TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Venezuela’s rulers accused by UN of death squads and policy of fear

    The UN has accused Venezuela of a strategy of instilling fear in its population to retain power, removing opponents with a “shocking” number of alleged extrajudicial killings.

    Read: Venezuela death squads kill young men, stage scenes

    Victims are arrested and shot, with crime scenes manipulated to suggest they resisted police, a report says.

    The UN urges Venezuela to end the “grave violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights”.

    Nicolás Maduro’s administration has not yet officially responded to the report.

    Venezuela has in the past dismissed human rights allegations as “lies”.

    Mr Maduro is locked in a political battle with opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

    Mr Guaidó, head of the country’s National Assembly, declared himself interim president in January and has the backing of more than 50 countries, including the US and most of Latin America. Mr Maduro retains the loyalty of most of the military and important allies such as China and Russia.

    Some four million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, according to the UN, amid a severe economic crisis that has resulted in high unemployment and chronic shortages of food and medicine.

    What is the UN report and what does it allege?

    The report is scheduled to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Friday.

    It is based on “558 interviews with victims and witnesses of human rights violations and the deteriorating economic situation” from January 2018 to May 2019.

    Its most damning findings relate to the number of deaths the Venezuelan government has ascribed to resisting arrest.

    That figure for last year was 5,287, with another 1,569 up to 19 May this year.

    Referring to these figures as “unusually” and “shockingly” high, the report says: “Information analysed by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights suggests many of these killings may constitute extrajudicial executions.”

    The UN says witnesses reported how the Special Action Forces (FAES) “manipulated the crime scene and evidence. They would plant arms and drugs and fire their weapons against the walls or in the air to suggest a confrontation and to show the victim had ‘resisted authority’”.

    It adds that the UN “is concerned the authorities may be using FAES and other security forces as an instrument to instil fear in the population and to maintain social control”.

    The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the report report paints a dark picture of Venezuela, in which unmarked black vans arrive in poor neighbourhoods, masked officers get out, round up young men and shoot them.

    What are the other allegations?
    The lengthy report also covers areas such as economic and social rights, and social programmes and policies.

    Problems of access to justice – which the report says the government has asked for help with – are also tackled.

    The UN concludes it believes “there are reasonable grounds to believe that grave violations of economic and social rights, including the rights to food and health, have been committed in Venezuela”.

    On accusations of torture it says detainees have been subjected to “one or more forms of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including electric shocks, suffocation with plastic bags, water boarding, beatings, sexual violence, water and food deprivation, stress positions and exposure to extreme temperatures”.

    Wasn’t there a recent high-profile case?

    Yes. A navy captain arrested over an alleged plot to assassinate President Maduro died in custody with his lawyer alleging it was as a result of torture.

    The death sparked outrage, coming just days after the visit to Venezuela by UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet.

    Local media say the official autopsy reported that the body of Rafael Acosta, 49, had showed signs of having been subjected to extreme force, had been starved of oxygen and had suffered severe beatings and electrocution.

    Two men, Lt Ascanio Tarascio and Sgt Estiben Zarate have been charged with murder.

    What’s the current political situation?

    President Maduro has intensified a crackdown on the opposition since a failed military uprising against him in April led by Mr Guaidó.

    Since the failed rebellion, described by Mr Maduro as part of a US-orchestrated coup, many opposition MPs have lost their parliamentary immunity and some have been arrested.

    While Mr Guaidó’s parliamentary immunity has been lifted, he has so far not been jailed, even though he recently said he did not rule out the use of military force to oust Mr Maduro from power.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Somalia cuts diplomatic ties with Guinea over Somaliland

    Somalia has announced the severing of diplomatic ties with West African country Guinea. The decision was announced in Mogadishu today after a cabinet meeting.

    The development is linked to relations between Guinea and Somaliland the semi-autonomous region of Somalia. Somaliland continues to increase its bid for international recognition, much to chagrin of Mogadishu.

    Read: Kenya angry over money spent on border fence with Somalia

    Leader of Somaliland flew to Conakry earlier this week according to officials on official invitation from the president of Guinea, Alpha Conde.

    Foreign Minister of Somalia Ahmed Isse Awad whiles announcing the decision also cautioned other countries against violating the sovereignty and unity of Somalia.

    Formerly a British protectorate, Somaliland merged with former Italian Somaliland in 1960 to create Somalia.

    But it seceded and declared itself independent in 1991 as Somalia plunged into chaos after the fall of autocrat Siad Barre. Somaliland has been pushing for independence ever since.

    It has its own government based in the self-appointed capital of Hargeisa, its own army and prints its own currency.

    It is also considered much more stable than the rest of Somalia, which is plagued by clan disputes, corruption and a violent insurgency waged by the Al-Shabaab militant group.

    Source: africanews.com

  • Heavy rains in Japan cause deadly landslides and floods

    Heavy rains in southern Japan have eased after landslides killed two people.

    Read: Japanese whalers set sail for commercial hunting

    Authorities have maintained evacuation orders in place, warning that there is a risk of more landslides.

    Since Friday, some areas of Kyushu received as much as 1,000mm of rain, more than double the usual volume, according to public broadcaster NHK.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Dozens of migrants feared dead after boat capsizes off Tunisia

    A boat carrying at least 86 refugees and migrants has capsized off the coast of Tunisia with most feared drowned.

    Some of the four initial survivors told the Tunisian coastguard on Thursday the boat sank off the town of Zarzis, Tunisian Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters news agency.

    Read: Ghana aim to maintain dominance over Tunisia

    Tunisian fishermen came across the sinking boat and were able to pull four survivors out on Wednesday night, but could not find any of the other passengers, said Lorena Lando, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tunisia.

    Eighty-two people remain missing in the incident, which comes a day after a deadly air attack on a Libyan detention centre killed at least 44 migrants.

    Al Jazeera’s Sarah Khairat, reporting from a refugee camp in Zarzis where the survivors were brought, said the vessel was heading from the west of Libya to Europe when it capsized. The four survivors were all men – three from Mali and one from the Ivory Coast.

    The Ivory Coast national later died and two of the others are in hospital.

    Slim told dpa news agency the boat set sail from Libya on Monday.

    Earlier this week, another boat from Libya made it to the Tunisian port of Sfax with 65 people on board.

    Libya is one of the main transit countries for migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty as they try to reach Europe.

    The war-torn country has become a hubfor human trafficking rings that often send migrants off to Europe in vessels that are not seaworthy.

    Between January and June this year, 555 migrants died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, according to the IOM.

    Last year, there were 924 deaths. The peak came in 2016 when 2,911 people died in the crossing.

    Sea rescue

    Meanwhile, a sailboat belonging to Italian charity Mediterranea rescued 54 people, including pregnant women and children in distress off the Libyan coast, the charity said on Thursday.

    “All 54 survivors have been rescued and are now aboard,” Mediterranea tweeted. “Among them 11 women [three pregnant] and 4 children … Happy to have rescued 54 lives from the hell of Libya. Now we need a safe port.”

    Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini – who has tried to close Italian ports to migrant rescue vessels – swiftly tweeted that Mediterranea’s 18-metre sailboat Alex should take those rescued to Tunisia.

    “Otherwise we will activate all procedures to prevent Italy being a port of arrival for human traffickers,” Salvini said.

    Italian authorities last week seized a vessel belonging to German aid group Sea-Watch and arrested its captain after it entered Lampedusa port in Sicily unauthorised with dozens of rescued migrants on board.

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • UN reports Libyan guards shot at migrants fleeing air raids

    The United Nations says it has information that Libyan guards opened fire on migrants and refugees trying to flee air strikes that killed at least 60 people and wounded 77 others at a detention centre near the capital, Tripoli.

    But security guards at the bombed-out facility interviewed by Al Jazeera denied the accusations on Thursday.

    Read: Libyan coast guard says it has intercepted 15,000 migrants in 2018

    Two attacks hit an unoccupied garage and a hangar holding about 120 people in the centre in Tajoura, east of Tripoli, late on Tuesday, a report from the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

    “There are reports that following the first impact, some refugees and migrants were fired upon by guards as they tried to escape,” it said.

    Bodies were still being recovered from the rubble, the report added, suggesting the death toll from the unclaimed air raids could rise. At least six children were among those killed.

    About 500 people are still being held at the Tajoura detention centre, with four Nigerians set for release to the Nigerian embassy on Thursday and a plan for 31 women and children to be sent to the UN refugee agency’s departures facility in Tripoli.

    Libya is one of the main departure points for African migrants and refugees fleeing poverty and war to reach Europe by boat, but many are intercepted at sea and brought back by the Libyan coastguard – with the approval of the European Union.

    Weapons workshop

    Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from the detention centre, said guards at the facility refuted the claims made in the UN’s report.

    “Supervisors here said we are not allowed to speak to the migrants because they have been hearing so many stories made up by them … so that humanitarian organisations can come and take them to Europe,” Abdelwahed said.

    One person held at the facility told The Associated Press it was unclear if the guards fired at the migrants or in the air.

    Others told the AP that they were conscripted by a local militia to work in a weapons workshop inside the detention centre, alleging they were sent day and night to toil in the adjacent facility.

    They requested their names and nationalities not be published, fearing reprisal.

    “We clean the anti-aircraft guns. I saw a large amount of rockets and missiles, too,” said one person held for nearly two years.

    Abdelwahed said the guards denied any weapons or ammunition were stored on the site, however.

    “We know that this detention centre is not far from unused military camps, but it is not close to any ammunition depots and is far from the front line,” he added.

    GNA pins blame on Haftar

    Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) blamed renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces for the air raids, which UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame said “could constitute a war crime”.

    Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) denied the accusations, saying it targeted a nearby militia’s position but did not attack the hangar where the migrants were being held.

    The LNA in April launched an offensive to capture Tripoli from the GNA, which is supported by an array of armed groups.

    The 60 killed in the bombing of the detention facility marked the highest reported death toll from an aerial bombardment or shelling since Haftar’s forces launched their offensive.

    “The number of civilian casualties caused by the conflict has almost doubled as the result of this single attack,” the OCHA report said.

    Interior Minister Fathi Ali Bashagha said the Tripoli government was considering closing all detention centres for migrants and releasing them.

    ‘This hell of Libya’

    Despite the international outrage following the air raids, aid groups said there were no plans to evacuate the migrants, however, and nowhere in Tripoli is safe.

    “We are not aware of plans to relocate the migrants that remain in Tajoura,” said Safa Mshli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization of Migration.

    “Migrants intercepted or rescued at sea should not be returned to Libya, where they will face the same inhumane conditions,” Mshli added.

    What can be done about the refugees trapped in Libya’s fighting?

    An estimated 6,000 migrants and refugees are held in detention centres across Libya, despite the UN repeatedly warning the sprawling North African country is not a safe place for them and calling for their release.

    One of the migrants recounted a nearly two-year odyssey in which he fled war in his native country and was passed from one trafficker to another until he reached the Libyan coast.

    He boarded a boat that was intercepted by the coastguard, which later transferred him to Tajoura, where he was wounded in Tuesday’s bombings.

    “I fled from the war to come to this hell of Libya,” he said. “My days are dark.”

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • David Nicholls: Writing new novel ‘completely terrifying’

    It’s 10 years since David Nicholls’ novel One Day became a publishing phenomenon – a word of mouth sensation that has sold more than five million copies around the world. Five years later came Us and now five years after that, he’s back with a new novel. But can he repeat the success with Sweet Sorrow – a story of falling in love for the first time?

    Nicholls is under no illusion that whatever he does next, a book he wrote a decade ago “will always be the most popular and successful thing” he is known for.

    One Day was a phenomenon that not only sold five million copies around the world but was also made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.

    But its story that followed two characters from their graduation to their early 40s by visiting them every St Swithin’s Day, cast a long shadow, says the author.”The success of One Day made it very hard to write,” he tells BBC News.

    Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess took on One Day’s star roles Emma and Dexter “Every time I sat at my desk I thought, well this isn’t as good, this isn’t as funny… it isn’t going to sell as many copies.

    Finally though, he thinks he has written a “better” book. It is called Sweet Sorrow and it is a coming of age story about finding one’s first love. It’s Nicholls’ fifth novel. The others, along with One Day, are Starter For Ten, The Understudy and Us.

    But despite his considerable experience, he found writing Sweet Sorrow “completely terrifying”.

    “It doesn’t get easier with each book. I don’t feel any more confident now than when I started.

    “You’re revealing part of yourself. You’re drawing on something from deep inside and that’s exposing.”

    Sweet Sorrow is narrated by Charlie, a man in his 30s looking back on a single, life-changing summer, when he was 16.

    Nicholls said he wanted to “try and remember how it felt at 16, try and capture that on the page, the kind of dizzying excitement and confusion of it all”.

    But Nicholls is 52 and admits he was “anxious about authentically portraying what it feels like to be 16”.

    “I mean it’s a long time ago and I’ve always thought the further you get away from your childhood, maybe the more distant you feel.”

    Nonetheless, although he has never kept a diary, he says he has a “vivid recollection” of that time in his life. “It’s tough, it’s difficult, you feel lonely.” Not that he was a rebellious teenager.

    “I was quite a kind of nerdy, disciplined, conservative kid. I wanted to get really good exam results. I wanted to do well. I was very rarely badly behaved. I was pretty diligent.”

    The novel also explores mental illness. Charlie’s father has depression and the book examines the impact on both of them.

    “The book isn’t particularly autobiographical but it’s extremely personal and heartfelt,” says Nicholls.

    “You draw on things that you feel very profoundly and personally and things that affect you very strongly, without recreating anything from real life. So there’s very little in the novel that actually happened. But there are lots of things in the novel that preoccupy me, that occupy my thoughts constantly.”

    Sweet Sorrow is set in 1997- a time when “no one was really prepared to name and face up to and deal with” depression. Nicholls thinks that “is many people’s experience then and now”.

    “Now I think people are much more open to talking about their mental health… and there’s less of a taboo,” he adds.

    Nicholls knows he is “lucky”. He has enjoyed the kind of success that most authors can only dream about. His books have been published in 40 languages. His novel Us, the follow-up to One Day, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

    He is also in demand as a screenwriter. He won a Bafta for Patrick Melrose, his adaptation from the novels of Edward St Aubyn, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

    He has written the screenplays for most of the film adaptations of his own novels, including One Day and Starter For Ten.

    And he is currently adapting Us for a four-part BBC television series, which starts shooting later this year.

    But if there is a film of Sweet Sorrow, Nicholls is determined that he will not be writing the script.

    “I’m at the stage now where I’d love someone else to do it because adaptation involves a certain amount of violence… you really don’t want to take the kind of drastic action that’s required to make it work in a different medium.

    “You don’t necessarily have the objectivity. Often you’re drawing on your own memories and experiences and so you can’t see clearly enough to make the kind of cuts and changes that are required.

    “And so my hope is that I will never adapt another of my own books.”

    He says it is also “time-consuming” and distracts him from writing novels. “I’d love to write more fiction.”

    There is only one problem. “I just don’t have any ideas… I’ve said everything, there’s nothing else left to say.

    “But I hope soon… there will be something else.”

    Source: BBC.com

  • Nii Lante slams Isaac Asiamah for using ‘tax payers money’ to fly fans to Egypt

    Member of Parliament for Odododiodio constituency Hon. Nii Lante Vanderpuye has blasted Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah for defying the Government’s white paper on the 2014 World Cup Commission of Enquiry.

    The former sports minister believes using tax payers money to sponsor fans to Egypt for the 2019 AFCON is wrong following the recommendation of the white paper.

    Read: Commey will remain inspiration to budding talents Isaac Asiamah

    The White Paper released by the government on the Dzamefe Commission report in 2014 stated that the nation should not commit state funds to send supporters to tournaments.

    It adds: “Funding by private sponsors should be encouraged”.

    In an interview with asempa fm on Thursday, Mr Vanderpuye says the move smacks of disrespect of the white paper.

    “I don’t support sending supporters to football tournaments with the tax payer’s money,” he said.

    “I wouldn’t have sent supporters to Egypt if I were the sports minister,I would have respected the white paper.”

    Mr Vanderpuye believes the decision to send supporters to support the Black Stars at the tournament defies the recommendation of the 2014 Government white paper on.

    Hon Vanderpuye spent 10 months as a sports minister under the Mahama admnistration till their NDC party got voted out in the 2016 election.

    But he argues the performance of Mr Isaac Asiamah is sending Ghana “back” to it’s trouble days in sports.

    “The sports minister is going to use our money to send supporters on excursion in Egypt,” he said.

    “We have over 1000 Ghanaians living in Cairo alone ,so why send supporters from Ghana?

    “If this is the man who took over from me then we have gone back”.

    It is not known how many fans the NPP government has so far sponsored to Egypt but believes it is deliberate attempt to sponsor party footsoldiers to the tournament all in the name of supporting the Black Stars.

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Asante Kotoko capture Ampem Dacosta from Karela United

    Asante Kotoko has completed the signing of defender Ampem Dacosta from Karela United.

    Read: Kotoko striker Fatawu Safiu donates to orphanage in Techiman

    Dacosta has joined the Porcupine Warriors on a three-year deal.

    The 21-year-old helped Karela United to win promotion to the Ghanaian top-flight league in 2017.

    He played 13 times for the club in the 2018 Ghana Premier League which was truncated.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Fans descend on Fosu-Mensah for showing love to Black Stars after ditching Ghana for Netherlands

    Ghanaian football fans have descended heavily on Dutch defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah for showing support to the Black Stars.

    Read: Nii Lante Vanderpuye wants Gyan, Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah axed from Black Stars

    The Black Stars made it into the knockout stage of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt after beating Guinea Bissau 2-0 in the final Group match.

    Ghana is thus on the quest to clinch the Cup of Nations title for the first time in 37 years.

    Fosu-Mensah, who is born to Ghanaian parents took to Twitter to expressed love and support to his native country despite opting to represent the Netherlands at International level.

    His gesture however sparked anger among Ghanaians for ditching the Black Stars for the Oranje.

    Source: ghanasportsonline.com

  • Torture: Release interrogation footage Cudjoe to National Security

    The founding President and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe has charged the National Security to release audio and video recordings of the interrogation of Mr Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri, the Deputy Editor of ModernGhana, who alleges torture during his detention by the operatives.

    Read: I was never beaten, tortured ModernGhana reporter contradicts editor

    Mr Abugri and a reporter of the online portal, Mr Emmanuel Britwum, were arrested by National Security operatives last Thursday.

    They were alleged to be involved in cybercrimes and hacking, which they have denied.

    Read: National Security never tortured me; never saw my Deputy Editor tortured ModernGhana reporter

    Mr Ajarfor, after his release, claimed he was tortured by the security operatives but the National Security has refuted the claims.

    Reacting to the development, Mr Cudjoe stated on his Facebook wall on Thursday, 4 July 2019 that the security operatives should make public the interrogation proceedings captured on record.

    “I am aware that our national security institutions do have audio and visual recordings of their interrogations. They should simply make those involving the ModernGhana journalists available to the public,” he stated.

    Mr Cudjoe further admonished the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to launch a probe into the allegations as “torture is a serious offence”.

    In his opinion, “Journalists should not be manhandled in the course of their work even if they are alleged to have committed infractions against the state”.

    Source: Classfmonline.com

  • Sagnarigu: 6-year-old boy drowns in flood

    A  6-year-old  pupil of the Choggu-Yapalsi M/A primary school  in the Sagnarigu Municipality in the Northern Region on Thursday afternoon met his untimely death after he was swept away by flood waters into a storm drain.

    The deceased was on his way home from school after a heavy downpour when the incident occurred at about 1 pm.

    Read: 8-year-old drowns in Koforidua floods trying to save lunchbox

    The pupil whose identity was not made public to the media is said to have fell in a gutter around Choggu/Yapalsi and swept through the flood waters into a big storm drain around Gumani on the Tamale-Bolgatanga highway.

    It took the intervention of passersby to retrieve the body from the deep storm drain which was filled with flood water before the arrival of the police.

    Read: A Level 100 Student From UEW Has Reportedly Drowned At Sea

    The body has since been deposited at the Tamale Teaching Hospital mortuary awaiting autopsy.

    Eyewitness

    An eyewitness, Adam Rashid told Graphic Online that “the boy was found dead in the storm drain after the heavy down pour, I suspect he was carried away by the floods into the gutter”

    He narrated that due to the volume of the water in the drain the passersby had a hectic time retrieving the body.

    Police

    When contacted the Northern Regional Crime Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Otuo Acheampong said police received a distress a call about the incident at about 1:30pm and dispatched personnel to the scene.

    He said the police was investigating the matter to ascertain the cause of the death.

    Background

    The heavy downpour which lasted for about 4 hours left the Tamale metropolis and the Sagnarigu Municipality flooded.

    This is not the first time such terrific incident had occurred in the area.

    In July 2017, a 59-year-old woman who was rushing to pick her child from school in her car was washed away by the heavy flood on her arrival at the storm drain.

    Source: www.graphic.com.gh

  • Netflix to cut back on showing smoking in its original shows

    Netflix says it’s going to cut back on how often smoking is shown in its original shows.

    It’s after a report said programmes on the streaming site showed “much more tobacco” than on US TV or cable.

    Netflix says smoking in programmes aimed at younger people will only be allowed for “reasons of historical or factual accuracy”.

    In other shows it will only be shown if “it’s essential to the creative vision of the artist or character-defining”.

    Netflix says it “strongly supports artistic expression”.

    Read:Netflix announces dedicated UK operation at Shepperton

    It added: “We also recognise that smoking is harmful and when portrayed positively on screen can adversely influence young people.”

    The new rules came as report was released into cigarette use on screen by the US group Truth Initiative – which campaigns for people to lead “tobacco-free lives”.

    It compared the number of times tobacco products were seen in different series of Netflix shows that are popular with 15-to-24-year-olds.

    They included Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things and House of Cards.

    The report found – in all the Netflix shows it studied – cigarettes were more common in the later series than the earlier series.

    The report also found, on the whole, smoking is being shown more on Netflix than on popular shows on US cable TV – like The Big Bang Theory and The Walking Dead.

    Even in those shows, though, the rate is still rising.

    Truth Initiative does say it only focused on Netflix because it’s so popular – and shows on other streaming services, like Amazon Prime, show similar trends.

    “Smoking on the small screen has gone from common to nearly unavoidable,” the report says.

    “While smoking in TV programmes has not been studied as extensively as tobacco imagery in movies, it is reasonable to conclude a similar harmful impact is possible.”

    Read:WWE champion, Kofi Kingston and John Cena to star in WWE/Netflix movie

    In the UK, shows broadcast on TV has to follow rules put in place by an organisation called Ofcom.

    They say that smoking in shows likely to be seen by under-18s “must generally be avoided and in any case must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised”.

    And even in shows designed for adults it can be controversial.

    More than 70 people complained about seeing smoking on Love Island in 2017 and the issue even got raised in the House of Lords.

    The show has since got rid of its on-screen smoking area.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Joss Stone ‘deported from Iran’ on last stop of world tour

    British singer Joss Stone says she has been denied entry to Iran – the last country she had to visit as part of a five-year, 200-stop “total world tour”.

    The 32-year-old posted a video from Kish Island in which she said: “We got detained and then we got deported.”

    She said that she knew Iran did not allow women to perform solo concerts.

    “However, it seems the authorities don’t believe we wouldn’t be playing a public show, so they have popped us on what they call the ‘blacklist’.”

    Read:Ariana Grande kicks off Sweetener world tour in New York

    “After long discussions with the most friendly, charming and welcoming immigration people, the decision was made to detain us for the night and to deport us in the morning,” she added. “Of course I was gutted. So close yet so far.”

    Kish Island, which is in the Gulf off the southern Iranian coast, is the only place in Iran that foreigners can visit without needing a visa.

    She said immigration officials at island’s airport had encouraged her to go to the Iranian embassy in the UK to “sort it all out and come back”.

    Earlier this week, Stone posted pictures from what she said was a trip to Yemen, which has been devastated by a four-year civil war.

    Read:Iran: New US sanctions target Supreme Leader Khamenei

    She said she was given permission to perform before an audience of men and women by the governor of al-Mahra province, which borders Oman and is far from the fighting between Yemeni government forces and the rebel Houthi movement.

    The 198th stop on her world tour was Tripoli, Libya, where the UN-backed Libyan government is battling forces loyal to the warlord General Khalifa Haftar.

    Stone set out in 2014 to visit and perform in every country in the world, and to collaborate with local musicians playing indigenous music.

    The UN currently has 193 member states and two observer non-member states.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Manchester City complete £62.8m record signing of Rodri

    Manchester City says Spain midfielder Rodri is a “perfect fit” for the team after moving from Atletico Madrid for a club record £62.8m.

    Rodri, 23, joins on a five-year deal and is City boss Pep Guardiola’s second signing of the summer after defender Angelino rejoined from PSV Eindhoven.

    “Rodri has proven himself as a hugely talented, young midfielder,” said director of football Txiki Begiristain.

    “He has as all the attributes we are looking for.”

    Read:Disappointed Manchester United fan commits suicide after losing over GH¢3k bet

    He added: “He works hard defensively, makes himself available to receive the ball and uses it well when in possession. We are confident he will be a success.”

    Rodri will wear the number 16 for City, the same number worn by Sergio Aguero when he first moved to the Etihad from Atletico.

    The fee for the Atletico academy graduate surpasses City’s previous record of £60m in signing Riyad Mahrez in 2018.

    “What City have achieved in the last two years has been amazing and I’m looking forward to being part of such a talented squad,” said Rodri.

    Read:PSG stunned by controversial last-gasp Manchester United penalty

    “It’s not just the titles they have won, but the way they have managed it, playing attacking football at all times.

    “It’s a style that excites me, as do the club’s ambitions.”

    Rodri rejoined Atletico in May 2018 after three years at Villarreal and made 34 league appearances as they finished second in Spain’s top flight.

    He made his international debut in a friendly against Germany last year and has made six senior international appearances.

    City had made Rodri one of their main targets this summer, with Guardiola keen to sign a defensively minded player to bolster the Premier League champions’ squad.

    Source: bbc.com

  • GHC200,000 bail for cybercrime suspects

    The cybercrime suspects whose arrests sparked heated debate have been granted police enquiry bail.

    Two staffers of Modern Ghana an online portal were arrested by National Security operatives last week while another Yaw Obeng Manu of Peace FM was picked up on Tuesday.

    The National Security is said to have handed the case over to the police and Mr. Obeng Manu is said to have been granted GH¢200,000 enquiry bail.

    The National Security arrested the journalists because they suspect they are behind the hacking of some prominent media portals in the country.

    Read: I was never beaten, tortured ModernGhana reporter contradicts editor

    While the National Security Secretariat arrested Emmanuel Ajarfor and Emmanuel Britwum before their transfer to the police, Yaw Obeng Manu was referred to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command where notice of his arrest was relayed to him formally.

    The next process was for him to be granted bail as investigations into the case continued.

    Different statements

    Having earlier said he was arrested because of an opinion piece carried on Modern Ghana portal, Emmanuel Ajarfor said on Peace FM later in the evening that the security agents questioned him about how he accessed Peace FM emails.

    He reportedly pointed at Obeng Manu as the source of the access to the Peace FM platform, having furnished him with the password of the channel.

    Emmanuel Ajarfor the man who accused the security agents of torturing him with electric shocks and elbowing said his colleague, Emmanuel Britwum, was introduced to Modern Ghana by Obeng Manu. He added that Obeng Manu employed him as a reporter at the Publisher newspaper before he ended up at Modern Ghana online portal.

     

    Discredits denial

    Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri said it is untrue the denial by the National Security Secretariat that he was not tortured.

    Medical examination report

    The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) medical examination report on suspect Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri is yet to be received.

    Torture, the statement pointed out, is not part of the architecture of the National Security Council Secretariat in the current dispensation.

    The statement was categorical in pointing out that the suspects were engaged in inappropriate cyber activities.

    Partisan flavour

    The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has jumped into the fray originating from the ongoing investigations into the hacking accusations against the suspects.

    NGOs engaged in upholding media freedom have described the investigation as an attempt at gagging journalists.

     

    Cybercrime in Ghana

    Cybercrime cost Ghana US$105 in 2018 through an assortment of extortions, hacking and others, Dr. Gustav Yankson, Director of the Cybercrime Unit of the CID, said recently.

    Read: Peace FM management questioned over Modern Ghana hacking claims

    “With regard to the cybercrime cases we received last year, fraud was number one constituting 60 per cent and followed by various forms of intrusion while extortion placed third,” he disclosed.

    The law enforcement agency had earlier served notice of its readiness to deal with cybercrime which currently is a major issue confronting even the developed countries.

    Many youths have perfected the art of hacking into servers of major entities that they appear sometimes to be ahead of the security agencies.

    Many Ghanaians are watching with keen eyes how the current case is going to pan out especially against the effort to give the subject human rights and weaken it. The NDC is feasting on it with gusto.

    The security agencies have not given details about developments as regards the Obeng Manu case, with yesterday being a typical example.

     

    Source: dailyguidenetwork.com

  • Zoomlion, Auditor-General clash in court

    Zoomlion Ghana Limited has filed an appeal against the decision of the Auditor General to disallow and surcharge the private company over contracts it has executed for the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) through the Ministry of Health (MoH).

    After auditing the accounts of the NHIA for the period 2007-2018, the Auditor General issued a disallowance and a surcharge against Zoomlion in the sum of GH¢184,901,650.

    According to the Auditor General, Zoomlion was paid the amount between 2007 and 2018 without due process.

    Read: Zoomlion clashes with Auditor-General over Gh¢184 million surcharge

    Not satisfied, Zoomlion went to the High Court to appeal against the decision of the Auditor General, claiming it had been denied the right to be heard before being surcharged.

    The company attached numerous documents it claimed showed the existing contracts for the jobs done.

    However, after perusing the documents, lawyers for the Audit Service made findings of fraud against the waste management company.

    According to them, “Zoomlion intentionally added copies of activity reports and documents belonging to other contracts between the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and 10 allied companies of Zoomlion, including Meridian Waste Management Services, ABL Environmental Engineering Ltd and Volta Waste Management Ltd, among others.

    “In the process, monthly reports of other contracts being executed by the appellant and its sister companies with other government agencies were intentionally added to the NAMCOP documents presented for payments and the amounts therein duly paid by NHIA as claims under NAMCOP.”

    Appeal

    Moving the motion for appeal in court yesterday, lawyer for Zoomlion, Osafo Buabeng, said that the Auditor General breached the rule of natural justice when he went ahead to make adverse findings against the waste management company without giving it the opportunity to respond to the allegations.

    According to him, there was a management letter issued by the Audit Service detailing the alleged infractions which was copied to the NHIA and the MoH but Zoomlion, being the affected company, was never given a copy.

    Contract

    Mr. Buabeng argued that the basis of the relationship between Zoomlion and MoH can be found in the contract executed between these two entities, adding that the contract was in respect of malaria control mosquito spraying nationwide which was executed in August 2009 for four years and was renewable.

    Read: Auditor General refused us fair hearing Zoomlion

    He admitted that “after the expiration of the contract, the parties maintained their contractual relations although expressly the contract was not renewed.”

    The lawyer, however, contended that “by maintaining their respective contractual relationships both the Ministry of Health and the Zoomlion impliedly renewed the contract. The appellant continued to work pursuant to the contract and the Ministry of Health acting through the NHIA also continued to verify the work and paid the appellant up to 2018.”

    Relying on a Supreme Court decision, Mr. Buabeng said that by virtue of the contractual relationship between the two entities, there existed a contract which was in force from August 2012 to August 2018.

    The court, presided over by Justice Georgina Mensah Datsa, adjourned the matter to July 15 for the lawyer to conclude his argument.

    Lawyers for the Audit Service would then respond on the same day.

     

    Source: dailyguidenetwork.com

  • Hong Kong protests: Jeremy Hunt warns China against ‘repression’

    The UK foreign secretary has continued to warn China not to “repress” violent protesters in Hong Kong.

    A group of activists occupied Hong Kong’s parliament on Monday over a controversial extradition bill.

    Jeremy Hunt told the BBC he “condemned all violence” but said the Chinese government should listen to the “root causes” of protesters’ concerns.

    Read:Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt divided over Brexit plans

    It comes after China warned the UK not to “interfere in its domestic affairs” and labelled the UK “hypocritical”.

    Mr Hunt repeated his warning that China would face serious consequences if it failed to honour Hong Kong’s high level of autonomy from Beijing, as set out in the Joint Declaration – the 1984 treaty between the UK and China which paved the way for sovereignty over the territory to pass back to Beijing.

    “The heart of people’s concerns has been that very precious thing that Hong Kong has had, which is an independent judicial system,” Mr Hunt told Radio 4’s Today programme.

    Read:Hotpot chain Haidilao sees shares climb 10% in Hong Kong debut

    “The United Kingdom view this situation very, very seriously,” he added.

    China’s ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said on Wednesday it was “hypocritical” of UK politicians to criticise the lack of democracy and civil rights in Hong Kong when, under British rule, there had been no elections nor right to protest.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Russia submersible fire ‘was in battery compartment’

    Russia says the main cause of the deadly fire on board a submersible which killed 14 crew on Monday was a fire in the battery compartment.

    Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also said the top-secret military craft was nuclear-powered but the reactor had been isolated from the fire.

    Fourteen crew members died of smoke inhalation as a result of the fire on the submersible in the Barents Sea.

    The craft is now at Severomorsk, the main base of Russia’s Northern Fleet.

    “The main cause has been established – it was a fire in the battery compartment, and then it spread,” Mr Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin in a meeting on 4 July, according to the Kremlin website.

    Read:Two killed, seven injured as Russian plane makes emergency landing

    “The nuclear power unit on the vessel has been fully isolated and nobody is in that section. The crew took all the necessary measures to protect the unit, and it is in full working condition. This leads to us to hope that in quite a short time the vessel can be put back into service.”

    Severomorsk was also home to the Russian Kursk nuclear submarine, which sank in 2000 killing 118 sailors.

    The Kremlin had previously kept details about the vessel confidential, adding that it was in “the interests of the state and state security”.

    The crew on board were involved in exploring the Arctic seabed, Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported.

    In 2000, Mr Putin was heavily criticised for the way he handled the Kursk submarine disaster. Media reports at the time showed the president enjoying a holiday at a Black Sea villa as families of the victims demanded information about their relatives.

    Read:Russia warns of repeat of 1962 Cuban missile crisis

    Accidents involving underwater vessels are rare. Here are some of the most serious:

    The Argentine navy’s ARA San Juan submarine with 44 crew disappeared during a routine patrol in the South Atlantic in 2017. The wreckage was found a year later

    All 70 crew aboard China’s Great Wall Ming-class submarine suffocated in 2003 when a diesel engine malfunctioned, consuming the vessel’s oxygen supply

    Russia’s Kursk submarine sank in the Barents Sea in 2000 after a torpedo exploded during an exercise, killing all 118 on board, including 23 who survived the blast but died due to a lack of oxygen

    The USS Scorpion sank in the Atlantic in 1968, possibly because a torpedo exploded, killing the 99 crew

    The USS Thresher sank during diving tests in 1963, killing all 129 on board – the biggest submarine death toll in history.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Tutankhamun: Egypt demands auction of bust be cancelled

    Egypt has called on auction house Christies to cancel the sale of a 3,000-year-old bust of ancient boy-king Tutankhamun.

    The country’s foreign ministry claims that the bust was probably stolen during the 1970s from a temple.

    The 28 cm (11in) bust is due to go on sale in London on Thursday and is expected to fetch more than £4m ($5m).

    Christies says Egypt has not expressed concern about the bust in the past despite it being “exhibited publicly”.

    Read:Ghana lobbies Egypt for free trade office

    The brown quartzite relic comes from a private collection of ancient art that Christie’s last sold for £3m in 2016.

    In a statement, Christies said: “The object is not, and has not been, the subject of an investigation.”

    It said it would never auction an object over which there were legitimate concerns.

    Christies has also published a chronology of the relic’s owners for the past 50 years. The bust is understood to have been acquired from German aristocrat Prinz Wilhelm von Thurn between 1973 and 1974.

    Read:Egypt accused of digital attacks

    The auction house also said that the bust’s existence had been known for a considerable time and it had been on display for a number of years.

    Egypt’s former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass told AFP news agency: “We think it left Egypt after 1970 because in that time other artefacts were stolen from Karnak Temple.”

    Egypt introduced laws in 1983 banning the removal of artefacts from the country.

    Tutankhamun died over 3,000 years ago aged 19. His remains were found in 1922.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Ebenezer Ofori scores scorcher as New York City thump Seattle Sounders

    Substitute Ebenezer Ofori smashed in a screamer as New York City FC trounced Seattle Sounders 3-0 in the MLS on Wednesday night.

    The midfielder replaced controlled a pass from distance and rifled in a sizzling left-footed strike from more than 30 yards to complete the drubbing exercise.

    Read: Christopher Antwi-Adjei bags a brace as Paderborn annihilate VfB Salzkotten 20-0

    Ofori had come on for Alexandru Mitri?? in the 62nd minute.

    NYCFC broke through in the 58th minute when Moralez and Medina exchanged passes in the penalty area, and after the ball deflected back to Moralez, his right-footed effort beat Stefan Frei with a deflection off Jordy Delem.

    Moralez has posted a goal or an assist in seven straight games, now the longest streak in MLS this season, totaling 6 goals and 8 assists during that stretch.

     

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • I would have stopped Jordan’s ‘cheap’ goal – Nii Lante Vanderpuye

    Former Minister for Youth and Sports Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye has stated that he would have stopped Black Stars forward Jordan Ayew from registering his second goal in AFCON 2019.

    The Black Stars defeated Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in their final Group F fixture at the Suez Sports Stadium to finish as group winners.

    Read: Andre Ayew admits Black Stars are playing under immense pressure

    Jordan Ayew on the night broke the deadlock after outwitting his marker to put Ghana ahead before Thomas Partey sealed Ghana’s qualification to the knock stages of the competition.

    Speaking on Asempa FM sports morning show, the Member of Parliament of the Odododiodoo constituency said he would have stood to his grounds and prevented the Black Stars from opening the floodgate against the Djurtus.

    “Jordan’s goal was a cheap goal, if I was standing there as a defender, there was no way he would have walked past me with the ball.”

    Read: Ghana captain Andre Ayew pleads to Jordan Ayew ahead of Tunisia clash

    “Jordan lost the ball in the lead up to the goal so all he could have done was to block him. The defender need lashes for letting him score.”

    The 27-year is having a sterling campaign in AFCON 2019, notching 2 goals in 3 outings for the Black Stars. He has been named in CAF best XI for the group stages.

     

    Source: Primenewsghana.com

  • Algeria interim president appeals for national dialogue

    The interim president of Algeria, Abdelkader Bensalah, has made a state television address repeating his call for elections and national dialogue to end the political crisis in the country.

    Read:Algeria President quits, polls postponed Presidency

    Mr Bensalah said it was the only democratic solution and that the army would not be part of talks.

    His previous appeals for dialogue have been rejected by protesters who want to overhaul the entire political system.

    Read:Hundreds of Algerian lawyers protest against Bouteflika

    A presidential election was scheduled for this month but had to be postponed for lack of candidates.

    The mass protests fuelled the resignation three months ago, of the veteran President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Africa Cup of Nations: Tanzania must learn from exit – Amuneke

    Tanzania’s head coach Emmanuel Amuneke says the Africa Cup of Nations has been a real “eye-opener” for the Taifa Stars following an early exit in Egypt.

    Tanzania, who competed in their first tournament since 1980, failed to progress to the knock-out stages and finished bottom of the group with three defeats.

    For the former Nigeria and Barcelona winger, it was a telling reminder of how much football has evolved on the continental showpiece event.

    In every journey there’s a process of learning. When we go back we need to look at ourselves from a holistic perspective and see how we can develop our football.

    Read:Law passed to restrict foreign film production in Tanzania

    “It’s an eye-opener for Tanzanian football. We’ve not been at the tournament since 1980, a lot has happened in 39 years and the game has changed and continues to change,” Amuneke told BBC Sport.

    “What’s important is to adapt to these changes and improve as a team. There are lots of lessons to pick.

    “Our greatest undoing was our lack of experience. We are not experienced enough because we are used to playing football without so much pressure.

    “But we’ve seen in this tournament that when you have the ball, a lot of teams put the pressure on you.”

    The East Africans showed promising signs against neighbours Kenya and despite never troubling Senegal and Algeria, they were never embarrassed.

    Amuneke, who coached Nigeria to the 2015 Under-17 World Cup title, said his team would take some valuable lessons from their first big-tournament experience.

    “We didn’t show confidence or feel comfortable when in possession of the ball,” Amuneke said.

    Read:Tanzania president rewards players and coaches with piece of land for AFCON qualification

    “In every journey there’s a process of learning. When we go back we need to look at ourselves from a holistic perspective and see how we can develop our football.

    “It’s obvious that right now in modern football, if you don’t have the ability to compete you have no chance of winning – that’s what happened to us.

    The 1994 African Footballer of the Year, who has managed his country’s youth teams and Sudanese club SC Khartoum, also believes the future is bright for Tanzanian football.

    “I’m happy with my players, we all worked hard to be here, they didn’t invite us we earned it,” he added.

    “If we continue with the same spirit, improve on what we’ve been doing I think we can grow as a team.” he said

    Source: bbc.com

  • Police investigating Nigerian senator’s sex toy shop fight

    Nigeria police has said it is investigating an alleged assault after CCTV footage emerged of a senator hitting an assistant at a sex toy shop in the capital, Abuja.

    Senator Elisha Abbo can be seen hitting a woman in a video that has been widely shared on social media. He confirmed to the BBC that it was him in the footage, but explained that he had been attacked earlier.

    Read:Over 50 Nigerians killed whiles siphoning fuel from crashed tanker

    A small group of protesters calling for the senator’s prosecution marched to police headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday morning.

    Police spokesperson Frank Mba told them that the police chief “has already ordered a comprehensive investigation [of] the incident”.

    Read:Nigerian Kidnapper apologises to Ghana and Nigeria

    He added that police had made contact with the victim and “that every component of the incident will be looked at” including the video.

    The senate has set up a committee to investigate the incident.

    Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has also commented.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Zimbabwe sued for foreign currency ban

    A Zimbabwean lawyer has filed a court challenge to the government’s decision to ban the use of international currencies in the country.

    Godfrey Mupanga says the government’s monetary policy is unreasonable, illegal and unconstitutional.

    Read:No passports for Zimbabweans as crisis deepens

    He argues that the finance minister does not have the power to amend the law.

    Last week authorities reintroduced the Zimbabwe dollar, ten years after an economic crisis forced it to switch to using foreign currency.

    Read:Weekend of mourning in Zimbabwe

    Mr Mupanga also suggests that the economy is not strong enough to support the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar.

    Zimbabwe is facing its worst crisis since 2008. Authorities say a sole local currency will improve the economy by encouraging local production of goods.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Joseph Ekuban joins Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade

    Ghanaian forward Joseph Ekuban has joined Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade on loan from Hellas Verona, GHANASoccernet.com can exclusively report.

    Read: Performance of Ghanaian players abroad

    The 19-year old younger brother of Black Stars forward Caleb Ekuban joins the Black and Whites for the upcoming season and could make the deal a permanent one if he impresses.

    Ekuban, owned by Hellas Verona spent last season on loan at Serie D side Montova but will switch to Serbia for top-flight football.

    Read: Italy lose Leeds United star Caleb Ekuban to Ghana

    The striker is expected to gain some first-team football before returning to Verona.

    His senior brother also went through similar fate after moving from Chievo Verona to Partizani Tirani in Albania before making the big move to England to sign for Leeds.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Christopher Antwi-Adjei bags a brace as Paderborn annihilate VfB Salzkotten 20-0

    Germany born Ghanaian winger Christopher Antwi-Adjer netted a brace as Bundesliga newcomers SC Paderborn thrashed lower-tier side VfB Salzkotten 20-0 in preseason.

    The 25-year old scored the first of his two goals in the 52nd minute to make the scoreline 9-0 before he added his second in the 63rd minute to increase the goals to 13.

    Cauly Oliveira Souza and Ben Zolinski each scored hat-tricks before Marcel Hilßner, Rifet Kapic, Kai Pröger, Christopher Antwi-Adjei and Felix Drinkuth added two goals each.

    Babacar Gueye, Khiry Shelton and Streli Mamba scored a goal apiece before the topflight side had another goal through an own goal.

    Paderborn were ruthless against the district division side and look set for the upcoming season.

    Last season, the Blue and Blacks earned promotion back to the topflight after finishing second behind FC Koln in the Bundesliga II.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • African countries asked to remove barriers to facilitate trade

    The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has asked African countries to remove trade barriers from the continent, in fulfilment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement onto which they signed in May this year.

    Read: Africa Trade Ministers discuss progress of free trade agenda

    In its latest Economic Development in Africa (EDA) Report, UNCTAD said it was important for African countries to set out ground rules to determine the origin of products within the continent because failure to do so could affect the smooth implementation of the agreement.

    The report, which was launched at the United Nations (UN) Information Centre in Accra yesterday, revealed that trade among African countries was only 15.2 per cent, while over 80 per cent of commodities from Africa were exported to Europe, Asia and other markets.

    Read: Intra-African trade fair targets $25billion in trade deals

    According to the report, the trend could only be improved through the deepening of engagements to determine the origin of products, building the capacity of the continent’s human resource, diversifying African economies to focus on manufacturing and addressing trade-related challenges.

    In 2000, UNCTAD launched the annual EDA Report which focused on key development challenges on the African continent and suggested ways of dealing with those bottlenecks.

    EDA Report

    In 2015, the EDA Report looked at the telecommunications sector and how it could be leveraged for development, while the 2016 edition focused on development finance in Africa, with specific emphasis on illicit finance flow.

    The 2017 and the 2018 reports also delved into tourism for transformation and migration, respectively.

    The 2019 Report, dubbed: “Made in Africa: Rules of origin for enhanced inter-African trade”, explores the possibility of establishing better rules of origin and also explains the criteria for determining the nationality of products to promote trade among African countries.

    The rules of origin are meant to ascertain the origin of goods, prevent trade deflection and encourage the use of local inputs and production within a free trade area.

    The 2019 Report further highlights challenges such as weak productive capacities and tariff-related trade costs as key challenges that ought to be addressed to improve trade on the continent.

    It further shows that the share of African exports to the rest of the world ranges from 80 to 90 per cent, while intra-African exports account for only 16.6 per cent.

    Additionally, intra-African trade, defined as the average of intra-African exports and imports, is around 15.2 per cent, while comparative figures for America, Asia, Europe and Oceania are 47, 61, 67 and seven per cent, respectively.

    In terms of tariffs, the report says the applied tariffs for inter-regional economic community members amount to 7.4 per cent for the Community of Sahel-Sahara States (CEN-SAD); 5.6 per cent for ECOWAS; 3.8 per cent in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC); 2.6 per cent in the Arab Magreb Union (AMU); I.8 per cent in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); 1.86 per cent in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); 1.80 per cent in the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and zero per cent in the East African Community (EAC).

    Observations

    The Managing Director of Circadian Consulting Limited, a real estate entity, Mr Philip Cobbina, who presented details of the report, said its release was timely, especially during the AfCFTA negotiations.

    He stressed that if priority was placed on establishing rules of origin of products in Africa, it could be the game changer in promoting trade among African countries.

    “What we need to do is build the base of our manufacturing sector to use the resources that we have within the continent and also take advantage of the intermediate products,” he said.

    He further observed that the inability of African countries to trade among themselves meant that the potential that could be leveraged to boost local economies and build a stronger continent had been undermined.

    He, therefore, called on African countries to inter-connect and set rules of origin that would be holistic enough to break trade barriers, especially within regional groupings.

    On the way forward, Mr Cobbina underscored the need for policy makers in African countries to focus on building the capacity of the human resource to take control of the manufacturing, oil and gas sectors.

    Source: www.graphic.com.gh

  • Assembly demolishes illegal structures along Tema-Accra Motorway

    The Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly (AWMA) has carried out a demolition exercise to clear containers and other illegal structures erected along the Tema-Accra Motorway.

    The exercise, which commenced at about 7a.m last Tuesday, was supervised by officials of the assembly and police personnel.

    Read: Ayawaso West assembly demolishes structures along Tema motorway

    Over 200 illegal structures, some of which served as residential accommodation, garages, vulcanising shops and chop bars, were brought down by the taskforce.

    While some structures were completely destroyed in the exercise, other squatters succeeded in mobilising trucks to tow their properties to safety.

    Read: Mills Government paid compensation of GHC 6.3m for hotel demolished under Rawlings

    The exercise was carried out from the Accra end of the toll booth of the motorway to Shiashi near the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange.

    Notice

    The Chief Technical Officer of the assembly, Mr Augustine Okai, who also doubles as the Chief Building Inspector, told the Daily Graphic that adequate notice was served the affected people contrary to assertions by the squatters that they were not notified.

    According to him, the last notice served on the squatters was on March 11, 2019, adding that apart from the eviction markings on the structures, the assembly also engaged the people and advised them on the need to leave the shoulders of the motorway.

    Mr Okai added that most of the occupants had been there without authorisation, and that the exercise became necessary following refusal by the squatters to vacate the place.

    He said in order to prevent people from returning to the site, the assembly had put in place measures to regularly monitor activities along the stretch.

    Reactions 

    Some of the victims condemned the assembly for the manner in which the exercise was carried out.

    They described the exercise as inhumane and blamed officials of the assembly for the impromptu manner the entire demolishion was carried out.

    Some claimed that the operation took them by surprise, and that they were also prevented from removing their valuables to safety.

    “You know we are in the rainy season and accommodation is hard to come by in Accra.

    Where do they want me and my children to sleep tonight; this is so inhumane,” Memuna Issah, a chop bar operator said.

    Mr David Koomson, another squatter, said he had lived in the slum for seven years due to challenges in finding accommodation in the city.

    According to him, all his savings had been lost in the demolition exercise. He claimed that the destruction caused to his property might affect the livelihood of his family.

    Source: www.graphic.com.gh

  • Chamber brouhaha: ‘Executive has not been engaged’ Oppong Nkrumah

    Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said the Executive arm of government has not been engaged on plans to build a new chamber for Parliament

    “From the Executive perspective, I am not aware that the Executive has been engaged on this idea,” he said.

    Read: Manufacturers to pass on increased tariffs to consumers Chamber of Commerce warns

    This disclosure contradicts a previous declaration by Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, that President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has agreed to attend a sod cutting ceremony for the new chamber.

    “The President, in principle, has actually agreed to come and cut the sod the moment we are ready. So you can see that there is a lot of goodwill for this project,” Prof Ocquaye had said at a media briefing on the project.

    Read: Parliament allocates Ȼ72m for new chamber; hopes to get $40m China grant

    He also revealed at the media briefing that the Finance Ministry has allocated some funds for the project that seeks to expand the parliamentary chamber.

    Controversial chamber

    Parliament is under pressure to justify its decision to build a new House, expanding the 275-seater chamber to 450 seats.

    Architectural designs outdoored by the Parliamentary Service Board last Friday sparked wide criticism on social media.

    The Speaker of Parliament has been described as out-of-touch while the project is seen by many as profligate.

    Even MPs are demanding answers from Parliamentary Leaders, insisting they were not consulted. Several on both sides of the House have publicly kicked against the plan.

    A plan is afoot to march to Parliament next week to express outrage. The Majority Leader has said the plan is not conclusive.

    President must intervene

    Minority MP for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, wants the President to intervene to quell the raging controversy over the project.

    “It is government business and so government should not even think of that idea of bringing it to Parliament. Let us target our government,” he said.

    Meanwhile, both the Minority and Majority leadership are billed for a press briefing on the matter, Thursday.

    Source: www.myjoyonline.com

  • Akufo-Addo considers bill to allow dual citizens to hold public office

    President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday opened the Ghana Diaspora Celebration and Third Homecoming Summit, with an assurance that the government would soon place before Parliament a bill that would allow Ghanaians with dual citizenship to hold public office.

    Read: Akufo-Addo must apologize for calling critics of draft Uni Bill mischievous Minority

    “The question of the political rights of dual citizens is a matter for Parliament and an opportunity is going to be provided soon Parliament to address this issue,” he told the gathering, which included African and Ghanaian Diasporans in Accra.

    The summit was part of the Year of Return to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first 20 West African slaves in the United States.

    Read: Akufo-Addo directs AG to draft bill on party militia

    Tracing the contribution of Diasporans to their home countries all over the world, the President expressed excitement at the decision fo the Office of Diaspora Engagement Policy Bill.

    He explained that the bill would deal effectively with all matters affecting overseas Ghanaians, noting that beyond the remittances they send back, they have a crucial role to play towards the growth and development of the country.

    He said he expected the bill to be brought before the Cabinet to be worked on expeditiously and laid before Parliament.

    He gave the example of China, with an immigration population of 60 million, considered the 25th largest country in the world, with assets worth more than $2.5 trillion, adding that in the 1970s when foreign companies reduced their investments in China, t was the Chinese Diaspora that shored up the economy of that country.

    Quoting from the Washington DC-based Migration Policy Institute (MPI), the President said half of the foreign direct investments of $426 billion that transformed China into a manufacturing powerhouse in the 1990s originated from the Chinese Diaspora.

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • Cement manufacturers in pain over impact of high taxes on their operations

    Cement Manufacturers in the country want government to reduce the number of taxes and levies imposed on their operations.

    According to the Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana, the increasing number of taxes and levies imposed on them is putting a pressure on them.

    Read: Cement manufacturers decry high taxes, levies

    Among the numerous taxes and levies is the recently added fumigation levy of 0.5 dollars.

    The association also pays the VAT restructuring levy of 5% and the 2% special tax.

    The Association says these taxes and levies coupled with increased electricity tariffs have made them uncompetitive and their operations expensive.

    Read: Cement manufacturers endorse the Ghana Building Code

    Executive Secretary of the association, Reverend Dr. Dawson- Amoah, told Citi Business News steps must be taken to reduce the number of taxes affecting them

    “The various levies and taxes that have engulfed the cement industry make production very expensive and for that matter rendering the local cement manufactures uncompetitive if you compare it with the importation of cement into the country. Like I rightly said, the latest of this levy is this Ministry of Health levy which we call fumigation levy at the ports.” He said.

    Currently, there are nine individual cement manufacturing factories with one bagging plant that has a total installed capacity of about 11.6 million tonnes per annum.

    The average consumption is about 6.3 million tonnes per annum, creating a surplus of about 5.3 million per annum.

    Reverend Dr. Dawson- Amoah said they may be forced to lay off workers if the issue is not addressed by government.

    “There are a lot of taxes, lots of levies which is really affecting the industry. This is the same cry of most industries. The much trumpeted industrialization, the much trumpeted like trying to salvage the industry, trying to protect the industry is not what we have seen, it is not what we are seeing. Even I have it right in front of me. Talking about the release of PURC on increase in tariff like I said is a bombshell.” He added.

    The current members of the Chamber of Cement manufacturers are CIMAF Ghana Limited, Diamond Cement Group, CBI Ghana Limited and Ghacem Limited.

    Source: citibusinessnews.com

  • Former Dreams FC defender Bashiru Alhassan joins UAE-based club Al Wasl

    Former Dreams FC defender Bashiru Alhassan has completed his move to United Arab Emirates side Al Wasl.

    Read: Black Queens ready for group opponents at AWCON 2018 Bashiru Hayford

    The defender, who spent last season on loan at Czech side Sparta Prague joins the club for the 2019/20 season.

    Alhassan has been listed in the first team as one of the club’s foreign players on the roaster for the upcoming season.

    The hard-working enforcer joined Dreams FC on a four-year deal from second-tier side Tudu Mighty Jets in 2017.

    He was instrumental in their 2017/18 league campaign, helping them to 6th position with 24 points after the first round.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Fans excited after Black Stars win

    Football fans in parts of Takoradi in the Western Region are excited over the 2-0 of the Black Stars of Ghana over Guinea Bissau in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.

    Speaking to a cross-section of the public in Takoradi after the match, many of them could not hold back their excitement as the Stars scored two goals to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.

    Read: Senior players have helped me settle in the Black Stars team Samuel Owusu

    “We are so excited the Black Stars have qualified and we would continue to support them with our prayers,” some of the fans stated in an interview with the GNA Sports.

    Some were also of the view that the qualification of the team to the next round, was an indication that, they were capable of winning the cup the for Ghana.

    Read: Andre Ayew insists Black Stars were in total control in victory against Guinea-Bissau

    According to them, having waited for years for the trophy, it was time the team brings back the trophy to Ghana.

    Mr Edmund Kwabena described the qualification as normal, since it had been the normal routine in the competition but said, the ultimate would delight Ghanaians more.

    Dominic Acquah said the Black Stars were one of the favourites in the competition and should do everything possible to win the trophy for Ghana.

    Source: Ghananewsagency.org

  • Akonnor wasnt made aware of Kwame Baah signing Asempa FM

    Asante Kotoko signed goalkeeper Kwame Baah without the knowledge of head coach Charles Akonnor, according to Accra-based Asempa FM.

    Read: Ghanaian hip-hop sensation Kwame Baah drops something new

    The Ghana U23 goalkeeper passed his medicals on Wednesday and signed a three-year-deal.

    Akonnor has eventually left his post as head coach of the NC Special Competition Tier I champion.

    According to Ghana Sports sources, assistant coach Akakpo Patron has also been axed from his role.

    The signing of Kwame Baah means the Porcupine Warriors now have five goalkeepers in their folds with Ibrahim Danlad, Osei Kwame, Muntari Tagoe and Felix Annan are the old faces.

    Source: ghanasportsonline.com

  • Chamber brouhaha: ‘Executive hasn’t been engaged’ Oppong Nkrumah

    Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said the Executive arm of government has not been engaged on plans to build a new chamber for Parliament

    “From the Executive perspective, I am not aware that the Executive has been engaged on this idea,” he said.

    Read: Parliament allocates Ȼ72m for new chamber; hopes to get $40m China grant

    This disclosure contradicts a previous declaration by Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, that President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has agreed to attend a sod cutting ceremony for the new chamber.

    “The President, in principle, has actually agreed to come and cut the sod the moment we are ready. So you can see that there is a lot of goodwill for this project,” Prof Ocquaye had said at a media briefing on the project.

    He also revealed at the media briefing that the Finance Ministry has allocated some funds for the project that seeks to expand the parliamentary chamber.

    Controversial chamber

    Parliament is under pressure to justify its decision to build a new House, expanding the 275-seater chamber to 450 seats.

    Architectural designs outdoored by the Parliamentary Service Board last Friday sparked wide criticism on social media.

    The Speaker of Parliament has been described as out-of-touch while the project is seen by many as profligate.

    Read: We built new stadia when Ghanaians were suffering, why oppose 450-seat chamber? Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

    Even MPs are demanding answers from Parliamentary Leaders, insisting they were not consulted. Several on both sides of the House have publicly kicked against the plan.

    A plan is afoot to march to Parliament next week to express outrage. The Majority Leader has said the plan is not conclusive.

    President must intervene

    Minority MP for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, wants the President to intervene to quell the raging controversy over the project.

    “It is government business and so government should not even think of that idea of bringing it to Parliament. Let us target our government,” he said.

    Meanwhile, both the Minority and Majority leadership are billed for a press briefing on the matter, Thursday.

     

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

  • Women Farmers urge government to subsidise aflasafe

    The Middle Zone Women Farmers in Ghana have urged government to subsidise Aflasafe, a technology developed to help reduce high rates of aflatoxins in cereals.

    Just like the inputs subvention, under the planting for food and jobs initiative, they say such a move would reduce the current cost of GH¢32.00 per four kilos and would be delivered at doorsteps of farmers.

    Read: Golden Star Resources to support to Wassa East District farmers day

    Aflatoxins are poisonous carcinogens that are produced by certain molds, which grow in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grains.

    Madam Gladys Serwaa Adusah, the Leader of the Middle Zone Women Farmers, made the suggestion at the opening of a two-day workshop in Ghana on Research Dissemination and Agenda Setting for National Policy for Aflatoxin Control in Food and Feed.

    Read: More than 400 farmers receive oil palm seedlings in Asante-Akim Central

    The forum, which brought together actors in the agriculture value chain, including farmers, aggregators, processors, development partners, scientists and researches, would be used to share findings of a situational analysis and discuss issues of policy relevance.

    It forms part of a project to develop a national policy and technical regulation for aflatoxin control in food being coordinated by the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

    Madam Adusah said the subsidized price would enable women farmers to have access at a good price to produce cereals, including groundnuts and maize, to contribute to sufficient and aflatoxin free food.

    “The World Health Organisation came to Techiman to conduct a study on aflatoxins and they discovered that majority of our maize had high levels of aflatoxins,” she said.

    “This is a big problem for us the women because aside farming we trade in these commodities so it will help if the government heed to our call.”

    Dr Rose Omari, Project Coordinator CSIR-STEPRI, said a recent study found high levels of aflatoxin in food and feed in Ghana and other countries in West Africa.

    She said the study revealed a prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnuts in major producing regions across three agro-ecological zones in Ghana.

    Healthwise, she said studies had also shown that exposure to very high levels of aflatoxin could results in acute health effects such as aflatoxicosis, adding that it could cause symptoms including haemorrhage, acute liver damage and abdominal pains.

    She stated that chronic exposure to aflatoxins was linked to decreased protein synthesis, delayed recovery from kwashiorkor, immune suppression, and increased susceptibility to infections, growth retardation and stunting in children.

    Dr Omari said although aflatoxin was real there were measures including the adherence of good agriculture practices that could help control the levels of aflatoxins.

    Source: ghananewsagency.org

  • Socfin Group to build $20m oil palm processing factory at Daboase

    The Wassa East District Entrepreneurial governance is leveraging on Socfin Group’s $20m new Oil Palm Processing Factory planted at Daboase to create opportunities and prosperity for her people.

    Read: More than 400 farmers receive oil palm seedlings in Asante-Akim Central

    According to Hon Wilson Arthur, DCE of Wassa East, two strategic vehicles the district government has deployed are:

    1) Cooperating with management of PSG to prepare local engineers and train locals who could occupy good job positions in the new factory and

    2) Adopting Oil Palm as main crop in new Government of Ghana Planting for Exports and Rural Development (PERD) Policy.

    Read: Child labour on the rise in fishing, oil palm sector despite decrease in cocoa sector ICI

    The District Assembly Agric Department is in the process of distributing over 100,000 high quality Oil Palm seedlings to 1,000 Farmers to serve the new PSG Oil Mill Factory.

    Plantation Socfinaf Ghana on their own have cultivated a little in excess of 6,000 hectares of Oil Palm that can supply about 40% capacity of their new Factory scheduled to start production in August/ September 2019-

    Mr Wilson Arthur, already Golden Star Wassa Mines GSOP project has 2,000 plus Oil Palm plantation around Ateiku area ready to serve the new factory and individual Oil Palm farmers collectively could add about another 1,000 hectares.

    The Agric Department is collating data on Oil Palm farming across the District so as to fill the opportunity and support the success of the Socfin investment.

    This one way of activating the new vision to make Wassa East a land of opportunities and Prosperity for all.

    Source: skyypowerfm.com

  • Wassa East District health facilities to receive Numa quality water soon

    Access Water, an NGO collaborating with Water4 in the USA and Wassa East District Assembly to commence installation of its Water Systems at Health Facilities in Wassa East District.

    This is in line with shared 2019/2020 vision to provide potable water to Institutions and communities across the model district in the Western Region.

    Read: Government awards Nsaba and Duakwa town roads on contract DCE

    Schools are in line to benefit from this project which is targeted at enhancing quality health care and promoting good sanitation culture.

     

    Source: skyypowerfm.com

  • 8 die in cemetary fight

    Eight people are reported dead, following a deadly fight on Saturday, at the Achiase-Antoa Cemetery in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti region, between two groups that met there to bury their dead.

    The brawl, which ensued between residents of the town and some artisans from the Suame Magazine in Kumasi, was initially sparked by who, between the two, should bury their dead first.

    Read: Palm wine tapper allegedly murders wife, son over infidelity

    What reportedly escalated the conflict was when a motorbike belonging to one of the residents was suspected to have been stolen in the heat of the commotion by the boys from Suame magazine.

    Read: Two teenage girls arrested over murder of boyfriend

    According to eye-witness accounts, machetes,clubs and cement blocks were employed in the free-for-all fight, which led to the multiple deaths and injuries.

    So bloody were the clashes that other corpses that were enroute for interment at the cemetery were abandoned as pallbearers ran for their dear lives.

     

    Source: thepublisheronline.com

  • Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp hit by file transfer glitch

    Some Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users cannot upload photos, videos and files.

     

    A spokesman for Facebook, which owns all three apps, told BBC News: “We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.”

    Together, the social networks have billions of users worldwide.

    In March, Facebook and Instagram suffered their longest period of disruption ever. Problems also struck both apps as well as WhatsApp in April.

    The Facebook Messenger app, which is often installed separately, is also affected.

    Source: www.graphic.com.gh

  • Government awards Nsaba and Duakwa town roads on contract – DCE

    The Central Government has awarded Agona Nsaba and Agona Duakwa town roads on contract to facilitate easy transportation of goods and services.

    Mr Dennis Armah-Frempong, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Agona East, made this known when he addressed the chiefs and elders of Nsaba Traditional Area as they marked the celebration of Adae Kese festival at Nsaba.

    Read: Sekondi-Takoradi Department of Urban Roads commence road maintenance project

    The 7.5 kilometer town road would give a befitting facelift to the two towns, especially Nsaba which is the District Capital of Agona East, he said.

    Mr Armah-Frempong said the stretch of road from Agona Nsaba, to Akim Eshiem was in a very deplorable state and the situation pose a threat to commuters and drivers plying Agona Swedru/ Akim Oda road.

    Read: $ 81.67 million ADF loan to rescue Eastern corridor road

    The government, in the past, has spent huge sums of money to patch potholes and it did not yield the desired results and has, therefore, decided to undertake a major rehabilitation from Agona Swedru/ Akim Eshiem, he said.

    The DCE said the contract was part of the Sinohydro 2 billion dollar leverage facility from China to help construct some of the roads in the districts.

    Mr Armah-Frempong assured the chiefs that the road from Agona Swedru/ Adeiso/ Awutu Bawjiase has been captured in the 2019 budget and Chinese contractors would get to site soon.

    More so, he said, a contract awarded by the previous government for the construction of a three-classroom block at Agona Nintah has been re-awarded to new contractor.

    He said the Assembly has also re-roofed another three classroom block at Nintah which had its roof ripped off during a severe rainstorm that hit the town recently.

    The footbridge at Agona Nampong over River Akora which totally cut off the Nampong community from the rest of the district each time it overflow its banks, has been constructed and would soon be commissioned, Mr Armah-Frempong said.

    On education, he pledged the support of the Assembly to the Ghana Education Service (GES) directorate to provide teachers and staff with the required logistics to improve the performance of basic schools in the Area.

    The DCE announced that Kwesi Paintsil and Krobofom villages would soon be connected to the national grid, adding that the contractor has moved to the site to begin work.

    Mr Armah-Frempong called on the chiefs and landowners to release more land to serve as land banks for the Assembly to undertake future projects and this would help prevent the situation where government projects were unduly delayed due to the difficulty in securing land.

    Osabarimaba Boappiah Afriyie III, Omanhene of Nsaba Traditional Area, had earlier appealed to the government to reconstruct the Agona Swedru/Akim Eshiem/ Akim Oda roads for easy transportation of goods and services.

    He also called for an upgrade of the Nsaba Health Center to District Hospital level to ensure effective health care delivery as critical cases are still being referred to Agona Swedru, Winneba and Breman Asikuma hospitals.

    Source: ghananewsagency.org

  • Constructing $200m Parliamentary chamber is good use of money – NPP MP

    The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bantama Constituency, Daniel Okyem Aboagye has justified the proposed construction of a new Chamber of Parliament saying it is “something that is worth doing” and “good use of our money”.

    When quizzed by on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show if the chamber which has been widely reported would cost $200m was the best use of money, the MP said: “…It is something that is worth doing, it is a good use of our money. Of course, we will not leave the rest of the issues untackled.
    Employment are being created, we are managing the economy very well. If we can have two hundred million dollars that is good money that can also be used to build our democracy, I think it’s a good use for me”.

    The new parliamentary chamber which will have a sitting capacity for about 450 Members of Parliament when completed will be constructed by the architectural firm Adjaye & Associates.

    Read:Building of new parliamentary chamber is scandalous Inusah Fuseini

    It is expected to house facilities including diplomatic offices, a library, a museum, a church, a mosque, eateries, press conference rooms, galleries, a car park, an upper gallery garden, a post office and other facilities to complete the Parliamentary enclave.

    According to Mr Aboagye, the sitting capacity of the new chamber will allow for a fairer representation of the people in Parliament and a fairer distribution of resources to MPs.

    He explained: “The type of governance we have chosen for ourselves is democracy and democracy I believe is a representation of the people. And so, if we have situations where some members that represent the people come to the house with less than 10,000 votes and others come with 130,000 registered voters voting for you, you see that even though you are representing the people, the disparity is too huge, is too much.

    “So, if you want a fair representation of the people. Then I believe, you should at least… Not to try to say let’s get equal number of people but some reasonable fairness in terms of representation”.

    “If one person is representing over 130,000 registered voters and another person is representing about 7, 10,000 whatever the number might be. That is not fair because when it comes to the distribution of the national cake and I want to use the commonest one that we all know; the Common Fund, it is shared equally.

    Read:New parliament chamber is constitutional as constituencies expand Kennedy Kankam

    “…So, how do you expect an MP who has 130,000 constituents or registered voters and for that number and by extension a huge number of people to represent to be able to take care of the little that he has. So, I believe, If we can get the opportunity to ensure some fairness in the representation, it will be better”.

    He advocated that if smaller constituencies could not be consolidated to create larger ones, then bigger constituencies should be divided which would increase the number of MPs.

    “That’s why I support the fact that, if we can get some opportunity to put up a structure that will accommodate more and of course I won’t advocate that we should basically consolidate, we cannot consolidate constituencies to get one, then we should at least divide the bigger ones so that people can equally get some fair representation, that is my argument”.

    He also suggested that the current chamber was small because during functions such as the State of the Nations’ Address by the President, chairs had to be moved into the house to ensure that some guests could get spaces to sit.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Lawyers set to sue over Modern Ghana journalists torture

    Lawyers for the Modern Ghana journalists allegedly tortured by National Security personnel are preparing a civil suit against the security agency.

    One of the lawyers, Samson Lardy Anyenini on the Citi Breakfast Show said “in due course, a process will be covered in respect of a civil process against the perpetrators of the illegal and unconstitutional and criminal conduct.”

    Emmanuel Ajarfor, the Modern Ghana editor, was detained alongside a fellow journalist, Emmanuel Yeboah Britwum.

    Read:ModernGhana reporter lied; he was neither tortured nor electrocuted Afenyo-Markin

    The two met with police on Tuesday in the company of their lawyers.

    The case has been surrounded by controversy after suggestions that the arrest of the two journalists was tied to the publication of an article that criticized the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah.

    Mr. Ajarfor later claimed he was tortured and his digital privacy violated while in National Security custody.

    Read:Peace FM management questioned over Modern Ghana hacking claims

    The National Security Council Secretariat has denied the torture claims and also intends to study the medical reports.

    The secretariat in a statement said Mr. Ajarfor, “was never manhandled, neither was he subjected to any form of forced physical contact.”

    But the claims of the two journalists have received public support with the Ghana Journalists Association calling for an independent probe of the torture allegations made against the National Security.

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Not all spiritually possessed persons are normal – Mental Health Expert

    A Mental Health expert and Regional Mental Health Coordinator at the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, Edem Quarshie Ameglah, says family members and communities have the responsibility to report or assist persons with mental health problems or showing signs of mental disorders to get medical attention.

    According to him, before persons with mental health problems start causing troubles in public and become dangerous to themselves and society, they show little signs at home and if the family members are observant they will identify these signs as associated with mental health challenges and call for immediate medical assistance.

    “Unfortunately even if families see these signs, many of them try to cover them up to avoid their relatives being labeled as “mad”, then one day, the unexpected happens.” He said.

    Read:Mental health workers urged to contribute solutions to mental health challenges

    Mr. Amegle was speaking in connection with the 35-year-old man, Collins Yagbil who sacrificed his children to his gods and killed his wife for trying to stop him from sacrificing the children.

    Some community members say the man had a history of behaving abnormally sometimes, but they always thought he had been possessed by these gods and so did not see that it was a mental problem.

    They believe that on the day he tried to sacrifice his children to his gods, he may have been possessed by his gods and not with his own mind.

    “Sometimes he is nice and walks around soberly and sometimes he becomes abusive and misbehaves. During this period you only watch him do his thing; nobody wants to have problems with him, because he would always say he is a “Tindana” (Traditional Priest/Landlord).” A community member said.

    Read:Why global warming is a serious threat to our mental health

    On Thursday, June 27, Collins Yagbil 35 came under a community attack and was nearly lynched for sacrificing his children to his gods and killing his wife too, but was saved by the Police and arrested.

    The police had a tough time taking the suspect out of the community, because person related to the wife were bent on lynching him.

    In recent time, some “men of God” in some viral videos have been seen taking some actions that indicated that they are possessed by some spirit and yet members of their congregations have not made any attempts at getting them some medical attention.

    Meanwhile Daily Guide has learnt that the son of Collins Yagbil survived despite the cutting and he is responding to treatment at a health facility the family is keeping away from the public.

    Source: dailyguidenetwork.com

  • Sefa Kayi, Pratt, others speak against ‘needless’ new chamber for Parliament

    Parliament has decided to construct a 450-seater Parliamentary Chamber Block by the end of 2019.

    The Speaker of Parliament, Rt Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, unveiled the design of the chamber last Friday.

    The unveiling was done during a courtesy call paid by a delegation from the Architectural Firm Adjaye & Associates.

    Read: Building of new parliamentary chamber is scandalous Inusah Fuseini

    In attendance, were the Leadership of the House, some members of the Board, the Clerk and other Principal Directors of the Parliamentary Service.

    According to the Speaker of Parliament, some allocation has been made towards the project by the government but additional funding is being sourced to make the project a reality.

    However, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak have spoken against it.

    Read: Akufo-Addo has endorsed new chamber project Speaker reveals

    Adding their voice to the debate, host of Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Kwami Sefa Kayi, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt and other panel members who appeared on the show on Tuesday felt it was “needless”.

     

     

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • Building of new parliamentary chamber is scandalous – Inusah Fuseini

    The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central in the Northern Region, Inusah Fuseini says Parliament decision to build a new 450-seater chamber is needless, scandalous and a misplaced priority by the Parliamentary Service Board.

    He believes that while there are many plaguing issues the country needs to address, a new Parliamentary building is not one of them.

    Read: New parliament chamber is constitutional as constituencies expand Kennedy Kankam

    Inusah Fuseini, says it is shuddering to think that Members of Parliament (MPs), who are paid higher than the average Ghanaian, would want another high-cost chamber to the detriment of other necessities.

    “The building of new Parliamentary is needless and scandalous, in my constituency they are better things we should be thinking about rather concentrating on building a new chamber.

    ”We need to build better roads and adequate health facilities for people in our constituents that is the most important thing we need to address.”

    Read: #DropthatChamber: Ghanaians protest construction of new Parliamentary chamber

    He is also worried that a 450-chamber is a signal of a potential increase in the number of MPs by 175 seats more.

    The lawmaker said Ghana is too small a country to even have 275 MPs. Instead of more that makes no sense, he said he would like to see Ghana have 140 MPs.

     

    Source: kingdomfmonline.com

  • Kassim Nuhu to return to the squad for Tunisia clash

    Defender Kassim Nuhu will be available for selection next Monday when Ghana face Tunisia in the last 16 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

    The TSG Hoffenheim centre-back was suspended for Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in the final Group F clash.

    Read:Kassim to miss Ghana/Guinea Bissau game

    Nuhu accumulated two yellow cards in the matches against Benin and Cameroon.

    His availability is a huge boost for the Black Stars who are seeking to win the tournament to end their trophy drought.

    Read:Kassim Nuhu stars as TSG Hoffenheim thump Hannover 96

    Nuhu will partner John Boye when he is re-instated in the Black Stars starting line-up.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Tunisia frightened after being drawn to face Ghana

    North African side Tunisia have been drawn against their nemesis Ghana in the Round of 16 in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

    Tunisia would have been happy to avoid Ghana at this stage as they are yet to defeat the Black Stars at the Africa Cup of Nations.

    Read:Ghana captain Andre Ayew pleads to Jordan Ayew ahead of Tunisia clash

    The Black Stars remain undefeated in their last seven matches against Tunisia in the Africa Cup of Nations.

    Tunisia placed second in Group E with three points after a disappointing performance at the group stage where they drew all their matches while Ghana topped Group F with five points.

    In a total of seven meetings, the Black Stars have won six and drawn one against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.

    Read:AFCON 2019: Ghana to face Tunisia in Round of 16

    These stats frightens the Tunisians ahead of the game on Monday at the Ismailia Sports Stadium.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Senior players have helped me settle in the Black Stars team – Samuel Owusu

    Winger Samuel Owusu has revealed that the senior players in the Black Stars team have helped him settle in camp.

    The ?ukari?ki star has been a revelation in the Ghana team, after impressing in the Black Stars’games at the Nations Cup in Egypt.

    Owusu started in Ghana’s 2-0 win over Guinea Bissau, after coming on from the bench in the first two games.

    Read:2019 AFCON: Samuel Owusu blames bad pitch for disappointing display against Guinea-Bissau

    “I think so far so good. I have been doing my best as a player to help the team,” he said after yesterday’s game.

    “I am very happy because the senior players in the team have been motivating me. They tell me when you get the ball go forward, when you lose the ball we will tackle for you and I think it’s been very good for me,” he added.

    After making his first start for the team, the winger is expected to be handed another chance to impress when Ghana faces Tunisia in the last 16.

    Read:FT: Ghana tops Group F after stuttering Afcon campaign

    But the down to earth player insists that decision should be left to the coach Kwesi Appiah.

    “Everything depends on the coach now, whether for me to start on be on the bench,” he said.

    Ghana will face Tunisia on Monday for a place in the quarter finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com