John Mensah, a former captain of the Black Stars, has asserted that Chris Hughton would be a great leader for the senior national team.
The former Sunderland defender stated Hughton is in to do a great job for the national team in an interview with Kumasi-based Akoma FM.
“It is time as Ghanaians to support Black Stars wholeheartedly and put everything aside ahead of the qualifiers.
“Chris is in to do an excellent job and want success for the Black Stars so we should support him so that he won’t feel bad. Our support as a nation will boost him to make rightful decisions and make the nation proud once again.
“There’s no time again than to throw our full support for Hughton to build a formidable team that can compete” he said.
Hughton takes over for Otto Addo, who left his position as manager of Brighton and Hove Albion following the 2022 World Cup.
Hughton’s first assignment will be against Angola later this month in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers. Ghana will play Angola in a doubleheader in March.
Didi Dramani and George Boateng, who worked with Addo while he was the manager of Brighton, will be the former manager’s assistants.
It is Ghana month, but most importantly, Ghana is celebrating its 66th Independence anniversary after breaking free from British rule on March 6, 1957.
Today, many across the country put aside their difference and ethnicity to come together to celebrate. Do you know what brings Ghanaians together aside from the national event? Food. Yes, palatable delicacies ensure people set aside what ever disagreement they have to enjoy a well prepared meal.
Since Ghana is 66 years today, let us look at some 66 Ghanaian meals you should try out today.
Check the list below:
Jollof rice
Waakye
Banku
Fufu
Ga kenkey
Fante kenkey
Cabbage Stew with Rice
Abomu
Red red (black-eyed peas stew)
Kelewele (spicy fried plantains)
Tuo Zaafi (TZ)
Okro soup
Groundnut soup
Kontomire stew
Aboboi (rice and beans)
Yam and Palava sauce
Light soup
Peanut butter soup
Goat stew
Shito (spicy black pepper sauce)
Grilled tilapia
Eto (mashed yam and boiled eggs)
Akple and Fetri detsi
Boiled yam with garden egg stew
Garden egg stew
Fried yam
Fante kenkey and fish
Omo tuo (rice balls)
Nkatie cake (peanut cake)
Red red with fried plantains
Koko and koose (porridge and bean cakes)
Gari foto (gari with beans and vegetables)
Banku with okro soup
Ayibe biscuit
Palm nut soup
Cube toffee (Coconut toffee)
Ampesi (Boiled cocoyam, plantain)
Mpotor mpotor
Aboboi with fried fish
Waakye with shito
Tea bread
Brukina
Wagashi
Pinkaso
Aburo ni nkateɛ (Mixed roasted corn and groundnuts)
Breaking: A fire destroyed the GBC Volta Star transmission station in HO. The station provides service for GBC’s terrestrial TV channels, Volta Star, and radio stations.
Hearts of Oak won the 2023 President’s Cup by defeating Asante Kotoko.
A game between the Phobians and the Porcupine Warriors was played today at the Accra Sports Stadium in honor of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the president of the nation.
The 2022–23 Ghana Premier League season’s Week 20 matchup was also played during the President’s Cup contest.
After a closely contested game between the two clubs, Konadu Yiadom’s lone goal gave Hearts of Oak a slender 1-0 victory after 90 minutes.
After winning the 2023 President’s Cup, Hearts of Oak have been awarded GHS50,000 as their cash prize.
For the losers, Asante Kotoko are receiving a GHS20,000 cash sum.
Meanwhile, Hearts of Oak’s win means that the team merits three points in Week 20 of the ongoing Ghana Premier League season.
The team now has moved to 4th on the Ghana Premier League standings.
Although rumors that Real Madrid, the current European champions, are interested in Bruno Guimaraes, the player feels “at home” with Newcastle.
In January 2022, during their first transfer window after being taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Guimaraes was Newcastle’s most notable acquisition.
The Brazil international made a significant impact last year and has done so once more this campaign for a squad that is competing for Champions League qualifying after also making it to the EFL Cup final.
The LaLiga powerhouse Madrid is rumored to have expressed interest in this shape, but Guimaraes seems devoted to Newcastle.
The ex-Lyon midfielder accepted the North East Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award on Sunday before posting on social media.
“When I said yes to Newcastle, I was sure I was choosing a big project,” Guimaraes wrote.
“From the bottom of my heart, I didn’t expect to live the wonderful things I’m living here.
🏆 Bruno Guimarães collects his 2022 Player of the Year award at this evening’s North East Football Writers’ Association annual dinner!
“Respect for the team, love for the fans and each day feeling more at home.
“Thanks for everyone that made [it] possible to live all of this.”
Guimaraes has three goals in 18 league appearances this season, although he missed much of February through suspension.
Newcastle have suffered a dip in form since the Premier League restarted after the World Cup, with just two top-flight wins from their last nine games.
Back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City, either side of their EFL Cup final loss to Manchester United, have stalled their momentum.
The Magpies will hope to return to winning ways when they face Wolves on Sunday.
Ghana’s Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has implored a delegation from the China Exim Bank to assist Ghana in overcoming its current economic challenges.
China Exim Bank bears more than 40% of Ghana’s debt to China. The Chinese delegation was in Ghana before Ghanaian officials traveled there to negotiate debt reduction.
The Finance Minister made the plea at a farewell dinner for the Chinese delegation from the China Exim Bank, which was in Accra to work with the government on efforts to restructure an estimated $1.9 billion in debt owing to China.
Ghana’s current condition is “difficult,” according to Mr. Ofori-Atta.
“What Ghana needs as we go through our current challenging economic and financial circumstances is strong support from our lasting partners, including China, to restore lasting growth and support the vulnerable,” he said.
A report on the Ministry of Finance website stated that the delegation is in Accra on a three- day mission, ahead of Ghana’s upcoming mission to China, all in line with ongoing negotiations for a sovereign debt treatment.
Ken Ofori Atta will lead a high-powered government delegation to China to plead for the acceptance of the country’s proposal for debt cancellation.
Ghana is hoping to restructure $5. 7 billion with China holding a third of it amounting to $1.7 billion dollars.
Ghana is currently restructuring its debt both domestically and externally in order to access support from the IMF.
China is Ghana’s single biggest bilateral creditor with $1.7 billion of debt, while Ghana owes $1.9 billion to Paris Club members, according to data from the Institute of International Finance (IIF).
After a recent slump by his own standards, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola wants Kevin De Bruyne to get back to the basics in order to find his best form again.
Due to recent illness, the two-time Premier League Player of the Season missed two games and has not played as vivaciously and actively as usual.
The Belgian struggled to make an impression against Newcastle United in Saturday’s 2-0 victory, occasionally turning the ball, and was eventually substituted by Bernardo Silva just before the hour.
De Bruyne had a spectacular goal in City’s 3-0 FA Cup victory over Bristol City last week, showing some form, but Guardiola claimed the first half was “passive” from him.
“Kevin, always the standards of Kevin are the sky,” Guardiola said.
“Everyone knows his level. In one week he has an opportunity to show his quality, delighted for the victory we had, this is what we have to do. Come back to principles, work hard.
“Everything will come back without any effort. Just do it your usual quality, your best.”
De Bruyne has scored four goals and provided 12 assists in the Premier League this season, with City sitting second, five points behind Arsenal.
City have a rare midweek break with no games scheduled, allowing Guardiola’s players an opportunity to rest and recover prior to Saturday’s league trip to Crystal Palace, before hosting RB Leipzig in their Champions League last-16 second leg.
Guardiola underlined the importance of both games to their season.
“We prepare good for the game against Crystal Palace, always was really difficult for us,” Guardiola said.
“And, of course, Leipzig, I have the same opinion that I had when we played them and after Burnley with Vinnie will come back here before the international break.
“If we are able to win the games, we are still alive in three competitions and that last part we will be there. If we lose, we will be out. Simple as that.
“Arrive in a stage when you are there that you know exactly when you lose games you lose competitions. Now is the moment that is going to happen.”
In 1966, Colonel Emmanuel Kwesi Kotoka and Major Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa staged a coup d’état against Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah.
Nkrumah was out of the country during the ousting. As Ghana celebrates its 66th Independence Day today, we take a look at Nkrumah’s reaction to his overthrow.
“I left Accra on 21st February 1966. I was seen off at the airport by most of the leading government and Party officials, and by service chiefs.
I recall the handshakes and the expressions of good wishes from Harlley, Deku, Yakubu, and others.
These men, smiling and ingratiating, had all the time treason and treachery in their minds.
They had even planned my assassination on that day, though they later abandoned the idea.
I remember shaking hands with Major-General Barwah—to be murdered in cold blood three days later when he refused to surrender to the rebel army soldiers.
I little thought then that I would never see him again, or that Zanerigu, Commander of the Presidential Guard Regiment, Kojo Botsio, Kofi Baako and other ministers who were there at the airport, would be shortly seized by renegade soldiers and policemen and thrown into prison.
After a week of so-called “manoeuvres,” the operation began early in the morning of Wednesday, 23rd February 1966 when the garrison at Kumasi, numbering 600 men, was ordered to move southwards to Accra.
On the way, the convoy of some 35 vehicles was met and halted by the two arch-traitors Colonel Emmanuel Kwesi Kotoka, Commander of the Second Infantry Brigade Group, and Major Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa of the Second Brigade.
Kotoka had only recently been put in charge of the Kumasi garrison, and I had not yet confirmed his appointment.
Kotoka, Commander of the Second Infantry Brigade Group, and Major Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa of the Second Brigade.
Kotoka had only recently been put in charge of the Kumasi garrison, and I had not yet confirmed his appointment.
Afrifa was left in command while Kotoka went to Accra to report progress to Commissioner of Police, John Willie Kofi Harlley and to find some soldier better known than himself to be the nominal head of the revolt.
The man chosen was Major-General Ankrah even though the conspirators had thought so little of his abilities than they had not previously troubled to consult him?
He was, however, one of the few officers who had held even the rank of major in colonial days and had seen service in the world war if only as a quartermaster.
In the Congo he had shown some bravery and, at least, routine ability and I had decorated him for his services but essentially he was of mediocre calibre.
He held the post of second in command in the armed forces after independence through seniority, not ability.
He would not have been appointed even to this post but for the death shortly before of another senior officer.
In 1965, I retired him. Undoubtedly, it was his lack of understanding of what was going on around him which recommended him as a figure-head to those manipulating the ‘coup’.
The troops were then told that I intended sending them to fight in Vietnam and in Rhodesia, and that I had deserted Ghana taking with me £8 million.
There was, they were told, no government left in Ghana, and it was their duty to assume control of the country to maintain law and order.
Already, it was said, Russian planes were landing on a secret airs rip in northern Ghana.
Furthermore a secret tunnel had been made from Flagstaff House, the presidential residence, to Accra airport, and for days Russians had been arriving.
The only way to save Ghana, and to avoid being sent to fight in Vietnam, the troops were told, was to take Flagstaff House.
Several days after the military seizure of power, Kotoka and Afrifa appeared on Ghana TV congratulating themselves on their easy success.
One remark stood out unmistakable and clear: “And you know, we didn’t find any Russians at all— not one! Nor could we find any trace of that tunnel.” This was followed by peals of laughter at the poor soldiers who had believed their story.
The first object of the military operation was to force the surrender of Major-General Barwah, Army Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, who was in command of the Ghana Army in the absence from the country of the Chief of Defence Staff. General Aferi.
At the same time, Brigadier Hasan, Head of Military Intelligence, and Colonel Zanerigu. Commander of the Presidential Guard Regiment, and Owusu-Sekyere, former head of the C.I.D. and in charge of the Special Branch, were to be arrested.
This stage of the operation was badly bungled. Hasan was arrested, but Zanerigu, when confronted, escaped through a window of his house and drove to Flagstaff House to warn the Presidential Guard Regiment.
Barwah could not be intimidated. Woken from his sleep in the early hours of the morning of the 24th by the arrival of Kotoka and some 25 men, he courageously refused either to join the traitors or to surrender.
Thereupon, Kotoka shot him dead at point-black range in cold blood in the presence of his wife and children.
The seven security officers who were stationed at Barwah’s house were also murdered on the spot on Kotoka’s orders.
Kotoka subsequently boasted of his killing of Barwah but said because he was protected by a “juju” he was able to catch the bullets which Barwah fired in his defence and to throw them back at him.
When the counter coup of April 1967 took place Kotoka’s “magic” could not save him.
Unlike Barwah, he surrendered without protest or struggle to those who had captured him at his headquarters.
His “juju” did not prevent him being shot in his turn. Barwah’s murder was one of the most disgraceful and ghastly crimes ever committed in Ghana’s history.
In an attempt to wipe the blood from their hands the so-called N.L.C.‘ gave Barwah and the security officers a military burial a few days later.
What a mockery, and what hypocrisy! Yet these terrible, cold-blooded murders were only the first of many which occurred on 24th February and during subsequent days.
They set the tone, as it were, of the whole operation which was characterised throughout by cowardice, bloodshed and criminal stupidity.
By 6 a.m. on the 24th, the Accra police, acting on Harlley’s orders, had rounded up most of the ministers and other key political figures, and fighting had broken out at Flagstaff House between members of the Presidential Guard Regiment and rebel army units.
There were about thirty members of the Guard Regiment at Flagstaff House when the alarm was raised.
These were soon joined by others who managed to slip in by a back entrance to reinforce their comrades.
Although heavily outnumbered they successfully held up the rebel detachment sent to seize the Ghana radio station a short distance from Flagstaff House.
Only eight of the 124 detailed for this operation managed to get through.
These captured the radio station, apparently without incident, and at 6 a.m. Kotoka arrived to broadcast that the army and police had taken over the government of Ghana.
The announcement was premature. At 7 a.m. resistance was actually increasing at Flagstaff House, as the defenders, less than a hundred of them, fought fiercely back against some 600 rebel troops.
By this time a battalion in Accra under Ocran had joined them, not knowing what the fighting was all about.
Thus the rebels were able to gain control of the airport, cable office, radio station, and all the approach roads to Accra.
Kotoka had established a combined H.Q. with the police at Police Headquarters, and from there the order was given for the 2nd Battalion to go into action at Flagstaff House.
The Guard Regiment fought on, though their position was now-hopeless.
The outside walls of Flagstaff House had been open, and the defenders had retreated behind the second gate. Still they refused to surrender.
It was only after the rebels threatened to blow up the family residence at Flagstaff House in which my wife and three young children were sheltering that they finally gave in.
The fierce fighting at Flagstaff House at this time was in striking contrast to the failure at the time of the April 1967 counter-coup of Kotoka’s bodyguard to defend his headquarters.
He had made Flagstaff House into a strong point from which he commanded the army.
Yet when it was attacked by a small detachment of some 25 men the garrison immediately surrendered as did that of the Broadcasting Station which was also only attacked by a force of similar size.
Again a small group of soldiers, not more than 50 in all, were sufficient to capture the Castle at Osu from which the “N.L.C.” conducted their government.
Ankrah the Chairman’ of the “N.L.C.” was the first of its defenders to run away, jumping over the Castle wall, plunging into the sea and wading down the shore.”
Excerpt from “Dark Days in Ghana”, originally published by Zed Books in 1968.
Former President John Dramani Mahama will be unable to heed to calls for the refund of ex-gratia paid him following his opposition against the payment of such emolument to Article 71 holders.
According to the former President, he is unable to do so since he has spent the money paid to him by the government as stated by the laws of the country.
“I have spent the money already and now I am a pensioner, where am I going to get that money to pay back? I am unemployed but they say bring yours to show you have good faith, I have no source of income, and you say I shouldn’t work.
“They say the president should not hold the office of profits so you gave it to me, I spent it then you come and say I should refund it, where am I going to refund it from?”
He made the comments while speaking at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Professional Forum Dinner and Awards Night in Accra on Sunday, March 5, 2023.
“I say we will cancel ex gratia, if you will also cancel it say it but why are you insulting me and saying I should refund mine? Will you cancel it or you won’t, tell the people of Ghana but they are saying I should bring mine first.
“They don’t understand the gravity of the situation. I do think that for those of them who speak for NPP, don’t understand the gravity of the situation, but is good for our party,” the former statesman added.
Earlier, Mr Mahama described the comment by private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu to return all the ex gratia paid to him in the past following his promise to cancel it, as silly.
Addressing supporters of the NDC in the Volta region on Saturday, March 4, Mr Mahama said “I said categorically that when we come into office we will cancel ex gratia for the executives because the president is in charge of the executive, so he can cancel it for the executives but then you have to persuade the other arms of government to see that there is no fairness in continuing to pay ourselves ex gratia when the ordinary worker does not receive it because you are the leaders, you must show by example. If the economy is in crisis why should we continue to take ex gratia when the rest of the public and civil services don’t take it? So, I said categorically that we will cancel exgratia.
“And then somebody who should know better, a lawyer, he said, then I should refund all the ex gratia we took before to show Ghanaians that yes, we are serious about cancelling it, he does not even know the principle in our constitution that says that you can’t pass retroactive legislative if you pass legislative today, it does not affect what happened in the past, what he says is a bit silly because it is like saying because we have introduced free SHS all of us should go and get a refund of our school fees that we paid in the past. That is how silly what he is saying is.”
Mr Martin Kpebu had said it makes sense to ask Mr Mahama to return the ex gratia that he received after indicating that he is going to cancel its payment should he win the next elections as President.
Speaking on TV3 on Saturday, March 4, Mr Kpebu said “Mahama made money whiles as president so he should look within himself and say look ‘I will return it’. He should return it because, in these national elections, they are going to do, hundreds of millions of dollars, where does it come from? They made money so the exgratia is small. So he should just tell the people ‘I have grown older, I think I have become wiser, I am returning the money,’ That exgratia he should return it
“You know Dan Kwaku Yeboah of Peace FM, I think he is the lead campaigner for Mr Mahama to return his ex gratia. When I looked at it I said yes it made sense. Mr Mahama should do introspection and return it as a sign of good faith, that once I have returned the money I am committed. Number two, the amendment he should put into writings.”
Mr Mahama promised that he will scrap ex gratia when he gets the nod to lead this country again.
“The payment of ex gratia to members of the executive will be scrapped,” Mr Dramani Mahama announced when he launched his bid to be the 2024 Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“The necessary constitutional steps to take this will start in earnest in 2025. We will also persuade members of the other arms of government to accept its removal,” he assured.
Founder of Worldwide Miracle Outreach, Rev Dr Lawrence Tetteh has indicated that Christian Atsu died in order for Ghanaians, particularly celebrities to wake up from their “foolishness.”
He made the statement during the one-week celebration of the late Atsu at the Adjiriganor Astro Turf over the weekend.
Ghana is celebrating 66 years after independence from the British rule. The national event is being held at Ho in the Volta Region for the very first time.
The West African country attained independence on March 6, 1957. Since then, Ghana has been working to be self-reliant and steer its own affairs.
Here are some views from Ghanaians on social media on Ghana’s growth over the years:
Under colonialism, Africans dreamt that with independence would come the opportunity to prove their worth. But today, African leaders have made the theory of African dependency and inferiority persistent…#Ghana #GhanaAt66
i love my country 🇬🇭so much mhern. like any new person i meet must know i’m a Ghanaian and they always have nice things to say back. Nanso aka ne3 aka. Atp at 66years, everything still seems backwards and you don’t even know what to hope for anymore#GhanaIndependence#GhanaAt66
The 7-0 loss to Liverpool for Manchester United, according to David de Gea, was “a disastrous moment,” but he promises that they will turn things around out of loyalty to the club.
In their Premier League match at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp’s hosts ran riot, handing Erik ten Hag’s team its joint-heaviest defeat in history.
Such a defeat was in stark contrast to the strides United had made this season, which included winning the EFL Cup final, which broke their six-year trophy drought.
De Gea promised fans on Twitter that he and his teammates will reply because he was all too aware of the significance of the outcome.
“I know these messages don’t sit well on such a day,” he wrote.
“This was a disastrous moment for us and these results shouldn’t happen, especially with the journey we are all on.
“We have a duty to this club, a responsibility to represent the badge, but we have many opportunities to look ahead.
“[We have] many games coming fast, and we have to lock our focus on these.”
Having played a key role at Wembley last month, De Gea turned in one of his roughest performances of the season, saving just one of eight attempts on target throughout.
Braces for Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, plus a Roberto Firmino finish, helped Liverpool extend their winning run over United.
The latter will look to promptly bounce back with the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Real Sociedad to come on Wednesday.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has entreated political leaders to take up their mantle seriously in ensuring Ghana recovers its prestigious name.
“We can, obviously, make our independence from colonial rule count if we put our minds to the task and eschew greed and divisiveness in all sectors of our national life. I also know political leadership has a greater responsibility towards making Ghana great and strong again,” he said in a Facebook post.
“Happy and a reflective 66th Independence Day to us all,” he added.
Although much is expected from the leaders, the former president noted that every citizen has a role to play, and therefore entreated all and sundry to work together for the greater good of the country.
“I, therefore, urge every Ghanaian including members of government to acknowledge our common but differentiated roles and responsibilities in order to deliver our best service to build the Ghana we want together.”
This year’s celebration is being held at Ho in the Volta Region for the very first time and under the theme “Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose.”
Today marks 66 years since Ghana gained independence – and this year’s celebration is being held at Ho in the Volta Region for the very first time.
This year’s event is under the theme “Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose.”
The Special Guest of Honour for this year’s celebration is President Umaro Sissoco Embalóof Guinea Bissau, who is also the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Ghana Boundary Commission and its colleagues in Burkina Faso have begun the process of reaffirming the border between the two nations, among other steps restoring the condition of eroding boundary pillars.
There are worries the boundary pillars, which were fixed more than 30 years ago, have been harmed by artisanal gold mining operations and other human activity. In July 2021, the two nations met for the first time at Paga.
Major General Emmanuel Kotia, the National Coordinator of the Ghana Boundary Commission, stated the two nations will start working as soon as possible during the opening ceremony of the second meeting of the Boundary Commissions of Ghana and Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou.
“We will jointly seek funding for the construction of new boundary pillars including intermediary boundary pillars and border post pillars and a monument at a location that we will agree on around the border crossing,” he explained.
Major General Emmanuel Kotia
He said “We will use this opportunity to urge GIZ to seek for funding for us to start this project this year. It’s important for us to begin work as soon as possible so our land boundary will not become areas of dispute between border communities.”
Permanent Secretary for the Boundary Commission for Burkina Faso said she was excited about the second meeting of the two countries. Ghana’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Adagbila Boniface Gambila said Ghana has a longstanding relationship with Burkina Faso and he is happy to see the second meeting of the two boundary commissions in Ouagadougou.
GIZ provided funding for the programme. ECOWAS component Manager, GIZ / African Union Border Programme Dr. Sanou Bakary says reaffirmation of boundaries of countries is a good way to prevent conflicts between countries.
“GIZ is supporting this programme by bringing in technical and financial support for the reaffirmation process. This programme was established in 2007 as a structural means to prevent conflicts across the African continent”.
It is reported that around 100 children in Ghana’s northern region have the measles.
This is according to Dr. Hilda Mantebea Boye, the Paediatrics Society of Ghana’s incoming president.
The figures come amid the shortage of baby vaccines nationwide. The Ministry of Health has been unable to secure the procurement of these vaccines since the year began, and as a result, Ghana ran out of crucial BCG and OPV vaccines.
In comparison to the OPV, the main purpose of the BCG vaccination is to protect infants against contracting tuberculosis.
Other essential vaccines to prevent diseases such as measles, whooping cough, etc. are also in short supply.
On the back of this, Dr Mantebea Boye while speaking on JoyNews said the cases is likely to increase if an intervention is not carried out immediately.
“At the last count in the northern region, we have more than a hundred children who we suspect have measles. And it is very worrying to us.
“This is something ongoing so data is still being collected and because of the shortage of vaccines we expect that many more children could be affected by this. So the infection is likely to rise as the days go by,” she said on Sunday.
Following several decades of British domination, Ghana proclaimed its independence from colonial rule on March 6, 1957, making it precisely 66 years ago today.
But, it was not until around three years later that Ghanaians fully took control of the government, with leaders who were also from Ghana.
As a result, Ghana gained its independence on July 1, 1960.
Yet before becoming a republic, Ghana under Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah—who would eventually serve as the nation’s first president—had to define its legal system and system of government.
Hence, Dr. Nkrumah’s speech to the nation on March 6, 1960, in honor of the nation’s third anniversary of independence focused mostly on detailing a path created by his Convention Peoples Party in order to give Ghana full republic status.
In his anniversary speech, Dr. Nkrumah detailed the foundation of what would become Ghana’s first Constitution, the election procedure, the makeup and powers of the new government, and its structure and arms.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s speech was given a few weeks before the April 27, 1960, vote.
The major concern was converting the nation from a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II as head of state to a republic with a presidential form of government.
The then prime minister in his anniversary address also called for the full participation of citizens in the exercise.
Being a full believer in the unity of Africa, his address also reiterated the need for a union African government and the preparedness of Ghana to its sovereignty “in whole or in pain the interest of a Union African States and Territories as soon as ever such union becomes practicable.
With a humiliating and historic 7-0 thrashing at Anfield, Liverpool eliminated Manchester United’s chances of joining the title race as Mohamed Salah broke the record for Premier League goals scored.
Darwin Nunez and Gakpo both scored twice as the Reds destroyed their arch-rivals for the biggest triumph in the series’ 211-match history, paving the way for the future of their forward line.
The visitors, who have not triumphed at this venue since Jurgen Klopp’s first match against them in January 2016, were in disarray after three of their goals came in a seven-minute span either side of halftime.
The soon-to-be the last man standing of Liverpool’s famed front three Salah then provided a timely reminder of the standards that pair have to meet with two goals of his own – either side of a Nunez header – to go past Robbie Fowler as the club’s record Premier League scorer with his 128th and 129th goals.
Substitute Roberto Firmino, who on Friday told the club he would not be seeking a contract extension and would end his eight-year stay in the summer, applied the finishing touches with the seventh.
Last season Liverpool won 5-0 at Old Trafford and 4-0 at home but that was a side who were competing for an unprecedented quadruple.
This version has struggled for most of the season but appear to be gathering ominous momentum at just the right time.
Even overturning a 5-2 Champions League first-leg deficit to Real Madrid next week now does not seem as impossible.
Erik ten Hag’s side had lost just three of their last 22 league matches and their haul of 23 points since the World Cup resumption was the most of any team but by the end, with chants of ‘Ole’ rolling off the Kop, former United defender Gary Neville said they had played like schoolboys.
They had arrived looking to force their way into the reckoning at the top but defeat left them nine points behind second-placed Manchester City and 14 adrift of leaders Arsenal and even with a match in hand talk of a title bid now looks fanciful.
Liverpool, however, are upwardly mobile as 13 points from the last 15 and a fifth successive clean sheet has them breathing down the neck of fourth-placed Tottenham, just three points behind with a match in hand and Spurs still to visit Anfield.
In an almost symbolic handing over of the baton Gakpo, now occupying a similar deeper-lying forward role to Firmino but with potentially more goal threat, seized the occasion with the important opening goal. And what a brilliant one it was.
Just two minutes before half-time Andy Robertson’s through-ball inside Fred allowed the Netherlands international to cut inside Raphael Varane and chop back onto his right foot to caress a shot past David De Gea.
It was Liverpool’s first shot on target but would not be their last as two minutes after the break 19-year-old Harvey Elliott started the move which led to his assist for the second goal.
Having intercepted a pass deep in United territory the ball was moved on to Fabinho who chipped over the back four to Salah and while his cross was blocked by Luke Shaw, Elliott reacted quickest to whip a cross for Nunez to head home from close range.
Three minutes later the game was over as a contest as Jordan Henderson collected Bruno Fernandes’ poor cross aimed at no one, Gakpo then picked up the ball just outside his own penalty area and released Salah.
The Egypt international teased Lisandro Martinez, eventually putting the World Cup winner on the turf, as he played in the on-rushing Gakpo to clip over De Gea.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s mis-control briefly gave Fernandes the hope of pulling one back quickly but the ball was scrambled clear and when Nunez broke in a four-on-three there was only likely to be one outcome.
The Uruguay international’s first attempt at a pass was blocked by Scott McTominay but he picked out Salah with the rebound, deflected off the United midfielder, and he lashed home off the underside of the crossbar with his weaker right foot.
He was the first Liverpool player to score in six consecutive appearances in all competitions against Manchester United but he was not finished there and with visiting fans heading for the exit Nunez’s clever backwards header from Henderson’s cross had the crowd demanding demanding “We want six.”
Salah duly delivered with his record-breaking goal, courtesy of a fortunate rebound off Firmino before the substitute had the final say in the 88th minute to inflict United’s heaviest defeat since losing 7-0 to Wolves on Boxing Day 1931.
As lawmakers gather in Beijing to adopt comprehensive changes, Xi Jinping is expected to further consolidate his hold over China’s government and economy.
Mr. Xi’s third term as president and the selection of his top team will be confirmed by the National People’s Congress (NPC), a rubber-stamp legislature.
In addition, they will choose a new premier to succeed Li Keqiang as Mr. Xi’s successor.
The meetings, referred to as The Two Sessions, take place once a year.
Yet, this year’s meetings are especially noteworthy since delegates are anticipated to reform a number of important Communist Party and government organizations.
They will also tighten control over bodies overseeing the finance sector and scientific and technology work, while “strengthening party-building work” in private businesses, according to state media.
The moves will likely further blur the lines between the Chinese Communist Party and the government, and consolidate the party’s control of the private sector.
This comes amid an ongoing corruption crackdown which has seen a string of high-profile businessmen disappear in recent years. The latest person to go missing was one of China’s top dealmakers in the tech sector.
This week’s NPC meeting will also formalise Mr Xi’s leadership of the country, as he will be elected president of China and head of the armed forces.
He secured his position in the echelons of Chinese power in October last year, when the Communist Party re-elected him as their leader for a third term.
It was a break from decades-long tradition, as no other party leader besides Communist China’s first leader, Mao Zedong, will have served for this long. In the 2018 NPC meeting, lawmakers had approved the removal of term limits on the presidency, effectively allowing Mr Xi to remain leader for life.
Mr Xi’s appointment comes as he faces domestic pressure to turn around an economy battered by his zero-Covid strategy and crackdowns in various business sectors.
At the start of the meeting, it was announced that China will pursue a reduced economic growth target of about 5% this year, while defence spending is to rise by more than 7%.
Abroad, Mr Xi is navigating worsening ties with the US over the Ukraine war and the recent spy balloon saga, even as he warms his embrace of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The NPC will also unveil the new Premier, China’s equivalent of a prime minister who traditionally oversees the economy and administrative aspects of governance.
Li Qiang, one of Mr Xi’s most trusted colleagues, is expected to assume the role. As the Shanghai party secretary, he oversaw a prolonged and painful Covid lockdown that angered locals and made international headlines.
Outgoing premier Li Keqiang, who was ousted in the leadership reshuffle at October’s party congress, will deliver his last work report speech.
The political appointments for the rest of the Politburo Standing Committee, the equivalent of Mr Xi’s cabinet, will also be announced.
Many will be watching to see who fills several key positions, such as the commerce minister, head of the national development and reform commission, propaganda chief, and head of state security.
Observers say the team was picked more for their loyalty to Mr Xi and the party, rather than for their expertise.
Even though Kylian Mbappe is focused on winning the Champions League, he reaffirmed his dedication to Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe set a new PSG record for goals scored on Saturday by securing a 4-2 victory over Nantes.
When the 24-year-old slammed home in stoppage time, he eclipsed Edinson Cavani’s 200 goals for the team. Mbappe scored 201 goals in 247 games, compared to Cavani’s 200 goals in 301 games.
Mbappe, who has a runners-up medal from the 2020 final when PSG fell to Bayern Munich, hasn’t won the Champions League despite winning the 2018 World Cup with France and five Ligue 1 championships.
Bayern stand in the way of PSG’s progress this season, with the Bundesliga giants holding a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.
While Mbappe sees himself as an eventual Champions League winner, he refuted the suggestion Wednesday’s result will have a direct impact on his PSG future.
“I don’t think so,” he said in a press conference.
“I think if I read my future it’s [winning] the Champions League, and I’m not disrespecting the club. I will have gone very far.
“I am here, I am very happy. I’m very happy here, and for the moment I’m not thinking about anything else but making Paris Saint-Germain happy.”
Mbappe’s sole focus is now on propelling PSG to a result in Munich. He returned from injury in the first leg and saw an equaliser disallowed for offside.
“It’s a good moment for me [becoming PSG’s all-time top scorer], but for the team, the good moment is the three consecutive victories after the defeat against Bayern and that’s the most important thing,” he added.
“Of course, I’m happy, it’s important for the team. But the most important thing is that the team has got its head together and is ready for the challenge in Munich on Wednesday.
“[Can I score my] 204th, 205th? We don’t know. Yes, as I said, the goal is clear, we want to go there to qualify. We have a lot of confidence, and humility too because we play a great team.
“But we are Paris Saint-Germain, and we always go to win matches and we will go to Munich to win, to qualify, to come back happy.”
PSG coach Christophe Galtier, meanwhile, is honoured to be coaching Mbappe.
“It’s already a privilege to experience this, live, in real-time. It’s a privilege for a coach to have a player like Kylian, who in my eyes is the best striker in the world,” Galtier told reporters.
“Our fans, but also people who love French football must appreciate the value of having such a player in our league.
“He is determined to break many records, to make sure that the team wins, and that the team goes as far as possible.
“It is a privilege for me to have witnessed this. It’s a privilege for Paris Saint-Germain to have a striker like Kylian. You have to appreciate it for what it is.”
For his murder mystery thriller “Ashkal,” Tunisian director Youssef Chebbi took home the prized Stallion of Yennenga award on Saturday at the biennial pan-African Fespaco film festival.
Chebbi, who was born in Tunis and whose movie is about the investigation into the execution of a construction site worker near his hometown of Carthage, didn’t go to the Burkina Faso ceremony that was presided over by military chief Ibrahim Traore.
Apolline Traore, a competitor from Burkina Faso, received a Silver Stallion award as a consolation prize for “Sira,” while Kenya’s Angela Wamai took third place for “Shimoni.” Chebbi triumphed against Traore.
The fictional or factual feature film considered to best capture the reality of Africa will get the Stallion of Yennenga (Etalon d’or de Yennenga) award.
A total of 170 entries have been selected for the FESPACO festival in the capital Ouagadougou, including 15 fiction feature films in contention for the Yennenga Golden Stallion award and a prize of around $30,000.
The president of FESPACO‘s organising committee, Fidele Aymar Tamini, said the festival’s 28th edition would embrace the theme of “African cinemas and peace cultures” in the context of the crisis.
The prime minister of neighbouring Mali, the festival’s guest country of honour which is also grappling with a bloody jihadist insurgency, said culture had an “avant-garde role to play in the peace process”.
Mali and Burkina Faso are “brother countries” facing the “terrorist hydra” and “our fight for peace and sovereignty remains the priority,” Choguel Kokalla Maiga said to rapturous applause.
Around 60 dancers simulated fighting to the sound of beating drums on an immense stage in a performance called “20 million VDP”, referring to a civilian volunteer force that supports the Burkinabe army.
The ceremony’s organiser said the choreography was designed to showcase the “bravery” of Burkina Faso’s youth faced with the jihadist crisis, which spilled over from Mali in 2015.
Around 12 VDP members were killed in an attack in the unstable north earlier this week, which followed the deaths of at least 70 soldiers in the same region in two separate assaults blamed on jihadists.
The violence in Burkina Faso has killed more than 10,000 people and forced around two million to flee their homes.
Burkinabe Culture and Communications Minister Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo said Mali and Burkina Faso, both ruled by military juntas that seized power in coups, were travelling on the same road in integration and cooperation projects.
Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela recently suggested a federation between the West African neighbours.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Nantes 4-2 to secure the victory and extend their lead atop the Ligue 1 standings to 11 points, with Kylian Mbappe becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer.
PSG took the lead after 18 minutes thanks to a goal from Lionel Messi, and it appeared like they would have an easy evening until only 17 minutes had passed. An own goal from Jaouen Hadjam increased their lead.
In an exciting first half at Parc des Princes on Saturday, Nantes had different plans, with Ludovic Blas providing them a lifeline by catching Gianluigi Donnarumma out at his near post and Ignatius Ganago putting them level.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Nantes 4-2 to win the match and move 11 points clear atop the Ligue 1 standings. Kylian Mbappe established a new record for the club.
Once PSG went ahead thanks to a goal from Lionel Messi, their 18th of the year, they appeared to be in for an easy night until an own goal from Jaouen Hadjam made it 2-0 just 17 minutes later.
The first half of Saturday’s match at Parc des Princes was filled with action, but Nantes had other plans. Ludovic Blas gave Nantes a chance by catching Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post, and Ignatius Ganago scored a goal to tie the score.
2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ goals in 🔴&🔵@KMbappe overtakes Edinson Cavani as the top goalscorer in Paris Saint-Germain history ⚽️😍
Nantes looked to be in danger of suffering a hammering but Blas halved the deficit from out of the blue just after the hour-mark, beating Donnarumma at his near post from wide on the left when the PSG goalkeeper was expecting a cross.
PSG were caught out again seven minutes later, Ganago meeting Florent Mollet’s corner with a near-post header that looped into the net in a breathless first half.
The champions were back in front just before the hour-mark, though, with Danilo rising to meet Mbappe’s pinpoint cross with a towering downward header.
Mbappe was denied a chance to break the record when the VAR ruled Hadjam had upended Mukiele just outside the box after referee Jeremy Stinat pointed to the spot.
But the lethal forward’s big moment came two minutes into stoppage time, when he spun sharply in the box and rifled home in typically clinical fashion.
In Mali, two International Committee of the Red Cross employees have been abducted.
According to the organization, the kidnappings happened on a road connecting the northeastern cities of Gao and Kidal, which has long been a flashpoint for violence by Islamic groups.
Since 2012, Mali has been experiencing a security crisis, and kidnappings are prevalent. Reasons for the abductions include demands for ransom and acts of retaliation against government security operations.
A World Health Organization doctor was released from captivity in Mali last month, weeks after he had been taken from his automobile in the Ménaka district. Moreover, in May 2022, gunmen kidnapped three Italians and a citizen of Togo.
The violence has also spread into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, killing thousands and displacing more than two million people in the region.
The comedian Chris Rock wants to be clear about one thing: Will Smith’s notorious Oscars slap hurt.
During a live Netflix comedy show, Rock, 58, went into great detail about the 2022 Academy Awards incident.
“You know what people say, they say, ‘words hurt,’” Rock said. “Anybody that say words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
Will Smith has since said “bottled” rage led to his actions.
Because Mr. Smith was permitted to attend the ceremony and later earned his first-ever Oscar for Best Actor, the altercation served as a cultural litmus test for discussions about America’s tolerance for casual violence.
Rock was lauded for keeping his cool in the wake of the incident.
The comedian addressed a variety of topics in Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, the streaming service’s inaugural live comedy performance, including woke culture, Meghan Markle, and politics.
“I’m going to try to do the show without offending anyone,” Rock said, in a nod to the Smith altercation. “Because you never know who might get triggered.”
Later he added, America “is so screwed up right now if the Russians came here right now, half the country would go ‘let’s hear them out’.”
But he saved the best for last and used the final moments of the show to address the incident with Will Smith.
“People are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts! I got Summertime ringing in my ears,” Rock said, referring to Smith’s 1991 single.
“I took that hit like (Manny) Pacquiao,” Rock boasted to cheers from the crowd.
In a nod to the show’s title, Rock said he believes Smith practices “selective outrage” and that the slap had more to do with Smith and his wife, Jada’s, relationship struggles, than his Oscar’s joke.
The couple have been candid about the ups and downs of their relationship and even publicly addressed their struggles on Jada’s Facebook Watch show, Red Table Talk.
“We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here been cheated on, none of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television,” Rock joked. “She hurt him way more than he hurt me.”
Social media lit up with reactions to Rock finally addressing the incident, with many noting how artists like Rock often laugh through their pain.
Others felt the comedian’s jokes about rooting for the slave owners in Will Smith’s latest film, Emancipation, were a step too far.
In a mic drop moment, Rock ended the special by addressing why he chose not to fight back.
“I got parents! Because I was raised!” Rock said. “And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.”
After ten years of talks, nations have secured a historic pact to safeguard the oceans.
To protect and restore marine life, the High Seas Treaty designates 30% of the oceans as protected zones by 2030.
After 38 hours of negotiations, the deal was finalized on Saturday night at the UN’s New York headquarters.
Years of negotiations have been stalled due to divergent views on funding and fishing rights.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the most recent international accord on ocean preservation, was signed in 1982, 40 years ago.
That agreement established an area called the high seas – international waters where all countries have a right to fish, ship and do research – but only 1.2% of these waters are protected.
Marine life living outside of these protected areas has been at risk from climate change, overfishing and shipping traffic.
These new protected areas, established in the treaty, will put limits on how much fishing can take place, the routes of shipping lanes and exploration activities like deep sea mining – when minerals are taken from a sea bed 200m or more below the surface.
Environmental groups have been concerned that mining processes could disturb animal breeding grounds, create noise pollution and be toxic for marine life.
The International Seabed Authority that oversees licensing told the BBC that moving forward “any future activity in the deep seabed will be subject to strict environmental regulations and oversight to ensure that they are carried out sustainably and responsibly”.
Image caption,Marine protected areas could help endangered species like the whale shark – the largest living fish – recover
Rena Lee, UN Ambassador for Oceans, brought down the gavel after two weeks of negotiations that at times threatened to unravel.
Minna Epps, director of the IUCN Ocean team, said the main issue was over the sharing of marine genetic resources.
Marine genetic resources are biological material from plants and animals in the ocean that can have benefits for society, such as pharmaceuticals, industrial processes and food.
Richer nations currently have the resources and funding to explore the deep ocean but poorer nations wanted to ensure any benefits they find are shared equally.
Image caption,Sea sponges have yielded key ingredients for HIV and cancer treatments
Dr Robert Blasiak, ocean researcher at Stockholm University, said the challenge was that no one knows how much ocean resources are worth and therefore how they could be split.
He said: “If you imagine a big, high-definition, widescreen TV, and if only like three or four of the pixels on that giant screen are working, that’s our knowledge of the deep ocean. So we’ve recorded about 230,000 species in the ocean, but it’s estimated that there are over two million.”
Laura Meller, an oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Nordic, commended countries for “putting aside differences and delivering a treaty that will let us protect the oceans, build our resilience to climate change and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of billions of people”
“This is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, protecting nature and people can triumph over geopolitics,” she added.
Countries will need to meet again to formally adopt the agreement and then have plenty of work to do before the treaty can be implemented.
Liz Karan, director of Pews Trust ocean governance team, told the BBC: “It will take some time to take effect. Countries have to ratify it [legally adopt it] for it to enter force. Then there are a lot of institutional bodies like the Science and Technical Committee that have to get set up.”
With a last-second goal from Reiss Nelson, Arsenal overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat mediocre Bournemouth and keep a five-point advantage atop the Premier League standings.
Mikel Arteta’s team had to come back from a deficit because Manchester City had defeated Newcastle earlier in the day. Substitute Nelson’s stunning finish made it a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Philip Billing’s second-fastest goal in Premier League history gave the struggling Cherries, who had only won away at Nottingham Forest and Wolves this season, an early lead.
During the break, Marcos Senesi scored a header to increase their lead before the Gunners finally mounted a comeback.
Fit-again Thomas Partey got one back before Ben White’s maiden goal for Arsenal — and his first in 955 days — had them level with 20 minutes to go.
They would need all of that time, and more, as Nelson — on his first league appearance since November 12 — struck with almost the last kick of six minutes of stoppage time to break Bournemouth hearts and lift the roof off the Emirates Stadium.
The home fans had been stunned into silence earlier in the afternoon as Billing tapped home with just 9.11 seconds on the clock, turning in a Dango Ouattara cross with the home defence caught cold.
Arsenal looked to respond immediately but Neto made a fine low stop from Martin Odegaard before leaping to his feet to keep out Bukayo Saka’s effort on the rebound.
Bournemouth could have had a second as they broke at Arsenal, who were now dominating possession, former Cherries goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale making a crucial save from Ouattara.
The hosts were forced into an early change as Leandro Trossard limped off to be replaced by Emile Smith Rowe with the game seemingly set as attack against defence.
Gabriel Martinelli, moved central after Trossard’s injury, hit the outside of the post to end a frustrating first-half for the leaders, who failed to register a shot on target after Saka’s fifth-minute strike.
White was brought on for Takehiro Tomiyasu at the break as another low Odegaard shot at least tested Neto with the game falling into the same routine as the first-half.
Despite near-domination, Arteta’s men were made to pay for their poor attacking play as Bournemouth went 2-0 ahead when Senesi broke free from Partey to head home a corner.
Partey made amends soon after, tucking home from a Smith Rowe header after Bournemouth failed to deal with a corner.
Bournemouth were causing Arsenal issues every time they managed to launch an attack and Ramsdale had to be alert to save from Dominic Solanke moments after the lead had been halved.
But the Gunners were level shortly after, White finishing a centre from fellow substitute Nelson which Neto could not prevent from crossing the line.
Nelson was lively after replacing Smith Rowe with Arsenal chasing the game and, when a late corner was headed his way, he controlled the ball before finishing brilliantly to earn Arsenal the three points.
Sylvester Tetteh, vice chairman of the communications committee in parliament, has voiced his unenthusiasm with former president John Mahama’s reelection campaign rhetoric.
He pointed out that the former President’s pledge to do away with ex-gratia is meaningless and that it will only be accepted seriously if he foregoes all the advantages he has had from the same policy.
He claimed that Mr. Mahama is the nation’s greatest beneficiary of Article 71 in its history.
“He has an opportunity. If indeed he means what he’s saying, he has an opportunity to demonstrate to Ghanaians.
“In this country, Togbui Afede said he doesn’t want to take his ex-gratia so he’s giving it to the country – and you want to be president again, and you are enjoying the benefits of Article 71 office holders you want to scrap. So the best test for you is to surrender it,” he said.
Speaking on JoyNews on Saturday, the legislator speculated that although the message of the former president may be valid, he cannot be trusted, saying he’s the “wrong messenger.”
He added that much as Mr Mahama was unsuccessful at scrapping ex-gratia during his tenure due to his inability to garner support, his personal decision should have made the difference.
Mr Tetteh, however, said that aside from Mr Mahama’s party supporters, no Ghanaian trusts his policies in that although he had been in office for a long period of time, he could not effect such a change.
He explained that, with the desire to make such a change, the former president should have set an example when he was no more in power.
Former President John Dramani Mahama launched his campaign on Thursday, March 2, in a bid to contest for the flagbearership position of the NDC.
Mr Mahama has run for Ghana’s highest office three times, losing in the last two elections to current President Nana Akufo-Addo.
His campaign begins as Ghana’s struggling economy is the country’s top concern.
At the campaign launch, he promised to scrap ex-gratia under Article 71 if given the nod to lead the country as its president.
He also said he will stage a probe into public funds, especially Covid-19 funds and appoint a maximum of 60 ministers and among others, should he be given the nod to regain power.
Some former players of the senior national team, Black Stars, thronged the Adjiriganor Astro Turf on Saturday to join the one week celebration of Christian Atsu.
Former Black Stars captains Asamoah Gyan and Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Samuel Osei Kufuor, Derrick Boateng were among the few who showed up today.
— The Independent Ghana (@independent_gh) March 4, 2023
Former Black Stars plays at one week celebration of Christian Atsu
According to the bereaved family, Christian Atsu will be laid to rest on March 17, 2023, and the funeral rites will take place at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, John Alan Kyerematen, has donated an amount of GH¢5000 to the family of the late Christian Atsu.
The former Trade Minister made the kind gesture when he joined the bereaved family hold a one week celebration for their beloved Christian at the Adjiriganor Astro Turf on Saturday.
Mr Kyerematen paid respect to the family and extended his warm greeting to sympathisers gathered.
— The Independent Ghana (@independent_gh) March 4, 2023
Among the dignitaries present were Sports and Youth Minister, Mustapha Ussif, President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Okraku, his predecessor, Kwasi Nyantakyi. They also made donation to the family.
After independence in 1957, the West African pound, shillings, and pence remained the units of currency.
In July 1958, the Bank of Ghana issued the Ghana Pound (£G). In 1965, Ghana used the decimal system for its new currency issue, named the ‘cedi’.
The word ‘cedi’ was derived from the Akan word “sedie” meaning cowry shell which was one of the commodities widely used as a medium of exchange (currency) for transactions prior to the colonial era.
The third and fourth currency reforms in 1967 and 1972 respectively, were all undertaken after a military coup d’etat.
In 1979 another currency reform took effect, where the cedi was rediscounted mainly as a tool to control liquidity.
For spending thirteen years of his life playing basketball, Antoine Walker managed to end his career in 2008 with a whopping amount of $108 million.
But that colossal amount of money was flushed down the drain in just two years.
Antoine lost the money he earned and went bankrupt. This is because he made some outrageous expenses despite that some of them were with good intentions.
Having a humble beginning, Antoine had a significant amount of people to assist in his life – family, friends and even acquaintances. According to him, he helped about 30 people have “better situations.”
“I gave them whatever they wanted and spoiled them. You can’t do that,” Walker said. “It ended up being an open ATM throughout my career.”
For his family, Antoine built his mum a house worth $4.1 million. It was a 15.000 square feet with an indoor pool. “Everything you can ever imagine was in the house,” he noted, He also owned four homes.
Aside from caring for his family, Antoine aspired to create a wealthy look and for that reason spent on some flashy items like cars, watches, jewelry among others.
“It’s a cultural thing, and I like to speak for myself. When I came out, Jay-Z, Puffy, all the rappers, what they did is what I wanted to do. You see them with the big jewerly, the chains, nice cars, you see the videos. I am looking at all that and thinking when I get it, I am doing that. When I had a lot of money, I also had a lot of fetishes. I had a car fetish. I would have 8 to 10 cars at one time. I had a watch fetish. When I came out, Jacob the jeweler was the man; everyone shopped with Jacob. I used to get all the new watches. I had 15 to 20 watches at one time, and I couldn’t wear them all,” he said as quoted by Basketball Network.
Again, he lost large sums of money gambling, although Walker insists this wasn’t the main cause of his financial collapse and that media reports are overblown.
In spite of the ups and downs, Antoine has been able to elevate himself from bankruptcy.
Presidential candidate for the Labour Party, Peter Obi, could not hold back his emotions as he engaged the media following the declaration of the 2023 presidential elections.
Mr Obi, who fells cheated and has pledged to head to court broke down into tears. This was not directly as a result of claims of being cheated. He was recounting an unforgettable moment with a Nigerian lady he believed should be studying.
According to him, the lady decided to enter the baking business since she could not continue her education, but that even became impossible as she could not afford N75,000 to buy an oven
This got Peter Obi emotional and shed a few tears.
“Labour party won the election and I will prove it. I have had several phone calls where I asked people to remain calm and peaceful, that has nothing to do with what I am challenging, I am challenging the process.
“If a process is faulty, it is faulty, in fact, you can’t build peace on a faulty foundation, it cannot happen anywhere in the world.”
At the end of the election held on February 25, 2023, APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as the winner.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, indicated that Tinubu polled a total of 8,794,726 to defeat his closest rivals and candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar and Obi of the Labour Party, LP who scored 6,984, 520 and 6,101,533 respectively.
Antoine Walker had amassed $108 million in 2008, when he ended his 13-year basketball career.
He came into the league at the age of 19. Antoine was from humble beginning, “so I was not used to having money at all,” he noted.
It appears that the noble beginning caused Walker to overspend, making him go bankrupt two years after retiring.
He picked up some aggressive spending habits – spending on cars, clothes and jewelry as well as helping family and friends. The rest of his money was lost in real estate investing when the market tanked after the Great Recession.
Fortunately, he recovered from bankruptcy two and a half years later.
How he got out of bankruptcy:
Walker was able to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, he said, which is also referred to as a liquidation or straight bankruptcy.
In this process, all unsecured debt – think personal loans, credit cards and some medical expenses – is wiped away, but a court will take possession of your assets such as property. A court-appointed trustee will handle your case and may sell some of your assets to cover your debts.
In chapter 13 bankruptcy, you generally get to keep ownership of your assets and get a more affordable payment plan from your creditors. However, you must fit certain requirements – you need to have enough income to afford your monthly payments, and your debt must be under a certain amount.
The limits for chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2020 were nearly $420,000 in unsecured debt and roughly $1.25 million in secured debt.
According to a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, said Robert Lawless, “If you don’t see your financial situation improving after bankruptcy it’s not a good time to file.”
“You need to have a CPA, financial advisor, agent, lawyer – these need to be separate but work together,” Antoine said.
Today, Antoine helps others avoid the money issues he’s overcome. He’s a consultant with Edyoucore, a financial literacy company that focuses on teaching athletes how to manage their money.
“I may never again make $108 million but I can have a comfortable lifestyle. That’s been my mindset as I got back on my feet,” he said.
Ghana’s first shopping centre is the A&C Mall and this facility was established by Andrew Asamoah, a former director of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The A&C Mall was opened in Accra in 2005 after Mr Asamoah took early retirement and decided to return home with his family to Ghana from Geneva, Switzerland in the early 2000s.
According to him, he bought the land where A&C Mall stands today, 10 years before he returned to Ghana.
Building Ghana’s first shopping mall was initially not on his bucket list of things to do. He started an Accra-based commercial property company called A&C Development, named after himself and his wife, Cecilia.
“When I was growing up, my family always rented property, and therefore the wish for owning property became ingrained at a very young age,” said Mr Asamoah.
It was only when he realised a significant gap in the property market: no malls had been built yet in Ghana, that he decided to chart such path.
With his business plan adapted and some start-up capital taken from his own savings and investments, he approached the banks. “I thought that it would be an easy sell,” he says. “It was not; as this would be the first mall in Ghana, the banks were sceptical.”
The banks warned that the project might not succeed because Ghana’s thriving traditional marketplace culture would not tolerate a mall.
Asamoah made the painful decision to sell all his homes in Geneva, London, and New York in order to raise the money for the first stage of A&C Mall on his own because he knew he would need to obtain funding elsewhere.
Phase one planning and construction got under way, but the business still had to find an anchor tenant. As Asamoah approached the larger neighborhood supermarkets, he was once again treated with skepticism. Next came a vacation to South Africa.
“I went to meet with South African retailer SPAR. They directed me to their Zimbabwe office, which at the time was responsible for development and expansion in West Africa,” he said.
Asamoah was informed that in order to manage the supermarket, he would have to collaborate with SPAR, which operates on a franchising model. He declined because he had not planned on having retail as a second job.
When word of the meetings outside of Ghana’s borders reached home, local store MaxMart contacted A&C Development as a potential anchor tenant.
“They took 40% of the available space from phase one. Once their contract was in place, it took us less than six months to get to 100% occupancy,” Asamoah recalls.
Due to the income from lease agreements, he was able to fund the completion of phase one and A&C Mall, which was opened officially in 2005 by then President John Agyekum Kufuor.
A&C Mall was finally finished ten years later. A&C Development used the money from the mall and its other properties in Ghana in the years that followed to finish the second and third phases, which included a gas station, a fitness center, and Business Center 1.
The International Finance Corporation contributed US$4.4 million in 2012 to the development of Business Center II. With this assistance, the company renovated the original mall and created a playground for kids. When it was finished, the University of Lancaster occupied two floors, and two banks and other businesses rented space on the ground floor.
Due to competition from the likes of Accra Mall, and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Asamoah says the business is “looking at how we can drop our cost per square metre to entice businesses to take up the vacant space we currently have.”
Meanwhile, the company is opening its latest development to the public in the coming months. A&C Corner, a 9,000m2 centre 1km away from A&C Mall is focused on the provision of building materials and décor.
“We felt that what Ghana needed was something akin to Home Depot in the US, or Builders’ Warehouse in South Africa,” says Asamoah. “All the space has been taken up and we will have the official opening in June.”
Next on the cards is a development which will be five to six times the size of the original A&C Mall called the A&C Village. It will span over 68,000m2 of land 5km north of the current properties.
“East Legon has no more space and people are moving into estates to the north. A&C Village will be in the heart of this new community,” says Asamoah.
An influential South Carolina attorney was convicted guilty of killing his wife and son to draw attention away from his multi-million dollar financial misdeeds.
Alex Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty of two counts of murder after a six-week trial and a jury deliberation that lasted less than three hours.
For each count of murder, he risks a sentence of 30 years to life in jail without the possibility of parole.
On June 7, 2021, close range shots were fired at Maggie and Paul Murdaugh near the dog kennels on their family’s land.
In Walterboro on Thursday night, Alex Murdaugh was informed of his fate while standing motionlessly.
“Today’s verdict proves that no-one, no matter who you are in society, is above the law,” said South Carolina’s top prosecutor, Attorney General Alan Wilson.
The case – chronicling the downfall of a family born to power and privilege – has captivated the country, inspiring documentaries on Netflix and HBO.
Murdaugh was once an influential personal injury attorney in the state, and for decades until 2006 his family members had served as the leading prosecutors in the area. Such was their influence that the jurisdiction became known as “Murdaugh Country”.
But the trial heard that for years he had been stealing from his law partners and clients to feed an addiction to painkillers and an extravagant lifestyle.
Murdaugh had pleaded not guilty to killing his wife and youngest son in an attempt to conceal years of financial corruption – fraud that he himself had acknowledged in court.
After the 12-person jury’s verdict, dozens of spectators gathered outside the back of the court where officers ushered a handcuffed Murdaugh quickly into a black van.
Reporters shouted questions, though he remained silent. As police tucked him inside the vehicle, one man behind the media line shouted that he was praying for him.
Image caption,Maggie Murdaugh, pictured here with Alex, was said to be a devoted mother
It took more than a year for investigators to arrest Murdaugh as they untangled the complex case.
In a risky move for any murder defendant, Murdaugh took to the witness stand, trying to convince the jury that someone angry over a deadly 2019 boating accident involving Paul could have killed his son to seek revenge.
“I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul – ever – under any circumstances,” Murdaugh testified.
The case against him was based entirely on circumstantial evidence. No direct evidence – things like a murder weapon, blood on his clothing or an eyewitness – was presented at trial.
Instead the prosecution focused on an incriminating Snapchat video taken by Murdaugh’s son just before the murders.
Paul and his mother were killed at the kennels on the family’s sprawling hunting estate, known as Moselle.
For 20 months after their murders, Alex Murdaugh told law enforcement repeatedly he had not been at the dog kennels at all that evening, and was at home napping.
But in the Snapchat video filmed by Paul just minutes before the shootings, the defendant’s voice could be heard in the background.
On the stand at trial, Murdaugh admitted he had lied, saying his years-long addiction to painkillers had put him in a paranoid state.
The court also heard of Murdaugh’s bizarre attempt to stage his own death in an insurance fraud scheme just three months after he murdered his 52-year-old wife and 22-year-old son. The hitman he hired botched the shooting and the bullet only grazed his head.
Image caption,Alex Murdaugh (right) murdered his wife, Maggie, and his youngest son Paul
Local resident Jessica Williams, 38, stood outside the court watching the proceedings on the phone with her six-year-old daughter.
“I am so happy,” she told BBC News after the verdict was announced, adding: “I remember where I was when the verdict for OJ Simpson came down [in 1995]. This was the same thing.”
Early on in the proceedings, Judge Clifton Newman ruled that prosecutors could bring in evidence of Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes.
Investigators say he stole millions from clients and colleagues, including $3.7m (£3m) in 2019 alone. And at trial, Murdaugh admitted to wide-scale theft.
Prosecutors argued it was these crimes that drove him to murder – that he thought the deaths of Maggie and Paul would gain him sympathy and stave off a reckoning over his other misdeeds.
Murdaugh and his defence team had argued in court that this theory was ludicrous and financial problems would never have led him to murder.
Several witnesses testified that on the night of the murders Alex Murdaugh had asked Maggie, who had been at the family’s other property in nearby Edisto Beach, to return to Moselle.
Maggie much preferred Edisto to Moselle and hadn’t planned on leaving, her sister Marion Proctor told the court. But Murdaugh’s elderly father was dying, and so Mrs Proctor encouraged her to support him.
Alex Murdaugh and his two sons were fond of hunting, and Moselle was home to a collection of guns.
Prosecutors alleged that Murdaugh had used one of these – a .300 Blackout assault-style rifle – to kill Maggie, and another weapon to kill Paul. But they were unable to find either firearm and produce them at trial.
Maggie was shot four or five times with a rifle and their son was shot twice with a shotgun, the trial heard.
Antoine Walker, a former NBA player, discusses how his desire to lead the same lifestyle as then-famous rappers resulted in him declaring bankruptcy, selling the majority of his possessions, and losing the majority of his NBA earnings.
Antoine Walker is one of those athletes who, after making more than $100 million throughout his career, filed for bankruptcy a few years after retiring.
He recently discussed what caused him to become bankrupt while earning crazy sums of money that most people can only imagine in an interview with the “I Am Athlete” podcast.
Antoine Walker shares his story on “I Am Athlete” podcast
According to Walker, he was young, foolish, and heavily impacted by the hip-hop culture and the rappers showcasing their luxurious lifestyles. Walker wanted to be just like them, which eventually led to his financial troubles.
“It’s a cultural thing, and I like to speak for myself. When I came out, Jay-Z, Puffy, all the rappers, what they did is what I wanted to do. You see them with the big jewerly, the chains, nice cars, you see the videos. I am looking at all that and thinking when I get it, I am doing that. When I had a lot of money, I also had a lot of fetishes. I had a car fetish. I would have 8 to 10 cars at one time. I had a watch fetish. When I came out, Jacob the jeweler was the man; everyone shopped with Jacob. I used to get all the new watches. I had 15 to 20 watches at one time, and I couldn’t wear them all,” he said as quoted by Basketball Network.
Jay-Z is a famous rapper married to Beyoncé
Walker desired to have it all and care for his mother and other members of his family. As a result, he built her a home with everything she could ever want for with more than $4 million.
Even though he started out with good intentions, his excessive spending quickly caught up with him. He remembered that the lowest point in his life came when he had to sell the house he had bought for his mother.
“I built my mom a house from the ground up. I spent $4.1 million on that crib, 15.000 square feet with the indoor pool; everything you can ever imagine was in the house. When you go through the bankruptcy, you have a decision to make. At the time, I owned four homes. I asked my mom what she wanted to do, and that was the first time I broke down was when she said let the house go. I couldn’t believe it, and that was the lowest point because that is something you never want to do. You never want to see your mom work again and see your mom go through anything of that nature, so that was probably the lowest point,” he recounted as quoted by Basketball Network.
Antoine Walker in his prime when he played for Celtics
Walker has experienced ups and downs in his life, but he is now back on his feet and employed by FS1 as a basketball analyst.
Even though he no longer possesses the wealth he once did, he appears to be in a good mood and to be enjoying life, which is ultimately what matters the most.
In order to avoid making the same mistakes and to be more wise with their money, he also entreated younger players to learn from their failures.
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Mr Senyo Hosi, has expressed gratitude to some individuals who provided support when his GoGo rice mill factory at Adaklu was destroyed by a storm.
After the unfortunate incident on February 25, 2023, Mr Hosi, in a tweet noted that MP for Adaklu Constituency, Kwame Governs Agbodza and former Board Member at Volta River Authority (VRA), Ludwig Hlodze, who is also a Member of the National Democratic Congress, NDC’s Elections Planning Committee, came to his aid.
He wrote: “Last week Saturday, a devastating storm and whirlwind ripped our 4yr GoGo rice mill factory at Adaklu apart I am grateful to Hon @KAgbodza @LudwigHlodze and Hon Letsa for commiserating with us on site within 24 hrs of its occurrence.
Last week Saturday, a devastating storm and whirlwind ripped our 4yr GoGo rice mill factory at Adaklu apart
The storm caused severe damage to the structure housing the mill, ripped off its roofs and destroyed some of the machinery of the company that produces the Gogo rice brand and toppled a combined harvester.
According to Mr Hosi, “we shall build back stronger!”
Former President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled some of the action-plan he will accomplish if re-elected President in 2024.
The former head of state made these disclosures in an address to party faithfuls at the formal launch of his flagbearership bid ahead of the 2024 polls.
The event took place on March 2, at the Cedi auditorium at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho in the Volta Region.
Below are 10 of the promises made by the former President:
Restore stability and inclusive growth to the economy. This we will do by bringing the various indicators under control to relieve Ghanaians of their suffering.
Strictly enforce prudence and responsibility in the management of public finances by cutting out waste and ostentation, which have become common place under this administration.
Restore faith in our almost collapsed financial system and embark on sweeping reforms at the Bank of Ghana. We shall actively pursue policies to ensure robust local participation in our banking, financial, telecommunications, mining, agriculture, agribusiness and manufacturing sectors.
Invest in productive sectors of the economy like agriculture, industry, technology, digitilisation and tourism to spur growth and generate jobs for the teeming youth who continue to lose hope by the day.
Operate the leanest but most efficient government under our fourth republic by reducing, significantly, the size of government to less than sixty (60) ministers and deputy ministers of state.
Bring to conclusion the constitution review process began by President Atta Mills including a review of the controversial article 71 to reduce the number of office holders, and remove the disparities in privileges and emoluments vis a vis the public and civil service.
The payment of ex-gratia to members of the executive under Article 71 will be scrapped.
End the chaos that now characterizes the Computerized School Selection and Placement System for BECE graduates. As a first step, we should allow students to only complete their applications for SHS after they receive their BECE results.
Investigate how public funds were expended and this includes the Covid-19 Audit and the findings from the Auditor-General’s reports over years. We must clean the Augean stables and rid them of the filth and
Re-introduce the hallmark of my previous administration – tolerance for criticism and the creation of a conducive atmosphere for the media to do its work without the fear of threats, harassment, and possible assassination.
The World Obesity Federation predicts that if no action is taken, by 2035, more than half of the world’s population would be classified as obese or overweight.
According to the estimate, more than four billion people will be affected, with infant mortality rates climbing the fastest.
The largest increases are anticipated in low- or middle-income nations in Asia and Africa.
According to the analysis, the yearly expense of obesity would exceed $4 trillion (£3.3 trillion) by 2035.
The federation’s president, Prof. Louise Baur, characterized the report’s results as a strong warning to nations to take action now or suffer consequences in the future.
The report in particular highlights the rising rates of obesity among children and teenagers, with rates expected to double from 2020 levels among both boys and girls.
Prof Baur said the trend was “particularly worrying”, adding that “governments and policymakers around the world need to do all they can to avoid passing health, social, and economic costs on to the younger generation” by assessing “the systems and root factors” that contribute to obesity.
The effects of obesity’s prevalence on lower-income countries is also highlighted in the report. Nine of the 10 countries with the greatest expected increases in obesity globally are low or lower-middle income states in Africa and Asia.
Reasons include trends in dietary preferences towards more highly processed foods, greater levels of sedentary behaviour, weaker policies to control food supply and marketing, and less well-resourced healthcare services to assist in weight management and health education.
Lower-income countries are “often the least able to respond to obesity and its consequences”.
The findings estimate that rises in obesity rates around the world will have a significant impact on the global economy, equating to 3% of global Gross Domestic Product.
The report emphasises that its acknowledgement of the economic impact of obesity “is in no way a reflection of blame on people living with obesity”.
The data published in the report will be presented to the UN on Monday.
Obese is a medical term used to describe a person with a high excess of body fat.
The report uses body mass index (BMI) to make its assessments. BMI is calculated by dividing an adult’s weight by the square of their height.
According to former Red Devils full-back Gary Neville, Harry Kane should transfer from Tottenham to Manchester United if he wants to win trophies in his career.
Although being frequently linked with moves away over the years, including most notably in 2021 when he appeared to be pushing for a move to Manchester City before deciding to stay in North London, England captain Kane has spent his whole career with Tottenham.
The 29-year-old is having another another excellent season with Spurs, who were eliminated from the FA Cup on Wednesday by Sheffield United. He has scored 18 goals in 25 Premier League appearances.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Neville suggested Kane could look to move on at the end of the campaign and believes his former club are a realistic destination for the striker.
He said: ” Kane is going to want to win trophies, I think.
“It’s whether he sees it as being a case whereby he commits to Tottenham for his last five years and he does what some players have done.
“But if Harry is going to leave, I think now is the moment.
“He is a wonderful player, he’s a great professional, and I think if Kane could leave now, and you could get him an exit out of there to a club in Manchester probably, United or City, I think he would take that opportunity.
“It’s more than likely not going to be City because of their [Erling] Haaland expenditure and what they’ve done with him, but Manchester United are desperate for a centre forward.
“Chelsea, I can’t see him going there. He’s quite loyal to Tottenham and there’s a big rivalry with Chelsea, so I don’t see that happening, even though they do need a centre forward.
“He’s not going to go to Arsenal, because of the rivalry, so Manchester United is the only option in England for Kane this summer.
“Bayern Munich have been mentioned. That could happen and I think Daniel Levy would be happier if he was to go internationally, so we could see that.
“But I think Harry, if he wants to win trophies, is going to have to leave Tottenham, because Tottenham do struggle with that aspect.”
Neville also queried the idea of United signing Declan Rice, who was a part of the West Ham team that lost 3-1 to the Red Devils in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday.
Neville added: “Obviously, Declan knows the position, but when I look at world-class holding midfielders, and players of that type, because Rice doesn’t score or assist enough goals, so you’re putting him into that category of more of a destroyer.
“You’ve then got to be someone who I think is highly competent on the ball and linking play, and having that knowledge of the subtleties of getting on the ball from the back four.
“I personally feel, at this moment in time, that Declan needs to go and work under a different set-up, he needs to drive forward in his career, he needs to go and play at a different club.
“But for me, I wouldn’t be spending £110million or £120m on Rice if I was Manchester United this summer.
“I would spend £50m-60m on him but I wouldn’t spend the figures being reported because I still feel like he’s got a lot of growth.”
The troubled corporate empire of Indian multi-billionaire Gautam Adani claims to have received investment of $1.87 billion (£1.6 billion) from a US asset management company.
Adani informed investors that GQG Partners, based in Florida, had purchased stock in four of the group’s subsidiaries.
Since been accused by short-seller Hindenburg Research with stock market manipulation and financial fraud, this is the company’s first significant investment that has been made public.
After Hindenburg Research’s research was released on January 24, the value of the seven Adani Group firms that are listed on the stock market has reportedly decreased by an estimated $135 billion.
The GQG investment will be split across four Adani companies, including flagship firm Adani Enterprises.
“This transaction marks the continued confidence of global investors in the governance, management practices and the growth of Adani portfolio of companies,” said Adani Group’s chief financial officer Jugeshinder Singh.
“We value GQG’s role as a strategic investor in our infrastructure and utility portfolio of sustainable energy, logistics and energy transition,” Mr Singh added.
Rajiv Jain, chairman and chief investment officer at GQG, said he believed the “long-term growth prospects for these companies are substantial”.
He added that Mr Adani was “widely regarded as among the best entrepreneurs of his generation.”
In a separate regulatory filing, Adani Enterprises denied media reports that the conglomerate had secured $3bn in credit from a sovereign wealth fund.
“We would like to clarify that the said news item appears to be a market rumour and hence it would be inappropriate on our part to comment on it,” the firm said.
Earlier on Thursday, India’s Supreme Court said it had appointed an independent panel to investigate US short-seller Hindenburg Research’s allegations against Adani Group firms.
The firm alleged that Adani companies had engaged in decades of “brazen” stock manipulation and accounting fraud.
It also claimed the companies had “substantial debt” which put the entire group on a “precarious financial footing”.
Short-selling is betting that the value of an asset will fall.
Adani Group has denied the allegations, calling them an “attack on India”. It had previously said that the Hindenburg report was intended to enable the US-based short seller to book gains, without citing evidence.
Mr Adani’s group has seven publicly-traded companies which operate across a wide range of sectors, including commodities trading, airports, utilities, ports and renewable energy.
Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has assured the board of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC) of his support for their initiatives to provide Ghanaians with top-notch service.
When the Board of the company led by its chairman, Mr. Anthony Evans, called on Dr. Prempeh at the Ministry of Energy, he said these things.
The main purpose of the visit was to formally introduce Mrs. Genevieve Sackey, the company’s recently appointed Managing Director.
He specifically reassured the Energy Minister of the company’s strengthened resolve to serve the people of Ghana through their flagship programs, such the cylinder recirculation module, in response to some administrative concerns the Board Chairman voiced.
Mrs. Sackey assured the Minister that she was ready to co-operate with the Board and colleagues to deliver on the mandate of the company.
“GCMC has immense potential and I’m more than happy to contribute my quota to its mission” she said.
“It is also heart-warming to learn the commitment of the board and staff towards the work and look forward to collaborating with everyone” she added.
Dr. Prempeh further expressed his continuous and unwavering support for the agency in pursuit of its mandate.
As his father Ronaldinho did when he rose to superstardom at the club, Barcelona has given Joao Mendes an opportunity to succeed at Camp Nou.
Mendes, who is 18 years old, signed a deal on Thursday to join Barcelona’s development academy and hopes to advance.
After a trial session, Mendes was hired. He had previously played at the junior levels with a variety of Brazilian clubs.
In 207 games for Barcelona over a five-year span from 2003 to 2008, Ronaldinho scored 98 goals in all competitions.
After starring for Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil, he was brought in as close to the final product as possible. He later raised the bar even further by helping Barcelona win two LaLiga championships and the Champions League.
While a large crowd gathered to welcome Ronaldinho in 2003, the signing of his son was a low-key event, with Joan Soler Ferre, the club’s director of youth football, joining him to oversee the transaction.
✍🏼 El jugador 𝗝𝗼𝗮̃𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘀 ha signat, en presència del directiu @SolerFerre i del director del Futbol Formatiu José Ramon Alexanco, la seva incorporació al FC Barcelona en l’etapa juvenil#FCBMasia 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/IyVWbFddHU
Ronaldinho, who won the 2005 Ballon d’Or, is now a Barcelona ambassador.
Youngster Mendes was released by Cruzeiro last year, but in February the Barcelona president Joan Laporta welcomed the prospect of him joining the Catalan giants.
“The pressure on the boy is great, because Ronaldinho has been one of the best in history,” Laporta said then. “The son has pressure, but it’s the job of our coaches to develop his skills.”
The governor of Tennessee has passed regulations restricting medical care for young transgender people and outlawing drag shows in front of minors.
LGBT and civil rights organizations pledged to file a lawsuit to prevent the medical care policy from going into force on July 1.
Meanwhile, those who break the new drag legislation risk spending close to a year in jail as well as a fine of up to $2,500 (£2,100).
The regulations were passed by Governor Bill Lee when inquiries arose regarding an old photograph that purportedly showed him dressed as a woman.
When it comes into force next month, the drag law will ban performances “harmful to minors” by “go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators” in public places or venues where they could be viewed by children.
After a recent spate of like measures being suggested in Republican-run states, the statute is the first of its kind to be adopted in the US.
Republican Governor Lee has refuted claims that by signing the measure, he is acting hypocritically.
He has been questioned on a picture that was allegedly taken from a 1977 yearbook and was titled “Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in drag” and shared over the weekend on Reddit. A curly wig, a pearl necklace, and what appears to be a cheerleader’s uniform are all visible on the figure in the photo.
Image caption,Governor Bill Lee is accused of wearing women’s clothing in this 1977 yearbook photo
Mr Lee was asked about the photo earlier this week during a press conference.
“What a ridiculous, ridiculous question that is,” he responded, without confirming or denying the authenticity of the image.
“Conflating something like that to sexualised entertainment in front of children, which is a very serious subject.”
His office later issued a statement: “The bill specifically protects children from obscene, sexualised entertainment, and any attempt to conflate this serious issue with light-hearted school traditions is dishonest and disrespectful to Tennessee families.”
What exactly the law will prohibit is still unclear.
One of its sponsors, state legislator Chris Todd, previously called drag shows “child abuse” no matter what they contain, according to the Tennessean newspaper.
But other Republicans say the law would not broadly affect drag shows that are legal under Tennessee’s existing laws on obscenity.
Opponents of the law, including the state legislature’s Democrats, argue that this new legislation is redundant because they say sexualised performances in front of children are already illegal under Tennessee law.
Image caption,A drag performance at Nashville Pride last year
Bills to restrict drag events have been introduced in recent months in at least 14 different states, according to Pen America, a free-speech organisation.
Drag performances at libraries, which usually involve reading storybooks to children, have been the target of protests by religious organisations, parents’ groups, right-wing activists, and extremists including the Proud Boys.
Opponents say such shows aim to groom or sexualise young children. Performers and LGBT groups say the events are age-appropriate and educate children about being different.
LGBT groups say they are worried about the potential chilling effect of the law. Chris Sanders, of the Tennessee Equality Project, says drag show organisers in the state are considering cancelling or delaying performances until there is clarity around the legislation.
The law restricting medical treatment for transgender youth prohibits doctors from providing hormones or surgical treatment for minors, with a few limited exceptions. Children and teenagers under 18 who are already receiving such treatment can continue to receive it until April 2024.
Doctors who violate the law could be fined up to $25,000 (£21,000) per procedure.
House Majority Leader William Lamberth, a Republican, said children are not mature enough to make “life-altering” decisions about such operations or medication.
“These treatments and procedures have a lifetime of negative consequences that are irreversible,” he said, reports the Tennessean.
But the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, an LGBT civil rights organisation, said they would sue to stop the legislation from being enforced.
“We are dedicated to overturning this unconstitutional law and are confident the state will find itself completely incapable of defending it in court,” the organisations said in a statement.
Enforcement of similar laws in other states, including Alabama and Arkansas, has been paused by lawsuits.
After defeating Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on Thursday at the Santiago Bernabeu, Barcelona will head to Camp Nou with a slim edge.
The only thing separating the two Spanish powerhouses was an own goal by Eder Militao, despite Carlo Ancelotti’s team controlling the majority of the possession but failing to create many chances.
Only one other own goal has occurred in a Clasico this century, and three of them, Ivan Helguera’s in May 2002 and Raphael Varane’s in February 2019, have gone in Barca’s favor.
Yet, Madrid may feel fortunate not to have lost by a larger margin as Ansu Fati unintentionally prevented Franck Kessie from scoring during a second half that was mostly dominated by the hosts.
Karim Benzema had the ball in the net early on when he chested down a cross from Vinicius Junior and volleyed home, only to be flagged offside.
Despite Madrid dominating early on, it was Barcelona who took the lead in the 26th minute.
Ferran Torres played in Kessie, whose shot went in off Militao after Thibaut Courtois had initially saved from the Barca midfielder.
Vinicius saw an effort blocked by Ronald Araujo early in the second half, while the visitors should have doubled their lead 18 minutes from time.
Kessie met Torres’ cut-back but saw his goal-bound shot deflected wide by substitute Fati with Courtois stranded.
Nevertheless, Xavi’s men held on despite Madrid’s desperate late onslaught.
Stephen Curry is expected to return to the Golden State Warriors lineup for their matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Curry, who sustained a lower leg injury on February 4, has taken part in numerous team scrimmages, including one on Thursday.
Reporters questioned Warriors coach Steve Kerr about whether Curry may be available on Sunday in Los Angeles following Thursday’s shootaround.
“I suppose,” Kerr replied.
Curry has already been ruled out for Golden State’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Golden State star Stephen Curry (leg) intends to make his return on Sunday on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers barring a setback, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
Entering play Thursday, the Warriors are 12-12 this season without the two-time league MVP, but his return will be welcome news for a team in the thick of the jumbled Western Conference playoff picture.
Before Thursday’s games against the Los Angeles Clippers, the defending champion Warriors sat in fifth place in the West at 32-30, just 2.5 games up on the 11th-place Lakers.
Despite dealing with shoulder and leg injuries in his 14th NBA season, Curry is having one of his best individual campaigns, scoring 29.4 points per game on 42.7-percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The Warriors’ season has been a rocky one – especially given the team’s 7-23 road record – but they remain contenders when healthy.
One development of note has been the reemergence of Curry’s ‘Splash Brothers’ running-mate Klay Thompson, who has averaged 26.2 points in 21 games since January 2.
According to the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James‘ foot ailment will be reevaluated in three weeks.
The 38-year-old missed Sunday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks, the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and the triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an injury he suffered in the third quarter.
James will not need surgery, according to reports on Thursday. The Lakers have also claimed that James has a right foot tendon issue, however this has not been officially confirmed by the team.
A team statement said: “LeBron James has been evaluated by Lakers team physicians and medical staff and it has been determined that he has sustained a right foot tendon injury.
“James will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks.”
There is just over a month remaining of the regular season, with the Lakers facing a battle to secure a spot in the playoffs, sitting 11th in the Western Conference on a record of 30-33.
LeBron James has been evaluated by Lakers team physicians and medical staff, and it has been determined that he has sustained a right foot tendon injury. James will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks.
Alhaji Said Sinare, the former vice chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has outlined his differences with Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the party’s current national chairman.
Alhaji Sinare while interacting with the media claimed that Asiedu Nketiah, a party member he has known for 30 years, had restored a party member who had falsely accused him of committing a crime.
He noted that the NDC member who was his driver was to be punished by the party, but Asiedu Nketiah reversed course and restored him to run for the position of party constituency chairman.
“I don’t get along with Asiedu, as you know… I was deeply hurt by what he did to me.
“There was this gentleman during the 2020 election called Baba Warabah; he was my driver. I fired him, and he went to the police station to report me that I had given him an AK-47 and a pomp action (gun) to go and cause mayhem in the Northern Region, and I was arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
He went on to say that a disciplinary committee set up by the NDC’s Northern Region branch faulted him for not reporting the matter to the party, but the National Executives rightly had issues with the report of the committee and took the decision to suspend Baba Warabah.
“Although he was suspended and all that, along the line, Asiedu Nketiah made a U-turn and brought the boy back for him to contest the chairmanship position in one of the constituencies.
“I felt very hurt. I felt that he had done a very bad thing to me. We have been very good friends for the past 30 years. He was my colleague in Parliament; we worked together as national executives for 17 years,” he added.
Alhaji Sinare, however, indicated that he has put the issue behind him and that his main focus now is to help the party win the 2024 elections.
The Lands Commission has to pay an administrative fine to a tune of GH¢100,000 to the Right to Information Commission (RIC) for failing to release information on returned state lands to pressure group, OccupyGhana.
Also, the RIC has instructed the Lands Commission to provide the said details to the pressure group.
The Executive Secretary is to provide among other things; a list of all public lands over which government’s ownership or control has been relinquished, and the names of the person to whom those lands have been released.
“The respective sizes and locations (suburbs, towns/cities and regions) of all such lands; The conditions of release, whether free, sale, lease or licence; If the land has been leased, the amount of rent paid or payable; and any other amounts paid or received by government, if any, for each such transaction”.
These pieces of information are to be provided not later than 14 days after receipt of the decision.
The pressure group sought after this information after reports that the government has retrieved lands that were encorached by some individuals.
OccupyGhana in its statement explained that they were compelled to seek RIC’s intervention in September last year after the Lands Commission told them that they would do so upon advise from the Attorney-General.
“For a while, we tolerated the risible excuses, starting with the 7 June 2022 demand for the details of ‘any personality’ within our organisation, to the 21 June 2022 blame of its own ‘manual’ systems.
“But when on 2 September, the Lands Commission finally claimed that it was waiting for the Attorney-General’s advice on whether the consent of the persons to whom the State lands had allegedly been transferred was required to provide the information, we were compelled to seek the RIC’s intervention,” OccupyGhana added in its statement.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, has endorsed Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) candidate for the 2024 general election.
The Vice President, he emphasized, is the clear candidate to lead the NPP through the 2024 elections.
He said, “I support Dr. Bawumia 500 per cent. I know all the candidates qualify for the position and every one of them has the right to contest, but I believe the Vice President stands tall.”
In an interview with Accra-based Asempa FM, Lawyer Egyapa Mercer, who is also the Deputy Minister of Energy said, “I respect all the candidates vying for the position, but I believe Dr. Bawumia is the man who can win power for the NPP.”
“I have relationships with all contestants, but I believe Dr. Bawumia should be our next flagbearer going into election 2024,” he pointed out.
The MP for Sefwi Akotombra and a former Deputy Minister of Western North, Alex Tetteh, made the disclosure in an interview on Accra-based Peace FM while commenting on a survey report which put Dr. Bawumia far ahead of his other competitors in the NPP presidential race.
