The director of legal affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Abraham Amaliba believes that there are some mischievous persons whose objective is to erode successes chalked so far by the party.
Mr Amaliba’s comment follows a second injunction that has been filed against the party’s upcoming primaries on Saturday, May 13. It is the second to hit the primaries, with the first filed by presidential aspirant Dr. Kwabena Duffour struck out by the high court after he withdrew his injunction application.
Reacting to the latest suit on Joy FM’s Midday News on Friday, Mr Amaliba said the party has not officially been served with the writ.
Describing it as mischief, the legal practitioner stressed that the NDC remains united ahead of its internal elections.
“I would want to think that there are people who are engaging in mischief. And that is what is at play but the party is united. If you want to measure the strength or unity of the party, talk to the grassroots. They are yearning for this election to come off.
“There are a few miscreants who want to, as it were, thwart the efforts of the party, but generally the party is united,” he said on Friday.
On Tuesday, a presidential flagbearer hopeful, Dr Kwabena Duffour filed an injunction application against the party following what he said were some discrepancies his team had identified in the party’s voters register to be used for the exercise.
Two days later, an Accra High Court struck out his injunction application after asking his lawyers to withdraw the case.
There was singing and dancing among some NDC supporters following that decision, however, their joys were short-lived as the party comes up against another injunction application.
Edgar Asamoah Boateng is seeking the High Court’s order to prevent the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries from taking place.
He alleges that the lack of an adequate photo album of qualified voters has caused significant animosity and hostility within the party. Should the writ be officially served, Mr Amaliba said the legal team will take a decision.
Management of VRA/NEDCo in the Upper East Region has threatened to cut power to the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Health Service if they fail to settle their indebtedness of GHs 34 million to the company.
The company says the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Health Service owe the company GHs 18 million and GHs 16 million respectively.
VRA/NEDCo billing officer, Williams Asare, speaking to the media during an exercise revealed the indebtedness of the two institutions has affected their operations.
He warned they would not hesitate to disconnect their facilities if urgent measures are not taken to settle their indebtedness.
“The health institutions in the Upper East put together are owing us (VRA/NEDCo) GH¢16 million, and we have engaged the regional health directorate and given them their entire bill. But we have seen documentation from the Director-General of the Ghana health service that, for those facilities that internally generate funds, we should have an arrangement for them to pay. As for the legacy debts before 2021, they will take up with the Ministry of Finance to pay”.
“Some clinics and health facilities have come for us to have some payment agreements where they’re going to pay a substantial amount to reduce the debt and commit to paying the current bills, and we’ll be following up on that. Our L.I. allows that, when we serve the bill, after 14 days, if the customer doesn’t pay, you are due to disconnect, so we’re going to ensure that we don’t come there”.
“The police administration in the region are owing us GHs18 million, we engaged the regional police commander, and he has taken up the bill and is putting a covering memo to the police administration at the head office for them to pay. For certain category of officers, they’re supposed to pay their own bills so for those facilities we’re in the process of metering them with pre-paid meters so that they pay”.
He added that over GHs 5 million out of GHs 120 million have been retrieved from customer indebtedness to the company in the ongoing revenue mobilization and disconnection exercise.
Joyce Amoabeng, a 33-year-old woman has been arrested by the police for the alleged attempted murder of her biological mother for money rituals at Assin Fosu.
The suspect was caught strangling her mother in an attempt to suffocate her to death.
Narrating the incident, the victim, Theresa Amoah, 59 years old said at about 10:30 hours, the suspect sneaked into her room wearing a face mask, and jalabiya and attacked her
She said the suspect covered her mouth and nose with cloth and attempted to kill her.
The victim said she gathered strength to struggle with the suspect while shouting for residents’ help.
She said a woman and a teenage boy upon hearing the noise rushed to the room, caught the suspect strangling the victim and managed to save her.
Upon sensing danger, the suspect took to her heels but her jalabiya got removed in the process and residents identified her as Marfowaa, daughter of the victim who had earlier told the family she was traveling to Accra.
After a search by some residents, they found the suspect’s small bag containing a medical bandage, syringe and nyanya leaves which were alleged would have been used to perform the ritual on the victim.
The South African rand plunged on Thursday after the US accused the country of arming Russia. The currency dropped more than 30 cents against the dollar in minutes, reaching its lowest level since the historic slump in 2020, local media reported. The US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety claimed that South Africa had supplied weapons and ammunition to a Russian ship that visited the Simon’s Town naval base in Cape Town in December last year. The allegation sparked concerns that the US would impose economic sanctions on South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa‘s office said a retired judge would lead an independent investigation into the matter.
Kim Kardashian confidently displays her natural buttocks in loose-fitting jeans as she carries her son Psalm during a birthday outing, sharing a series of unedited photos.
Wednesday’s outing is just a continuation of the Psalm’s birthday celebration as the Skims founder also threw the four-year-old a firefighter-themed party over the weekend.
Kim, 42, brought her youngest child Psalm, her oldest son Saint, seven, and the rest of her family to Univeral Studios to continue the celebration in photos exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun.
The Hulu star was seen carrying the happy birthday boy as the group traversed the Los Angeles, California theme park.
She donned an ankle-length leather jacket over a black shirt and baggy ripped jeans for the outing.
Kim paired the laid-back outfit with a pair of blue-and-white Nikes.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians alum wore her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and even while wearing loose-fitting attire, the material clung to Kim’s shapely curves.
While not as prominent as before her 21-pound weight loss, The Kardashians star’s ample rear lost none of its head-turning allure as she meandered around the park.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has allegedly been hit with another injunction to suspend their upcoming primaries scheduled for May 13.
A member of the party, Edgar Asamoah Boateng is seeking a High Court order to prevent the party from proceeding with its presidential and parliamentary primaries on Saturday.
In his statement of claim, the plaintiff, said to be a party member of the party in Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, expressed his surprise at what he sees as lack of a voters’ register being provided to his representatives, as well as to all other aspirants, including presidential contenders.
He alleges that the lack of an adequate photo album of qualified voters has caused significant animosity and hostility within the party.
This comes hours after an Accra High Court struck out Dr Kwabena Duffour’s injunction application against the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s presidential and parliamentary primaries.
It followed an application by his lawyers to have the case withdrawn.
Dr Duffuor’s campaign team had alleged it has not been furnished with an accurate list of persons who are supposed to participate in the May 13, Presidential and Parliamentary polls.
The request was made in court earlier in the day when the case was called for hearing.
There was no opposition from NDC’s legal team and that of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Today, Edgar’s lawyers are praying the court for “an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the Defendants/Respondents, its officers or agents or otherwise howsoever from holding the primary elections for the Nomination of Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates of the National Democratic Congress Party on 13 May 2023 pending the determination of the suit herein as per grounds deposed to in the accompanying affidavit and for any further orders the Honourable Court may deem fit.”
Kumawood actor Mr. Beautiful has accused the John Agyekum Kufuor government for being responsible for the collapse of Concert party, the popular entertainment event.
The entertainment show which was usually hosted at the National Theater was a mixture of stage acting and music as well as comedy. It was a weekly show that was also aired on Ghana’s National Television.
Speaking in an interview with veteran broadcaster Fiifi Banson, the actor stated that Kufuor’s appointment in 2002 of Madam Eva Lokko as Director General of the state broadcaster, GBC, killed the Concert Party show.
“Concert party collapsed through policies of Kufuor but many are not aware. He brought a woman called Eva Lokko to head GBC, at the time our main sponsor was Key Soap.
“She hiked the fee Unilever was paying for the telecasting of the programme forcing them to withhold their sponsorship, that is when the entire enterprise collapsed,” he intimated.
The show was one of the most popular theatre events in the past that brought together a large number of performers, comedians, and musicians under the moniker Key Soap Concert Party.
According to many industry players, the collapse of the Concert Party has ruined Ghana’s theatre culture.
Ghanaian Afro-pop singer-songwriter Wiyaala raises concerns about the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) organized by Charterhouse, emphasizing its bias towards promoting Accra-based musicians.
Speaking as a guest on The North Podcast with Prince Hamdan Banang, Wiyaala, disclosed that the VGMAs have established criteria for selecting nominees that she believes disqualify her, consequently leading her to cease submitting nominations.
According to her, Wiyaala, one of the key criteria for nomination is massive airplay on radio stations in Accra, a requirement that proves unattainable for her due to her choice of language.
The singer who performs in her native Sissala dialect, expressed her frustration at the VGMA organisers’ lack of recognition of diversity in Ghanaian music.
She explained that her unique style of music and dialect make it difficult for her to get the airplay needed to qualify for a nomination. Despite her disappointment, Wiyaala stated that she has no issue with the VGMA organisers.
“In my heart, I believe VGMA is trying to get all of us involved. But let’s not tickle and make and make a fool of ourselves,” Wiyaala expressed candidly. “It’s very obvious and glaring what VGMA is all about. You have to be in Accra and your songs have to be popular in Accra. There are songs that were never popular in the North, but they made it, and the criteria keep changing. It’s their rules and regulations if you cannot follow them, you shouldn’t enter.”
Wiyaala who resides in her hometown in the Upper West region emphasized the lack of deliberate efforts to showcase artists from other regions whose songs may not be widely known due to language barriers.
This oversight contradicts the VGMA’s proclaimed purpose of honoring musicians from across Ghana, as it heavily concentrates on specific groups in certain regions of the country.
“I can be as popular as any artist in the Northern region, but since the program is Accra-based and most of the radio stations are Accra-based, it’s only natural that they predominantly feature songs from Accra. Most DJs do not comprehend our songs, and many people are unwilling to understand them,” Wiyaala explained.
The singer-songwriter has however in the past won awards at the VGMA including Songwriter of The Year and Best Female Vocal Performance.
Charterhouse and the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards as of this report were yet to address these concerns and it remains to be seen if it will take steps towards ensuring fair representation for artists from all regions of the country.
Presidential aspirant in the upcoming National Democratic Congress (NDC’s) primaries, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, caused an earthquake in the party by seeking an injunction to suspend the elections.
However, the ‘earthquake’ has been assuaged by his decision to withdraw the injunction; a situation which has paved way for the elections to come off as scheduled.
On Friday, May 12, 2023, an Accra High Court, struck out Dr Kwabena Duffour’s injunction application against the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s presidential and parliamentary primaries.
It followed an application by his lawyers to have the case withdrawn.
The request was made in court earlier in the day when the case was called for hearing.
There was no opposition from NDC’s legal team and that of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Dr Duffuor’s campaign team had alleged it has not been furnished with an accurate list of persons who are supposed to participate in the May 13, Presidential and Parliamentary polls.
He, therefore, wanted the court to put the elections on hold and have the party engage candidates on a road map toward drawing up an accurate list of voters.
The NDC however contended that it has so far rectified most of the errors that have been identified by Dr Duffuor’s team.
Lawyers for NDC thus urged the High Court to dismiss the application.
They insisted that the suit as filed was frivolous and incompetent.
They also described the case as one not grounded in law.
“We submit that the plaintiff’s suit is incompetent and therefore ought to be dismissed in limine. Again, the plaintiff has not been able to demonstrate on the face of his pleadings and affidavit that it is just or convenient for the Honourable Court to grant the injunction that he seeks.”
North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says he would not have any problem should the government delay salaries of the political class so it pays members of the Pensioner Bondholders Forum their monies.
The lawmaker said the pensioners depend on their investments to take care of their medical bills and other expenses as they are not in active service.
Mr Ablakwa said the government must urgently find a way to pay them their monies to avoid any further problems for the old folks.
Speaking on Metro TV on Friday, May 12, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee also advised the government to cut expenditure, including spending on the National Cathedral Secretariat, free fuel coupons and others to settle the monies of the pensioners.
“I don’t mind if the government says it will delay our salaries, those of us in active politics now so the monies for these pensioners can be paid. I don’t mind at all.
“The salaries of all of us MPs, Ministers and all. So there are so many things we can cut. The salaries of the political class be suspended while we look at that.
“The fuel coupons, official travels, the cathedral secretariat. Why are we keeping that secretariat open and paying people salaries after all the scandals. You know this president does not believe in small things. He likes big things, big government and large life,” he said.
Since Monday, the retirees have been gathering at the Ministry from 10am to 11am every day chanting patriotic songs in the hope that their presence will pile pressure on government to honour the about 19 coupons and 3 principals outstanding.
For most pensioners, the delay in payment does not only affect them but their dependents also.
An aggrieved member in a media interview narrated his frustration and called on the government to urgently pay them their monies.
“All we want is our monies to be paid. The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, promised to give us our money, but up till now we have not received anything.
“We are monitoring everything because we worked hard, there’s no way any of our monies will go unpaid that we will not track. We are not asking for any social services, we are asking for our money.
“Please convey to the Finance Minister that he must keep his word and pay us. We wouldn’t be here if he had kept his promise,” he said.
A Dormaa-Ahenkro Circuit Court has convicted and sentenced two persons to seven years each with hard labour for conspiracy to commit a crime and stealing a Bajaj tricycle valued at GHs 35,000.00.
Both convicts, Blessing Yeboah, aged 19, a driver’s mate and Isaac Ofosu, 25 years, a mason apprentice pleaded guilty to the two charges with explanation, but the Court presided by Mr Osei Kofi Amoako convicted them on their own plea.
The prosecuting officer, Police Inspector (P/Insp.) Emmanuel Asare told the Court the complainant, a tricycle rider resided at Koraso, a village near Dormaa-Ahenkro while Yeboah, first accused lived at Dormaa-Ahenkro and Ofosu, the second accused also resided at Amangoase in Berekum.
Police Insp. Asare said at about 5:00 on Thursday, May 4, 2023, the complainant detected his green Bajaj tricycle with registration number M-22-BA-109 was missing, and therefore reported the matter to the Police at Dormaa-Ahenkro and an extract was given to him to make an announcement to that effect on radio stations.
He said later, the Dormaa-Ahenkro Police received information from Wamfie Police that they had intercepted a Bajaj tricycle with the above-mentioned registration number and also arrested the convicts who were on board.
P/Insp. Asare stated that the Police accompanied by the complainant went to the place, saying the latter identified the tricycle as his and convicts were therefore re-arrested and detained for investigation.
He explained that the investigation revealed the convicts refused to stop at the Wamfie Police checkpoint and when the Police chased them, and escaped into a nearby bush, leaving behind the tricycle but were eventually apprehended.
P/Insp. Asare said during interrogations, the convicts admitted the offences and were accordingly charged and brought before the Court.
In order to record the sounds of the Earth’s stratosphere, enormous solar balloons were launched 70,000 feet into the air. However, the microphones on board the balloons picked up some unexpected sounds.
The ozone layer, which absorbs and scatters the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, is found in the stratosphere, the second layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA. Jet aircraft and weather balloons are able to ascend to their highest altitudes in the thin, dry air of the stratosphere, and turbulence is rarely seen in this generally calm atmospheric layer.
Daniel Bowman, principal scientist at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, was inspired in graduate school to explore the soundscape of the stratosphere after being introduced to the low-frequency sounds that are generated by volcanoes. Known as infrasound, the phenomenon is inaudible to the human ear.
Bowman and his friends had previously flown cameras on weather balloons “to take pictures of the black sky above and the Earth far below” and successfully built their own solar balloon.
He proposed attaching infrasound recorders to balloons to record the sounds of volcanoes. But then he and his adviser Jonathan Lees of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, “realized that no one had tried to put microphones on stratospheric balloons for half a century, so we pivoted to exploring what this new platform could do,” Bowman said. Lees is a professor of Earth, marine and environmental sciences who researches seismology and volcanology.
The balloons can take sensors twice as high as commercial jets can fly.
“On our solar balloons, we have recorded surface and buried chemical explosions, thunder, ocean waves colliding, propeller aircraft, city sounds, suborbital rocket launches, earthquakes, and maybe even freight trains and jet aircraft,” Bowman said via email. “We’ve also recorded sounds whose origin is unclear.”
The findings were shared Thursday at the 184th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Chicago.
A recording shared by Bowman from a NASA balloon that circled Antarctica contains infrasound of colliding ocean waves, which sounds like continual sighing. But other crackles and rustling have unknown origins.
Listen to the sounds of the stratosphere
Solar balloons captured a multitude of sounds in the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere, including colliding ocean waves — as well as sounds with unidentified origins.
Source: Daniel Bowman/Sandia National Laboratories
In the stratosphere, “there are mysterious infrasound signals that occur a few times per hour on some flights, but the source of these is completely unknown,” Bowman said.
Bowman and his collaborators have conducted research using NASA balloons and other flight providers, but they decided to build their own balloons, each spanning about 19.7 to 23 feet (6 to 7 meters) across.
The supplies can be found at hardware and pyrotechnic supply stores, and the balloons can be assembled on a basketball court.
“Each balloon is made of painter’s plastic, shipping tape, and charcoal dust,” Bowman said via email. “They cost about $50 to make and a team of two can build one in about 3.5 hours. One simply brings it out to a field on a sunny day and fills it up with air, and it will carry a pound of payload to about 70,000 ft.”
The charcoal dust is used inside the balloons to darken them, and when the sun shines on the dark balloons, the air inside them warms up and becomes buoyant. The inexpensive and easy DIY design means the researchers can release multiple balloons to collect as much data as possible.
“Really, a group of high schoolers with access to the school gym could build a solar balloon, and there’s even a cellphone app called RedVox that can record infrasound,” Bowman said.
Bowman estimated that he launched several dozen solar balloons to collect infrasound recordings between 2016 and April of this year. Microbarometers, originally designed to monitor volcanoes, were attached to the balloons to record low-frequency sounds.
The researchers tracked their balloons using GPS, since they can travel for hundreds of miles and land in inconvenient locations.
The longest flight so far was 44 days aboard a NASA helium balloon, which recorded 19 days worth of data before the batteries on the microphone died. Meanwhile, solar balloon flights tend to last about 14 hours during the summer and land once the sun sets.
A new way to experience the wonders of the universe
The advantage of the high altitude reached by the balloons means that noise levels are lower and the detection range is increased — and the whole Earth is accessible. But the balloons also present challenges for researchers. The stratosphere is a harsh environment with wild temperature fluctuations between heat and cold.
“Solar balloons are a bit sluggish, and we’ve wrecked a few on bushes when trying to launch them,” Bowman said. “We’ve had to hike down into canyons and across mountains to get our payloads. Once, our Oklahoma State colleagues actually had a balloon land in a field, spend the night, and launch itself back in the air to fly another whole day!”
Lessons learned from multiple balloon flights have somewhat eased the process, but now the greatest challenge for researchers is identifying the signals recorded during the flights.
“There are many flights with signals whose origin we do not understand,” Bowman said. “They are almost certainly mundane, maybe a patch of turbulence, a distant severe storm, or some sort of human object like a freight train — but it’s hard to tell what is going on sometimes due to the lack of data up there.”
Sarah Albert, a geophysicist at Sandia National Laboratories, has investigated a “sound channel” — a conduit that carries sounds across great distances through the atmosphere — located at the altitudes Bowman studies. Her recordings have captured rocket launches and other unidentified rumblings.
“It may be that sound gets trapped in the channel and echoes around until it’s completely garbled,” Bowman said. “But whether it is near and fairly quiet (like a patch of turbulence) or distant and loud (like a faraway storm) is not clear yet.”
Bowman and Albert will continue to investigate the aerial sound channel and try to determine where the stratosphere’s rumbles are originating — and why some flights record them while others don’t.
Bowman is eager to understand the soundscape of the stratosphere and unlock key features, like variability across seasons and locations.
It’s possible that helium-filled versions of these balloons could one day be used to explore other planets like Venus, carrying scientific instruments above or within the planet’s clouds for a few days as a test flight for larger, more complex missions.
Muharrem Ince, a contender for the Turkish presidency, withdrew from the contest, which may increase the chances of the leading opposition candidate of defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday.
Due to Ince’s poor polling results, some opposition leaders were concerned that he would divide the anti-Erdogan vote, which had consolidated around the president‘s main competitor, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
“I’m quitting this race,” I said. I am doing this for my country,” Ince stated at a press conference in Ankara. “I don’t want them to blame me when they lose,” he added, referring to the main opposition.
His centrist party, Homeland, will remain in the parliamentary race. “I urge each household to give Homeland Party at least one vote,” he said. Ince did not endorse any of the remaining candidates. His name will remain on the ballot.
Ince said he had withdrawn following a “slander campaign.” He has faced weeks of lurid allegations on social media in Turkey and the Ankara public prosecutor’s office said Thursday it had opened an investigation into potential blackmail.
The 59-year-old ran for president in 2018 but lost against Erdogan. In March this year, he broke away from Kilicdaroglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) and joined the presidential race. He initially rebuffed calls by his former party to withdraw amid concern that he’d take votes away from Erdogan’s rival.
Speaking at a rally in Ankara, Erdogan said he wished Ince had not withdrawn, adding that it was “impossible to understand why” he did.
Mehmet Karli, a CHP member and long-time adviser to Kilicdaroglu, told CNN that Ince’s decision is likely to be welcomed by the CHP and the wider opposition bloc. He added that while Ince may stop short of endorsing the Kilicdaroglu, the general expectation is that his backers wanted to see an end to Erdogan so will vote for the CHP leader.
Turkey holds elections every five years. The candidate who receives more than 50% of votes in the first round is elected president, but if no candidate gets a majority, the election goes to a second round between the two candidates who received the highest number of votes in the first round.
“As the election day became closer, all votes were converging on (Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu and) Ince’s votes were falling,” Murat Somer, a political science professor at Koc University in Istanbul, told CNN, noting that Ince’s candidacy would have likely led to a second round of elections. “He and his party did not want to take this responsibility,” he said.
It is unclear how Ince’s supporters would vote, but Turkish polls have shown that a large proportion of his backers would pick Kilicdaroglu if the Homeland Party leader withdrew.
The election is expected to be a close race between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu, with pollsters predicting record voter turnouts.
“Even though formally an election, this is actually a referendum and you have only two choices,” Somer said.
The North East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Moses Ali Kperchin, has passed on at the Police Hospital in Accra.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Moses Ali Kperchin fell sick about two weeks ago and was taken to the Tamale Teaching Hospital but was later referred to Police Hospital for further treatment in Accra.
He was responding to treatment at the police hospital until his demise on May 11, 2023.
Officials at the regional police headquarters in Nalerigu confirmed the incident to GhanaWeb.
The mortal remains of DCOP Moses Ali Kperchin has been deposited at the hospital for preservation.
As reported by the local media, the US ambassador to South Africa accused the South African government on Thursday of supplying weapons and ammunition to a Russian cargo ship that was subject to sanctions in the latter part of last year.
“Among the things we noted was the cargo ship’s docking in Simon’s Town naval base between the 6th and the 8th of December 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel in Simon’s Town as it made its way back to Russian,” Ambassador Reuben Brigety II told regional media, including News24.com.
“We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel, and I would bet my life on the accuracy on that assertion,” the ambassador also said in a video released by Newzroom Afrika, a local news channel that was also at the briefing.
“The arming of the Russians is extremely serious, and we do not consider this issue to be resolved, and we would like SA to [begin] practicing its non-alignment policy,” he said, according to both news outlets.
In response to the ambassador’s claims, South Africa has summoned Brigety to Pretoria. In a statement released on Twitter Friday, Clayson Monyela, the head of public diplomacy for the South African foreign ministry, said it would “demarche the USA Ambassador to South Africa following his remarks yesterday.”
Monyela said a detailed statement would be released following the meeting. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor would also speak to her US counterpart, Secretary Antony Blinken, about the matter, he added.
The presence of the mysterious ‘Lady R’ cargo vessel caused significant speculation when it docked at the naval base in Simon’s Town near Cape Town in December last year. Cargo vessels routinely dock at Cape Town’s civilian harbor, not the naval base.
At the time, opposition member of parliament and shadow Defense Minister Kobus Marais said in a statement that goods were loaded off and onto the ship during the overnight hours and demanded answers from the government.
The US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control added the Lady R to its sanctions list in May last year for alleged weapons shipments, along with a host of other Russian-flagged cargo vessels.
The South African presidency called the explosive allegations “disappointing” and warned that the remarks “undermine the spirit of cooperation and partnership” between the US and South African government officials who had been discussing the matter.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement late Thursday that no evidence had been provided to support these allegations and that the government planned to form an independent inquiry into the matter.
“In recent engagements between the South African delegation and US officials, the Lady R matter was discussed and there was agreement that an investigation will be allowed to run its course and that the US intelligence services will provide whatever evidence in their possession,” the statement read.
CNN asked presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya why an inquiry was needed for events at South Africa’s own naval base.
“US intelligence services said they had evidence that they would only provide to us via a credible investigation or inquiry. We take the allegations seriously, and we want to have a credible independent voice to state the actual facts of the matter,” he said.
“Otherwise, we risk a back forth series of accusations and denials, which is not going to be helpful in the context of our bilateral relations.”
It is unusual for a US ambassador in South Africa to make such public accusations against the government.
The South African government has come under intense criticism for its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has routinely abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations General Assembly.
While South African leadership has repeatedly stated that they are neutral in the conflict and have frequently called for a negotiated settlement, their actions have come under increasing scrutiny from Western powers.
In February of this year, South Africa convened naval war games off its coast including both the Russian and Chinese military.
Later this year, South Africa will host the BRICS summit, a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to that summit.
South African officials have flip-flopped in their public commitment to the Rome Statute – the treaty that compels signatory nations to arrest individuals indicted by the court – after Putin was indicted for alleged war crimes in March.
While South Africa’s ruling party African National Congress has an ideological history with Russia and the former Soviet Union, the European Union and the United States are far bigger trading partners.
After referring to Taiwan as a “country” in a promotional film with the democratic island’s vice president, former NBA player Dwight Howard has become the most recent foreign sports figure to fall under the fire of Chinese nationalists.
Since joining Taiwan’s professional team Taoyuan Leopards from the Los Angeles Lakers in November of last year, the 37-year-old eight-time NBA All-Star has experienced tremendous popularity there.
“Since I arrived in Taiwan, my appreciation for this nation has completely changed. In a two-minute web video, Howard remarked, “This place makes me feel so much love.
Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy with its own military, currency, constitution and elected government, although it is not officially recognized as an independent country by most governments in the world.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own territory, despite having never controlled it, and has refused to rule out the use of force to “unify” the island with mainland China.
The Taiwan issue is a central piece to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s vision of “national rejuvenation,” a nationalistic agenda that has stoked cross-strait tensions to their highest in decades.
Under growing economic, diplomatic and military pressure from China, Taiwan has sought to promote its robust democratic system and free and open society to win friends internationally.
The video, released Wednesday, is part of the island’s promotional campaign to invite foreign tourists to spend a night at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.
Howard appeared in the video alongside Taiwan Vice President William Lai, who has been nominated by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party as its candidate for the presidential election next year.
When Lai told Howard international travelers can enjoy an overnight stay with breakfast at the Presidential Office Building, the basketball star exclaimed: “That is crazy! I don’t even know that’s legal in my country or not.”
“That’s why Taiwan is a free country,” Lai replied.
“OK! I like it,” Howard said.
The video sparked immediate furor in China after it was reposted on Chinese social media.
On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, users accused Howard of supporting Taiwan independence and demanded an apology from him.
The hashtag “Howard Taiwan independence” became the top trending topic on Weibo on Friday morning, and garnered more than 400 million views by the afternoon.
Meanwhile, censors have quietly taken down the full video, in which Howard heaped praise on Taiwan for its hospitality, “great and friendly living environment” and “great diverse culture.”
It also showed the interior of the Presidential Office Building, a large suite for the overnight stay, and tourists posing for photos with Taiwan’s military honor guards.
Zhongnanhai, an imperial garden in central Beijing that serves as the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party, is strictly off the limits to tourists for visits, let alone an overnight stay.
Amid growing anger, Howard on Friday described his use of the word “country” as a “communication barrier.”
“Where I’m from if I say I wanna go to the country, it doesn’t not mean that place is a country. It’s just how we talk,” he told Taiwanese reporters during an event in Yilan county.
“If I offended anyone in China I apologize. It was not my intention to harm anyone with what I said in the commercial,” he said.
“I am not a politician. I don’t want to get involved in any politics… I have the utmost respect for Chinese people and utmost respect for Taiwanese people, so it was never my intent to disrespect nobody.”
Howard’s team did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.
Under Washington’s longstanding “one China” policy, the US acknowledges Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never officially recognized the Chinese Communist Party’s claim to the democratic island of more than 23 million. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington is also bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
In a statement to CNN, Taiwan’s Presidential Spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said it was “sad” to see some Chinese internet users “have their hearts broken.”
“We do not intend to break their hearts. We welcome them to stay in Taiwan for a few nights. If you know more about Taiwan, you will know why politicians, athletes, tourists, and entrepreneurs from all over the world like to come to our country,” she said.
This is not the first time figures linked to the NBA have sparked controversy in China, where it is among the most popular international sports leagues.
In 2021, Enes Kanter, center for the Boston Celtics, called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator” over China’s treatment of Tibet, sparking an immediate backlash.
Two years earlier then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey set off a firestorm when he tweeted his support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
Soon after, the NBA’s Chinese partners suspended ties, state broadcaster CCTV halted all broadcasts of preseason matches, and the Chinese government said the NBA needed to show “mutual respect.”
Morey apologized and deleted the tweet, and the NBA said his comments were “regrettable” — prompting outrage from fans in the United States and Hong Kong, who accused the league of censorship and bowing to Beijing’s pressure.
International brands and businesses have also found themselves the targets of vocal consumer boycotts on the mainland if they are seen to describe Taiwan as being separate or sovereign.
In 2021, Hollywood star John Cena had to profess his love for China after calling Taiwan a “country” during an interview promoting a film that generated a backlash among Chinese fans.
Taiwan first began allowing visitors to stay at the Presidential Office Building complex in 2019, when it attracted 167 applications from 33 countries.
The campaign, organized by the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), a non-government organization in Taiwan, was restarted this year after being suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It allows a maximum of 20 foreign visitors to spend one night in the complex free of charge, but they are required to turn their experience into social media videos to promote tourism in Taiwan, according to the island’s Central News Agency.
Responding to the outrage in China against the promotional video, GACC Secretary-General Lee Hou-ching said: “Taiwan is a democratic, pluralistic, friendly country with freedom of speech. We are used to having different voices in our daily lives and respect everyone’s right to speak.”
The highest court in Islamabad has granted bail to former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, days after his detention on corruption allegations caused a deadly uprising against the military.
Khan was given a two-week interim parole order on Friday by a judge in the High Court of the capital city.
“I am positive that I will be detained once more. In advance of his hearing, Khan told CNN outside the courtroom, “I was given permission by the NAB to talk to my wife, and arrest warrants have also been issued for her.
It came a day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled Khan’s arrest on Tuesday by Pakistan’s anti-graft agency, the National Accountability Bureau (NBI), was unlawful.
Khan’s party had filed a petition to challenge the illegal land acquisition charges against him by the NBI.
His dramatic arrest outside the courthouse in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday sparked outrage among Mr Khan’s supporters.
At least 10 people were killed and some 2,000 arrested as unrest swept the country. Those protests included an attack at a military commander’s home residence in Lahore, which was set on fire.
While this week’s violence petered out after the army was deployed in Islamabad and other areas, such as Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the country remains on edge.
There was a large security presence at the court on Friday.
Speaking to the BBC before his bail hearing, Mr Khan said he feared immediate re-arrest once released, urged authorities against a move as “there might be huge reaction which will go out of control. Because mobs are out of control, no-one controls mobs.”
“How am I supposed to control what happens afterwards?” he told the BBC.
While the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the circumstances of the arrest were illegal, the corruption charges against him still stand.
Mr Khan pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday, when a judge formally indicted him with corruption for the first time in the dozens of cases he faces.
And Mr Khan told the BBC on Friday that he was also facing dozens of additional charges, including counts of terrorism, sedition and blasphemy.
The gospel music duo, Tagoe Sisters, affirm that it is acceptable for Christians to listen to Highlife music created by secular artists.
The music group of twin sisters consisting of Lydia Dedei Yawson Nee Tagoe and Elizabeth Korkoi Tagoe speaking on Kingdom FM argued that most of the highlife music some Christians look down upon has very inspirational lyrics hence listening to them is good for the soul.
Citing an example, Tagoe Sisters revealed that highlife musicians like Amakye Dede and Nana Ampadu have a lot of great songs that have the power to motivate and inspire people like themselves.
According to the duo, everybody living under the sun is a son of God hence there is nothing like children of Satan.
“God lives in Nana Ampadu so there is nothing wrong with listening to Highlife music. Some of the songs are like advice”, Tagoe Sisters told Fiifi Prat on the show Afro Joint.
“Most of the old musicians recorded good music, unlike the new crop of musicians. Comparing Highlife with Gospel music, it looks like we are all in the same thing because of the rhythm. We are in the same industry so we can’t say they are of Satan and we are the children of God”, the duo added.
Another boat disaster, this time in the Oti Region, has claimed the life of a pupil teacher.
The 29-year-old teacher with the Chinekope M/A Primary School in the Kete Krachi Municipality of the region is reported to have died after the boat he was traveling on capsized.
A report by 3news.com said that the teacher, Sampson Adu, has since been buried.
“Mr Adu has since been buried in his hometown in the Eastern Region,” the report said.
Only about 24 hours ago, it was reported that some pupils had died after the boat they were traveling on, in the Greater Accra Region, capsized.
The pupils from Faana, in the Weija Gbawe Municipality, were said to have been traveling to school at Kelee, also within the municipality.
As of the last time we reported on the accident, there had been nine reported deaths, with three survivors.
Ghanaian rapper Lyrical Joe has suggested that musical battles popularly known as “beef” among artists can be beneficial for the industry but may also attract adversaries to those involved.
Lyrical and other rappers have been involved in battles popularly known as ‘beefs’ in the local music industry. Although it came with the buzz, headlines and social media trends, the disadvantages cannot be overlooked.
“Sometimes it is good but it is not all the time that it’s good. Sometimes it keeps the rap conversations alive. It keeps the genre that you are doing, that conversation alive but at the end of the day, you take the damages as well,” Lyrical Joe told GhanaWeb’s Paula Amma Broni in an interview at the 24th edition of the Ghana Music Awards.
In May 2022, the country was entertained with back-to-back ‘diss tracks’ from Amerado and Lyrical Joe during their beef. Both parties gained attention and dominated showbiz conversations.
“You will end up making forever enemies and all that,” Lyrical Joe told GhanaWeb when asked about the disadvantages of rap battles.
There has been persistent curiosity among Ghanaians about the lack of awards given to veteran musicians, especially at events like the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).
The discussion has brought a lot of heated arguments among all stakeholders in recent times.
One of the pioneers of Gospel music, Tagoe Sisters, who have never taken a single award from VGMAs gave touched on the issue.
This comes after fans questioned why the group had never been acknowledged on the platform despite their enormous impact on the music industry.
According to Tagoe Sisters, they have not received awards since the year 2000 because they have not been filing their works for nomination.
When asked in an interview with Kingdom FM why they have not been receiving awards, the manager for the duo responded,
“There are only two times we submitted our songs but as you know, nominations are based on vetting by the board to decide. We didn’t submit any of our works at this year’s VGMA. So at the 24th VGMA, we never submitted our works so they didn’t nominate us”
The group however noted that, possibly next year they are going to submit their works to the board to be nominated.
A jury ruled former President Donald Trump responsible for sexually assaulting and defaming a writer, and he is now appealing that decision. The writer has stated that she is considering suing him a third time.
On Thursday afternoon, less than 48 hours after a Manhattan jury awarded columnist E Jean Carroll $5 million, Trump’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal in the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals. In the middle of the 1990s, Carroll allegedly had a sexual encounter with Trump in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman.
As a result of Carroll’s successful demonstration that Trump defamed her by labelling her case “a complete con job” and “a hoax and a lie,” jurors on Tuesday determined that Trump should pay Carroll around $2 million in damages for civil battery and over $3 million for her successful demonstration of this.
Trump’s team filed the appeal on the same day that Carroll said she may sue Trump a third time, after his scathing comments about her in a Wednesday night CNN town hall.
The ex-president in the televised town hall mocked Carroll as a ‘whack job’ and called the case ‘rigged’.
‘What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes you’re playing hanky-panky in a dressing room?’ said Trump, as some of his supporters in the audience laughed.
Carroll said she was asleep while Trump criticized her and that her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, sent her a transcript of his remarks. She said she stopped reading after the first paragraph.
‘It’s just stupid, it’s just disgusting, vile, foul, it wounds people,’ Carroll told The New York Times on Thursday.
Carroll added that her 15-year-old son spoke about Trump’s remarks to her stylist.
‘I am upset on the behalf of young men in America,’ Carroll said. ‘They cannot listen to this balderdash and this old-timey view of women, which is a cave-man view.’
Kaplan said they have not decided if they will file a new defamation case. In addition to the rape and defamation case that concluded in Carroll’s favor, the writer has an earlier defamation case against Trump that remains pending.
‘Everything’s on the table, obviously, and we have to give serious consideration to it,’ Kaplan told the newspaper. ‘We have to weigh the various pros and cons and we’ll come to a decision in the next day or so, probably.’
Trump’s team previously said he planned to appeal Tuesday’s judgement. They filed the appeal hours after US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the case, filed a written ruling endorsing the verdict and ordering Trump to pay the full amount to Carroll.
Speaking on the issue of the two employees handed five-year jail term each for stealing cartons of chicken wings and gallons of cooking oil from the employer, Abeiku said Christian Boakye Yiadom can no longer claim to be the youth leader he claims he is.
He said it was wrong that the CEO caused the arrest of his employees in the first place explaining that he believed they engaged in theft out of poverty and hunger.
“This Pizzaman parades himself as a youth leader and so on and so forth. Your workers steal 20 cartons of chicken wings and you’ve caused them to be jailed five years each. What is the sense in it? A poor person’s child engaged in stealing while working, why don’t you deduct it from their salaries? So, because of chicken wings which they didn’t steal in one day; it is an accumulated stolen items and they have been jailed five years each. Clap for yourself, you’ve done well. You are not a guy at all,” he said.
Abeiku emphasised that he is not condoning wrong or promoting criminality but that he was of the strong conviction that causing the employees to be arrested and jailed for such offense was unnecessary on the part of the CEO.
“We are not supporting and condoning criminal acts or stealing however if you look at the young men who have been jailed five years each because of chicken wings, you did not try. Don’t come and speak to the youth again claiming to be a motivational whatever,” he stated.
Background
Seidu Karim and Rashid Abdullah, two Pizzaman employees, were sentenced to 5 years in jail for stealing 20 boxes of chicken wings and two litres of cooking oil from the company’s warehouse in Nyankyerenease, Kumasi, Ghana.
The prosecuting officer, ASP Jonas Newlove Adjei, informed the court presided over by H/H Fred Obekyere Esq, that on Monday, May 1, 2023, the complainant, who is the executive chef of Pizzaman, received a call from his warehouse manager stating that two cooking oils and eight boxes of chicken wings had been stolen.
The chef went to take their daily stock as soon as he heard the news and found that the items had been taken after all.
In an emergency meeting the same day, workers were asked to provide the stolen items.
Upon interrogation, Rashid Abdullah said he saw Seidu Karim hiding two gallons of Oki cooking oil behind the fence wall.
Seidu Karim in his defense stated that he saw Rashid Abdullah hiding two boxes of chicken wings at the back of the fence wall as well.
The stolen items were retrieved from them and they were later handed over to the Asuoyeboah Police Command where investigations were conducted.
In the course of investigations, Seidu Karim confessed that in a period of two months he had stolen twenty cartoons of chicken wings and gallons of cooking oil from the company.
A leading member of the NDC, and candidate for the Flagbearer position of NDC, Mr Kojo Bonsu has urged parties contesting in the upcoming primaries to explore
An official release from the Kojo Bonsu campaign team said: “I am calling on my senior brother Dr Kwabena Duffour who is also a flagbearer aspirant for the NDC to withdraw the lawsuit from the court and make himself available to the Council of Elders, National Executives and the Election Directorate to deliberate and settle on an amicable solution to the current concerns of the election processes currently facing our great Party ahead of the Presidential / Parliamentary primaries scheduled for May 13, 2023.”
The release added “I believe the issues at stake can be resolved internally and amicably in unity.
“I urge Dr Duffour to exercise patience and look at the interest of the party at large as I know he means no malice or trouble but rather expects the right things to be done for a smooth election which is devoid of any obstacles for all to have a level playing ground.
“I also urge the National Executive to engage and continue to deliberate with stakeholders in order to resolve the concerns and help the election directorate to run a free, fair and transparent Presidential /Parliamentary primaries.”
Mr Bonsu pointed out that “lastly, I also call on our former president, former flagbearer who is also an aspirant to join the call for unity and amicable resolution of the current issues ahead of the Primaries.
“Long live the NDC, long live Ghana and may the Almighty bless and grant us a peaceful election now and a resounding victory in 2024.”
Former Nollywood legend and AGN president, Emeka Ike, returns to the limelight as a musician after a prolonged absence from the movie industry.
This comes after the actor who is the founder and CEO of Nollywood TV, had vowed not to follow the footsteps of other famous Nollywood stars who ventured into the music scene.
Ike is featured as a rapper/singer, on a musical track, titled “Put it Inside” by Mykey Pondafone, a musical artist, who teamed up with Ruff Coin (Nwa Aba) about a decade ago, to make a hit track, titled “Aga Ekuru Gi” which was quite popular and successful in the south-eastern part of Nigeria.
Emeka Ike, who confirmed in the song that he had vowed never to sing, admitted to changing his mind, after Mykey Pondafone, brought his music box to his house.
The song which emphasizes hard work and good work ethics, was posted on Emeka Ike’s verified Instagram handle, and is now available for streaming on major music platforms.
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Twitter, revealed that he has appointed a woman to lead the social media site and that he will ‘transition’ to other positions inside the business.
I’m happy to report that I’ve appointed a new CEO for X/Twitter. Musk tweeted on Thursday afternoon that She will be starting in “6 weeks.”
“My role will change to executive chair and CTO, overseeing product, software, and sysops,” the employee stated.
Musk withheld the identity of the incoming CEO for the time being.
Musk purchased Twitter in October for $44billion and has faced criticism for changes he’s made to the social media platform.
Soon after becoming the ‘Chief Twit’, Musk fired some executives and hundreds of employees, saying that it was necessary to make the company healthy financially. The company has slashed about 75% of its 7,500 staff.
Musk reinstated some users who were suspended from Twitter, including former President Donald Trump who was banned after his remarks around the deadly January 6 Capitol riot.
He also implemented the Twitter Blue subscription aimed at supplementing revenue from advertising. The subscription allows users to obtain blue checkmark verification for $8 a month, a status previously given to celebrities, politicians, journalists and some other prominent individuals.
In December, Musk launched a poll asking if he should step down as head of Twitter and pledged to ‘abide by the results’. The final results showed that 57.5% of the more than 17million respondents felt ‘yes’, that Musk should step down.
Musk then vowed to leave his post as Twitter CEO once he found someone ‘foolish enough to take the job’.
Twitter’s company name was recently changed to X Corp, which is what ‘X’ referred to in Musk’s tweet.
Some Tesla shareholders were upset that Musk serving as Twitter boss was taking time away from his work with the automaker. Tesla’s shares jumped 2% after Musk’s announcement, signaling that investors were keen on the development.
Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan who was detained as part of a corruption investigation, will be released on bail.
The former populist leader was wrongfully detained, the nation’s top court concluded Tuesday, emphasising that security officers needed a warrant to make the arrest.
Military analysts claim that Putin‘s generals are ‘panicking’ as seen by the Kremlin’s prompt denial of a Ukrainian ‘breakthrough’ in Bakhmut.
On Thursday, a number of military blogs that support Russia claimed significant Ukrainian gains in several engagements along the eastern metropolis, which has been Putin’s top goal since the winter.
The leader of the Wagner mercenary group, which comprises the majority of the Russian forces there, Yevgeny Prigozhin, meanwhile, accused regular Russian soldiers of evacuating their posts.
In an audio recording, he said: ‘The situation on the flanks is developing according to the worst predicted scenario.
Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin claims Putin’s soldiers are being routed (Picture: AFP)
‘All the territories that were taken with the blood and lives of our comrades over many months, advancing tens or hundreds of metres a day, are now being thrown away practically without a fight by those who should be holding our flanks.’
The Russian defence ministry attempted to downplay the claims as social media chatter, avoiding any direct acknowledgement of Prigozhin’s comments.
In a statement, it said: ‘Statements circulated by individual Telegram channels about ‘defence breakthroughs’ that took place in different areas along the line of military contact do not correspond to reality.
‘The overall situation in the area of the special military operation is under control.’
The claims appear to be absent from Russian media, except for a report by the state-run Tass news agency which appeared only on its English-language version.
It claimed the situation was ‘generally under control’ but also made no mention of Prizoghin’s accusations.
Independent researchers cross-referencing battlefield footage with posts by Russian military bloggers said it was ‘likely’ that Ukrainian forces broke through some Russian lines between Wednesday and Thursday night.
According to the latest analysis by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian troops were probably forced back in some areas by around two kilometres.
It has previously taken both sides between weeks and months to cover such distances in Bakhmut, which has been dominated by bloody attritional warfare.
The fact that Russia acknowledged ‘the Ukrainian counterattacks [by denying them] uncharacteristically quickly’ suggests ‘increased panic’ among the Russian leadership, the ISW added.
The organisation claimed to have geolocated all the footage used in its analysis, suggesting the images contained file data or known landmarks proving where they were filmed.
Ukrainian forces had been gradually pushed back in Bakhmut but inflicted far greater losses on the enemy than they suffered, according to Western intelligence updates.
Intense fighting rages on in other nearby cities, including Avdiivka and Mariinka, which could decide whether the self-proclaimed pro-Russian ‘Donetsk Republic’ falls back into Ukrainian hands.
After battling against Russia for a year, a British volunteer has been killed.
The Bristol resident Jay Morais, according to The Telegraph, took part in fierce battle in the Donbas cities of Severodonetsk and Bakhmut.
The 52-year-old’s passing was verified on Tuesday night by the International Legion of Ukraine.
After fighting against Russian invaders in late February, it is believed he passed away in a Kharkiv hospital.
Mr Morais previously said the adrenaline he got from fighting stopped him feeling scared, adding he was not brave just ‘wired different’.
His fiancee, Lidiya Martynova, said a funeral was held in Ukraine with military honours.
Half of his ashes were laid at a cemetery in Kyiv, while the rest were sent home to his family members in Britain.
Paying tribute, Ms Martynova said: ‘Jay was a very special guy, beautiful and crazy at the same time.
‘He was a professional soldier, but he would always say that it wasn’t important how many enemies he’d killed, but how many people he’d saved.
‘I still can’t really believe he is dead. He was planning to stay here in Ukraine once the war was over to start a new life here.’
Mr Morais is believed to be the fifth UK citizen to die while serving as a volunteer with Ukraine’s armed forces.
He previously spent time in the French Foreign Legion, serving in Kosovo and the Ivory Coast.
Prior to this he was a sales manager at mobile firm Three.
Tony Hackett, a former colleague at Three, added: ‘He was a good guy, and when the war started, he just felt he had to help, given the training he’d had in the Foreign Legion.’
Nigerian rapper Folarin Falana popularly known as Falz has undergone knee surgery.
In a video shared on his verified Instagram page, the singer revealed that he sustained a knee injury last year while playing football and was advised to undergo surgery.
“On the 23rd I went to play football and I sustain a knee injury, And it’s pretty serious. On November 30th, 2022, I did my ACL. My MRI came back and it shows that there is a complete tear on my ACL.I have been advised to go into surgery to fix it”.
He wrote as a caption, “Current situation. It’s a whole journey to being 100% back. Say a prayer for me.”
Sharing the video, the music star solicited prayers from his fans, colleagues, celebrities, and lovers.
The video has since attracted well wishes from Chioma Akpotha, Bobrisky, Toke Makinwa, Toyin Abraham, Juliet Ibrahim, Uche Jombo, Tacha, and a host of others who took to his comment section to wish him well.
Three persons traveling with former President John Dramani Mahama on his campaign tour of the Savannah Region have been injured in an accident.
The victims include a TV3 Journalist, Christopher Amoako. For now, it is unclear yet how the accident occurred.
The three sustained varied injuries following the accident which happened at Dartotili, a suburb of Tamale in the Northern Region on Thursday.
The two other victims are the Savannah Regional Communications officer of the National Democratic Congress, R.A. Jelil, and one other person only identified as Samed.
The team was returning from East and North-East Gonja Districts and heading towards Yapei and Daoboya in the Central and North Gonja Districts, but could not reach their destination.
The injured have since been conveyed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital For medical attention.
The former President was pictured attending to one of the victims, Christopher Amoako of TV3, who was lying on the floor.
Stonebwoy has revealed his latest album, 5TH Dimension, required significant effort and investment, particularly in terms of sound production. He believes that the sound quality of the album is on par with those of international music icons such as Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, and Rihanna.
The singer’s 17-track project was released on April 28 and has since debuted at number 8 on Billboard World Reggae Chart.
“This matter is dear to my heart, Ghanaian artistes are doing everything they can. When it comes to production standards and quality, my album’s sound quality is on the level with Bruno Mars.
“The producers I have on album have produced for the likes of Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Sean Paul. It is a collection of renowned producers,” he disclosed in an interview with Nana Romeo on Accra FM.
Stonebwoy also called for Ghanaians living abroad to support and show interest in their world tours by purchasing tickets on time. He added that local artistes also deserve sold-out shows considering the effort they put into their craft.
“Ghanaians living abroad must have that self-pride to support our tours and shows in their cities. We also deserve and wish for sold-out shows. We don’t want last-minute sales, we ought to have bragging rights, this will help with the growth of the industry. Turn up to our shows when the time comes,” he charged.
The sound quality of my album is on the same level as Bruno Mars, Rihanna – Stonebwoy
Ghanaian Hiplife star Ofori Amponsah has opened up about his current relationship with controversial socialite Ayisha Modi.
‘MrAll4Real, as he is popularly known, has established that Ayisha Modi is his wife and they are currently together.
Prior to his statement, social media had witnessed a series of posts from Ayisha Modi, recounting old times withOfori Amponsah, with whom she has a 16-year-old child.
Earlier in an interview with Delay, Ayisha Modi stated that she got married to the highlife singer at age 18 and he was the one who broke his virginity.
She also disclosed that their marriage crashed in 2012.
“I got married to Ofori Amponsah at age 18 when I had my first child who is currently 16 years. This marriage lasted for a few years and after that, we reunited as friends and I also helped him on a few of his projects.
“I have known Ofori Amponsah for almost 17 years. He is my first boyfriend who broke my virginity so we have a great bond. We are currently good friends,” she stated.
But in a recent interview on Accra FM, Ofori Amponsah said he and Ayisha Modi are still together.
“She is really my wife,’ he said.
Asked if he made the statement just for the fun of it, the ‘Odwo’ hitmaker said: “We are still together. Although we have broken up and made up several times, which is normal, we are still together.”
Halfway through the conversation, a listener sent in a message saying he can attest to the fact that Ofori Amponsah and Ayisha Modi once lived in Sowutuom as a couple and the singer responded, “Yeah, It is true. Then he really knows.”
A 23-year-old remand prisoner who escaped lawful custody but rearrested has been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court.
Pius Anundoabil Ayoma, an electrician, has been charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit escaping from lawful custody and causing unlawful damage, and escaping from lawful custody and causing unlawful damage.
The accused person pleaded guilty with explanation, saying: “I have been in prison for five years since I was brought to Manet Police Station. My mother died and I also became sick, later my brother also died. It was the severe pains and sickness that compelled me to cut the burglar proof.”
He added that “a police officer gave me hacksaw-blade to cut the burglar proof, but I didn’t cut it, but my accomplice did”.
On the charge of conspiracy to commit crime to wit causing unlawful damage and escaping from lawful custody, the accused person pleaded not guilty.
The Court, presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah, listening to the explanation of the accused person, entered a plea of not guilty to all the charges.
The Court ordered that an investigation be carried out on the police officer who allegedly gave the cutter to the accused person and remanded the accused person pending full trial.
The case has been adjourned to May 22, 2023.
Meanwhile, his accomplice Godwin Klu, a 26-year-old tiler, was convicted to four years imprisonment.
He was also charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit escaping from lawful custody and causing unlawful damage and causing unlawful damage and abetment of crime.
He was transferred to the Ankaful Prisons to commence his sentence.
The facts as narrated by the prosecution, Chief Inspector Daniel Danku, who held the brief for Superintendent of Police Augustus Yirenkyi, said the complainants were policemen.
The prosecution said the accused persons were on remand in the Manet Police Station cells.
The prosecution said Ayoma was facing charges of robbery, attempted murder and rape whiles Klu was also facing a charge of stealing.
It said during their detention, Ayoma was committed for trial at the High Court ‘5’ and remanded into prison custody while Klu was convicted to four years imprisonment.
The prosecution said while arrangements were underway to convey the accused persons into prisons custody, they hatched a plan to escape.
It said as a result, the accused persons broke the burglar proof at the cell’s window, caused damage to the wire mesh and tore the mosquito net, creating an opening for their escape.
The prosecution said on March 2, 2023, at about 0200 hours, Klu attempted to go through the opening, but his body did not allow him.
It said Ayoma also attempted to escape but his trousers got hooked on the rough edge of the iron rod of the burglar proof leaving him hanging on the window.
The prosecution said Klu assisted Ayoma by releasing his trousers from the iron rod for him to escape.
It said hours later, Klu was escorted to Ankaful Prisons to commence his sentence, while a search party was formed to recapture Ayoma.
The prosecution said a combined team of personnel from the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) and the Ghana Police Service picked up intelligence that Ayoma was hiding between Shukura and Afienya.
It said on May 4, 2023, at about 2000 hours, Ayoma was smoked out of his hideout at Afienya and escorted to the Regional Criminal Investigation Department.
A-24-year-old painter, Simon Asare has appeared before a Techiman Circuit Court for engaging and trading in unapproved herbal medicine of the 21st Clinic, a private health facility. Asare posed as a staff of the clinic which specialises in sciatica, and falsified the company’s brand produce and sold unapproved herbal medicines to the unsuspecting public.
He pleaded guilty to producing unregistered drugs and using the brand of a registered company to produce unapproved herbal medicine, and the court presided by Mr Samuel Djanie Kotey imposed a fine of GHC2,400 on him, or in default serve six months in prison.
According to the prosecution, the convict was arrested in Techiman last Sunday, May 7, 2023, in possession of about 30 smaller bottles of herbal drugs labelled “21st clinic herbal”.
The Prosecution said he has been posing as a staff of the Techiman branch of the clinic, producing and selling the unapproved herbal medicine in the name of the clinic, but luck eluded him when he was arrested upon a tip-off.
The convict, however, threw the courtroom into laughter when he pleaded for clemency, saying “My lord, I am very sorry, and I did not know this can land me into trouble. Please temper justice with mercy and I promise this will not happen again”. The court also asked the convict to sign a bond of good behaviour for 12 months.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the country remains focused on the agenda to develop and manufacture vaccines locally.
“At the height of COVID-19, I declared to the Ghanaian people my determination to help manufacture vaccines here in Ghana,” the President recalled while commissioning the National Vaccine Institute Secretariat in Accra, on Wednesday and reiterated commitment to the agenda.
The Secretariat is designed to facilitate the work of the Institute.
The Institute is expected to coordinate and facilitate the capacity of domestic pharmaceutical companies to fill, finish and package messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), COVID-19, malaria and tuberculosis vaccines, and, ultimately, to manufacture them here in Ghana.
“The vaccine nationalism that was played out by the developed world, with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, meant that we had to take urgent, critical steps towards making sure that never again would we be victims or pawns of the international vaccine order.
“It was imperative that we took our destiny into our own hands,” President Nana Akufo-Addo said.
Prior to commissioning the Secretariat, he inaugurated the Governing Board of the Institute, which is chaired by Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah.
The other members are Prof. William Ampofo, Dr. Baffuor Awuah, Mr. Mustapha Tawiah Kumah, Dr. Daniel Gyingiri Achel, Ms Frederica Sala Illiasu, Dr. Delese Darko, Prof. Alex Dodoo, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Mr. Kofi Nsiah-Poku, Prof. Kofi Opoku Nti, Prof. Gordon A. Awandare, and Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, set-up, on 28th February 2021, the Vaccine Manufacturing Committee, which, by Act of Parliament, has now been transformed into the National Vaccine Institute.
The move was necessitated by the Government’s determination to see the country building its own capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines locally, following the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed the inadequacies developing nations faced in their healthcare delivery systems.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that less than one per cent of all vaccines used on the continent are produced locally.
President Nana Akufo-Addo pointed out the need for Africa to work assiduously to overcome the region’s intense vulnerability and overdependence on foreign medical supplies.
The commissioning of the National Vaccine Institute Secretariat comes in the wake of the recent ground-breaking ceremony for work to commence on the DEK Vaccine Manufacturing Factory, at Medie-Kotoku, in the Greater Accra Region,
The project, being spearheaded by the DEK Vaccines Limited, a private sector-led consortium of Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies, on completion, will build the country’s capacity to manufacture 600 million doses of vaccines annually.
Earlier today, officials said that a van caught fire and exploded, causing a big noise in the center of a city in the north of Italy.
After that, the fire started moving quickly to other cars and buildings like a chain reaction. Five cars and four mopeds caught on fire. A local official said that one person got hurt.
Terrifying footage taken a matter of yards from the incident showed several vehicles on fire and stunned bystanders watching on.
Huge plumes of thick black were seen billowing into the sky.
Firefighters remain at the scene in the Porta Romana area in the city which has been cordoned off by police.
Smoke was reportedly also seen coming from the windows of apartment buildings in the street.
A nearby school and nursing home have been evacuated.
Giuseppe Sala, the city’s mayor, has ruled out foul play.
He said the driver of the van told fire crews the blaze started in his engine.
Mr Sala said: ‘He quickly grabbed the oxygen cylinders he was carrying.
‘He tried to limit the damage but then there was an explosion.’
Nigerian Afrobeats star, David Adeleke popularly referred to as Davido, has revealed that he will be launching a new documentary series that will showcase his life.
The singer who disclosed the title of the series as ‘David’ made the announcement in a recent interview with Esquire Middle East.
Davido disclosed that the series will premiere this December.
Davido said: “I have a movie coming out in December with Netflix. It’s very, very big. This is the first time I’ve said anything about it, actually. It’s a documentary-a docu-series about my life called ‘David’. I shouldn’t be talking about this, but yeah.”
The General Legal Council (GLC) has with immediate effect withdrawn its recognition of faculties of law of three private universities.
The affected universities are; Presbyterian University College (Kumasi Campus), Wisconsin International University College (Kumasi Campus) and Greenfield College (Sunyani).
The notice was published in the Daily Graphic on Wednesday, May 10.
While the reason for the withdrawal of recognition is not stated, the GLC noted that their decision was “in pursuant to Section 4 of the Legal Profession Act, 1960, Act 32 [As inserted by the Legal Profession Act (Amendment) (No.2) decree, 1967 (NLCD 213) s.1 (a)]” which stipulates that;
“With effect from the first day of January 1971, a person shall not be qualified for enrolment under any provision of the Act unless he is a holder of a degree from a University approved by the General Legal Council.”
“The General Public is advised accordingly,” the notice signed by the Secretary of the GLC, Justice Cynthia Pamela A. Addo (JA) concluded.
Italian police have taken into custody 61 more people who they think are members of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group.
They were charged with doing bad things like cheating, selling drugs, taking over the government, and forcing farmers to give them money.
Over 500 police officers are doing attacks on 167 people as part of a bigger effort to stop a group of criminals.
Last week, the police arrested over 100 people in 10 countries. They called their action “Operation Eureka” and said it was the biggest one yet against this organization.
Assets worth £22million (25 million euros) were seized in Italy, Germany, Portugal and France.
Carabinieri said arrest warrants were served on 108 people, who were accused of mafia association, possession, production, and trafficking of drugs and weapons, money laundering, and other crimes.
In its latest six-monthly report, Italy’s Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate (DIA) calls the ‘Ndrangheta ‘the absolute dominant force in the criminal world’ well beyond its home turf of Calabria.
Piles of cash seized during raids cracking down on the crime gang (Picture: Reuters)
In 2008, Italian research group Eurispes valued the mafia group’s annual turnover at a staggering £38billion (44 billion euros), roughly 3% of Italy’s gross domestic product at the time.
The estimate has since been disputed by some experts, but most agree that the Calabrian mob is extremely powerful and wealthy, largely thanks to its role as a major smuggler of cocaine from Latin America to Europe.
According to Europol, the crime group was devoted primarily to international drug trafficking from South America to both Europe and Australia.
The network used Chinese money brokers in Italy and Colombia to arrange for funds to be moved to pay for drug deals, Italian police commander Massimiliano D’Angelantonio told a news conference.
‘Ndrangheta clans were also involved in running weapons from Pakistan to South America, supplying a Brazilian criminal group in exchange for cocaine shipments, Europol added.
European authorities have been waging a campaign against the group in recent years.
Officials have estimated ‘Eureka’ had resulted in the seizure of 23 tons of cocaine over years of investigation, which deprived the ’ndrangheta of some £2.1billion (2.5 billion euros) in drug revenue.
Margaritis Schinas, vice president of the EU’s executive commission, said the operation ‘delivered a lightning strike’ against the crime gang.
Jewels that used to belong to Princess Diana will be sold to raise funds for the Ukrainian war.
A necklace and earring set made of diamonds and pearls, supposedly given to Princess Diana by Dodi Al-Fayed, will be sold at an auction next month and might sell for £10 million.
Diana wore the necklace at her last important event before she died in 1997. It was at a fancy evening for Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall.
The set has been owned by a Ukrainian family since 2008, The Telegraph reports.
This is believed to be the first time Diana’s privately owned jewellery will be sold publicly. Most of the jewellery she wore was loaned to her by the Crown when she was a member of the royal family.
They will be displayed in London before being auctioned off in New York next month.
Experts at Guernsey’s Auctioneers of New York reckon the set will sell for anything between £4 and £11 million.
Arlan Ettinger, president of the auctioneers, said: ‘While many accomplished figures fade from view, Princess Diana is as vibrant today as when she was indeed the most admired woman on the planet.
‘The Swan Lake Suite was especially made for her. She was part of the design process.
‘It is thought to be her only jewellery to have ever been sold, making it extraordinarily important.
‘There are many people who have described it as priceless but we have given it a very broad estimate.’
After Diana’s death her family gave permission for the necklace and matching earrings to be sold, with some of the proceeds going to Unicef.
The earrings were made to match the necklace but weren’t finished before her untimely death.
The listing includes a letter of authenticity from Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell, dated April 1998.
He explains how he approached her older sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who consented for the set to be sold.
It was bought in 1999 by American businessman Jim McIngvale for just under $1 million, but he sold it to a Ukrainian family who are big fans of the royal family during the economic downturn in 2008.
Mr Ettinger added: ‘The war in Ukraine has been a motivating factor in them deciding to sell the Swan Lake Suite now.
‘They have had them for 14 years but given what is going on, their thoughts are now very much on rebuilding their country.’
The necklace was made from 178 diamonds totalling 51 carats and paired with five matching 12mm South Sea pearls.
Hold on to your hats folks, because Nigerian afrobeats sensation, Rema, has made history and is now a Guinness World Record holder! The talented singer, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, can now add ‘record-breaker’ to his already impressive list of accomplishments.
What did he do to earn this coveted title, you ask? Well, Rema smashed his way into the record books with his chart-topping hit, ‘Calm Down’. This catchy tune has officially been named the First No.1 Hit on The Official MENA Chart, which is the world’s first regional streaming chart. Impressive stuff, right?
Guinness World Records took notice of Rema’s epic achievement and made it official in a statement on their website. The organisation praised the singer for securing the first-ever number 1 hit on the MENA chart, which is also the first-ever official chart in the Middle East and North Africa region. We can only imagine how proud Rema must feel right now. He’s a true trailblazer and has set the bar high for future artists looking to make their mark on the music industry. Congratulations, Rema – you’re a true record-breaker!
A total of 106 candidates have been cleared to contest the NDC parliamentary primaries at various constituencies in the Ashanti region.
The party finished the vetting of all the parliamentary aspirants in the region on Tuesday 09, ahead of the conduct of the elections on May 13, 2023.
The vetting of candidates for the Fomena constituency was put on hold following a directive from the national office of the party.
Out of the total number of candidates cleared, seven are going unopposed.
They are Samuel Aboagye- Obuasi East, Joseph Azumah – Akrofouom, Samuel Prempeh Jnr – Bekwai and Kwasi Amankwaa – Kumawu.
The rest are Shamudeen Mohammed Kamil – Old Tafo, Hamzah Swallah – Manhyia North and Ebenezer Ekow Aidoo – Asante Akim Central.
Fifteen females are among the candidates contesting for the elections in the region.
The Ejura Sekyeredumase constituency has the highest number of five candidates contesting the elections.
Dr Frank Amoakohene, Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC told the Ghana News Agency that no aspirant was disqualified during the process.
He said the party was satisfied with the outcome of the vetting process and the quality of people who submitted themselves to contest the primaries in the various constituencies.
The atmosphere for the campaigns in the region had been relatively calm, except for the Asawase constituency where the supporters of the two main contenders, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, the incumbent, and Mubarick Masawudu, have been trading derogatory utterances in their campaigns.
Russia has promised to take action in response to the UK’s alleged supply of cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Dmitry Peskov, who works for the Kremlin, responded to a story by CNN today. The story said that British defence officials gave Kyiv many Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
According to some people who work for the government, Ukraine is getting new weapons that could change the way the war is going. They are getting these weapons because they are getting ready to fight back against their enemies.
The missiles are a ‘real game changer from a range perspective’, an official added.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed today that the government has provided the Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine’s military.
‘The donation of these weapons systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend themselves against Russia’s continued brutality, especially the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which is against international law,’ he told the House of Commons.
‘Ukraine has a right to be able to defend itself against this.’
An 18-year-old Ghanaian woman, Princess Owusu Ansah, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a UK court for a violent attack on her friend. Princess is said to have poured boiling water over her friend and stabbed her, allegedly in response to cheating allegations involving her boyfriend.
The distressing episode unfolded when a video clip captured by Owusu Ansah on her mobile phone went viral on Snapchat. The footage depicted the victim cowering under a duvet, screaming in agony as Owusu Ansah threw a kettle of boiling water over her.
Moments prior to the assault, Owusu Ansah is heard accusing her friend of engaging in relationships with other people’s partners and acting as though she could escape the consequences. After delivering a series of punches, she proceeded to pick up a silver knife, striking it against a radiator before stabbing her victim in the leg.
The attack took place on February 2, 2023, at the victim’s residence in the Dog Kennel Estate, Dulwich. Eventually managing to escape, the injured woman fled into the street and was later treated at Kings College Hospital for non-life-threatening stab wounds.
Members of the public who had seen the disturbing video on Snapchat promptly alerted the Metropolitan Police. In March, Owusu Ansah, hailing from Royston, pleaded guilty to charges of grievous bodily harm and criminal damage during her appearance at Inner London Crown Court.
On May 9, during her subsequent court appearance, Owusu Ansah received a three-year prison sentence for the heinous assault.
On May 1, 2023, a family at Airport Residential Area woke up to a very devastating scene when the building that sits on their 1.34 acre of land was completely bulldozed to the ground.
The building, which has been home to the Eshun family for over five decades, is now a scene of ruins.
With all of their properties still inside, the merciless perpetrators of this action gave the family no opportunity to even salvage anything, at least not until after the roofs had come down on everything.
But Richard Eshun, a son of the owner of this property, the late Isaac Eshun, said although he and his family have gone through a lot of threats in the last month over this property, they are unfazed.
This, he added, is because all evidence, even at the Lands Commission of Ghana, shows clearly that his family owns that property and that there is no confusion or contention about it.
Speaking in an interview, the 68-year-old said that on the day of the demolition, things got so tensed that he was physically assaulted.
“On the first of May, as I tried to stop that bulldozer that got here, I was punched and kicked, so, I was physically-abused… and I don’t see where physical abuse comes in all of these,” he said.
Richard Eshun also narrated how his licensed shotgun was seized by the police, a situation he believes allowed the faceless persons behind the attempts to take over his land to confidently invade the property on May 1.
He also made allegations to the effect that it appears the other party attempting to take over his property have some police support.
“In many, many cases, the police have come ahead of Anane Daniels to clear the way for him. I have a licensed shotgun and I informed the police of that. They came here and took my weapon from me.
“That same night was the most brutal attack of these guys, where they pulled the roof off, et cetera. If I had my weapon, I don’t think they would have come in here, well, not with that kind of attitude they came in with,” he said.
Popular Kumawood actor Yaw Dabo has revealed his actual age.
On Tuesday, Yaw Dabo gained popularity following his amusing interview on Spanish TV Marca after the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The exciting first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu concluded with a 1-1 scoreline, with Kevin De Bruyne matching Vinicius Jr’s spectacular opener with an equally stunning effort from outside the box.
Marca, a major European media outlet, interviewed fans who were at the stadium for their thoughts after the game, and Ghanaians were taken aback when a video of Dabo analyzing the match went viral on Twitter.
Despite his allegiance to Real Madrid, Dabo, an enthusiastic football fan, shared intriguing thoughts on the game, prompting the interviewer to inquire about his age.
Dabo, who is an established actor, responded that he was 24, surprising the interviewer and fans giving his long-standing career on screen.
Currently on a European tour, Dabo has visited several high-profile clubs, including PSG, Ajax, and Dortmund.
His entertaining interview on Marca has turned him into a trending topic among Ghanaians and football fans around the world.
Yaw Dabo is famous in the Ghanaian entertainment industry and well-reputed comic actor in Ghana’s Kumawood movie industry.
He is a successful entrepreneur who owns three football clubs in the colts division with U-10, U-14, and U-17 soccer teams.
With just a few days to hit the election ground for the much anticipated National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential and Parliamentary primaries, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is urging their opponents to hold an election devoid of hooliganism or violence.
The General Secretary of NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong said the government wants a peaceful atmosphere and will not countenance illegality.
Mr Kodua Frimpong thus asked national executives of NDC to ensure all grievances raised by parties involved in the primaries are addressed fairly.
“We have also seen the injunction filed by Dr Duffuor, we are urging the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to have a critical look at it.
As a government, we are more committed towards having a peaceful atmosphere in the country, and we will not let people take the laws into their hands.
We want successful primaries, we don’t want any tension, hooliganism or any form of activities the constitution frowns on. At the end of the day, we want them to have credible primaries,” the General Secretary of the NPP stated in an interview with Citi TV.
Dr Kwabena Duffour who is a flagbearer hopeful of the party has filed a suit against the party following what he says are some discrepancies his team has identified in the party’s voters register to be used for the exercise.
In a writ filed at an Accra High Court, Dr Duffour indicated that the party failed to provide the required photo album register five weeks before the elections as stated in the party’s rules.
He stated that a partial photo album register was given to his team on May 4, a few days before the elections rather than in March when they had submitted a request for one.
“The Plaintiff adds that to their utmost surprise, upon verification, it was found that the number of constituencies on the hard drive given to his representatives was 220 in number as opposed to the alleged number of 228 constituencies indicated by Defendant,” he stated.
“The Plaintiff adds further that an initial verification of the said 220 constituencies on the hard drive given to his representatives by the 2nd Defendant established basic errors and inaccuracies that render the Photo Album Register inaccurate and unreliable for a free, fair and credible election.
Dr Duffour added that despite his request for a postponement of the elections until a full photo album register is secured, the party has failed to heed his request.
However, the lawyers for the NDC have urged an Accra High Court to dismiss what they say is a frivolous and incompetent case filed by flagbearer aspirant, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor.
They also described the case as one not grounded in law.
“We submit that the plaintiff’s suit is incompetent and therefore ought to be dismissed in limine. Again, the plaintiff has not been able to demonstrate on the face of his pleadings and affidavit that it is just or convenient for the Honourable Court to grant the injunction that he seeks.”
