he diligently observed the system of governance in the Fourth Republic.
“So we should look at what democracy and independence actually mean to us going forward because I fear that if we keep going down the same route in 20 years, we’ll have nothing to talk of.
“All the best talents in this country would have left and many people would be in a state of apathy,” he said.
Meanwhile, a former UN Advisor, Prof Baafuor Agyemang-Duah said it was not too late to salvage the situation of Ghana.
He concurred with previous views that Ghana needed union governance to reconcile factions so that there will be a unified approach to development.
Stefan Bajcetic, a midfielder for Liverpool, has announced that he will not play again this season.
The 18-year-old Spaniard sat out last night’s 1-0 defeat at the Bernabeu as Liverpool were defeated 6-2 on aggregate by Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16.
Before the game, Klopp revealed that Bajcetic’s absence was due to a stress response around his abductor.
And the player took to Instagram earlier today to announce that his season had been cut short due to injury.
He said: “Unfortunately, I’ve picked up an injury that will keep me out until the end of the season.
“It’s very sad to say goodbye to this amazing season for me but I understand this is part of football and will only make me stronger physically and mentally.
“I would also like to say thank you to you Reds for all the support through the season and I assure you I will do my best to be back stronger than ever.”
Speaking prior to the defeat in Spain, Klopp said: “With Stefan, it is a stress response, which is absolutely bad.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp must do without Stefan Bajcetic for the rest of the campaign
“So he doesn’t feel a lot, it’s only a little bit but he is now out for I don’t know exactly how long.
“We have just to let it settle then and we will see when he can come back.”
Due to Fulham’s involvement in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend and the international break, Liverpool will not return to action until they head to Premier League champions Manchester City on April 1.
Despite injury concerns, Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa are still in contention to play in Juventus’ Europa League last-16 second leg against SC Freiburg.
Di Maria appeared to be hampered by a left thigh injury late in Juventus’ 1-0 first-leg win over Sampdoria last Thursday, where he earlier scored the winner, and missed Juventus’ 4-2 Serie A win over Sampdoria on Sunday.
Chiesa entered the game against Freiburg in the 67th minute but suffered a right knee injury, which the club confirmed was not ligament capsule damage.
Massimiliano Allegri, head coach of the Bianconeri, is hopeful that the pair will play some part in the second leg, though he admits they will not be fit to start.
“It is very unlikely they will be there from the start, as we only recovered them this morning, but they could be of use during the match,” Allegri told reporters.
“I will evaluate Chiesa and Di Maria tomorrow morning and from there I can make my decision on the starting line-up.
“Unfortunately, Di Maria had this injury after the first leg with Freiburg and had to miss quite a few training sessions.
“The test went well today, that doesn’t mean he has a lot of minutes in his legs, but there is the risk we could lose him for 40 days, seeing as that is what happened in September.
“Tomorrow is important, but we also have many more matches to play this season.”
Di Maria has scored eight goals in all competitions with four Serie Aa assists this term, while Chiesa has contributed three league assists with one goal.
🎙 Allegri: "Let's take it one step at a time. Let's think about going through and then the match against Inter. Going forward in the Europa League, I always say, fills the calendar, so we train less, play more and have fun."#SCFJUV
Allegri declared striker Dusan Vlahovic was fully fit and available to play although he declined to commit to starting him alongside Moise Kean.
Vlahovic has not scored in his past six appearances dating back to his goal against Nantes in the Europa League on February 16.
“Dusan Vlahovic was very sad that he hasn’t scored recently, but is fine physically. I am relaxed and certain that he’ll soon be back on the scoresheet,” Allegri added.
“We want to score here, because just trying to defend for 0-0 is really not a good idea. Freiburg are good on set plays, we need to be very organised and concentrated for the full 100 minutes.”
Information reaching our news desk is that Kejetia Market in Kumasi of the Ashanti Region has caught fire.
Per reports, the Dubai section of the market caught fire at 4:30pm.
It is currently unknown the damages caused by the fire and what exactly led to the incident. But some individuals are said to have collapsed and have been transported to the Komfo Ankoye Teaching Hospital.
Officers of the Ghana National Fire Service are currently at the scene to douse the flames. Also, the Ambulance Service is present to offer first aid service.
Traders are busily salvaging items that have not been torched.
According to reports, the fire is currently under control.
Floods caused by torrential rains have hit two Turkish provinces devastated by last month’s earthquakes, killing at least 13 people and exacerbating the misery of thousands who have been displaced, according to officials.
According to Turkish media, the floods on Wednesday killed 11 people in Sanliurfa, which is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the Syrian border. According to reports, two people died in nearby Adiyaman, including a one-year-old child.
A number of other people were reported missing.
The two people died in Adiyaman when surging waters swept away a container home in the town of Tut where a group of earthquake survivors was living, Governor Numan Hatipoglu said. Four people were reported missing.
Rescuers found the bodies of five Syrian nationals inside a flooded basement apartment in neighbouring Sanliurfa province and retrieved two other bodies inside a van that was trapped at an underpass.
Four other people were killed and two firefighters were reported missing, Sanliurfa Governor Salih Ayhan told HaberTurk television.
Several people were evacuated from a drenched campsite where earthquake survivors were sheltering in tents. Patients were also evacuated from a hospital, HaberTurk reported.
Television footage from Sanliurfa showed floodwaters surging along a street and sweeping away cars.
Turkey’s disaster management agency said more than a dozen professional divers were involved in the rescue efforts in each of the two provinces.
The powerful earthquakes that struck parts of Turkey and Syria on February 6 killed more than 52,000 people, the vast majority in Turkey.
More than 200,000 buildings in Turkey either collapsed or were severely damaged.
The ‘Gold for Oil‘ policy, which began this year, is expected to save the country $4.8 billion per year, according to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
The Vice President noted that the ‘Gold for Oil’ policy, which is now in its third month, is already having a positive impact and is expected to result in lower gasoline prices beginning March 16, 2023.
Dr Bawumia made this known while speaking at the commissioning of a new head office for the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company in Accra.
”The savings in foreign exchange when we do this will be an annual savings of $4.8 billion every year and that means the oil importing companies will not be going to the Bank of Ghana looking for $4.8 billion to buy oil”, he said.
BOST is mandated to build a strategic reserve of stocks of petroleum products to meet a minimum of six weeks of national consumption from the Gold for Oil policy.
The Vice President stated that the policy is on track to achieve its overall goal of lowering fuel prices and relieving pressure on the country’s forex reserves.
He also stated that the government’s goal for this year is to reduce oil imports by 50%. Ghana has since received two consignments under the Gold for Oil policy.
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