The vehicles used in the Accra to London expedition are in the process of being transported back to Ghana now that the participants have successfully concluded their journey.
Two land cruisers, a Raptor, a Defender, a G63, and an RX350 were among the vehicles the expedition’s participants drove.
A few days ago, word spread quickly on social media that some Ghanaians had made the decision to drive from Accra to London, using various cars as their mode of transportation.
According to reports, there were 13 people on the trip, leaving Ghanaians to wonder if they would be able to join them on such an adventure.
After travelling for 16 days, the participants arrived in London safely, and many Ghanaians praised them for bringing attention to Ghana on a global scale.
In a post shared by Wanderlust Ghana, the group they are known to belong to on Facebook, the cars used to embark on the trip were being packed into containers, ready to be shipped to Ghana.
This also implies that the travelers will be returning to Ghana soon.
The post was captioned: “Well done guys, now let’s go home. #AccratoLondonoverroad, #thejourneyisthedestination, #timetoeatfufuo.”
Assin Central MP and NPP presidential aspirant, Kennedy Agyapong, has absolved himself from blame in the killing of investigative journalist, Ahmed Hussein-Suale.
Speaking in an interview on TV3, he reiterated that he had no hand in the killing of Mr Suale.
“His own deeds caused his death, not me,” he told the host of the show on Thursday, August 16, 2023.
He described him as a bad guy and said Anas used him.
“If you don’t have the evidence, Anas used him. All those people that Anas destroyed with his videos and everything, Anas never showed his face except this guy and this guy was bold to set everyone up,” he said to back his earlier assertion.
His own deeds caused his death, not me – Flagbearer hopeful of the NPP, Kennedy Agyapong clears the air on the late Ahmed Suale.#TV3NewDaypic.twitter.com/3O7V8iuBFG
On January 16, 2019, Ahmed Hussein-Suale was shot dead near his family home in Accra.
His family holds the assertion that Ahmed was assassinated because of his work. Mr Agyapong was deemed a suspect by the public after he disclosed the identity of the journalist.
It has been four years, and the Police are yet to find the culprits of the unlawful act.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has taken significant steps towards agricultural development in the Savannah Region. According to Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, former Minister of Agriculture, Mahama has engaged in large-scale cultivation of crops and animal rearing, displaying a commitment to local empowerment and economic growth.
Hundreds of acres of land in Busunu, West Gonja Municipality, have been cleared and cultivated with crops such as soybeans. This initiative serves a dual purpose: providing a model farm for youth education in farming techniques and generating employment opportunities for the local community.
In a commendable move, Mahama has facilitated the extension of electricity to the Busunu farm, personally covering the expenses of wiring to the nearby Lorto community. Additionally, the Sharaf Mahama Foundation, an NGO established by Mahama’s son, has funded the extension of water supply from the farm to the Lorto community, demonstrating a holistic approach to community development.
The agricultural endeavors extend beyond crops, as Mahama has acquired a vast 600-acre plot in Yapei, Central Gonja District, for animal rearing. The project envisions creating the largest animal rearing center in Ghana and West Africa, potentially providing substantial employment opportunities for the region’s youth. The Yapei initiative primarily focuses on cattle, goats, and sheep farming.
Empowering women in agriculture is another aspect of Mahama’s strategy. Tractors and agricultural inputs will be supplied to women, with plowing services provided and essential resources like fertilizers and inputs furnished to promote women’s engagement in farming.
Alhaji Mohammed Muniru emphasizes the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) commitment to agriculture as a pivotal sector for Ghana’s development. These agricultural ventures spearheaded by Mahama underscore the significance of agriculture in fostering economic progress and local well-being.
Alhaji Mohammed Muniru disclosed these developments during the launch of the “Young Minds Project” by the Tamawuta Foundation in Busunu, where efforts are directed towards uplifting the underprivileged within the Savannah Region.
Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Ken Agyapong, has asserted that employment stands as the singular remedy to address Ghana’s multifaceted challenges.
Mr Agyapong’s conviction is grounded in the belief that employment holds the power to significantly transform Ghana’s current landscape.
Speaking on TV3’s NewDay, on Wednesday,August 16, 2023, he noted that: “the only solution to our problems is to create employment for the youth of this country.”
He stated that this is why he has placed job creation as a top priority, and he intends to uphold this priority if elected to office.
“My track record clearly indicates that Ken Agyapong is for the youth. Ken Agyapong is for employment and anybody who does not work in life has no life. So job job job and that’s Ken Agyapong. I want to create jobs for the youth,” he added.
Kennedy Agyapong was Roland Walker’s guest on NewDay on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. During the show they tackled a myriad of issues relating to his political ambition, the New Patriotic Party and issues affecting Ghana.
Among other things, he asserted that politics stands as one of Ghana’s biggest woes. He said politics is destroying the country.
Mr Agyapong noted that politics has polarised the system such that politicians are unable to undertake initiatives that would be advantageous for the country in the long term.
It is against this and other factors that he called on delegates to help him become the flagbearer of the NPP, and subsequently the President of Ghana.
A university student has recounted a chilling ordeal of how his landlady poured urine into his meal.
Recalling the incident, the student of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), identified as just Louis, said he rented an apartment at Opokukrom, in Ahafo-Ano, Ashanti, Ghana.
“I was given a place to cook and that was my kitchen for some time but it got to the point, the landlady asked me to stop using my assigned kitchen and cook outside,” he said.
Displeased by the directive, he decided to ignore it and continued using the kitchen. He said he was issued a few warnings after his failure to adhere to the order but he disregarded the warnings as well.
“This resulted in a confrontation with one of the children of the woman and during that incident she came in and poured urine into my food,” he said on Sompa Nkomo.
Taking hot water baths during the rainy season can offer several benefits:
Warmth and Comfort: Rainy weather can bring a drop in temperature, making a hot water bath a comforting way to stay warm and alleviate any chill.
Relaxation: Hot water baths can relax your muscles and promote a sense of calm, which can be particularly soothing during the gloomy and damp rainy days.
Improvement in Blood Circulation: Warm water can help improve blood circulation, reducing the risk of feeling cold and aiding in overall body function.
Pain Relief: If you experience joint or muscle pain due to the damp weather, a hot water bath can temporarily alleviate discomfort and stiffness.
Hygiene: Rainy weather can sometimes result in muddy roads and damp conditions, making it essential to maintain proper hygiene. Hot water baths can help you thoroughly clean yourself.
Easing Respiratory Discomfort: The rainy season can bring an increase in humidity, which might lead to respiratory issues. Inhaling steam from a hot water bath could potentially provide relief from congestion and minor respiratory discomfort.
Mood Enhancement: Warm baths have been shown to release endorphins, which can boost your mood and help combat any gloomy feelings associated with rainy weather.
Improved Sleep: A hot water bath before bed can relax your body and potentially lead to better sleep quality, which is essential for overall well-being.
Skin Care: Warm water can help open up pores and cleanse the skin effectively. This could be beneficial in maintaining skin health during humid and rainy conditions.
Time for Self-Care: Rainy days can often mean spending more time indoors. Taking a hot water bath can offer a chance to engage in self-care and relaxation activities.
Remember that personal preferences and health conditions vary, so while hot water baths can be beneficial for many people during the rainy season, it’s important to consider what’s best for your individual needs.
The husband of media personality Nana Ama Mcbrown, Mr Maxwell Mensah, has surprised his loving wife with a $45,000 Toyota Supra 2021 model car as her birthday gift.
August 15 marked the 46th birthday of the actress.
The Toyota Supra is a sports car that gained popularity due to its performance, style, and heritage. The 2021 Toyota Supra marked the fifth generation of the model. Here are some key features and details about the 2021 Toyota Supra.
These netizens claim that the actress planned the car surprise behind the scenes but falsely claimed in public that Mr. Maxwell Mensah was the financier of the car because she wanted her husband to be popular with Ghanaians.
In the midst of the army’s ongoing conflict with militias in another province, Amhara, residents and opposition organisations in Ethiopia‘s largest region, Oromia, have accused government troops of killing numerous people.
At least 10 civilians, including four family members, were slain by government forces in West Shoa, according to family members of victims who spoke to the BBC’s Afaan Oromoo service.
The regional government has not responded to the BBC’s attempts to contact them for comment.
Ararsa Yadesa, a local, claimed that two farm labourers and four members of his family perished in a single occurrence.
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a large armed organisation, is active there. However, Mr. Ararsa asserted that prior to the incident, there had not been any combat between OLA and government soldiers.
A university student stated that in a different incident, only he was able to survive after being shot at by security personnel while being hauled out of his hamlet together with three other young people.
Both the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), two opposition organisations, have charged the West Shoa government with extrajudicial murders, mass arrests, and human rights violations.
According to the groups, 11 people died.
The administration is currently facing fierce resistance from armed groups in the nation’s second-largest Amhara region.
The main cities in Amhara have managed to operate in a somewhat regular manner following last week’s intense urban fighting, while militias have continued to hold sway over the area’s smaller towns.
Afia Schwarzenegger has demanded that Suzzy Williams’ mother refrain from speaking of her daughter as a saint who deserves to be revered even after death.
She has urged Mrs. Cecilia Williams to be truthful about her late daughter’s wild lifestyle, which contributed to her untimely death, rather than incorrectly assuming that she was innocent.
Suzzy Williams’ mother earlier lamented Suzzy’s supposed “industry godmothers” and coworkers’ neglect ever since the actress passed away 18 years ago.
In an interview with N0.1FM, the mother of Suzzy Williams also revealed her recent financial struggles and the threat her landlord has made to evict her from her apartment for nonpayment of rent.
She also asserted that the boyfriend of her deceased daughter was a bad influence on her and was crucial to her demise.
However, Afia Schwarzenegger respondeing to such claims angrily criticised Suzzy’s mother for giving the impression that her daughter led a good life on TikTok to
She claims that Suzzy Williams’ mother is well aware of how errant her daughter was and how she was powerless to rein her in and guide the late actress in the right direction.
According to Afia, there were even rumours that drugs had been found at the scene of the accident that had claimed her life.
“She was hanging with the wrong crowd. The question is where were you as a mother? People should stop pushing unnecessary agenda. They should stop making it look like it’s a McBrown problem. They should stop making it look like it’s the devil’s fault. The devil hasn’t done anything. Was it the devil who had been putting wee in her mouth? Was it the devil who was pouring a drink into her cup? Suzzy Williams was all over. Do you know the number of nights you will meet him at places with her boyfriend, Edwin She is no one’s responsibility. Didn’t her mother work after she died? Your daughter is dead so what should we do? Was she the one who brought a cure for glaucoma? Nobody owes you a dime.
“She should rather sit and reflect instead of pity games. Stop making stories up. Those who picked Suzzy up from the accident scene to the hospital said they found drugs on her. Your daughter and her ex-boyfriend were doing drugs. Your daughter was living a wild life. Edwin was into drugs and Suzzy was into wee. We used to smoke together at Nana King’s house. Your daughter was a turning point for me. My mother thinks it was her prayers that made me change but no! Suzzy Williams became the turning point for most of us,” Afia fumed.
A boat off the coast of Cape Verde carrying about 40 survivors and a number of West African migrants has been discovered adrift.
It’s unclear how many people died exactly.
With over 100 individuals on board, the boat is said to have left Senegal a month prior.
According to speculation, the boat was on its way to the Spanish Canary Islands, a well-liked entry point for immigrants seeking asylum in the European Union.
Each year, thousands of people fleeing poverty and violence take the risky journey across the ocean, frequently in substandard boats or motorised canoes provided by human smugglers.
In an explosion that occurred on Monday in the Dominican Republic‘s small town of San Cristóbal, at least 11 people died.
Ten adults and a four-month-old baby’s remains have been recognised, according to officials, but they cautioned that “there are more corpses” likely to be discovered.
What started the explosion in the town’s commercial district is still unknown.
For many hours after the explosion, smoke from the flames it started could be seen drifting over the town.
After the explosion, smoke covered the region near the blast.
There are still ten persons missing. President Luis Abinader visited the explosion scene on Tuesday and declared, “We are doing everything humanly necessary to locate them.
Many of the injured, who number in the dozens, are still hospitalised.
Outside of the town’s primary hospital, family members of the injured and the missing awaited word.
In four of the nine burning buildings, hundreds of firefighters are still working to douse the flames.
Hours after the explosion, fires are still burning, and firemen are still working there.
On Monday afternoon, the village, which is located on the southern suburbs of the capital Santo Domingo, was completely destroyed by the explosion.
Its precise origin has not yet been identified. Among the structures that were destroyed were a plastics factory, a veterinary clinic, and a hardware store.
Despite worries that Russia could attack ships in the Black Sea, a commerce ship has departed the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte has been imprisoned in the harbour.
After a contract that had permitted it to export grain last month fell through, Kyiv has announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea.
Moscow, though, has not said whether it will adhere to the corridor.
The ship sailed away as Kyiv reported that Russian airstrikes had destroyed grain storage facilities in Reni, a Danube River river port located around 260 kilometres (160 miles) south-west of Odesa.
Photos of the damaged storage facilities and strewn grain and sunflower fields in Reni, near the border of Ukraine with Moldova and Romania, were provided by Ukrainian authorities.
According to a source in the business, the port’s operations are still ongoing.
Regarding the most recent incident, Russia made no remarks.
Last month, Russia backed out of an agreement that ensured shipments across the Black Sea would be transported safely and warned that any ship sailing towards Ukrainian ports may be targeted militarily.
It fired warning shots at a ship heading near Ukraine earlier this week.
Since Ukraine is a significant exporter of grains and oilseeds, the blockade has helped to drive up food prices around the world.
Russian airstrikes on grain storage facilities in Reni, on the Danube River, according to photos published by Ukrainian officials.
Despite the warnings, Ukraine last week declared a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to permit ships to leave its ports, guaranteeing complete openness to show that they were not acting in support of any military objectives.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, the deputy prime minister, announced on Facebook that “a first vessel used the temporary corridor for merchant ships to/from the ports of Great Odesa.”
According to Reuters, the Joseph Schulte’s owners, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement and a Chinese bank, confirmed the ship was headed to Istanbul, Turkey.
According to Mr. Kubrakov, the corridor was carrying 2,114 containers and more than 30,000 tonnes of cargo, including food, and it will mostly be used to evacuate ships stranded in Black Sea ports since Russia’s full-scale invasion started.
In the meantime, Russian forces had been routed from Urozhaine, a small hamlet in the Donetsk region, according toUkrainian officials.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar posted on Telegram, “Urozhaine liberated – our defenders are entrenched at the periphery.”
Television personality Michy has hinted at her plans to venture into politics.
Explaining that politics is the most lucrative job in the country at this moment.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Michy mentioned that it has been her dream to venture into politics and she is doing everything within her right path to make sure she achieves that dream.
According to her, she is currently pursuing a degree in Law and that is a step in the right direction for her to achieve her dream of becoming a politician.
On doing music as a full-time job, she mentioned that she has dreams and aspirations and that is what is pushing her to to further her education because she can’t still be doing music in her 40s and 50s.
“I have future goals, that’s why I’m going to school now. I don’t see myself doing music in my 40s or 50s. Hopefully, I can go into politics,” she shared.
On why she prefers politics and not any other profession, Michy explained that politics kind of provides people with a certain status in society and also opens the door for people to explore.
She concluded: “It gives you a certain status in society that opens doors, which might not be open otherwise. So, it’s for the status and the chance to help others.”
Assin Central MP and NPP presidential aspirant,Kennedy Agyapong, has rated the Akufo-Addo led administration 6/10.
Speaking in an interview on TV3’s he said President Akufo-Addo‘s administration has not faltered in its performance.
“6 is above average. He’s not failed but let me be fair to him too,” he told host of TV3’s NewsDay.
Kennedy Agyapong was Roland Walker’s guest on NewDay on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. During the show they tackled a myriad of issues relating to his political ambition, the New Patriotic Party and issues affecting Ghana.
Among other things, he asserted that politics stands as one of Ghana’s biggest woes. He said politics is destroying the country.
Mr Agyapong noted that politics has polarised the system such that politicians are unable to undertake initiatives that would be advantageous for the country in the long term.
He said if elected, he would ensure that these resources are well utilised if given the nod.
Officials have named the first casualties of the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged the island of Maui last week.
The first two victims were identified by Maui’s police department as Lahaina residents Buddy Jantoc, 79, and Robert Dyckman, 74.
With nearly 1,300 people still missing, the dead toll from the flames has now reached 106.
Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green has stated that it will probably take a few more days for authorities to determine an exact death toll.
Richard Bissen, the mayor of Maui County, expressed his sincere condolences to the families who are starting to get notifications of their loved ones. “In this most trying time, we offer our prayers of consolation as a community.”
Authorities have identified three other people, he claimed, and their next of kin have been notified.
The president stated on Tuesday that he has yet to go due to worries that doing so would take away from the humanitarian response in terms of resources and attention. He announced that Jill Biden would travel with him to Hawaii.
“I don’t want to be a hindrance. I’ve visited too many areas affected by disasters, Mr. Biden remarked. I’m concerned that we won’t obstruct current recovery efforts.
He declared that the US Coast Guard and US military will be utilised together with “all available federal assets” for recovery efforts in the area.
As more dead are discovered in the most severely affected areas of Maui, officials in Hawaii have stated that they anticipate the death toll to grow in the days ahead. Searches for human remains have only been conducted in 25% of the impacted region thus far.
Lahaina, a town of around 12,000 people, lost 80% of its structure to the fire.
Many Maui locals expressed their frustration with the scope and pace of the recovery efforts to the BBC.
Les Munn, a local, claimed that he had already received $500 (£392) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), which is less than the cost of a single night at the majority of the island’s hotels.
He continues to rest in a shelter for the time being.
Everyone wants the limelight, but nobody wants to put their feet on the ground, according to Felicia Johnson, a local.
One woman in Lahaina claimed she feared starvation in the days following the fire on a street above the fire line.
On Maui, a number of supply hubs for relief efforts have been set up.
At her neighbor’s house, one of several grassroots relief supply hubs organised by neighbours in the neighbourhood, people are already delivering bags of ice, water, clothing, batteries, and little solar chargers.
Amory Mowrey spent $1,700 loading up his and his friend’s SUVs with bags of rice, cases of water, packs of batteries, and toilet paper before making a second trip into the most severely affected area.
He explained, “We’re just trying to get goods into the affected areas as quickly as possible so people get what they need. “It felt like there was a lack of response from large organisations.”
Others expressed annoyance that local supplies were being rejected by government representatives or that people were unable to reach Lahaina to assist due to road closures.
Liz Germansky, whose home was destroyed in the fire, complained that “the government is getting in the way of people helping.”
While stuck in a traffic gridlock on the island, she told the BBC, “I don’t think the government could have done less.”
The current course of events is indicative of what we all went through on Tuesday, so it’s understandable how things have spiralled out of control.
More than 500 federal emergency professionals have already been sent, according to the US government, to assist with the rescue operation.
A one-time payout of $700 per household and low-interest disaster loans have also been authorised.
Former Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Noi Thompson, has unequivocally condemned the use of the term “Akyem Mafia” or any language that promotes tribalism.
He made the remarks in an article dubbed: “Beware, the tribal supremacists: Myths of J.B. Danquah and the Big Six.”
“Akyem Mafia” is a term that has been used in Ghanaian political discourse. It refers to a perceived group of influential individuals from the Akyem ethnic group who are believed to have considerable power and control over political and economic affairs in the country.
President Akufo-Addo and affiliates in government, including close family members are often the bearers of this tag.
However, in the article, Dr Thompson firmly denounced the utilisation of the phrase “Akyem Mafia” or “any term that demonises an entire tribe for the folly of a few.”
He further expressed his thoughts and challenged the deeply ingrained ‘tribalistic idea’ that portrays the Akyem people as the original founders of Ghana.
He also aimed to dispel certain misconceptions surrounding JB Danquah and the prominent figures known as the Big Six.
Dr Thompson’s article comes amid public uproar over a comment made by President Akufo-Addo which suggested that renaming the University of Ghana, Legon to honor the memory and legacy of J.B Danquah, may happen soon.
Read Full article below:
Giving his submission on the piece, he noted that: “As expected, the president’s recent suggestion that the University of Ghana might be renamed after his late uncle, Dr. J.B. Danquah, the Gold Coast lawyer and “nationalist,” has provoked a firestorm of criticism from a public that has clearly had enough of the tribal-supremacist agenda of the president and his kinsmen.
“And none of them have articulated the rationale behind this agenda more brazenly than a relative of the president, lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea, who three years ago said the following on the television programme, Good Evening Ghana:
“If you remove the role of the Akyem people from the history of this country, we won’t have a history… The guy who named this country is from Akufo-Addo’s background. The one who wanted Ghana called Ghana… [was] J. B. Danquah….” Mr. Akyea went on to cite the Big Six, the leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) who were arrested by the British colonialists after the 1948 riots that accelerated the independence process, and reminded viewers that the president’s father, among the six, “was one of the individuals who are acclaimed as the pioneers of our independence.”
“With this crude concoction of facts and fiction, they tend to believe that they own the country and can do as they please. Textbooks, for instance, have been doctored and Danquah given disproportionate prominence in Ghana’s history.
This peasant aristocratic sense of entitlement, especially among people occupying national offices, is a threat to social cohesion and national development. So let us demolish forthwith a few myths about J.B. Danquah and the Big Six, and tackle other aspects of Ghanaian history that the tribalists have bastardised to drive this dangerous ideology of tribal supremacy. (For the record, I condemn the term “Akyem mafia,” or any term that demonises an entire tribe for the folly of a few).
Myth No. 1: Danquah’s research linked the Akan of Ghana to the ancient Ghana Empire.
Fact: That credit goes to Rev. J. B. Anaman, of Anomabo and Sekondi, whose research took place in 1895, the year Danquah was born.
Myth No. 2: Danquah founded the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).
Fact: Danquah himself described George Alfred (Paa) Grant, the wealthy Gold Coast merchant, as the “architect and founder of the UGCC.”
Myth No. 3: UGCC was the first political party in the Gold Coast.
Fact: The earliest known political parties (for municipal, not national, elections) were mainly the Accra Rate Payers Association and the Ga Manbii (Ga Nationalist) Party of Kojo Thompson in the 1920s. Lesser-known parties, such as the Asene Koo Wulu Party, later emerged in Accra and other municipalities like Cape Coast and Sekondi in the 1930s; never in Abuakwa, Danquah’s hometown. By the time the UGCC was founded in Saltpond in 1947, there were already other (if generally inactive) parties, particularly, the Gold Coast People’s League and the Gold Coast National Party. As a result, the name originally proposed by the founders was changed from Gold Coast People’s Party (GCPP) to United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), to rein in the other parties.
Myth No. 4: The Big Six were the architects of the 28th February 1948 demo that propelled Ghana’s independence movement.
Fact: George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah’s political advisor, stated in his book, The Gold Coast Revolution, that the Big Six did “not” initiate the demonstration. Nkrumah was away from Accra on the 28th , and Danquah and the other four initially condemned the ex-service men for the violence that had been instigated by the reckless shooting of unarmed demonstrators by a trigger-happy British officer named Colin Imray. The British arrested the six politicians – Kwame Nkrumah, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Edward Akufo-Addo, J.B. Danquah, William Ofori-Atta, and Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey – more for their UGCC work than any direct involvement in the events of 28th February.
Who then was the architect of 28th February? That credit goes mainly to Mr. B. E. A Tamakloe, general secretary of the Ex-servicemen’s Union, who negotiated the demonstration with the governor; to whom the governor addressed all letters; and in whose name the permit for the demonstration was issued. He was supported by five other people, according to the Watson Commission’s report, making them the Real Big Six, but the five were not named.
However, all eight executives of the Union who planned the demo were named, giving us the Big Eight: (1) B. E. A. Tamakloe; (2) S. A. Codjoe; (3) R. T. Dodoo; (4) J. S. Laryea; (5) R. P. Craig; (6) F. L. Adjei; (7) J. D. Ankrah; and (8) G. E. Lutterodt. We need a proper history of Ghana.
And then there were the 29 martyrs who died from the disturbances of the 28th and the days that followed, including Sgt. Cornelius Nii Adjetey; Corporal Patrick Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey, who were murdered by Imray. The Big Six, as a group, were accidental beneficiaries of history, their individual contributions to the nationalist movement notwithstanding.
Myth No. 5: Ashantis did not play any role in the independence movement because they don’t appear in the Big Six.
Fact: Ghana’s history is bigger than the Big Six, despite efforts by Danquah’s descendants to make the Big Six (and, within the Big Six, their relatives) the alpha and omega of our history. Krobo Edusei of the Ashanti Youth Association (AYA) was the chairman of the Kumasi committee of the nation-wide Anti-Inflation Campaign that was organised by Mantse Nii Kwabena Bonne (a chief of both Osu and Techiman, then part of Ashanti) in 1948.
When the Big Six were incarcerated in Kumasi, AYA plotted to storm the prison and free them, prompting the governor to whisk them to the Northern Territories, under stricter security, for fear that the hard-nosed AYA members may still make their way up north. Edusei later served nine months in jail for his political activism alongside Nkrumah. The AYA, in its militancy, had also demanded “self-government within the next five years,” compared to the UGCC’s gradualist approach of self-government “in the shortest possible time”.
The AYA, the Osu Youth Association, and the Sekondi Youth Association were among the youth groups that dragged Nkrumah from the UGCC and forced him to form the Convention People’s Party (CPP), which led Ghana to independence. They were the original foot soldiers! The proposed name for their new party was Ghana People’s Party, but Nkrumah asked that “Ghana” be reserved for independence and replaced it with “Convention” to show continuity, at least in name, from the UGCC.
Myth No. 6: Danquah named the Gold Coast Ghana.
Fact: That was simply impossible, as by 1957 Danquah’s political career was effectively over (he and Ofori-Atta having lost their seats to the CPP in the 1954 and 1956 elections). Only Nkrumah as prime minister in 1957 was in a position to propose that name, and he did. Danquah and the others criticised Nkrumah for choosing the name Ghana, and in his autobiography Nkrumah was forced to defend his choice.
Danquah, however, had a weird obsession for naming places, like the president does today. He had proposed, without any consultations, that the Northern Territories be renamed Fergusonia, after Ekem Ferguson, the surveyor from Anomabo who had done much work in the North. The idea was rejected by the British, much like his previous suggestion to rename the Gold Coast Akanland, and later Akan-Ga, when he was reminded that there were more than Akans in the colony. (He, like the president today and his fellow tribalists, was married to a Ga woman).
His most “valiant” name-changing effort was his suggestion after the 1948 riots that he and his relatives be put in charge of the Gold Coast, under the name Ghanaland. The idea of course was laughed off by the British. He pioneered the tribalism that his inward-looking descendants are now perfecting with national resources. (Remember the president’s statement, “Yen Akanfo” during his desperate struggle to win power – and destroy the country?)
Myth No. 7: Danquah was the “doyen of Gold Coast politicians”.
Fact: The Watson Commission described him as such but suggested that this was before Nkrumah came on the scene. Thus, in the 1951 election, Nkrumah won over 95% of the votes (from prison!) whilst Danquah scraped through with only 53% (and Ofori-Atta with 51%) in Abuakwa. In the 1954 election, both Danquah and Ofori-Atta, running on Busia’s Ghana Congress Party (GCP) after the collapse of the UGCC in 1951, lost to CPP upstarts, despite threats from the Okyenhene to deport anyone who voted for the CPP. Of the 104 seats, the GCP won only one – by Busia, who squeezed through his Wenchi constituency with an 11-vote victory over his CPP rival.
Danquah and Ofori-Atta again lost the 1956 elections, exposing the limits of Danquah’s purported doyenness. He was a novice when it came to political organisation and electioneering, no match for Nkrumah, the consummate organiser, strategist, orator, and man of the people. Whilst Nkrumah wore batakari, Danquah preferred his three-piece suit in the hot African sun, making him a stranger to his own people.
Myth No. 8: Kwame Nkrumah hated Ashantis.
Fact: The opposite was true. Nkrumah loved Ashanti and Ashanti loved him (and the CPP) back. One of the most fanatical members of the CPP was an Asante woman from Bekwai (but lived in Kumasi) who named herself Ama Nkrumah (the female version of Kwame Nkrumah) and pledged support to Nkrumah and the CPP with her blood. The CPP swept five of the six seats in the 1950 Kumasi municipal elections (6,210 votes versus 50 for the opposition), and would have won the sixth seat had it not been for a technical disqualification.
Ashanti was the first to benefit from Nkrumah’s Accelerated Education Programme of 1951, with the establishment of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Opoku Ware Secondary School in 1952, among others. Despite the terror attacks by the National Liberation Movement (NLM) in 1956 against CPP members, which led to an exodus of CPP refugees from Ashanti, the CPP won 8 seats in Ashanti, compared to 12 for the NLM in the 1956 election. The CPP won 43% of the total Ashanti vote and claimed NLM strongholds like Obuase and Asante Akyem hands down.
Suffice it to say that there is more to Ghana’s history than the Big Six, in whose shadow some now seek relevance and pre-eminence for their dead relatives. It appears that without the Big Six, they are nothing, unlike Nkrumah, whose legacy goes beyond the Big Six and stands on its own.
The public’s swift and no-nonsense rejection of the president’s loose talk about renaming UG after his uncle is a pointed reminder that Ghanaians would not tolerate the bastardisation of their history by any group or tribe, no matter how powerful or privileged they might feel.
Power, after all, in a democracy like Ghana’s, is fleeting. A word to the wise….
Fulgence Kayishema, a fugitive from justice from Rwanda who had been held in South Africa, was apprehended once more on a warrant for his extradition to Arusha, Tanzania, where he would face a genocide prosecution.
He was taken into custody earlier on Tuesday while being held in the high court’s holding area in Cape Town.
The tribunal wants him to respond to allegations that he planned the death of over 2,000 Tutsi refugees in Rwanda at a Catholic church during the 1994 genocide.
After being located at a wine vineyard in Paarl, in the Western Cape region, Mr. Kayishema is already detained in South Africa. He was initially detained for breaking the nation’s immigration restrictions.
Investigators in South Africa claimed that since his entrance in the country in 2000, he has been residing there using a fictitious name.
He is charged with crimes against humanity, involvement in genocide, and having a significant role in the 1994 genocide in his native Rwanda.
He gave up on his request for release during his most recent court appearance in June and declared that he will seek asylum in South Africa instead.
To give his attorneys and the regional prosecutors time to reply to the arrest and transfer order, the case against him has been continued until August 30.
Although he hasn’t yet entered a plea to the allegations brought against him, he has previously denied any involvement in the offences.
Bhim Nation President Livingstone Etse Satekla known widely as Stonebwoy has finally broken his silence on the attack on him and his team in Atlanta after shopping at Icebox.
Yesterday, news emerged that the Dancehall musician and his team were robbed at gunpoint by some armed men on the street of Atlanta, Georgia.
According to the reports, he and his team had arrived in Atlanta after a successful show in Washington to prepare for another show schedule to come off today and decided to shop.
It continued that after Stonebwoy was done shopping and stepped out of Icebox, the armed men appeared out of nowhere and robbed them while allegedly exchanging gunshots.
Well, after hours of being silent, Stonebwoy has finally broken his silence saying that he is safe and sound while urging his fans in Atlanta to come out in their numbers for his show.
He posted: “Very Safe and Sound! ATL Let’s Meet Tomorrow at The @masquerade_atl 7pm”.
See screenshot below:
Stonebwoy is currently touring some states in the United States of America to promote his latest album Fifth Dimension.
Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, has asserted that politics stands as one of Ghana’s biggest woes.
He said politics is destroying the country.
Speaking in an interview on TV3 NewDay, he noted that politics has polarised the system such that politicians are unable to undertake initiatives that would be advantageous for the country in the long term.
He recounted a recent visit to the Volta Region during which he observed that the area possesses extensive untapped land resources. However, he remarked that the region’s leaders have not yet exploited this potential land to its fullest extent.
“I had the opportunity to go round 13 regions and when I got to Volta, I was shocked. The land, water bodies, are all lying there untapped but we can use them to do a lot.
“The land in Volta is more suitable for cassava and sugar cane and I questioned if we even have leaders in Ghana,” he said.
He said if elected, he would ensure that these resources are well utilised if given the nod.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Kofi Baah Agyepong, has revealed that the agency has exceeded its 2023 youth employment projection by 16 percent.
As of May 2023, the Agency has engaged 84,483 youths who are working and contributing to various sectors of the economy, exceeding its projection of 71,500 youth engagements across its programmes.
Speaking at the launch of the Youth Employment Agency’s Garment and Apparel Module in Kumasi, he said the organisation had been inspired by the President’s goal of creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people by making sure the majority of them benefited from the agency’s various programmes.
In support of this, he mentioned that the YEA has been successful in securing the services of 6,000 community health workers, 15,000 community protection assistants, 1,500 prison service assistants, and 800 artisans for the INZAG project.
“We still have 45,000 beneficiaries of the youth in Sanitation Module; recruitment of 4,000 farm workers for the Afarinick Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme; recruitment of 6,000 insurance agents; and the creation of over 11,000 employment opportunities through the YEA’s Job Centre,” he said.
According to Mr Agyepong, in order to provide training for Ghanaian youth, the YEA has partnered with other government organisations, including the National Labour Commission, Ghana Library Authority, Accra Digital Centre, and Building and Road Research Institute of the CSIR.
He also explained the garment and textile sector is important to Ghana’s economy because it generates export income, creates jobs, and helps to preserve the country’s culture.
Explaining further, he said the Module’s ultimate goal is to promote growth and development in order to close skill gaps and provide young people interested in dressmaking or tailoring with sustainable employment opportunities.
He said the module has been carefully created to give beneficiaries the chance to receive in-depth knowledge and practical training in various aspects of dressmaking and tailoring, including fabric selection, cutting techniques, sewing, garment construction, pattern making, and alterations.
YEA will support about 40 large garment companies with between GH₵100,000 and GH₵200,000 each, he said.
“The Agency will also support 500 micro/small scale seamstresses and tailors with GH₵10,000 each to enable them train the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries will also be provided with monthly stipends throughout the period of their training,” he added.
According to him, YEA has surpassed its set targets and is poised to introduce other innovative ideas by creating an additional 31,600 job opportunities for the youth of Ghana in 2023. “But we cannot do this without additional funding.”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, stated that the government is still committed to youth employment interventions through the introduction of policies intended to provide skills, which are essential for sustained development and productivity growth.
According to her, the government’s key initiatives to improve lives include the Free SHS policy, the Free TVET intervention, and the numerous business support programmes available to young entrepreneurs and start-up businesses nationwide.
“Under this module, 500 small-scale seamstresses and tailors – as well as 15 large-scale garment and apparel manufacturers, will benefit from financial support provided by the Agency to aid them scale up their operations,” she said.
The Chief of Staff urged every master-craftsman in the Garment and Apparel Module to show a strong commitment by giving all beneficiaries top-notch technical skill transfers and an acceptable corporate culture that all beneficiaries could imitate.
The YEA was established under the Youth Employment Act 2015 (Act 887), to oversee the development, coordination, supervision and facilitation of employment for the youth and related matters in Ghana.
Over a thousand people are currently living with HIV/AIDS in the Dormaa West District, according to Ebenezer Bennie, the AIDS Coordinator for the district.
According to him, the affected persons include children and pregnant women who are on anti-retroviral drugs.
In a conversation with Nsoromma FM, Ebenezer Bennie also revealed that more than 200 of the over 700 people who voluntarily underwent testing in the first half of the year were found to be HIV/AIDS positive.
He urged the general public to participate in voluntary testing so they could learn their status and properly plan their lives.
Recently, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, revealed that 354,927 people in the nation are HIV positive overall.
He stated that there are 115,235 men and 239,692 women among the total.
Speaking at the 2022 National and Sub-National HIV Estimates and Projections, Dr. Atuahene added that Greater Accra was the region with the highest number of HIV estimates (85, 403), followed by Ashanti Region (72, 429), and Eastern Region (46, 339).
He stated that 9,359 people had died from AIDS, with 4,353 male and 5,006 female.
According to Dr. Atuahene, the nation saw 16,574 new HIV infections, with 5,647 male cases and 10,927 female cases.
He stated that there were 2,868 children under the age of 14 and 13,706 adults aged 15 and over.
He said the HIV epidemic remained a challenge, with certain regions and vulnerable populations disproportionately affected, adding “It is essential that we confront these disparities head-on and ensure that our response inclusive and reaches those most in need.”
According to Dr. Atuahene, data on HIV estimates and projections were produced using an upgraded version of the software that could calculate progress towards the “95-95-95” targets and provide the specific strategic data needed to enhance geographic planning and target setting for the creation of national HIV strategic plans.
The ‘95-95-95’ seeks to diagnose 95 per cent of all HIV-positive individuals, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 95 per cent of those diagnosed and achieve viral suppression for 95 per cent of those treated by 2030.
Dr. Atuahene expressed concern about how susceptible women are to the illness and gave advice on how they can fend it off.
“I would like to stress that the numbers clearly show the vulnerability of women and for that reason women must take the necessary prevention actions that would ensure that they do not have HIV,” he added.
He advised men to help women protect themselves by encouraging them to use condoms for every sex had outside of marriage or other committed relationships, regardless of how stable or unstable they may be.
The UNAIDS Country Director for Ghana stated that his organisation would keep giving countries technical assistance in order to produce estimates for the number of new infections, HIV-positive individuals, and AIDS-related deaths, among other variables.
For him, these projections were the outcome of a collaborative process that included participation from national authorities, partners, and other country stakeholders in order to provide a scientifically appropriate way to describe HIV epidemic levels and trends in countries (including sub-national level), the various regions, and at a global level.
According to him, HIV estimates were used as the basis for the creation of national HIV policies, plans, strategies, and programmes that bring different stakeholders together in support of a set of predetermined objectives.
Nina, a 19-year-old student from Bangladesh, is clutching her boxing gloves to her face while staring into the mirror at her university dorm room.
She is learning how to defend herself. She says there is no other choice. Nina is one of hundreds of Afghan women who, despite the possibility that they will never be able to return home, have embraced the offer of a Western education.
She says she felt significantly weaker when navigating the Kabul airport a little over a year ago. She recalled that her hands were shaking. She decided against leaving Afghanistan since she was aware of the danger.
She lied when asked by airport officials: “The Taliban don’t allow women to travel alone so I said my mother was sick in Pakistan.”
When they were persuaded, she was relieved, but a more difficult challenge lay ahead.
Nina left her house and her family as she boarded the aircraft. It was so difficult for her that “the day I left, I was crying that I might never see my mother’s face again.”
My younger sister’s heart was broken by it. It hurts to think of them.
“We want to extricate 1,000 women,”
Life has significantly changed for Afghan women since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, two years ago.
They lost the ability to continue their education above the age of 12, dress whichever they like, and travel by themselves for longer than 72 kilometres.
Nina is one of many who was given a chance to escape through educational opportunities provided by the Asian University for Women (AUW) initiatives.
The AUW started getting calls from their female students requesting assistance as soon as the Taliban took power. Kamal Ahmad, the organization’s founder, claims he knew he had to free them.
With the help of AUW students, who spread the word, they were able to rescue 148 women from Kabul as western forces left the nation. Three times in all, seven coaches made the perilous trip to the airport in the city.
On August 26, a suicide bomber whooshed through the crowd outside one of the airport’s gates when the women were in the departures area killed more than 150 people.
“They boarded a flight with the US military and successfully landed in Saudi Arabia after an extremely traumatic journey to the airport,” Mr. Ahmad said. “All 148 ladies are currently enrolled at universities across the country. I’m just happy that the conclusion wasn’t horrible.
Since then, AUW has provided scholarships and coordinated the evacuation of 450 women from Afghanistan, in addition to hundreds more. These students have been transferred to AUW’s own university in Bangladesh or to affiliated institutions in the US and the UK, including Brown University and Oxford and Manchester.
By providing scholarships and a safe escape from Afghanistan, AUW intends to assist more women — the target is 1,000 — in continuing their study.
“I abandoned my husband in Iran.”
Safia, a 20-year-old journalist, is another one of the program’s beneficiaries. The night the Taliban took control, she was on her way to work. Her career and the television studio where she worked were soon closed down.
Due to the increased restrictions put on women, she claims it was challenging for several weeks just to leave her house.
The Taliban tried to kidnap me one day and put me in a box because I wasn’t wearing all black, so I chose to wear red instead. It was frightening.
Safia was told by her captors to enter the post office and turn in her identification, passport and mobile but instead she escaped.
She recalled having a fervent belief that she would be shot from behind. She continued, “Even though I knew that in our society, death is preferable to a Taliban capture, I screamed that I wouldn’t go into the post office and raced with all of my strength.
She claims that while rushing passed moving cars and almost colliding with a number of them, she kept going until she arrived at a store. She claims that she was mute until her spouse discovered her.
She claims that the Taliban never came looking for her, but it was a brief reprieve because she no longer had a job and spent most of her time at home because she was frightened to leave.
She received a scholarship offer at AUW a few months later. She has no clue when she will be reunited with any of her family members, including her husband, but she hopes that by continuing her education, she will be able to support them.
She claims that he assisted her in leaving Afghanistan by misrepresenting their destination to airport security. She claims that in order to even reach the airport, they had to undergo lengthy questioning and provide a marriage licence.
They kept looking for documentation showing that we were a married couple. It was difficult, but eventually they allowed us through. I had to then go through Iran and Dubai before arriving in Chittagong. It was really difficult for me to leave my husband in Iran.
Safia claims she never intended to leave her pre-undergraduate programme, where she is now enrolled. She thinks that journalists must stand up for common people in Afghanistan.
“My family wanted me to leave for my own safety, but I personally wanted to be a voice for the women whose rights had been taken away.”
“The Day I Forever Left My Family,”
Her parents also pushed Nina to visit Bangladesh. She claims, however, that she was concerned about abandoning them and the danger to them. She also had a hard time adjusting to a completely different culture and language.
However, she had founded a boxing club by her second semester. 50 female students currently attend her lesson.
She thinks it’s crucial for women to be strong and capable of self-defense because “I’ve always wanted to be able to protect myself and I want to teach others to do the same.”
She claims that she put in a lot of effort in school for seven years and often boxed at the gym.
But starting in August 2021, I was unable to go to the gym, carry on with my study, or even walk outside.
In Afghanistan, girls beyond the age of 12 are no longer permitted to attend school.
According to her, the Taliban transported Afghanistan 20 years in the past: “I sobbed. The circumstance is terrible.
She now wants to encourage other female students to develop their strength and confidence. All of them, like Nina and Safia, have left their pasts behind and are attempting to forge ahead into their futures, but for the time being, they have had to let go of those they hold dear.
“I want the Afghan women to be free because I know how hard they work to get it. They should all be able to pursue their goals, Nina argues, one day.
These women all claim to have something in common. The woman they left behind will always be on their minds.
The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer candidate and member of parliament for the Assin Central Constituency, Kennedy Agyapong, has opened up about his mother’s death.
Speaking in a Face-to-Face interview with Umaru Sanda on Citi TV on August 15, 2023, he disclosed that his decision to plunge into the political arena had been met with mixed reactions within his family.
He explained that while his mother had been against the idea due to worries about the nature of insults frequently associated with the political scene, his father had supported his political ambitions.
“Well, you know, to tell you the truth, my father was in full support, but my mother couldn’t take it because of the insults and all those things,” he said.
According to the representative for Assin Central, his mother passed away soon after Alhaji Collins Dauda, the brother of the former minister of water resources, works, and housing, issued a threat against him.
Kennedy Agyapong recounted, “To break the news to you, my mother died because of threats against me, when honorable Collins Dauda’s brother threatened to kill me.
“I remember my mother died on the 13th of November, on the 10th I visited her and she was pleading with me to stop politics because they said they were going to kill me, she was like ‘Kwame you will kill me, Kwame you will kill me,’ that was Thursday, and then Friday I left for Kumasi.
“… and Sunday afternoon coming back to Accra, I got the bad news that my mother had died because she was saying my heart, my heart, you will kill me, you will kill me.”
Along with nine other candidates, Kennedy Agyapong is running for the position of NPP flagbearer. His main rivals are Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and former Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen.
Prior to the primary election in November 2023 to choose a replacement for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as party leader, the NPP will reduce the 10 candidates who made it through the vetting stage to five in a preliminary vote (scheduled for August).
Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have attacked a secondary school in Kwi hamlet, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau in Nigeria.
Two secondary school teachers were killed by the assailants, and the vice principal of Beco Comprehensive High School was hurt.
Rwang Danladi and Sandra Rwang Danladi were a young married couple when they died.
The victims were killed on Monday while the school staff was meeting to prepare for Friday’s speech and award-giving day, according to Rwang Tengwong, a spokesperson for the Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM), who confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
When the teachers were asked to leave the school grounds while the meeting was going on, the group claimed that some herders opened fire on them, killing the teachers.
The State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Alabo Alfred, has not yet responded to our correspondent’s questions about the situation.
The BYM spokesperson provided details about the incident, saying, “We are again saddened over the invasion of BECO Comprehensive School, Kwi, where two staff members, Mr. and Mrs. Rwang Danladi are reportedly shot dead and one Mr. Dalyop Emmanuel Ibrahim, the Vice Principal of the School, seriously injured by some known armed men alongside suspected bandits elements about 3:00 pm on Monday, August 14, 2023.
“The bandits entered the school compound with their cattle and interrupted the staff meeting. The staff had asked the herders to get their cows out of the school environment. But instead of complying, they brought out their arms and opened gunfire at the teachers.
In skirmishes between two strong armed factions in Tripoli, southern Libya, at least 27 people were killed and 106 others were hurt, according to a statement from the nation’s emergency services on Tuesday.
Mahmoud Hamza, the 444 Brigade commander, was detained on Monday while attempting to enter Tripoli’s main Mitiga airport, which sparked the start of fighting. The Special Deterrence Force, a competing group that controls the airport, caught him. His detention’s cause is still a mystery.
According to state news agency LANA, after a deal was struck with the UN-recognized Government of National Unity to transfer Hamza to a neutral party, the fighting stopped late on Tuesday.
According to LANA, casualties included civilians.
Images of smoke billowing above the capital following the nighttime skirmishes indicate that the fighting is thought to be the most intense of this year.
According to LANA, the agreement covers the end of all military activities in Tripoli, the relocation of military forces to their barracks, the evaluation of property damage to both public and private property, and the issuance of compensation by the Government of National Unity.
According to a statement made on Tuesday by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the mission is “closely monitoring security incidents and developments in Tripoli since yesterday and their impact on the civilian population. The Mission reminds all parties concerned of their legal obligation to safeguard civilians.
Following the 2011 NATO-supported rebellion against Moammar Gadhafi, the country was divided into warring factions in 2014. Since then, there has been little peace in the country. According to Reuters, the Special Deterrence Force and the 444 Brigade are thought to be the two strongest military units in the Libyan capital.
Since August 1, employees from all 46 Training Colleges have been striking over the government’s alleged disregard for the National Labour Commission’s arbitral award orders and the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that have been in place since May 2.
The purpose of today’s meeting is to determine a course of action because the Teachers insist they will not give up until their issues are resolved.
The president of CETAG, Prince Obeng-Hima, stated in an interview with Starr News that he is optimistic about the meeting’s outcome.
“We are waiting to hear what will happen on Wednesday. We are going into that meeting full of confidence on Wednesday. We expect fairness, rule of law. We will look at the National Labour Commission exercising its powers by going to the Superior Courts to compel the government to comply with the directive that the NLC on its own volition came out with on the 2nd of May 2023.”
Actor turned politician John Dumelo has lost his mum.
The sad incident which was announced on Twitter by the actor and subsequently posted by Ghanaian blogger Sika Official on Twitter happened on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
Announcing the demise of his mum, Mr Dumelo wrote: “My heart is broken. My dear mother passed away peacefully yesterday….my number one supporter. Heaven has gained an angel.”
A private legal practitioner, Nana Obiri Boahen, has filed a writ at the Sunyani High Court, praying the court to commit the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Dr George Akuffo Dampare and eight other officers of the service to prison.
They include the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Joseph Gyamerah Oklu, the Bono Regional Police Commander, one Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gyasi and Chief Inspector Mohammed Mustapha.
The rest are DSP Peter Owusu, Chief Superintendent Solomon Korli, as well as Police Officers Alhaji Shaibu, Bernard Asare and Emmanuel Kpodo.
At its sitting on Tuesday, the Court presided by Justice Harry Acheampong Poku (vacation judge) granted a “motion on notice for contempt filed by the applicant by way of substituted service by posting copies at the notices of the High Court, the Ghana Police Service headquarters and the Bono Regional Police Command.”
The plaintiff prayed the court to commit the respondents to prison for their “contumacious, gross disrespect of law and order to the decision or orders contained in the judgment of a circuit court,” delivered on July 28, 2022, by Justice Sylvester Nii Okine Ablorh.
Now an accompanying affidavit filed by the “Enso Nyame Ye Chambers”, a Sunyani-based legal firm, and Counsel, explained the plaintiff mounted an action before the circuit court against DSP Gyasi who used to “harass, intimidate, bully my agents who operate from my self-acquired land always clad in his police uniform.”
“That unable to countenance the insubordination of the DSP Gyasi and his cohorts, I mounted the action against the said DSP Gyasi before the circuit court in which the matter traveled through a full trial and judgement was delivered,” it stated.
The affidavit said plaintiff later filed an “entry of judgment” and to “put DSP Gyasi and all those hiding behind to unleash violence, intimidation on my agents, privies, assigns, my counsel wrote a letter and notified the respondents”.
“Almost all the respondents were duly served with the letter by way of EMS,” it added, saying that notwithstanding, “the respondents have disregarded the judgment and have been consistently harassing, intimidating, bullying, arresting and detaining my agents who have gone onto my land which the honourable court has ruled in my favour.”
The affidavit explained “on February 27, 2023, one Kofi Peprah, Kwadwo Takyi and Kwame Nkrumah were sent to demarcate some lines on my land and in the process some of the respondents caused their arrests and detained them at the Municipal police cells, Sunyani overnight.”
“Some of the respondents always insist that the IGP has instructed them to defy all the court orders and thereby treated the court orders with disdain”, it said, adding “on the instructions of the IGP some of the respondents arrested and detained one Douglas Addo, who was asked to go and mould blocks on February 15, 2023.”
“The total sum of the respondents’ conducts is to challenge, deny, disrespect and disregard the judgment and willfully be treated with contempt and disdain,” it explained.
The affidavit stressed the continuous and incessant arrests, harassment, intimidation and detention of the agents of the applicants by the respondents, directly or indirectly and on their directives and orders were bent on ignoring the decision or judgment of the court, and to expose the administration of justice to public ridicule and contempt.
It, therefore, prayed the court to “crack the whip to put the fear of the law in the respondents so that the respondents do not seem to be above the law” and to further protect the sanctity of the judiciary and thereby enhance the public confidence in the judicial processes.
Top military leaders from the member countries of the West African economic and political coalition, ECOWAS, have rearranged their plans to convene in Accra sometime during the upcoming week.
As per a report by the BBC, the meeting is said to be focused on deliberations regarding a potential intervention in Niger, where a military junta seized power through a coup just last month.
Before an extraordinary session led by Heads of State, their previous assembly took place two weeks ago in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. During that meeting, diplomatic resolutions with the junta were highlighted, although the possibility of a military approach remained under consideration.
The following meeting of the army chiefs had earlier been delayed due to technical reasons.
Strong resistance against a military intervention in Niger has emerged, particularly in northern Nigeria and within the political sphere of Ghana.
During the weekend, a glimmer of hope for a diplomatic resolution to the Niger crisis emerged after a meeting between the leader of the junta, Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, and a delegation of influential Islamic clerics, as reported by the BBC.
Earlier this week, the junta announced its intention to accuse democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum of treason, asserting that they possess substantial evidence to support his prosecution.
The move has been condemned by Ecowas and the UN.
The leader of Mali’s interim military government, from a neighboring nation, disclosed a phone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, wherein Putin emphasized the significance of achieving a peaceful resolution to the Niger crisis to enhance stability across the Sahel region.
According to a recent research, Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is the most polluted city in the world, and the president of the nation could have the cough to prove it.
President Joko Widodo has been suffering from a cough for weeks, according to ministers in the Southeast Asian nation, who also speculated that it may be tied to the growing air pollution in the 10 million-person city.
The information was announced just days after Swiss business IQAir published statistics demonstrating that Jakarta’s air quality had gotten significantly worse in recent weeks, ranking it as the worst in the world.
“President Joko Widodo has requested that action be taken in the form of concrete measures to combat air pollution within a week. After a parliamentary discussion between ministers on Monday in Jakarta, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno told reporters that the man had been coughing for almost four weeks and claimed he had never felt this way.
According to CNN affiliate CNN Indonesia, Uno stated that physicians were still determining the source of Widodo’s cough but added that it might be connected to the deteriorating air quality.
The president was reportedly noted to be suffering from a cough the next day by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who also stated that his ministry was speeding up examinations in the general populace to determine whether lung and respiratory illnesses like asthma had increased in severely polluted areas.
We are keeping an eye on the situation, Budi told the media.
He continued, “All reports about how air pollution affects public health will be coordinated to the relevant ministries and official agencies for examination.
According to experts, industry, coal-fired power plants, and traffic jams all contribute to the air pollution that has long plagued the Greater Jakarta area.
A group of 32 locals filed a civil case in 2019 against Widodo, often known as Jokowi, and a number of his cabinet colleagues, claiming he had not acted to reduce air pollution and maintain their right to clean air.
Two years later, the Central Jakarta District Court ruled in their favour, giving them a landmark win. It claimed that the government had broken the nation’s environmental protection rules and urged senior authorities to take more steps, including the creation of a national ambient air quality standard.
However, according to statistics provided by IQAir, a Swiss company that specialises in air quality technologies, the capital’s air quality has gotten notably worse in recent weeks, worsening to the worst in the world.
After reaching “unhealthy” air pollution readings nearly every day, Jakarta topped the company’s list of dirty cities on August 9. Since May, it has constantly been classified among the top 10 most polluting cities worldwide, according to IQAir.
In order to debate the deteriorating air quality and demand immediate government action, Widodo presided over a cabinet meeting on Monday.
He attributed the pollution to “excessive road traffic, a long dry season, and energy sources – mainly those using coal” and recommended solutions including requiring automobile emissions tests and promoting remote work as a way to lessen the issue.
A pollution fee, he added, was under consideration.
The Greater Jakarta Area’s air quality has been extremely poor for the past week, according to Widodo. In order to cut emissions, he continued, “Supervision must be exercised in the industrial and electricity generation sectors, and we also must educate the people).
After the discussion, Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno told reporters that the government was considering “concrete steps” to enhance Jakarta’s air quality over time.
“If we look at Beijing’s success in doing that, I am very confident that with the collaboration of local governments and businesses, we can also improve the air quality in Jakarta – it will have a long-term impact on public health,” he said, referring to China’s success in doing the same in its capital.
The government’s position has been praised by experts.
Bridget Welsh, a political analyst from the University of Nottingham, declared that air pollution is a significant issue in Southeast Asia.
Welsh stated that although there have been improvements in Jakarta in areas like public transport, these need to be intensified along with better enforcement against (fossil fuel) burning and controlled automobile use.
Although the government intended to move the capital to Nusantara, in the East Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo, she claimed that this move was still years away and would not resolve the pollution issue.
Moving to a different capital “will only temporarily offset the issue,” Welsh added. It is impossible to understate the enormous costs of Indonesia’s air pollution to human health.
NDC Member of Parliament for South Dayi,Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has voiced his disapproval of the former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof Stephen Adei’s recent comments on the Minority in Parliament’s decision to picket at the Bank of Ghana premises.
The professor is on record to have said it is not simplistic to demand the resignation of a central bank governor and more so that the BoG premises was a security zone.
But in response, Mr Dafeamekpor said his comments lack basis.
“Prof Addae is crying that, BOG is a security zone. He has so soon forgotten that Occupyghana used to Occupy the Flagstaff House under JM. Isn’t the seat of Govt a security zone then? The hypocrites have found their voices suddenly,” his posted on Twitter on August 15.
He is not the first NDC MP to go after the academic and economist. Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Governs Agbodza also tweeted: “It is rather sad that people like Prof. Stephen Adei have constantly chosen to be part of the problems of our nation and not the solution. Time and again, Prof. Adei has demonstrated through his hypocritical and lopsided positions and commentary on critical national issues, that all he cares about is his political affiliation and loyalty to his friends in government.”
The Minority in Parliament has described as flimsy, an attempt by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to explain questions they have raised about details in the central bank’s annual report for 2022.
Responding to a press statement by the Bank of Ghana dated August 9, 2023, the minority said BOG engaged in deliberate distortions while failing to justify the GHC60.8 billion loss and negative equity of GHC55.1 billion it recorded in 2022.
“In the said press statement, the Bank of Ghana attempts to shamelessly justify its recklessness and mismanagement which resulted in the huge losses of GHS60.8 billion and the negative equity of GHS55.1 billion it recorded in the year 2022.
“As a matter of fact, the Bank of Ghana’s unsigned press statement, is full of deliberate distortions and flimsy justifications which do not address the serious matters that were raised in our Moment of Truth presser last Tuesday,” the statement signed by the leader of the Minority, Cassiel Ato-Forson said.
The minority which earlier held a press conference accusing the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance of breaching laws guiding their operations said the central bank in its August 9 statement failed to address the core issues it raised earlier.
“The referenced Bank of Ghana’s statement does not address the most fundamental issue which has to do with the printing of money by BOG for the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government in 2021 and 2022 in clear contravention of Section 30 of the Bank of Ghana (Amendment) Act, 2016 (ACT 918). Indeed, throughout the statement, BOG does not and could not have offered any reasonable justification for printing a whopping GHS35 billion in 2021 and GHS 42 billion in 2022 to finance the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government, in clear breach of their governing law.
“It is an indisputable fact that the amount of monies printed by BOG for the reckless Akufo Addo/Bawumia government both in 2021 and 2022 far exceeds the legally acceptable threshold of 5% of the previous fiscal years’ total revenue,” the statement said.
While describing the action by the central bank and the ministry of finance as illegal, the minority raised further questions around the decision to write-off GHS 48 billion in debt owed by the government to BoG.
The minority also questioned the construction of a $250 million office complex by the central bank describing the basis as untenable.
First public confirmation from North Korea that a US soldier entered its territory in July has sparked an appeal from his family for him to be treated humanely. However, there are still doubts about why the soldier entered one of the world’s most hostile nations at a time when tensions on the peninsula are at an all-time high.
The Joint Security Area (JSA), a small group of buildings inside the 150-mile-long demilitarised zone (DMZ) that has divided North and South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953, is where Army Pvt. Travis King allegedly “willfully and without authorization” crossed into North Korea on July 18.
The JSA has no physical barriers, and a US official claimed that after swerving across the border’s demarcation line, King attempted to enter a North Korean facility, but the door was closed. He immediately fled to the building’s back, where he was quickly bundled into a van and transported away by North Korean security personnel.
US sources told CNN earlier in August that despite repeated attempts to get in touch with North Korea for an update on King’s status, they had still not received a meaningful response.
King, a cavalry scout, enlisted in the armed forces in January 2021. According to Army spokesman Bryce Dubee, at the time of his rotation in South Korea, he was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armoured Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas.
King was freed from a South Korean prison facility where he had completed 50 days of hard labour little over a week before making his quick trip across the border, according to defence authorities.
King was scheduled to take a flight to Texas the day before he entered North Korea, where he would be subject to disciplinary action. King, however, exited the airport on his own when Army bodyguards released him at a security checkpoint at Incheon International Airport outside of Seoul.
The following day, he participated in a JSA trip that he had previously scheduled with a private company.
Last month, US Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said at the Aspen Security Forum that King “assaulted an individual in South Korea, had been in the custody of the South Korean government, and was going to come back to the United States to face the consequences in the Army.”
King’s sister Jaqueda Gates said on August 2 on CNN that her brother is “not the type to just disappear.”
She continued, “I don’t I don’t believe that you just do vanish and ran away. So, that’s why I feel like the story is deeper than that.”
According to Jonathan Franks, a family spokesman, Claudine Gates, the soldier’s mother, requested on August 16 that Pyongyang treat him humanely and permit him a phone call to talk with her.
Although there has long been tension between the United States and North Korea, the situation is extremely tight right now.
Following a breakdown in negotiations between Kim Jong Un and former US President Donald Trump in 2019, the North has intensified its nuclear and missile programmes.
The negotiations, which lasted three in-person meetings and saw Trump cross the same red line as King did, were unsuccessful in producing any significant diplomatic achievements.
Three intercontinental ballistic missile tests have taken place so far this year, and North Korea has accused the US and South Korea of escalating tensions by holding military drills and deploying weapons, such as a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine from the US Navy to the South Korean port of Busan in July.
In violation of international restrictions, North Korea tested more than 90 cruise and ballistic missiles last year, including one that soared over Japan. Concerns have been raised over the increase in testing as it may be gearing up for a prospective nuclear test – its first since 2017.
According to a report from the government-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 10, Kim fired his top general amid a reorganisation of North Korea’s military leadership and declared that he wanted his army to “gird for a war.”
Although the US or South Korea were not specifically mentioned in the report, it appeared to make an indirect reference to them when it stated that North Korean authorities had “analysed the military moves of the chief culprits of the deteriorated situation” on the peninsula.
King, who is thought to be the first American soldier to enter North Korea since 1982, is being held by a notoriously despotic and secretive one-party government that sees the US as a mortal enemy.
King might offer North Korea military intelligence value, but this is questionable. He wouldn’t likely have access to high-level intelligence as a private, but by virtue of being on a US military installation, he might be able to discuss things like base plans or the units and soldier numbers there.
King provides North Korea with a potentially formidable negotiating piece as a soldier and US citizen, however it is unclear what Pyongyang may ask for in exchange for returning King to US custody.
King might also be employed by Pyongyang for propaganda purposes.
According to a KCNA article from August 16, King, a Black man, declared “his willingness to seek refugee” in North Korea or a third country, and he chose to enter the country because “he harboured ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. Army.”
Two days prior to a trilateral summit between the presidents of the US, South Korea, and Japan in Maryland, the KCNA story was released. North Korea’s threat to all three nations is anticipated to be a major topic of discussion.
A US defence source remarked in reference to the KCNA claim that Washington “can’t verify these alleged comments.”
“We are still concentrating on his safe return. Bringing Private King home is the (Defence) Department’s top priority, and we are utilising all possible avenues to make this happen, the official stated.
North Korea and the US do not hold formal diplomatic ties. Instead, the US uses the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang as a point of contact.
The US considers declaring an American soldier in North Korea a prisoner of war.
In the decades following the end of the Korean War, a small number of US soldiers decamped to North Korea, but in more recent times, US citizens have been imprisoned in North Korea as civilians, sometimes for extended periods of time as US officials work to secure their release and Pyongyang tries to extract concessions.
Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean official media, entered North Korea from China in 2018, was the last American known to be imprisoned by the country.
Lowrance was detained by Pyongyang, who charged him with working for the CIA, but freed him about a month later with the help of the Swedish Embassy.
Otto Warmbier, a college student who visited the country as a tourist in 2016, is likely the most well-known recent example of an American being detained in North Korea.
His intended stay of five days extended to seventeen months after he was charged with attempting to steal a political flag from his hotel.
Warmbier was given a 15-year sentence of hard labour, but he was turned over to US authorities in 2017. Less than a week after his return, he passed away from significant brain injury, with Washington alleging that he had been tortured while in detention.
Charles Jenkins, a US Army sergeant who entered North Korea in 1965 while serving at a US military facility close to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), is arguably the most notorious example of a US soldier defecting to North Korea.
Jenkins then said he had changed his mind and attributed it to drinking.
He starred in propaganda videos, gave English lessons to North Korean spies, and studied North Korean leaders’ writings for up to eight hours a day while there.
His wife, a Japanese national who was abducted from her home in Japan in 1978 and who departed North Korea as part of a settlement between Pyongyang and Tokyo, was also permitted to leave the country in 2004, two years after her.
A potential flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party, Kennedy Agyapong, has revealed that his mother passed away due to the threats directed at his life. He attributes her death to the intimidation he faced from a politician’s sibling.
Agyapong, the incumbent Member of Parliament representing the Assin Central constituency, explained that his mother couldn’t withstand the verbal abuse and dangers he faced once he ventured into the political arena.
He said that she had pleaded with him to stop politics on several occasions, but he had refused.
“My mother died because of threats on me,” Agyapong said.
“When Hon Collins Dauda’s brother threatened to kill me, my mother couldn’t take it. She died on the 13th of November. During the week she died, I visited her, and she was pleading with me to stop politics, and she said: Kwame you’ll kill me. That was Thursday, on Friday, I left for Kumasi and while returning to Accra on Sunday afternoon, I got the bad news that my mother had died. And I was told she was saying “my heart, my heart and Kwame you will kill me.”
Agyapong said that he is still grieving the loss of his mother, but he is determined to continue fighting for what he believes in.
He said that he will not be intimidated by the threats that have been made against him, and he will continue to speak out against ills in society and seek the welfare of ordinary citizens.
A bag of onions at Adjin Kotoku’s onion market has increased from GH¢800 to GH¢1,500.
Market traders attribute the new price increase to the situation in Niger and the closure of the border.
As a result of the Benin border closure, some traders are stranded, including Ghanaian onion sellers.
Unless the border is opened soon, the onions will rot and become unsellable in Ghana.
The Niger crisis has led to some traders importing from Nigeria, Nhyiraba Kwabena Asirifi reported on Rainbow Radio.
Some drivers who transport onion bags for customers have also complained that business has slowed.
According to the drivers, they go to work and then return home without making any sales.
“The situation is alarming, and some of the drivers sleep here, especially when they are unable to make sales. The cost of fuel was high, so some of us were forced to sleep here at times,” a driver explained.
NPP stalwart, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has responded to his connection with the contentious Agyapa Deal.
This deal was abandoned by the government in 2020 due to political resistance and protests from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
In a tweet posted on August 15, 2023, Gabby criticized the silence of the CSOs who brought the deal to a court in Abuja and saw it dismissed.
Despite the ruling occurring last year, these CSOs have not made any further statements regarding the outcome.
He insisted that the deal was going to be in the interest of Ghana ultimately and yet it was scuttled for political reasons.
“I wonder why Transparency International, Ghana Integrity Initiative and the CSOs who went to an international court over Agyapa have been quiet since July after their case was dismissed on all fronts.
“But, I thank them for that move. It is good for our democracy. And, I will urge you all to read the decision of the ECOWAS court. Agyapa, a very legitimate, even if controversial, move by govt to expand the use of its gold revenues, had no corruption about it. Zero!” he claimed.
The Agyapa Royalties deal
In 2020, the government of Ghana proposed a deal which was meant to raise money by floating shares in a company called Agyapa Royalties Limited on the London Stock Exchange.
This deal was met with wide criticism from civil society groups and the opposition, who claimed that it was a secretive and corrupt deal that would allow politicians to enrich themselves at the expense of the country.
Later that year, it was confirmed by veteran journalist Kweku Baako that Gabby’s firm had been transaction advisors to the government in the failed deal.
He clarified that a UK-based law firm was the principal advisors on the deal and Africa Legal Associates worked for the firm.
“It is not true that Gabby’s firm got US$2 million from the deal. It is not true that his firm is a beneficiary of US$2 million. It’s not even up to US$105,000. It is the main transaction advisor that paid Gabby. It is about US$103,000. It is not US$2 million”.
One major issue that has emanated from the brouhaha surrounding the deal is the role of Osafo-Maafo’s son and Gabby Otchere-Darko.
Read Gabby’s post on the Agyapa Deal
I wonder why Transparency International, Ghana Integrity Initiative and the CSOs who went to an international court over Agyapa have been quiet since July after their case was dismissed on all fronts. But, I thank them for that move.
It is good for our democracy. And, I will urge you all to read the decision of the ECOWAS court. Agyapa, a very legitimate, even if controversial, move by govt to expand the use of its gold revenues, had no corruption about it. Zero!
You may not like it but to say, as they did, that a group of related persons were stealing Ghana’s gold was really sad and low. We the lawyers who worked on it were excited about the innovativeness of the whole MIIF institution which Parliament created and the things it was set up to do, including Agyapa.
We were never motivated by even our fees. How floating on the London Stock Exchange 49% of an entity 100% owned by Ghana could be described as stealing is indeed sad and baffling.
I have not loved Ghana less since my cousin became president. What some of us try to do is to go out of our way to help. Assist when we can. Occasionally it may get one into controversy and those who want to spin and blame one when they rather screw up may easier be believed than one. But that is the price…
Soon, Jan 7, 2025, Nana’s term will be over, and another Gabby may emerge. I can’t wait, frankly! I can only wish him or her (the next Gabby) the best of luck!
Whoever that may be, please just let your integrity guide you. Stay firm and do what you see to be right for God and country. Don’t let the propaganda get you down.
Gossips24TV on YouTube reported that the artiste had concluded his Washington DC concert on the 14th of August and was due in Atlanta soon.
On Tuesday, August 15, he successfully arrived in Atlanta Georgia and was shopping for his children at Icebox when the incident occurred. He had his own security detail and media team with him.
GHHyper blogger subsequently reported on Instagram that Stonebwoy had been robbed. His message read thus: “JUST IN: Ghanaian dancehall star Stonebwoy and his team robbed by armed men in Atlanta Georgia, USA.”
In videos shared by Gossips24TV, the artiste can be seen arriving at the IceBox shop, entering and interacting with staff, and taking delivery of the gift box containing the names of his two children.
The Bhimnation CEO has yet to comment on the incident.
At least 32 people have died in a landslip at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, a local fire services spokesman told CNN on Wednesday.
According to Sa Tay Za of the Hpakant Fire Service Department, the landslip occurred on Sunday in the isolated and mountainous village of Hpakant in the northern state of Kachin.
Za added that all but one of the bodies discovered were those of men, and they had all been given back to their families.
According to Myanmar’s state-run publication Global New Light, the collapse of a sand cliff had trapped the miners by allowing water to flood into a nearby lake.
About 70% of the world’s jade is produced in Myanmar, and Hpakant is home to some of the biggest and most profitable jade mines in the world, worth billions of dollars.
According to the non-profit watchdog group Global Witness, the business is riddled with conflict, corruption, exploitation, and environmentally harmful practises and is mostly driven by demand from neighbouring China.
According to the group, the jade sector in Myanmar was valued roughly $31 billion in 2014, or close to half of the nation’s reported GDP for that year.
However, because it is mostly unregulated, the industry’s real value is unknown. An advocacy group called the Natural Resource Governance Institute named Myanmar’s diamond industry as one of the most opaque in the world.
Miners, who are frequently poor immigrants from other regions of the country, are constantly in danger of dying or being hurt by landslides.
In 2020, a jade mine in Hpakant experienced a landslip that resulted in the deaths of more than 160 individuals. The same region experienced a similar and fatal disaster in 2021.
Speaking at a security conference in Russia on Tuesday, China’s defence minister Li Shangfu indirectly poked fun at the US by cautioning against “playing with fire” when it comes to Taiwan.
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, Li stated that attempts to “use Taiwan to contain China” would “certainly end in failure” while speaking at the Moscow Conference on International Security.
The venue of Li’s address was significant and symbolic in light of Moscow’s ongoing assault of Ukraine, even though his remarks were a repetition of earlier ones made by Chinese leaders.
Taiwan is a self-governing democracy, but China’s ruling Communist Party claims it and has promised to seize control of it, using force if necessary. It has repeatedly criticised US dealings with the island, with which Washington has no formal diplomatic relations, including the delivery of US weapons to Taipei.
Li joined the Moscow security conference as he started a six-day journey to Russia and its close partner Belarus. Li was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for purchasing Russian weapons.
Senior defence officials from more than 20 “friendly states,” including Belarus, Iran, and Myanmar, will also be present at the conference, according to a recent report by Russian state media, which cited the defence ministry in Moscow, which oversees the gathering’s yearly organisation. According to state media, no Western countries were invited.
Taiwan is a self-governing democracy, but China’s ruling Communist Party claims it and has promised to seize control of it, using force if necessary. It has repeatedly criticised US dealings with the island, with which Washington has no formal diplomatic relations, including the delivery of US weapons to Taipei.
Li joined the Moscow security conference as he started a six-day journey to Russia and its close partner Belarus. Li was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for purchasing Russian weapons.
Senior defence officials from more than 20 “friendly states,” including Belarus, Iran, and Myanmar, will also be present at the conference, according to a recent report by Russian state media, which cited the defence ministry in Moscow, which oversees the gathering’s yearly organisation. According to state media, no Western countries were invited.
In addition, Li said to the audience on Tuesday that Xi Jinping wanted to maintain security in a “world of chaos” and that China’s military was “a firm force in maintaining world peace.”
“We are willing to work with other militaries to strengthen mutual trust in military security strategies and practical cooperation in various specialised fields,” Li further stated, according to Xinhua.
Li also stated, as Chinese authorities have in the past, that military ties between China and Russia do not target any third party, according to the Russian state-run media outlet Sputnik. The assertion was left out of the Xinhua report.
According to Xinhua, Li met with Sergei Shoigu, his Russian counterpart, to discuss military cooperation between the two nations. Regular cooperative exercises between China and Russia include a recent coordinated naval patrol off the coast of Alaska.
On the margins of the conference, the Chinese defence minister also met privately with the defence ministers and military chiefs of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam.
Li’s remarks on Taiwan follow a backlash from Beijing as William Lai, the vice president of Taiwan and the current front-runner in the island’s forthcoming presidential election, plans to make stops in the US on his way to an official visit to Paraguay.
On Sunday, China’s foreign ministry denounced the visit and referred to Lai as a “trouble maker through and through.”
After establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979, the US still maintains an unofficial relationship with Taipei, but is required by law to give the democratic island the means to defend itself.
Speaking in New York, Lai vowed Taiwan will “never back down” in the face of Chinese threats.
“No matter how great the threat of authoritarianism is to Taiwan, we absolutely will not be scared nor cower, and we will uphold the values of democracy and freedom,” he stated.
Following meetings between Taiwanese authorities and US congressmen, for example, China has increased its military intimidation of the island in recent years.
Taiwan has received more attention as a potential security flashpoint in Asia as a result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The optics of a supposedly more powerful aggressor launching an attack motivated by a vision of unification have increased focus on China’s intentions towards Taiwan despite significant distinctions with the geopolitical situations of Russia and Ukraine.
According to some observers, China was observing the West’s response to Russian aggression in Ukraine in order to anticipate potential reactions to any future moves against Taiwan.
Member of Parliament for Assin Central and NPP Flagbearer hopeful has revealed that President Akufo-Addo has regretted dismissing former deputy Finance Minister Charles Adu Boahen.
According to Kennedy Agyapong, Anas Aremeyaw Anas style of investigative journalist is but a complete entrapment of which Charles Adu Boahen was a victim.
The Assin North lawmaker made these remarks in an interview with CitiFM/CitiTV’s Omaru Sanda Amadu on August 15, 2023.
Mr Agyapong added that the President after being made fully aware of the details of Anas’ investigation has withdrawn the infamous statement of using Anas’ style to fish out and deal with corrupt officials when he’s President.
On other matters, Kennedy Agyapong, has clarified his role in pressuring businessman Ibrahim Mahama to settle customs duties amounting to about 14 million cedis in 2017.
Agyapong had made a statement earlier that year on live TV, claiming that he would “commit suicide if Mahama is not jailed.” He alleged that Mahama’s company had evaded duties during the importation of their machinery.
Asked about his suicide threat and Ibrahim Mahama’s freedom, Agyapong maintained that Ibrahim is corrupt. He revealed that he confronted Ibrahim about his alleged duty evasion, which led to Ibrahim paying 14 million Ghana cedis in duties.
During his interview on Citi TV on August 15, 2023, Agyapong also claimed that when he was preparing to expose Ibrahim Mahama, influential chiefs and politicians were pleading on his behalf, allowing him to avoid further consequences.
Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, has clarified his role in pressuring businessman Ibrahim Mahama to settle customs duties amounting to about 14 million cedis in 2017.
Agyapong had made a statement earlier that year on live TV, claiming that he would “commit suicide if Mahama is not jailed.” He alleged that Mahama’s company had evaded duties during the importation of their machinery.
Asked about his suicide threat and Ibrahim Mahama’s freedom, Agyapong maintained that Ibrahim is corrupt. He revealed that he confronted Ibrahim about his alleged duty evasion, which led to Ibrahim paying 14 million Ghana cedis in duties.
During his interview on Citi TV on August 15, 2023, Agyapong also claimed that when he was preparing to expose Ibrahim Mahama, influential chiefs and politicians were pleading on his behalf, allowing him to avoid further consequences.
Agyapong stressed that although politicians should be held accountable for failing to combat corruption, the judiciary should also share the blame due to their slow progress in prosecuting cases.
An earlier report by the Daily Graphic in April 2017 provided insight into the situation. The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had given Ibrahim Mahama a two-week ultimatum to pay almost GH¢13 million in import duties and interest on equipment he had imported. Despite an agreement with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ibrahim Mahama allegedly failed to fulfill his payment obligations for over a year, instead issuing dud cheques. He was questioned by EOCO and later granted bail. Ibrahim Mahama is the brother of former President John Dramani Mahama.
Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central and a hopeful for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer position, has emphasized that he should not be likened to former United States President Donald Trump in terms of their political approaches.
Agyapong clarified that although he shares certain business management similarities with Trump, their political paths diverge significantly. Speaking in an interview on Citi TV on August 15, 2023, he pointed out that Trump’s entry into politics was initially as an outsider.
While Agyapong acknowledged being likened to Trump in the context of business, he disagreed with the comparison in politics. He stated, “But if you tell me in politics, I am like Donald Trump, I disagree.”
Agyapong expressed reservations about some of Trump’s policy decisions and highlighted his own focus on ordinary citizens. He explained that he has been involved in politics for around 32 years and always considers the welfare of ordinary people, in contrast to Trump’s policies which he viewed as harsh on ordinary citizens.
Kennedy Agyapong is contending for the NPP flagbearership along with nine other candidates, including former trade minister Alan Kyerematen and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who are seen as his main competitors.
The NPP plans to narrow down the field of 10 candidates who passed the vetting stage to five through a preliminary vote scheduled for August. The main contest is then set to take place in November 2023 to elect a successor to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the leader of the party.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has playfully mocked Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a cousin of the president, by using the “Prime Minister” label that is sometimes assigned to him in political circles.
Ablakwa, who had earlier alleged that Gabby was representing a firm claiming 187 million cedis from the state, asserted that the payment demand had been suspended due to his “Kitchen Scandal” exposé.
Gabby responded by posting an article about Ablakwa’s claim on Twitter, suggesting that Ablakwa was making himself laugh. In response, Ablakwa quoted Gabby’s tweet and retorted, “Prime Minister in Pains and Tears. What really matters is the incontrovertible fact that the ‘Kitchen Scandal’ exposé has saved Ghanaians a staggering GHS187.3 million. Cash-out aborted! We successfully saved the battered public purse. For God & Country. Ghana First.”
Gabby had initially tweeted, “Laughable. You created a ‘scandal’ against your own NDC! You’ve made Ken Ofori-Atta look good for ‘standing up’ 2yrs against his ‘influential’ cousin, representing a client with a good case over a contract President Mahama awarded, which you now question!”
In his earlier exposé, Ablakwa alleged that Gabby was seeking payment of GH¢187.3 million judgment debt to his client, West Blue, despite the government varying the contract. Ablakwa’s exposé had caused the government to reconsider its position and saved the nation millions in judgment debt.
Ablakwa clarified that his exposés were not intended to make him popular or the government unpopular, but rather to protect the interests of Ghanaians and ensure transparency in the government’s actions. He highlighted the impact of his “Kitchen Scandal” exposé in saving millions for public use.
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, a Member of Parliament from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticized Prof. Stephen Adei, the former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Dafeamekpor’s criticism is in response to recent comments made by Prof. Adei regarding the decision by Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) to picket at the Bank of Ghana (BoG) premises if the governor and his deputies do not resign over the reported losses.
Prof. Adei had stated that it is not simplistic to demand the resignation of a central bank governor, especially considering that the BoG premises are designated as a security zone. Dafeamekpor responded on Twitter, accusing Prof. Adei of hypocrisy and pointing out that during the tenure of former President John Mahama, protests had taken place at the Flagstaff House.
Dafeamekpor is not the only NDC MP to criticize Prof. Adei. Kwame Governs Agbodza, the Minority Chief Whip, also criticized him on Twitter, accusing him of contributing to the nation’s problems through his biased positions and commentary on critical national issues.
The Minority in Parliament has expressed dissatisfaction with the Bank of Ghana’s attempt to explain questions they raised about details in the central bank’s annual report for 2022. The minority accused the Bank of Ghana of engaging in distortions and failing to adequately justify the reported GHC60.8 billion loss and negative equity of GHC55.1 billion for 2022.
In a statement signed by the leader of the Minority, Cassiel Ato-Forson, the minority criticized the Bank of Ghana’s response as not addressing the core issues they had raised earlier. They particularly focused on the printing of money by the Bank of Ghana for the government, which they believe breaches the governing law. The minority also raised questions about the decision to write off GHC48 billion in debt owed by the government to the BoG and the construction of a $250 million office complex by the central bank, deeming the basis for these actions as untenable.
There are seven financial sins that will keep you broke. Taken to excess they can even make you poor. Broke is a state of mind while poor is a condition of poverty.
Avoiding these financial “sins” can help you maintain better financial health and make wiser financial decisions:
Living Beyond Your Means: Spending more money than you earn can lead to debt and financial stress. Create a budget, track your expenses, and live within your means to avoid this pitfall.
Not Saving for the Future: Failing to save for emergencies or retirement can leave you financially vulnerable. Start saving early and consistently to build a safety net and plan for your future.
Accumulating High-Interest Debt: Credit card debt and high-interest loans can quickly spiral out of control. Avoid carrying high-interest debt whenever possible, and prioritize paying off existing debts.
4. Neglecting to Invest: Keeping all your money in a savings account without considering investments can limit your potential for growth. Learn about investing and explore options that align with your risk tolerance and goals.
5.Ignoring Financial Education: Lack of financial knowledge can lead to poor decisions. Educate yourself about personal finance, budgeting, investing, and other essential financial concepts.
6.Impulse Spending: Making impulsive purchases without considering their impact on your budget can disrupt your financial plans. Practice mindful spending and give yourself time to consider whether a purchase is necessary.
7.Not Having an Emergency Fund: Unexpected expenses can arise at any time. Without an emergency fund, you might be forced to rely on credit or loans. Aim to have 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses saved in an easily accessible account.
By avoiding these financial “sins,” you can take control of your financial well-being and work toward achieving your long-term goals. Remember that financial responsibility and planning are ongoing processes that require attention and effort.
Certainly, embracing self-love is essential for personal well-being and a positive outlook on life. Here are five tips to help you cultivate self-love:
Practice Self-Compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to a close friend. When you make mistakes or face challenges, avoid harsh self-criticism and instead, offer yourself empathy and support.
Prioritize Self-Care: Take time for activities that nourish your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This could include regular exercise, a balanced diet, sufficient sleep, engaging in hobbies you enjoy, and practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing.
Set Healthy Boundaries: Learn to say “no” when necessary and establish clear boundaries in your relationships and commitments. This helps prevent burnout and ensures that you’re not overextending yourself to please others at the expense of your own needs.
4. Practice Positive Self-Talk: Challenge negative self-talk and replace it with positive affirmations. Replace self-criticism with statements that acknowledge your strengths, accomplishments, and potential. This can shift your mindset to a more empowering and self-loving one.
5. Celebrate Your Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may seem. Take pride in your accomplishments and give yourself credit for the progress you’ve made, whether it’s in your personal or professional life.
Remember that self-love is a journey and takes time to develop. Be patient with yourself and make a conscious effort to incorporate these practices into your daily life. Over time, they can lead to a more positive relationship with yourself and a greater sense of self-worth.
Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Regina Abanga, has been brought before the Circuit Court in Accra and is facing 116 charges of theft, amounting to a total of GHc287,775.47.
It is reported that Abanga, aged 44, allegedly manipulated an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) belonging to the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and succeeded in stealing the said sim belonging to the Unit Head of the bank.
She has pleaded not guilty to all 116 counts of stealing and has been granted bail in the sum of GHc250k.
Furthermore, as part of the conditions for bail, the court, under the jurisdiction of Her Honour Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie, has stipulated that Abanga must provide a bail amount. Additionally, she is required to present three sureties, with one of them being able to validate their commitment with a property valued at GHC125,000.
Also, she must show up at the police station each Wednesday going forward while the case is postponed until September 5.
The brief facts of the case presented to the court by DSP Evans Kesse, were that, the Complainant, Irene Aka Antwi is a staff of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) Head Office.
The Complainant is also said to be the Unit Head Officer, E-Business Operation at the bank whilst the accused, Regina Abanga is a Secretary with the Ministry of Energy, Ministries-Accra.
John Dumelo, the Ghanaian actor, politician, and NDC candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuguon constituency, has emphasized the essential nature of the competition between himself and Fred Nuamah.
Speaking on TV3, he said the rivalry between him and his friend, John Dumelo for that particular constituency would have been suicidal.
‘I didn’t mind the contest, but I felt like a contest wasn’t needed. It wasn’t necessary because the party looked at Ayawaso West as a different case, because I had contested in 2020.
“We did extremely well, we nearly won, and we lost by a small margin. So it would have been suicidal to change the candidate. So, in a democracy, a lot of negotiations had to go on. As a Democratic party, you had to sit down and do your research, you had to decide that, for this place, let’s change this person, and so on,” he stated.
Meanwhile,John Dumelo was selected as the NDC’s official candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuguon Constituency on Sunday, August 13.
This marks his second consecutive bid for the position.
Before this, he faced opposition from his close friend and fellow member of the NDC party, Fred Nuamah. Fred Nuamah had initially shown his own desire to contest for the position
However, in a new twist to events, Fred decided to withdraw from the race and throw his support behind John Dumelo.
Ghanaian musician Peter Famiyeh Bozah popularly known as Fameye is urging fellow musicians to be cautious when it comes to managers who care more about their own fame than the well-being of the artists they represent.
On August 14, Fameye posted on Facebook, advising artists to be careful not to agree to deals with managers who prioritize their own success over the artists’.
He mentioned that such managers might seem like helpful figures but could actually be harmful influences.
“If you are an artiste and your manager wants to be a superstar than you? Be careful, is either you signed a wrong deal or a Devil came in a form of an angel (sic)💡,” he posted.
Fameye’s message may probably be a wakeup call to his colleagues to be mindful of the kind of managers they settle to work with to prevent any future grudges.
He hopes that his post will remind his fellow musicians to choose their managers wisely, so that they can avoid future conflicts.
Four months into the fighting in Sudan, international relief organisations have warned that the situation is out of control, with massive displacement and millions on the verge of famine.
The leaders of 20 international groups announced in a joint statement that more than four million people had fled their homes and 14 million children required humanitarian relief.
They urged the combatants to put a halt to their hostilities and provide secure passage for assistance delivery.
Clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have plagued the Darfur area and the country’s capital, Khartoum.
