While many industry players applaud Charterhouse, organisers of the annual Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), for continuously throwing the spotlight on and promoting works of artistes, veteran Highlife artiste, Gyedu Blay Ambolley has a different view.
Ambolley sees the award scheme as a contribution to the limping state of Highlife music.
In his view, VGMA, one of the biggest and much-anticipated events on the Ghanaian entertainment calendar, gives outsiders a false impression of music representation in Ghana.
He said the scheme gave the topmost awards to artistes pursuing other music genres, which further affect the dwindling fortunes of Highlife music.
He explained to Graphic Showbiz that his observation is confirmed by the number as well as the quality of artistes nominated in the Best Highlife Artiste of the Year category.
“It is unfortunate that people think when you sing in Twi or Fante over a Dancehall or Reggae beats it automatically makes it Highlife music. That is not true but it has become the norm over the years because these are the kinds of music VGMA rewards.”
“Today, if anyone wants to have an idea of what Ghana represents in terms of music, I bet the person will not count any Highlife artiste since all the perceived big acts currently are not doing Highlife.”
“We have buried our own and pursuing Dancehall music and the likes and interestingly, the VGMA has been promoting the agenda by rewarding such artistes with the topmost prizes,” he said.
Apart from VGMA, the prominent musician who is loved for his songs such as Akoko Ba, Adwoa Amissah, Let’s Be Happy, Simigua among others, blamed the media for fuelling the present narrative.
He mentioned the media has not been serious about righting the wrongs by failing to criticise the happenings and that is equally not helping matters. “The media cannot be absolved from what is happening to Highlife music now. They don’t do their research to ask critical questions.”
“For instance, if an artiste plays Reggae beats and sings Twi or Fante, we call it Highlife music which is totally wrong because Highlife has its own beats.”
“Also, the members on the Selection Committee of VGMA are also guilty because they don’t make the right selection. So if critics say Highlife music is dying, it means some people are not doing their homework well,” he added.
On Saturday, March 18, Charterhouse announced nominees for the various categories. While some categories were competitive, generating solid conversations, the Highlife Artiste of the Year category which has Kofi Kinaata, Akwaboah, Adina and Kuami Eugene as contenders, is missing in the hierarchy of discussion of this year’s VGMA event scheduled for May 13, 2023.
“I’m not surprised the Highlife category has only four artistes because the young ones believe that doing other music genres will win them more recognition and awards. Thus our artistes are switching to other music styles but that is not helping the positive cause of Highlife music,” he stated.
American rapper Flo Rida’s 6-year-old son is in an intensive care unit with serious injuries after falling from the window of a fifth-floor apartment in New Jersey.
The rapper’s ex Alexis Adams said in a civil lawsuit filed Monday and obtained by Page Six that the incident occurred on March 4 and left their child, Zohar Dillard, hospitalized with fractures in his pelvis and left foot, a lacerated liver, collapsed lungs and internal bleeding.
Adams claimed the Jersey City building had installed windows with “incorrect sized guards,” posing “a hazardous condition” that caused her son — who was born with a rare neurological disorder — to fall “to the concrete pavement below.”
Flo Rida’s 6-year-old son is in an ICU after falling from a New Jersey apartment window. Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The suit names the apartment complex’s owners and managers, a construction company, a window installer and others as defendants.
The rapper shares Zohar with ex Alexis Adams. alexisadams/Instagram
“As a single mom to a special-needs child, this feels like a nightmare. My heart is broken into a million pieces,” Adams said in a statement to News12 New Jersey.
“I am devastated, angry and struggling to come to terms with the fact that my only child has suffered severe injuries due to willful negligence of our landlord and others involved In failing to take necessary safety measures.”
She is seeking damages, attorney’s fees and payment of Zohar’s medical bills.
Adams previously said Flo Rida has had no involvement in their son’s life. alexisadams/Instagram
Flo Rida, who is best known for hit songs including “Low” and “Right Round,” has not publicly addressed the accident.
Neither his attorney nor his managers responded to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Adams previously said the 43-year-old Grammy nominee, whose real name is Tramar Lacel Dillard, has had no involvement in Zohar’s life.
“Flo Rida has only seen his son once during the paternity test [in December 2016] but kept his shades on and his back turned,” she claimed to the Daily Mail in May 2018.
“They were in the same room. He didn’t try to hug Zohar, nothing. It was very cold.”
Since his birth in September 2016, Zohar has struggled with hydrocephalus, which is “caused by an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within cavities of the brain called ventricles, resulting in pressure on the brain,” according to the Hydrocephalus Association.
There is no known cure for the condition, which affects over 1 million Americans.
Nigerian gospel artiste Mercy Chinwo has threatened to sue a secular musician for using her name in a song.
Writing to the musician, Obidiz, through her lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi, the singer noted that the song titled ‘Mercy Chinwo’ contains disparaging and derogatory lyrics she does not want to be associated with.
The lawyer stated that Mercy Chinwo was shocked to find out about the song and its content.
The gospel singer threatened to sue Obidiz for ₦2 billion if he fails to pull down the music from all digital streaming platforms.
She is demanding that Obidiz “take down or cause to be taken down, the song titled ‘Mercy Chinwo’ which you published or be taken down immediately from all music digital platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, and any other platform whereby you made such publication.”
Mercy Chinwo also demanded the musician desist from further use of her name, image or likening in his content.
The gospel singer’s attorney directed Obidiz to promptly comply with his client’s demands, “failure upon which the full machinery of the law will be set in motion against you including approaching the Court of Law to award damages against you to the tune of N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira) in a favour of our client.”
Award-winning American director and producer, Spike Lee has revealed that nobody from Ghana’s film industry attempted to approach or speak to him during his stay in the country.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Asaase Radio, the ‘Da 5 Bloods’ filmmaker stated that he would have loved to communicate with people in the film industry and share some trade ideas, among others.
Spike Lee said that he had no idea Ghana had a film industry adding that although his arrival was made public, he was not engaged by key stakeholders in the local movie industry including the National Film Authority.
“I did not know that there is a thriving film industry in Ghana, I know about Nigeria. And I made the point that it was publicized that I was coming and no one approached me from the film office. I would have loved to meet the people in the film industry here [in Ghana].”
Spike Lee was also shocked to know Ghana had a film school, NAFTI (now the University of Media, Arts and Communication).
He said that he was readily available to communicate not only with the school head but also students of the film school.
🇺🇸Veteran filmmaker, Spike Lee says nobody in a 🇬🇭Ghana's film industry leadership has approached him on issues of the craft.
"It was publicized that I was coming and no one has approached me frm the film office in Ghana." How're we fumbling the bag at this point? 🎥Asaase Radio pic.twitter.com/5GQRXMGEr3
— Kenneth Awotwe Darko (@TheKennethDarko) March 30, 2023
Spike Lee was in Ghana on Sunday, March 26, the same day as US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit.
The filmmaker was reportedly part of the US Vice President’s creative arts team.
Spike Lee was seen with his wife and other seasoned people involved in the arts sector in the US at the state banquet held in Kamala Harris’ honour.
Star boy Kuami Eugene has responded to Fototcopy’s recent claim about declining to do a song with the young boy.
Fotocopy had said in an interview on Bryt TV that he wanted to feature Kuami Eugene on a song but the ‘Angela’ hit maker turned down his request.
Kuami Eugene says he never said his numbers being few was the reason he rejected him.
We don’t just get up and collaborate or feature. You need to go through the right way of communication since I don’t work alone. I have my line manager, road manager and some team members.
I have over 50 fadama boys who are my childhood friend and are into music. That doesnt mean I should collaborate with all of them.
Highlife and Afrobeat artiste Kuami Eugene has described comments nine-year-old singer Fotocopy has made about him as unfortunate.
According to him, Fotocopy is too young a boy to understand and throw about words like hatred, especially when talking about other artistes.
This comes after the ‘School Dey Be’ singer in a recent TV interview, said he hated Kuami Eugene.
“Kuami Eugene, I don’t want to talk about it. In the whole industry, he is an artiste I hate. I hate him because of what he told me – it took me more than a week to eat. It took me more than a week for me to eat because he told me that my numbers were really small and he couldn’t feature me,” Fotocopy had said.
However, speaking on Prime Morning on Joy FM, Kuami Eugene said that he believes the young boy was influenced to say such words adding that Fotocopy is too young to understand the enormity of the word ‘hate’.
“I think hate is too much of an intense word for a small boy to understand. To say that I hate someone. He’s too young to understand hate but that’s parenting. He’s not my issue because I think hate is too profound for a little boy like this to say,” he said on Thursday.
“You can tell clearly that in the interview he was having, he was told backstage….and whoever hosted the show, did a very bad job because he was also told backstage that ask him this question and answer it this way, you can clearly, go and listen to this interview.”
Kuami Eugene believes that such words from an artiste especially one that young invite trolls and hatred from the public which goes a long way to affect their career in the future.
“When you go to his comment section, they’re insulting this little boy and he didn’t call for this. So, please real quick let me take this opportunity to say, those attacking the little boy, he’s just a small boy. He doesn’t understand what he’s saying. So, forgive him and don’t send him hateful words. He’s just a little boy. I’m a big fan of Fotocopy. He’s just a little boy. I love him,” he said.
On claims he was approached for a feature, the Angela hitmaker stated that the young artiste’s father, who doubles as his manager, casually requested a feature.
However, Kuami Eugene said that as an artiste signed on a label with a team, it takes more than just talking to him to secure a feature adding that he advised the Fotocopy’s manager to have a formal conversation with his team.
Fotocopy
Kuami Eugene noted that he was thus taken aback to hear Fotocopy say he hated him while lamenting about not landing a collaboration.
“Kuami Eugene is not just there to do features for everyone. It takes good conversations to have a feature. To meet Richie…I do know the father. Qwaachi, you’re my friend, let’s go together. I will follow you and talk to Richie and the whole team – I have a road manager, somebody that invests and whatever.”
Kuami Eugene said that Fotocopy’s father was not willing to have that extensive conversation needed before they could reach an agreement on a feature.
The ‘Cryptocurrency’ singer stated that he knows the young boy’s father works in the music industry and expected him to understand how the industry operates.
“He didn’t like the fact that I said we should have a whole conversation about it. It doesn’t work like that. That is what people don’t get from the outside world,” Kuami Eugene said.
Kuami Eugene has responded to a recent comment made by nine-year-old artiste Fotocopy about declining to do a song with the young boy.
Fotocopy had said in an interview on Bryt TV that he wanted to feature Kuami Eugene on a song but the ‘Angela’ hit maker turned down his request.
Kuami is said to have adduced as reason for rejecting the feature, Fotocopy’s low numbers.
The boy said he could not eat for a week because of the response Kuami supposedly made to him. He added that this even made him develop hatred for Kuami Eugene.
Fotocopy mentioned that what salved his pain and disappointment was a feature from Shatta Wale on the song ‘School Dey Bee’.
However, speaking on Joy Prime TV’s Prime Morning on Thursday, March 30, 2023, Kuami Eugene said he did not say anything bad to the boy.
“We took pictures and all. There is a video there, I was vibing with the boy. Do you think I would say such a thing to this young boy, hurt him so bad and still take pictures with him?,” he asked.
Narrating the incident, the Lynx Entertainment and Empire Music signee said he met Fotocopy and his father Qwaachi at the house of Richie Mensah’s mother at Osu.
When they requested for the feature, he told them they needed to formally discuss it his management.
“And I said it doesn’t work like that because I am from Fadama. I left the hood and I have over 50 boys that are left in the hood. I can pin point and name all of them, if I say I am featuring all of everyone, I trust me, the career will end, wey we all we nogo benefit like that from am,” he told Roselyn Felli and KMJ on Prime Morning.
“Kuami Eugene is not there to do features with everyone. It takes good conversation to have a feature,” he further noted.
The highlife singer explained that Fotocopy’s father Qwaachi may have thought that because he had a relationship with him, he could just pull off the feature with ease.
In the meantime, Kuami says he does not see a future collaboration with the young musician.
Foto Copy has songs like Megye Me Dow featuring Clemento Suarez and 2022 release, Tomorrow.
Some Members of Parliament (MP) behind the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, otherwise known as Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, have disclosed that LGBTQ+ activists are trying to sabotage them.
They claim these LGBTQ+ allies are assiduously working behind the scenes to ensure that they lose their seats so that the Bill does not materialise into Law.
In an interview, one of the MPs, Rockson Dafeamkpor, noted that: “The people want us out of Parliament, we have evidence, but we are speaking to the fact that these are people who are not sleeping. It is not something we are taking lightly. These people are on a vendetta, they are on an agenda to ensure that this bill doesn’t succeed in Parliament.”
He made the remarks on JoyNews during an interaction on the LGBTQ+ subject on Wednesday, March 30, 2023. He also appealed to his fellow MPs to support the Bill.
Parliament is yet to decide on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill laid before the House. As it stands, the constitutional and legal affairs committee is anticipated to report to parliament on their findings and ask for permission to debate the anti-LGBT bill’s provisions.
The bill has also been modified such that the section it which criminalises advocacy for LGBTQ issues has been scrapped. The penalty has also been reduced from 5 years to 3 years.
Explaining why the committee took this stance, ranking member of the committee, Bernard Ahiafor noted that the changes were made to align the bill with the Constitution and other existing laws.
He made the remarks during an interaction on JoyNews’ UpFront on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
“The criminal and other offences are 3 years …the law as the committee proposes is that the aspect of the rendition in the earlier bill must be taken off,” he said.
Adding his voice to the discourse, the spokesperson of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, said President Akufo-Addo was not forthright with his recent comments on the matter.
He said the failure of President Akufo-Addo to declare his stance on the subject is very disturbing.
“The President was over-cautious in trying to talk about it as if not wanting to offend a certain force that is coming from somewhere because I have heard the president speak forthrightly with a strong tone about certain things like some of his encounters with Macron,” he said.
However, Country Director of Amnesty International Genevieve Partington contended that the bill in its current form is discriminatory and will promote hate crime when passed.
Justifying her claim, she noted that the passage of the bill will legitimise the attack, harassment, and persecution of LGBT people in the country, adding that people perceived to be gay or lesbian could easily fall victim to mob justice as a result of the anti-gay bill.
“It promotes hate crime. Let me give you an example, if people are perceived to be lesbian or gay, let’s just say me, I’m in a hotel room with another lady and someone decides to call and suspect that I am a lesbian, you know, it can promote hate crime.
“Because what if I am not and just as we catch thieves in Ghana, and we do instant justice and mob action, this can also increase mob action towards this community, so this is one thing I feel is not good,” she explained.
An international non-governmental organization (NGO), ActionAid Ghana, has provided furniture to schools in the Northern Region’s Nanumba South District and Nanumba North Municipality.
The furniture, which includes 200 tables, 1,200 chairs, and 967 twin workstations, is intended to help address the area’s furniture shortage.
In comparison, the Nanumba North Municipality received 684 desks and tables, 460 dual desks, and 105 dual desks for kindergartens, primary schools, and junior high schools, while the Nanumba South District received 516 desks and tables for kindergarten (KG), 310 dual desks for primary, and 92 desks for junior high schools.
The furniture was handed over to the education directorates of the two assemblies for onward distribution to the various schools, as part of efforts to help improve on teaching and learning in the area.
Handing over the furniture at separate occasions last Friday, the Northern Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana, Esther Boateng, said the gesture followed a needs assessment conducted by the NGO in the area, which revealed the furniture deficit in most schools.
“We went round the various KG, basic and junior high schools to conduct an assessment and I must say the situation was not good because the pupils outnumbered the furniture at the various schools. Some of the children were sitting on bare floors while others were writing on very dusty floors, which is very worrying,” she said.
She indicated that the NGO raised about £80,000 (about GH¢ 1,191,695.12) for the project, which included the construction of a KG block.
While charging the authorities to put the furniture to good use, Ms Boateng appealed to the assemblies to take urgent steps to provide furniture for the schools in their jurisdictions.
Commendation
The District Chief Executive for Nanumba South, Zakaria Issifu, thanked ActionAid Ghana for the support and said the assembly was working around the clock to address the furniture challenge.
“We are a deprived district with a lot of challenges in every sector including health, water, education, sanitation, security, among others but we are doing our best to ensure that we provide the needed development to the people,” he said.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Nanumba North, Abdulai Yaquob, said the assembly had a furniture deficit of about 16,000 and that it was making efforts to procure more furniture for the schools to address the situation.
When history was made on the midnight of 7th January, 2021 with the election of Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin as the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, there were high expectations from the people of Ghana for the Legislative Arm of Government to deliver on its mandate of serving as a check on the Executive and the Judiciary.
Having assumed the enviable role of speaker in the current the venerable Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has not disappointed thus far as he discharges his duties and mandate with a clever, intelligent and clear sense of judgment bringing to bare his legal training and profession as a lawyer as well as his enviable experience of twenty-eight uninterrupted years as a parliamentarian.
As expected of any decision-making process which might draw both agreements and disagreements, the Parliament of Ghana has received its fair share. However, there have been some unique occasions on which the Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament has taken some bold and courageous decisions that have drawn and received the admiration and applause of the masses. Very notable among these instances include but not limited to the following;
1. OPEN ABHORRENCE AND CRITICISM OF LGBTQI+ ACTIVITIES; the strong and critical stance of the Rt Hon Alban Bagbin on the creeping and growing phenomenon of LGBTQI+ is no secret to the public. He has ceased every available opportunity to speak against it and shown an open support for legislation against it. Even at international conferences outside of Ghana, RT Hon Bagbin canvassed for support to criminalize the trend as it is inhuman and should not be tolerated. His courage and conviction to condemn LGBTQI Activities reached epic levels when he took a swipe at the US Vice President Kamala Harris and our own President Nana Akufo-Addo when their joint press conference suggested that Ghana was going to soften its stance on the call for legislation to curb the growing canker of LGBTQI in the country. This spirited response by the Speaker of Parliament has earned him enormous admiration by majority of the people.
2. DIRECTIVE TO GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL TO IMMEDIATELY ADMIT SOME 499 LAW SCHOOL APPLICANTS WHO WERE DENIED ADMISSION; When the General Legal Council released results of the entrance examination into the Ghana School of Law in 2021, as many as four-hundred and ninety-nine students were unjustifiably denied admission under very strange and curious circumstances. These students were compelled to seek all manner of avenues including street protests to have their issues addressed all to no avail. It had to take a directive by the Speaker for the General Legal Council to have the famous 499 students admitted immediately without any further delay. This followed the inability of the Attorney-General and the General Legal Council to convince MR SPEAKER and Parliament on the propriety of their decision.
3. DITCHING OF THE SUIT AND CLOAK FOR EVERYDAY SITTINGS OF PARLIAMENT; Soon upon assuming the seat of speaker of parliament, the Rt Hon Alban Bagbin stole the hearts of Ghanaians when he ditched the wearing of the colonial suit and cloak for Ghanaian and Traditional African apparel safe on special occasions or ceremonies in Parliament. This decision by the Speaker apart from the tourism and marketing potential the Ghanaian and African costume offers to the local producers also sheds off the longstanding colonial mentality accompanying the previous dress code inherited from the colonial administration. This decision by the Speaker has been received with so much applause.
4. CALL FOR THE EXEMPTION OF PENSIONER FUNDS FROM THE DOMESTIC DEBT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME; On the raging and heated matter of the ongoing domestic debt exchange programme, the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance sought to include the funds of pensioners in the programme. This was met with a spirited protest by the pensioners who would have been affected by this unpopular decision. The Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament invited the Minister of Finance to Parliament and proceeded to direct him to exclude the vulnerable pensioners from the programme considering their peculiar circumstances having toiled and sacrificed to contribute to building our nation. On this particular occasion, the Speaker of Parliament received commendations from the public.
Samuel Abu Jinapor, the minister of lands and natural resources, stated that the government’s efforts to establish a national integrated aluminum sector are on track and making steady progress.
He asserted he doing so in accordance with the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation Act, 2018 (Act 976) that formed the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) to advance and develop the nation’s integrated aluminum industry.
The minister made this statement yesterday in Akosombo, in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region, at the beginning of a two-day workshop on the downstream aluminum business.
The workshop, which was organised by GIADEC, in partnership with the Strategic Anchor Industries Unit of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), brought together stakeholders in the aluminium industry to deliberate on policy options and an implementation plan for the downstream aluminium industry.
It follows extensive research, data collection and technical analysis of best practices across the world carried out by GIADEC and ODI.
Adding value
Delivering the keynote address at the workshop, Mr Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Damongo in the North East Region, emphasised the need to add value to the country’s mineral resources to ensure optimal benefit from them.
He said the government had, since 2017, been pursuing the path for all mineral resources, including gold, bauxite, iron ore, lithium and other green minerals.
On bauxite, the minister said while the raw ore sold for around $60 per tonne, the primary aluminium, produced from bauxite, was selling for over $2,000 per tonne.
He added that Ghana had an estimated bauxite resource base of over 900 million tonnes, capable of creating more than two million sustainable jobs and generating over $1 trillion in revenue if fully integrated.
“Unfortunately, we have, over the years, failed to make the needed investment in this area,” the minister lamented.
He expressed the government’s optimism of the contribution of a fully integrated aluminium industry to socio-economic development.
“It is for this reason that, in 2018, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took that bold decision to establish, by an Act of Parliament, GIADEC to promote and develop an integrated aluminium industry here in our country,” Mr Jinapor said.
Achievements
According to the minister, GIADEC had, since its establishment, developed a masterplan for the upstream sector and was implementing its Four Project Agenda to expand the existing mine, build three additional mines, build refineries and modernise the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO).
He said all four projects were at various stages of implementation.
“It is, therefore, necessary to prepare the downstream industry and make it ready to off-take products from the upstream industry,” he added.
Mr Jinapor urged participants at the workshop to bring their expertise to bear and come up with policy options and plans that would help build a robust, functioning and vibrant downstream aluminium industry that contributed meaningfully to the national economy.
Other participants at the workshop were senior officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the ODI, the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and companies in the upstream and the downstream aluminium industry.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia visited the late Member of Parliament(MP) for Kumawu Constituency in the Ashanti Region Mr. Philip Basoah at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital before his demise.
The Former MP Philip Basoah died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on the dawn of Tuesday, March 28. 2023 after he was admitted at the facility for treatment. The late Philip Basoah was 54 years of age and it is unclear what actually the cause of his death was.
The Vice President Dr Bawumia according to sources, visited the late MP at the facility on Saturday morning before sad demise of the late MP.
Philip Basoah came to Parliament in 2017 after he won convincingly in the 2016 elections.
Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, he was a Chief Executive for the Sekyere East District from June 2005 to January 2009 and was also a tutor at the Agogo State College.
Dr. Bawumia who is saddened by his death wrote “I express my deepest condolences to the immediate family and Kumawu constituents on the sudden passing of Hon. Philip Atta Basoah. I visited him this past Saturday and little did I know that it was the last time I would see him alive. This is so painful. My prayers are with his family. May Philip’s gentle soul rest in peace”
For robbing and raping a woman, the Tema Circuit Court B sentenced 28-year-old Louis Dordzi Dzidefo to 23 years of imprisonment with hard labor.
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Dzidefo entered a not guilty plea to the allegation of robbery when he first appeared in court, and the Court, presided over by Ms. Bertha Aniagyei, condemned him after a thorough trial.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ms. Stella Odame, claimed that the complainant lived at Kakasunanka Number One and the defendant, also known as D-claim, lived at Gbetsele.
She said on July 13, 2021, at about 00:00 hours, the complainant engaged the service of Dzidefo who was then in charge of a Haojue motorbike with registration number M-21-GR 1955 to convey her from Kakasunaka Number One to Golf City.
The Prosecution stated that on reaching the complainant’s destination at Golf City, Dordzi, requested that they exchanged phone numbers for the complainant to call him to pick her back to Kakasunaka Number One when she was done with her mission.
The facts stated that the complainant obliged, and at about 00:21 hours on the same day she called him to pick her back as agreed, adding that on their way, he branched into an unknown road with an excuse that he encountered Police officers on his way to pick her hence the need to swerve.
The court heard that upon reaching a section of the road near the Energy Commission, at Tema Community 25, Dzidefo veered into a nearby bush and parked at a refuse dump. He pulled out a concealed penknife at the complainant and forcibly took her Samsung galaxy A3 smartphone valued GHS1,800.00, and her handbag containing sum of GH₵200.00, room keys, handkerchief, and soap.
Prosecution said, the convict not satisfied with that, forcibly had vaginal and anal sex with the complainant at knifepoint at the refuse dump. She said he bolted with the booty after his act, abandoning the victim in the bush. The complainant later made a complaint to the Golf City Police, where she was issued with an extract of occurrence to Tema Community 25 Police for the necessary assistance and the issuance of a medical form to attend hospital.
According to the prosecution, on July 16, 2021, Dzidefo cashed out an amount of Gh₵247.00 from the complaint’s mobile money account from an MTN MOMO agent and transferred some amount to his cellphone number 0242114906.
The facts indicated that on July 22, 2021, the Police prepared an ex-parte motion for a court order which was granted and same was served on MTN Ghana Limited, to furnish them with an itemized bill of the accused.
Investigations revealed that on August 25, 2021, between the hours of 10:02:59am to 12:06:58pm Dzidefo inserted his MTN number 0242114906 sim card into the complainant’s Samsung Galaxy A3 smartphone.
Police intelligence led to his arrest at his hideout at Kakasunanka Number One, cautioned and charged and arraigned him after investigations.
By the end of next year, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) will sign up 600 more companies for the “e-VAT,” or electronic Value Added Tax (VAT) invoicing system.
With the implementation of the new arrangement, the electronic invoice system will be expanded beyond the 50 major taxpayers who have been using it since last year, when the e-VAT system was first implemented on a pilot basis.
Before enrolling taxpayers, the GRA yesterday invited the chief executive officers and account officers of the chosen companies to be on-boarded onto the e-VAT system to Accra to walk them through the new system and the legislative basis for its implementation.
All the selected companies are to be on-boarded before the end of June 2023 during the first phase of implementation, while the second phase will end by December 2023.
This will result in an additional 1,000 businesses getting on board the e-VAT, with all other taxpayers scheduled to be enrolled by December 2024.
When fully implemented, all taxpayers will move from a manual to an electronic system, in line with the provisions of the VAT Law.
The e-VAT system has seen success in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.
Cooperation
The Head of the Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the GRA, Edward Gyambrah, described the selected taxpayers for the first phase of the implementation as “our blue chip taxpayers” and urged them to partner the authority in its quest to mobilise enough revenue for the state.
He said the electronic VAT invoicing had become necessary as it had been found that the VAT contribution to total tax collection was low, compared to other jurisdictions, such as Togo, where it was about 40 per cent, 42 per cent in Benin and in excess of 50 per cent in Cote d’Ivoire, “but in Ghana, we are just around 20 per cent”.
To address the issue, Mr Gyambrah said, there had been a number of measures and innovations “but it has not appreciated to the level we want”.
The certified invoicing system was going to be “the sole means of issuing VAT invoices to customers”, he said, and urged the companies to “cooperate and give us the necessary support for the smooth implementation of the e-VAT”.
Benefits
The Project Manager of e-VAT, Philip Acquah, said the electronic system would help authenticate and validate the invoices in real time.
He said companies being added onto the system would be taken through training on how to operate it and tested after which they would have to sign off from their old system.
Mr Acquah said the on-boarded businesses would then be assigned Relationship Managers to serve as a liaison between GRA and the company to address challenges.
He cautioned persons and business entities, which may want to circumvent the system to evade tax, to reconsider their decision as the GRA was able to monitor all the activities of tax payers pertaining to the issuance of VAT invoices.
The e-VAT project manager said the initiatives would not only improve revenue collection but also improve business processes.
Additionally, Mr Acquah said the new system would solve the issue of lack of data for effective tax compliance and would ensure a fair and equitable regime for all taxpayers.
Also, he said, it would streamline the refund process as invoice issued would be in a centralised placed and also streamline the reporting of VAT returns.
The system, he said, would have three solutions as “tax payers with no invoicing system will receive free invoicing systems from the GRA, it will also make provision for system-to-system integration; and developers of point-of-sale (POS) accounting software can get it certified by the GRA for use by taxpayers”.
A member of the e-VAT implementation team, Isaac Safo, said there was no transition period for on-boarding as once a company was connected to the system it had to go live.
He said there were sanctions for taxpayers who breached the provisions of the law as they would pay an administrative penalty of 50,000 currency points or three times the amount of tax involved or whichever was higher.
A currency point is GH¢1.
Business which failed to issue the e-VAT invoice would be prosecuted and could be slapped with 100 penalty units or serve a two-year jail term or both. A penalty unit is GH¢12.
The Keta Port will need to be developed and run by a private party by the end of this year, according to the government’s goal.
For the project’s request for proposals (RFP), six companies have currently been selected for consideration.
The government wants to get rid of the hybrid model of port development and management, in which the port authority serves as both a regulator and an operator, said Kwaku Ofori-Asiamah, the minister of transport, who announced this at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday.
Upon conclusion of the investor selection process, he stated that actual construction will start in January 2024.
The Keta Port, he said, was expected to be a service port with a full range of cargo processing functions, including inspection and verification.
Feasibility studies
Mr Ofori-Asiamah said from the feasibility studies, the Keta Port would operate as a landlord port, with the public authority not handling cargo but being a regulator only.
“Private sector operators will develop and operate the various terminals and handle vessels and cargo, while the government is expected to make basic investments, including the administration building to house the port authority and other port service tenants,” he said.
He said the RFP for the construction of the administration block was underway to allow for physical construction works to take off by July 2023.
Public outcry
There has been public outcry over the delay in the execution of the port project.
This has been so especially following the declaration of the area by an Executive Instrument in 2018 as a port and the subsequent appointment of a director to oversee the processes surrounding the project.
Whereas critics of the government believed the project, as a Greenfield port (entirely new port), was not viable, considering its closeness to the Lome Port, which plays host to international shipping lines for the transhipment of goods, the minister had maintained that the feasibility studies had proved the project’s viability and profitability, considering the country’s decision to exploit its iron ore deposits for export.
Maritime and Inland waterways
Giving an update on developments within the maritime and transport sector, the minister said the completion of work on the 16-metre draft Dry Bulk Terminal at the Takoradi Port last year had improved operational efficiency at that port, allowing it to increase its work load and revenue generation.
Mr Ofori-Asiamah also announced that phase one works on the Boankra Inland Port were at about 30 per cent complete, with the hope that a full completion would help decongest the Tema Port and bring import and export services closer to the doorstep of shippers in the middle and the northern parts of the country, as well as neighbouring landlocked countries.
Fishing Ports
On the new fishing ports under construction, he pointed out that works at the Jamestown Fishing Harbour were about 60 per cent complete, while those at Elmina, which include facilities such as two new breakwaters, a new quay wall (retention area for docking of vessels) with a total length of 400 metres, a new administration building, a fish market, among others, were fully completed.
He also mentioned additional construction works on coastal fishing landing sites at 12 locations across the country, which he said would complement existing facilities to help address challenges such as inadequate storage facilities, high post-harvest losses and unhygienic conditions confronting the artisanal fishing sector.
“These projects will enable us to address these challenges to support the growth of the fishing industry, create job opportunities and help build vibrant communities along the coast,” he said.
Aviation sector
In the aviation sector, he said a feasibility studies to determine a suitable location for a new airport in either the Central or the Western region or in between the two were being finalised.
He said the phase three upgrade works on the Kumasi Airport, which include aerobridges, were also about 89 per cent complete, while those on the Tamale Airport, which include the construction of a new terminal building, a multi-purpose terminal and access roads connecting the airport to the Tamale-Bolgatanga highway, had been completed for use.
Road accidents worrying
Mr Ofori-Asiamah expressed worry over the increasing road crashes.
He said provisional figures showed that road crashes, injuries and fatalities as of December 2022 stood at 14,960, 15,690 and 2,373, respectively.
The minister called on stakeholders to step up efforts to minimise road crashes across the country.
He also announced the procurement of new fleets for the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) to augment those in use.
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, has condemned some Members of Parliament from the Minority Caucus for recording their votes during the secret voting in Parliament.
He said the MPs took videos and photos of their votes in last Friday’s vote on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s ministerial and Supreme Court justice nominees.
The Second Deputy Speaker, who is also an independent MP for the Fomena Constituency, in the Ashanti Region, said the action of the MPs violated the secrecy of votes, which should not be allowed to recur.
In a statement on the floor of Parliament, yesterday, Mr. Amoako said the action was an affront to Article 104 of the 1992 Constitution and Order 10(b) of the Standing Orders of the House.
“The elections were held in secret, but we have read on various social media platforms that some of our members, probably as a matter of proving a point, videoed and took pictures of how they voted.
“I understand and appreciate why they did that, but the fact of the matter is that their actions are an affront to the electoral process,” Mr. Amoako said.
As the bastion of the country’s democracy, Mr. Amoako said MPs should set good examples for the general population to follow.
“We are supposed to be the crème of our democratic dispensation and whatever we do must show that we understand what we are doing.
“I submit that going forward, if we are to vote, in as much as we may want to prove to the caucus leaders, constituents, or the party that indeed this is the way we voted, we should also be reminded that whatever we do here conforms with general rule of voting in the country,” he said.
Mr. Yusif Sulemana, MP for Bole/Bamboi, called for the annulment of the polls if indeed there were evidence that MPs took pictures of their votes and revealed same.
“To the best of my knowledge, the election was conducted in secrecy, but if there is any evidence to suggest that it was not done in secrecy, then the result should be declared null and void.”
Mr. Sulemana said ‘going forward’, there would be the need for the House to adopt standards on how voting should be conducted because the mode kept changing anytime there was a vote.
But the MP for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfrom, Sylvester Tetteh, disagreed with the call for the votes to be annulled.
He urged the House to “purge itself of this unfortunate development,” and said MPs would not have the moral right to educate their constituents if the practice was not stopped.
“I understand and appreciate why they did that, but the fact of the matter is that their actions are an affront to the electoral process,” Mr. Amoako said.
As the bastion of the country’s democracy, Mr. Amoako said MPs should set good examples for the general population to follow.
Joseph Sedor, a 21-year-old unemployed guy, was given a four-year prison sentence for robbery.
He entered his neighbor’s home illegally and took goods worth GH138,390.
A double-deck refrigerator, a stove, an oven, 36 articles of clothing, and six pillows were among the things.
The defendant was accused of causing damage, breaking into a building without permission, and stealing. He entered a plea of guilty to each allegation and was found guilty on his own admission last Monday in an Adenta Circuit Court presided over by Her Honor Sedinam Awo Balokah.
Ms Balokah convicted the accused to one year on count one (causing damage), one and a half years on count two (unlawful entry) and four years on count three (stealing) to run concurrently.
The prosecutor, Chief Inspector, Maxwell Lanyo, in his submission, told the court that the complainant, Eric Gaanu, was a Detective Lance Corporal stationed at Madina, Accra. He was also the caretaker of the house where the robbery took place.
Chief Inspector Lanyo said the house belonged to one Madam Chyskysha Ennis, who lived in France.
The prosecutor said Sedor was a resident of Agbogba, Accra, and on March 4, 2023, at midnight, he destroyed the main security door in order to gain access into Madam Chyskysha’s house.
He said all the items were retrieved from the convict after he was caught by the complainant/caretaker. When questioned, Sedor said he acted alone.
The Catholic Bishops Conference has urged the government to reject the $139 million budget support the United States government has promised Ghana if it is tied to the country accepting LGBTQ+ activities.
Speaking in an interview with Catholic Trends, the President of the Catholic Bishop Conference, Most Rev. Matthew Gyamfi, said that accepting aid from the US government with any LGBTQ conditions would amount to the government selling the country’s birth right.
He added that the government must tell the people of Ghana what the conditions for the $139 million are before accepting it.
“This is a very serious issue. It is at the gate of who we are as Ghanaians and nobody should toy with it with money. And if that should be the case (the aid is tied to Ghana accepting LGBT), let the government reject the money and tell the people, this is what they are saying. Should I take it? So that you do this or not and let the people decide.
“This is not the first time. We have seen the European Union, the United States and these rich countries sometimes push down our throats with certain reforms and certain things and they say if only you do these things, we would give you the money.
“I know the government has done that over and over and over, and many Ghanaians know it. It is not only I who is saying it. So when it comes to something that makes a people, a people. That is their culture and tradition, then if you sell your birth right, culture and tradition, if you sell who you are for money when you get the money who are you again?” Most Rev. Gyamfi said.
The office of the United States Vice President indicated that the US government will support Ghana with $139 million for the 2024 fiscal year.
According to Aljazeera, the $139 million is an addition to the $100 million security support, Vice President Kamala Harris announced for five West African countries including Ghana.
Some executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti Region have fought off claims that they wore military uniforms on a campaign tour of former President, John Mahama.
Vice Chairman, Capt Rtd John Kwame Jabari says what they wore were only camouflage dresses which they will continue to wear.
This is in response to police invitation for the wearing of what they describe as military uniform for a campaign tour.
Captain Jabari says they will continue to wear the shirts to party functions.
“I rebuke that we were not in a military attire, we were in a camouflage dress. Because as a former military officer I know a military attire if I see one and I will never wear one because I am out of the service”, he said.
Captain Jabari who led some party executives to honor an invitation from the police added, “we will continue to wear it until a competent court tells us we can’t wear it”.
They include; Captain John Kwame Jabari, the First Vice Chairman, Baah Acheamfour, the Deputy Secretary and Seth Atanga, the Deputy Youth Organizer.
The rest are Treasurer, Marvin Philip Frazer Norman, and two others.
In a picture that has gone viral, some party executives are pictured in green camouflage outfits with the inscription “Green Army” embroidery on the right side. On the left side is the name of the individual wearing them.
They cite instances where similar camouflage dresses worn by certain members of the public have been ignored, claiming that their invitation is an attempt to intimidate the NDC.
“I have given you people evidence of celebrities and other politicians wearing camouflage and none of them have been invited”, he said.
All six persons have since honored the police invitation. Caution statements of all the suspects were taken and granted bail by the police as investigation continues.
Dr. Abdallah Ali-Nakyea, a tax expert and consultant, believes that certain charges in Ghana should be eliminated.
According to him, the economy is badly impacted by the ongoing implementation of levies.
Dr. Ali-Nakyea raised alarm about the country’s rate of new tax introductions every other time in a radio interview with Citi FM on Thursday, March 30, 2023, saying it was troublesome.
According to him, high taxes lead to circumstances that have an impact on both employment and productivity.
He claimed that the government should reduce spending rather than putting so much emphasis on tax introduction.
For Dr Ali-Nakyea, government should not be too motivated in introducing more taxes as part of a move to appear good in the eyes of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Three bills namely the Income Tax Amendment Act, the Excise Duty Amendment Act, and the Growth and Sustainability Act are currently before Parliament, with the government hoping to generate approximately GH¢4 billion per year if the bills pass.
The government fears failing to pass the new tax bills on Friday will jeopardize Ghana’s chances of a quick economic recovery and board approval for an IMF bailout (IMF).
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, has expressed concern over the decision by some Members of Parliament (MPs) of the minority caucus to breach the practice of secret voting in Parliament.
He said the MPs took videos and photos of their votes in last Friday’s vote on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s ministerial and Supreme Court justice nominees.
The Second Deputy Speaker, who is also an independent MP for the Fomena Constituency, in the Ashanti Region, said the action of the MPs violated the secrecy of votes, which should not be allowed to recur.
In a statement on the floor of Parliament, yesterday, Mr. Amoako said the action was an affront to Article 104 of the 1992 Constitution and Order 10(b) of the Standing Orders of the House.
“The elections were held in secret, but we have read on various social media platforms that some of our members, probably as a matter of proving a point, videoed and took pictures of how they voted.
“I understand and appreciate why they did that, but the fact of the matter is that their actions are an affront to the electoral process,” Mr. Amoako said.
As the bastion of the country’s democracy, Mr. Amoako said MPs should set good examples for the general population to follow.
“We are supposed to be the crème of our democratic dispensation and whatever we do must show that we understand what we are doing.
“I submit that going forward, if we are to vote, in as much as we may want to prove to the caucus leaders, constituents, or the party that indeed this is the way we voted, we should also be reminded that whatever we do here conforms with general rule of voting in the country,” he said.
Mr. Yusif Sulemana, MP for Bole/Bamboi, called for the annulment of the polls if indeed there were evidence that MPs took pictures of their votes and revealed same.
“To the best of my knowledge, the election was conducted in secrecy, but if there is any evidence to suggest that it was not done in secrecy, then the result should be declared null and void.”
Mr. Sulemana said ‘going forward’, there would be the need for the House to adopt standards on how voting should be conducted because the mode kept changing anytime there was a vote.
But the MP for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfrom, Sylvester Tetteh, disagreed with the call for the votes to be annulled.
He urged the House to “purge itself of this unfortunate development,” and said MPs would not have the moral right to educate their constituents if the practice was not stopped.
“I understand and appreciate why they did that, but the fact of the matter is that their actions are an affront to the electoral process,” Mr. Amoako said.
As the bastion of the country’s democracy, Mr. Amoako said MPs should set good examples for the general population to follow.
Following the conclusion of a watchdog’s inquiry into the fatal shooting, the police officer who shot and killed Chris Kaba may be charged.
After concluding its homicide investigation today, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has forwarded a dossier of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration of possible charges.
On September 5, cops shot and killed the unarmed 24-year-old.
He died in Streatham Hill, south London, after being followed by an unmarked police car that had no lights or sirens turned on.
Chris Kaba’s mother Helen Lumuanganu has said the step forward is ‘necessary and welcome’ alongside other family members in a statement (Picture: PA)
After his Audi drove down Kirkstall Gardens he was blocked by a marked police vehicle and there was ‘contact’ between the two cars, a court previously heard.
It is believed the Audi Chris was driving was linked to a firearms incident that had taken place the previous day.
A police marksman then fired a single shot through the windscreen, hitting Mr Kaba in the head.
Following his death there were vigils and thousands of people protested across London against the treatment of black people by police.
His family had three requests following his death, and these included that the officer who pulled the trigger to kill Chris be interviewed under caution. This is believed to have now taken place.
They also wanted an urgent decision on whether the officer/s involved will be charged with murder, manslaughter, or other charges.
Now seven months on, further details have been sent to the CPS, who will consider charging the officer.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: ‘This was a tragic incident and our investigators have been working hard to ensure that our comprehensive investigation has been completed without undue delay and within the six-to-nine-month timeframe we provided.
‘Mr Kaba died after he was struck by a single gunshot fired by an MPS officer into the vehicle he was driving.
‘During the investigation, the officer was advised they were under criminal investigation for murder and following the conclusion of our investigation we have referred a file of evidence to the CPS to determine whether to charge the officer.
‘A referral to the CPS does not necessarily mean that criminal charges will follow. It is now for the CPS to decide, applying the tests in the Code for Crown Prosecutors, whether or not to prosecute the officer.
‘Mr Kaba’s family and the officer involved have been notified of this development.’
In a joint statement, the family of Chris Kaba said: ‘Our family, alongside the community who have supported us over the past seven months, have been consistent in our call for accountability.
‘This step forward is necessary and welcome. We urge the Crown Prosecution Service to do their bit and provide their advice to the IOPC urgently.
‘We very much hope that the CPS advise in favour of a prosecution and that the truth will emerge, without delay, through criminal proceedings. Our family and community cannot continue waiting for answers.
‘Chris was so loved by our family and all his friends. He had a bright future ahead of him before his life was cut short. We must see justice for Chris.’
Ghanaian social media sensation Ahuofe has died in Kumasi, reports making rounds on the internet have indicated.
It is not yet known when Ahuofe passed away but the reports surfaced online on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
While YEN.com.gh’s calls to independently verify the reports have not gone through, a popular Kumasi-based rapper, Jay Bhad of Asakaa Boys fame, has given credence to the reports.
In a tweet, Jay Bhad shared a video of Ahuofe jamming to one of his songs with a caption about how life is short.
Ahuofe, who is based at Oforikrom in Kumasi, burst onto the stage as a TikToker some months ago and got many loving him.
His videos on the app showed him mimicking the personality of the late American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur. He often dressed and acted like a ‘gangster’.
Within his relatively short time on the app, Ahuofe was able to garner an impressive 3.9 million followers and amass over a whopping 39.8 million views on his 217 videos.
Former military bases will shelter “several thousand” asylum seekers, according to proposals confirmed by immigration minister Robert Jenrick.
The refugee population will live at bases in Essex and Lincolnshire as well as another location in East Sussex.
It follows the controversial plans, which are still expected to be reviewed by Ministers, to shelter asylum seekers in abandoned cruise ships and “barges.”
RAF Scampton, home of the Dambusters during the Second World War, in Lincolnshire will be used, alongside with MDP Wethersfield in Braintree.
RAF Scampton is set to be one of the sites to house thousands of refugees (Picture: PA)Robert Jenrick made the announcement in the Commons today (Picture: BBC)
Government sources said each site will have the capacity to house 1,500-2,000 migrants, and initially are more likely to be used for new arrivals rather than to rehouse people currently in hotels.
It comes as the UK says it is spending £6.2m a day on hotels for asylum seekers, housing more than 51,000 people at 400 hotels across the country.
Robert Jenrick said: ‘Today the Government is announcing the first tranche of sites we will set up to provide basic accommodation at scale.
‘The Government will use military sites being disposed of in Essex and Lincolnshire, and a separate site in East Sussex.
‘These will be scaled up over the coming months and will collectively provide accommodation to several thousands asylum seekers through repurposed barrack blocks and portacabins.’
The immigration minister insisted that ‘these sites on their own will not end the use of hotels overnight’.
He added: ‘But alongside local dispersal and other forms of accommodation, which we will bring forward in due course, they will relieve pressure on our communities and they will manage asylum seekers in a more appropriate and cost-effective way.’
Mr Jenrick also sought to provide MPs with assurances about the sites’ impact on local services, saying: ‘We are acutely aware of the need to minimise the impact of these sites on communities.
‘Basic healthcare will be available, around-the-clock security will be provided on site, and our providers will work closely with local police and other partners. Funding will be provided to local authorities in which these sites are located.’
Speaking about the possibility of ‘accommodating migrants in vessels’ Mr Jenrick said the government was still considering the option.
The immigration minister said: ‘In addition, the Prime Minister is showing leadership on this issue by bringing forward proposals to provide accommodation at barracks in Catterick Garrison in his constituency.
‘And we are continuing to explore the possibility of accommodating migrants in vessels, as they are in Scotland and in the Netherlands.’
SNP home affairs spokesperson Alison Thewliss could be heard to shout ‘It is not the same!’
Some residents near RAF Scampton have already raised concerns about the housing of Migrants.
Residents said they ‘don’t feel secure’ and feel they are ‘nothing’ to the Government.
Homeowners who live in former military housing, say they have received ‘absolutely jack-sh**’ by way of communication from the Government about its plans to house migrants on the site.
Around 700 people already live in homes bordering RAF Scampton, which was previously home to the Red Arrows and the Dambusters 617 squadron in the Second World War, and they said on Wednesday they worry their limited local amenities will be overwhelmed if the plans go ahead.
Speaking prior to the expected announcement on Wednesday, Rachel Green, a resident on the site for 22 years, said: ‘My main concern is security. We’ve got a lot of young families here with lots of children about.
‘The fence is not secure, and even if the fence was secure, it is said they’ll be able to roam free and this is where they’ll come because it’s 100 yards out of the front entrance from the camp to the housing estate. We don’t feel secure.’
Sir Edward Leigh and Karl McCartney, MPs for Gainsborough and Lincoln respectively, have both previously voiced opposition to the plans, which have been described as ‘grossly inadequate’ by refugee charities.
There are also concerns that the site is unsuitable for a sudden influx of new arrivals, with the base situated next to a busy carriageway, the A15, and being cut off from public transport other than a limited bus service.
Lyn Webb, another resident, said the Government are ‘not bothered’ about local residents, who have had to organise community groups and petitions to raise their concerns.
She said: ‘We’ve heard absolutely jack-shit.
‘We’ve had no communication whatsoever. Nothing from the Home Office, nothing from any MPs, even (Sir) Edward Leigh.
‘None of them want come and see where we live. None of them want to come and see how close it’s going to be, they just want to look at pictures, they’re really not bothered, we’re a nothing.
‘It makes me feel awful. A lot of us have been here for over 20 years in a safe, secure environment, and all of a sudden that is going to be taken away.’
The number of migrants to be housed at the site, and the type of accommodation in which they will be contained, has not yet been confirmed.
Samantha Taylor-Eggleson, a resident on the site for 23 years who has raised four children next to the base, said: ‘I’ve now got a seven-year-old as well and he won’t be allowed out if this goes ahead. I am extremely worried.
‘Nearly 2,000 men will be here and not all of them are going to be saints. They’re going to be bored. They’re going to be hot in the summer and they’re going to be frozen in the winter.
‘We have an extremely small shop and a diabolical bus service.
‘There is nothing for them here at all, and we will feel the brunt of it because we are a six-foot fence away.’
A problematic man passed away while in police prison after becoming traumatized upon finding James Bulger‘s body as a young boy.
On March 14, at around 9.45 p.m., Merseyside Police approached James Riley, 44, on Scotland Road. At the St. Anne Street Police Station, he was taken into arrest.
He spent the night in a jail, but about 5 o’clock the next day, police personnel received word that he was on the ground and needed help. The man was transferred to the hospital, where it was determined that he had passed away, after paramedics were contacted.
Riley was a career criminal, whose personality was said to have ‘changed totally’ after he discovered the mutilated body of James Bulger on a train track in Merseyside in 1993, when he was 14 years old.
James Bulger, 2, was murdered by Jon Venebles and Howard Thompson when the pair were 10 years old (Picture: PA Images)
Bulger, then two, was murdered by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged ten, in a brutal killing that shocked the nation.
Friends and family say the trauma of the discovery left Riley struggling to cope with drug addiction and eventually led him to a life of crime, racking up more than 40 convictions.
His most recent spate behind bars came in May 2017, when he was jailed for two years and four months after admitting to a spate of commercial burglaries.
Sarah Holt, defending him in that case, said: ‘He has been a drug addict for a considerable period of time- all his adult life and in fact most of his adolescence.
‘It was an event I suggest that meant he is suffering from PTSD, though not diagnosed. He never sought counselling, he tells me.
‘That led him at 14 to try crack cocaine and his problems really spiralled from thereon in.’
In 2021, he was found dumped on the street wearing just his underwear and holding a knife after a gang sought money for a debt he owed. Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard what he encountered in 1993 left a lasting impact on his life.
In 2003, Riley’s grandmother said neither him nor his brother Terence had ever spoken about the horrific things they saw as teenagers.
‘They bottled it up. We tried to get the boys to talk about it, but they used to become hysterical, screaming they didn’t want to think about it,’ she said.
‘After that day James went off the rails and Terence’s personality changed totally. We hardly see him these days, but we know it was finding James’ body that changed him.
‘Every night I pray for little James, but I also pray for my grandsons.’
Following news of Riley’s death, his friend Darren Gee, tweeted: ‘He was never the same after finding young James on the rail track. RIP Osty.’
IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: ‘This was a tragic incident in which a man has sadly died and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
‘Merseyside Police referred this matter to us, and as he was in the custody of police at the time he became unwell, it is important there is a thorough and independent investigation.
‘We will examine all relevant matters including the interaction officers had with the man on the street, and what happened after he arrived at the custody suite. We have made contact with his family to explain our role and will update them as our enquiries progress.’
Merseyside Police said previously officers are fully cooperating with the IOPC. A spokesperson for the force said: ‘We are aware that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the death of a 44-year-old man in police custody in Liverpool on Wednesday, March 15.
‘The force’s Professional Standards Department mandatorily referred the matter to the IOPC following the sad news that the man had passed away and we are fully cooperating with their investigation team. His next of kin have been informed and Merseyside Police would like to offer its condolences to the family for their loss.’
According to officials, more than a dozen individuals were saved after falling into a well at a Hindu temple in India, where at least 13 devotees were killed.
Following the floor covering it collapsing on Thursday in the central city of Indore, more than 25 worshippers dove into the stepwell, a stair-lined community water source.
According to Narottam Mishra, the state’s minister of the interior for Madhya Pradesh, “police rescued 11 bodies from the well and two persons perished from their injuries at the hospital.”
Mishra declared that the tragedy had been investigated and that the surviving families will receive compensation.
Manish Kapuriya, a police spokesman, stated that rescue attempts were ongoing and that the injured individuals had been transported to government hospitals for care.
Emergency personnel were seen in television footage using ropes and ladders to reach the people stuck in the Madhya Pradesh well. Other videos showed the collapsed floor, bent steel bars, and police ropes used to surround the scene.
On the festival of Ram Navami, when the Hindu deity Lord Ram celebrates his birthday, temples all throughout India were packed with worshippers.
Despite the fact that a prominent MP was exonerated of a major sexual assault charge, the Conservatives refused to reinstate the whip.
Julian Knight vehemently rejected the allegations after being expelled from the Tory Party due to the situation in October of last year.
But, he was denied his request for the Tory whip to be returned because of “additional objections.”
Following more complaints to the Whips’ Office, Chief Whip Simon Hart declared: “We will not be restoring the whip to Julian Knight.
These complaints will be directed to the proper police force or bodies, if necessary.
The decision prompted an attack by Mr Knight, who accused the Whips Office of pursuing a ‘witch hunt’ against him in a bid to stop him ‘naming names’.
He said: ‘The police have confirmed today that there is no evidence to support that allegation and closed their investigation. They did not even need to interview me to do so.
‘Yet the Whips Office now seems intent on continuing a witch hunt against me in an attempt to prevent my naming names.’
Chief Whip Simon Hart has not reinstated Mr Knight’s whip due to ‘further complaints’ (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Mr Knight added: ‘The fact is that there was never anything for the police to investigate. This was a single, false and malicious allegation initially brought to them by third parties, each of whom had their own clear motives for doing so.
‘In publicly naming me in connection with the allegation, the Conservative Whips Office acted disgracefully and in breach of natural justice by removing my anonymity.
‘Their actions meant my name was dragged through the mud and my good reputation immeasurably damaged.’
Mr Knight, who is the chairman of the digital, culture, media and sport Committee, also criticised the police for ‘never even talking to him’.
‘Had the police taken the simple step at outset of interviewing me under caution, they would have seen that the allegation was false and scandalous,’ he said.
‘Instead, they waited four months, without ever talking to me, before deciding there was nothing for them to investigate.
‘It is now my intention to use every legal route available to pursue those inside and outside Parliament involved in having this allegation brought against me.’
Last month he complained to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley about the handling of the allegation, calling the investigation ‘flawed and fundamentally unjust’.
The trial judge in a case of causing financial loss to the state brought against Former Deputy Finance Minister and current Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has asked him to show proof of authorisation from the then Finance Minister to request the Bank of Ghana to set up Letters of Credit in favour of Big Sea Trading Limited.
Delivering a ruling on a submission of no case brought by lawyers of Dr Forson, Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botchwey said the prosecution had met the threshold of establishing a Prima facie case against Dr Forson.
She added that having reviewed all the arguments in court and written submissions of all parties,she was inclined to ask the accused to open his defence on two counts of causing financial loss to the state over the issuance of an LC in favour of Big Sea for the importation of some ambulances.
She was quick to add,that this was only a preliminary ruling as the court was yet to make a determination of facts either way.
She noted that the accused had stated in the cause of the trial that he had authorisation to request the BoG to establish the letters of credit but had not offered conclusive evidence to back it.
She said a statement taken from then former Finance Minister,Seth Terkper,was not conclusive as to whether or not he gave Dr Forson authority to have the LCs established.
Justice Asare Botchwey explained that in criminal cases,it was the duty of the person making a positive averment to show proof thereof and not the party making a negative averment.
This ruling appears to pave the way for Seth Terkper to be called as a witness for Dr Forson, if the defence so wishes.
The defence was given up to 11th April,2023 to file witness statements and indicate who those witnesses are.
Nigerian musician Davido has confirmed that he secretly married his long-time girlfriend Chioma Rowland.
The ‘Fall’ hitmaker made this known during his first interview since his comeback about a week ago.
The ceremony, he seemingly admitted, took place at the time he took a break following the death of their son, Ifeanyi, in November 2022.
Davido and Chioma (Credit: Instagram – @thechefchi. Photo taken by Fortune)
Talking about what he has been doing during the break he said “I have never taken this kind of break, so just being away I have had a lot to think about – time to rest, reflect, a lot of family time and definitely time to make music again.”
“Before I went on break I had an album ready, the tour ready, but we re-did the album. I am married, a lot of different things. But yeah we are ready now to get back on the road and back on tour,” Davido added.
In late 2022, it was reported that Davido and Chioma tied the knot days after their son Ifeanyi passed away.
Chioma’s kinsmen had stopped the burial of Ifeanyi by the Adeleke family, claiming that the deceased was their son since Chioma was not legally married to Davido. This is a tradition practised in parts of Igbo Land.
According to Daily Sun Chioma’s bride price was paid on Friday, November 4, 2022, in a quiet and secret traditional marriage ceremony in Lagos before the deceased was buried on November 5.
Some pictures of Chioma wearing a ring also went viral weeks after the report.
Meanwhile, Davido is all ready to release his much-anticipated album Timeless, set for Friday, March 31.
In a post about the album, he wrote: “There is a time for everything. A time to Grieve and a time to Heal. A time to Laugh and a time to Dance. A time to Speak & A time for Silence. Thank you to everyone out there for your love and that has held me down. My next album TIMELESS is here.”
Spotify on Thursday unveiled an exclusive trailer and the tracklist of the album ahead of the release.
Thomas Cashman was convicted of killing Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, in a gangland execution that “horribly went awry.”
On the evening of August 22 of last year, the schoolgirl was shot as the gunman, 34, “ruthlessly followed” his intended target, convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee, into her family home in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.
She had just heard a noise outside when she sprang out of bed and ran to her mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, yelling, “Mom, I’m afraid,” Manchester Crown Court was informed.
She was standing on the stairs when Cashman fired at Nee as he tried to barge his way in, with the bullet going through the front door, through Ms Korbel’s right hand and into her chest.
Jurors heard Cashman fled on foot, jumping over garden fences, and Nee staggered out into the road where he was picked up by five men in a black car as Olivia lay fatally wounded.
She was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and rushed straight to the resuscitation room but was declared dead at 11.15pm.
Cashman, who jurors heard had planned Nee’s ‘execution’, was convicted of Olivia’s murder following a trial which lasted three weeks.
Olivia was fatally shot at her home in Knotty Ash, Liverpool (Picture: PA)
Opening the case, prosecutor David McLachlan KC said he had been ‘lying in wait’ for Nee, who was watching football at another man’s house that night.
When he left the address at 10pm, Cashman ran up behind him and fired three shots from a self-loading pistol, one of which hit Nee in the midriff.
Cashman then stood over Nee and tried to fire again but, possibly because the pistol malfunctioned, he was unable to complete his ‘task’.
Seeing the light in Ms Korbel’s doorway as she peered out to see what was going on, Nee ‘made a dash’ for the house, with Cashman in pursuit.
He pulled out a second gun, a revolver, and let off a fourth shot, which killed Olivia.
Mr McLachlan told the jury: ‘The shooting had gone horribly wrong.
‘This is what this case is all about. This is serious business, as you will appreciate.
‘The prosecution say it’s about the ruthless pursuit by Thomas Cashman to shoot Joseph Nee at all costs without any consideration for anyone else in the community.
‘Thomas Cashman’s actions resulted in Joseph Nee being injured, Cheryl Korbel being injured and, most tragically of all in this case, Olivia Pratt-Korbel being killed.’
Several people in the public gallery wept as they watched Ms Korbel’s video interview, in which she tearfully told police officers: ‘I knew she had gone.’
With her arm in a bandage, she said her son Ryan helped her to carry Olivia up the stairs and she shouted for a towel to stop the bleeding.
She added: ‘She went all floppy, and her eyes went to the back of her head, and I realised that she must have been hit because I didn’t know until then and I lifted her top up and the bullet had got her right in the middle of the chest.’
The mum-of-three said a neighbour came in and started CPR on Olivia, adding: ‘I knew she’d gone; I knew she’d gone. Then the police turned up and came up and just picked her up and took her out the house.’
She was taken to another hospital for treatment to her hand and while she was there, she said she was told Olivia ‘had gone’, adding: ‘I just went hysterical screaming I wanted my baby.’
Describing a phone call with a friend who was with Olivia, she said: ‘She told me she was with the baby, and I told her not to leave her on her own and she promised me that she wouldn’t.
‘She said she looked like she was sleeping, so I made her promise she wouldn’t leave her on her own.’
At one point, Cashman was handed a tissue by a dock officer after appearing to wipe away tears with his hand.
Ms Korbel later walked out of court as he denied her daughter’s murder from the witness box.
After being shown CCTV footage of the shooting, he told jurors: ‘It’s not me.’
Mr McLachlan said: ‘You’re not prepared to, in the words of somebody else, own this, Mr Cashman, because you killed a little girl?’
Cashman replied: ‘No, I did not kill a little girl.’
He questioned whether his DNA had been found on the door of Olivia’s family home and suggested Nee had given the name of another suspect.
Police ‘hunting down’ those who enabled Olivia’s murder
Police chiefs say they are still ‘hunting down’ those who enabled the youngster’s murder.
Two guns were used in the killing, which also injured her mother and Nee, but neither has been recovered.
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy of Merseyside Police said: ‘The conviction of Thomas Cashman in terms of the murder of Olivia is a positive.
‘We are still hunting down those people who enabled that murder to take place – who supplied the gun, where the gun is – and we will carry on until we identify those people responsible.’
Detective Superintendent Mark Baker said finding the weapons – a Glock self-loading pistol and revolver – is key.
He said: ‘We appeal for people to come forward if they’ve got knowledge of those guns, and we want them off the streets.’
Ms Kennedy, who became Chief Constable in 2021, said she was ‘completely devastated’ when she heard of Olivia’s death.
Police react to guilty verdict in trial of Olivia Pratt-Korbel killer.
She said: ‘I was just absolutely horrified to hear that a nine-year-old child had been murdered in a way in which she had, you know, the way in which Olivia’s life had ended.
‘My condolences absolutely go to Olivia’s family. I just can’t imagine what they’re going through every day since Olivia was murdered.’
She described the people carrying out shootings as ‘absolutely cowardly, despicable people’.
‘Anybody who is willing to pick up a gun to settle a dispute that they have with another person is taking a risk, but it’s a risk they’re not bothered about.
‘They don’t care about the consequences. They don’t care that a family has lost a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, a partner. They’re just not bothered. They don’t care about the consequences.
‘They’re not people that we want living in our communities in Merseyside and we will hunt them down, hold them responsible, or put them before the courts.’
Cashman admitted selling cannabis but told the court he was ‘not a bad drug dealer’.
He said a woman he had a fling with, who claimed he had gone to her house after the shooting and heard him say he had ‘done Joey’, was a ‘woman scorned’.
Defending, John Cooper KC told jurors Cashman was ‘probably one of the most hated people in the country’.
He said the family of Nee, the intended target of the shooting, ‘had their enemies’ and there were other people who wanted him dead.
Mr Cooper added: ‘When Tommy Cashman says to you “it wasn’t me”, it therefore must have been someone else, that’s not pie in the sky, we submit, it’s based on fact.’
Charles Bronson, a notorious prisoner, was denied parole despite his best efforts.
He has been incarcerated for the majority of the last 50 years, spending the majority of that time in isolation, making him one of Britain’s longest-serving prisoners at the age of 70.
In one of the first ever open Parole Board hearings, he made his most recent request for release, telling the panel: “I’ve had more porridge than Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and I’m sick of it.” I’ve had enough and want to return home.
Responding to the ruling, his son George Bamby said: ‘I would have loved Charlie to have been released but completely respect the decision of the Parole Board.’
Bronson’s first conviction was back in 1974 when he was 21 and he was released for two brief periods before being quickly locked back up for reoffending.
He was handed a discretionary life sentence with a minimum term of four years in 2000 for taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours.
Since then, the Parole Board has repeatedly refused to direct his release.
Bronson is one of Britain’s longest-serving inmates (Picture: Rex/Shutterstock)
Three parole judges considered his case during a hearing at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, while members of the press and public watched part of the proceedings on a live stream from the Royal Courts of Justice in central London.
Bronson – whose real name is Michael Peterson and has previously been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder – told them he loved a ‘rumble’ and enjoyed mass brawls in prison, but insisted he is now a reformed prisoner, has found solace in art and is a man of ‘peace’.
He described one incident, where he covered his naked body in Lurpak before facing prison guards, as the ‘rumble of my life’, adding: ‘It was f****** brilliant.’
Bronson told how he went through a ‘phase’ where he ‘couldn’t stop taking hostages’ and it was his way of ‘getting back’ while ‘battling against the system’.
He infamously took 11 people hostage on nine different occasions.
Charles Bronson: ‘What the f**k am I still in prison for?’
Bronson said he felt remorse for taking art teacher Phil Danielson captive, but not the governor of Hull prison Adrian Wallace, or three Iraqi inmates he held at Belmarsh.
He said he would like to meet with Mr Danielson, whom he told at the time: ‘You’ve been my best hostage, you’re the only one who hasn’t s*** himself.’
None of the prison and probation officials who gave evidence at the parole hearing said he was ready to be released.
In a document detailing the decision published on Thursday, the Parole Board said: ‘After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress that Mr Salvador has made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearings, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Salvador was suitable for release.
‘Nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that he should be transferred to an open prison.’
Evan Gershkovich, an experienced Russia correspondent, was working in Yekaterinburg at the time of his incarceration.
The Wall Street Journal emphatically disputed the accusations against him while expressing its “great worry” for his safety.
The reporter was allegedly “caught red-handed,” according to the Kremlin.
The reporter had been “operating on US directions” and “gathering state secrets,” according to the FSB, which claimed to have “halted criminal actions.”
A few hours later, the security agency brought him to Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court for his official detention. Afterwards, he was spotted being driven away after being seen being removed from the building. His imprisonment was mandated by the court until May 29.
His lawyer said he had not been allowed into the courtroom and Tass news agency reported the journalist had denied the charge. The court had earlier been cleared of staff and visitors because of a bomb threat, Russia’s Ria state news agency said.
The FSB confirmed in its statement that Evan Gershkovich had foreign ministry accreditation while working in Yekaterinburg 1,800km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.
His last WSJ piece this week reported on Russia’s declining economy and how the Kremlin was having to deal with “ballooning military expenditures” while maintaining social spending.
But the FSB claimed he had been detained “acting on US instructions” and that he had “collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of a Russian defence enterprise”. A criminal espionage case was launched by the FSB’s investigation department, it added.
In a statement, the Wall Street Journal said it stood in solidarity with the reporter and his family: “The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich.”
Image caption, Evan Gershkovich has also worked for the Moscow Times and Agence France Presse
The Kremlin also commented on the detention of the American journalist. “This is the responsibility of the FSB, they have already issued a statement,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “The only thing I can add is, as far as we know, he was caught red-handed.”
Espionage in Russia carries a maximum jail term of 20 years.
Even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, reporting from Russia had become increasingly difficult.
Independent journalists were labelled “foreign agents” and BBC Russia correspondent Sarah Rainsford was expelled from the country.
When the war began, Russia introduced a criminal offence for reporting “fake news” or “discrediting the army”, under which dozens of Russians have been convicted for criticising the invasion on social media.
Almost all independent media were silenced, shut down or blocked, including major outlets TV Rain, Echo of Moscow radio and newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Many Western media chose to leave Russia.
Evan Gershkovich has covered Russia for the Wall Street Journal for more than a year, having worked there previously for the AFP news agency and the Moscow Times.
Russian political expert Tatyana Stanovaya said his detention had come as a shock. In the FSB’s view of espionage, “collecting information” could simply mean gathering comments from experts, she said, while acting on US instructions could simply refer to his editors at the Wall Street Journal.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said what a Wall Street Journal employee was doing in Yekaterinburg had “nothing to do with journalism”. It was not the first time the status of “foreign correspondent” had been used to “cover up activities that are not journalism”, she said.
Tensions between the Kremlin and the West have become increasingly tense in the 13 months of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders said it was “alarmed by what looks like retaliation”.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told local news agencies that it was too early to discuss prisoner swaps: “I would not even put the question in this plane now, because you understand that some exchanges that happened in the past took place for people who were already serving sentences.”
Several US citizens are being held in Russia. Days before the invasion, American basketball star Brittney Griner was detained at a Moscow airport and jailed for carrying cannabis oil. It was 10 months before she was freed in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Invoking the Human Rights Act, the parent business of The Daily Mail was successful in preventing other media sites from identifying its journalists in a phone hacking court case.
A number of well-known people, including Prince Harry, have filed lawsuits alleging widespread criminal behavior by Associated Newspapers reporters. They mention 73 journalists and editorial directors who have worked for the Daily Mail and its sibling publications over many years in their accusations.
Publishing the names, according to Daily Mail lawyers, would violate the journalists’ right to a fair trial under the Human Rights Act. This is true notwithstanding the Mail’s lengthy opposition to the European-derived legislation in its editorial pages.
Barrister David Sherborne, representing Harry and other claimants at the high court, noted it was surprising to see a newspaper that has campaigned for press freedom object to the publication of the names: “They say different rules apply to their journalists suspected of wrongdoing, as opposed to others suspected of wrongdoing.”
Catrin Evans KC, acting for Associated Newspapers, successfully argued there was no justification for publication of the journalists’ names at this stage. She told the court that publication of the names could cause “immense reputational damage” to the 73 individuals who worked for the Mail and invade their privacy.
The company did confirm that the former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre and former the Mail on Sunday editor Peter Wright are named in the allegations. The allegations of illegal behaviour are strongly denied by the Mail’s parent company and it is not clear in what capacity the 73 individuals are named.
The judge, Mr Justice Nicklin, agreed and temporarily blocked identification of the Mail journalists pending his interim judgment, partly because the individuals have not had the opportunity to offer up a defence.
He told the court: “Although I do recognise I am preventing the reporting of the journalists’ names at this stage, this is in the interests of fairness and the administration of justice.”
Prince Harry flew in especially for the pre-trial hearing, taking notes at the back of the courtroom as lawyers argued over the intricacies of the case. He sat one seat down from Sadie Frost, who is also part of the legal case, along with the likes of Doreen Lawrence and Elton John.
Sherborne, acting for the prominent individuals, told the court that they collectively allege the Mail engaged in a wide range of illegal activity.
This includes “illegally intercepting voicemail messages, listening into live landline calls, obtaining private information, such as itemised phone bills or medical records, by deception or ‘blagging’, using private investigators to commit these unlawful information gathering acts on their behalf and even commissioning the breaking and entry into private property”.
He said the allegations against the Mail’s parent company mainly relate to a period from 1993 to 2011, with some claims relating to event that took as recently as 2018.
The Mail is attempting to stop the claims before trial on two grounds: first, that the claims are “stale” because the prominent individuals waited too long to bring their cases, which largely relate to events that took place more than a decade ago.
And secondly, that the allegations rely on material provided by Associated Newspapers to the Leveson inquiry into press ethics, which the company therefore believes should be restricted from use in this legal case.
Sherborne said Mail’s parent company had now prevented full media reporting of the proceedings for five months and argued that it was time to let them progress to trial.
Former President John Mahama has stated that the new Constitutional Instrument (CI) being proposed by the Electoral Commission (EC) will leave many Ghanaians disenfranchised.
He says more than two million eligible voters will be disenfranchised in the 2024 elections, per the Electoral Commission’s (EC) proposal to scrap the guarantor system when acquiring a voter identification card.
Speaking at Kasoa as part of his three-day campaign tour of the Central Region, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer aspirant said “Up till now many people have not been able to register for the Ghana Card and those who have registered are yet to receive their cards”, he observed and asked all to endeavour to acquire the cards.
The EC has proposed a new Constitutional Instrument (CI) to be passed by Parliament to scrap the use of passport or guarantor system and allow only the Ghana Card for the acquisition of the new voter ID to be used in the 2024 general elections.
According to Mr Mahama, the NDC has consistently cautioned the EC to exercise restraint for the National Identification Authority (NIA) to provide the Ghana Cards for those who have already registered, but all these have fallen on deaf ears.
“We are still telling the EC that if they should go ahead with the proposal, they are going to disenfranchise a whole number of Ghanaians, and the estimate is that about two million people are eligible but do not have their cards.”
He therefore urged party supporters and Ghanaians who were yet to receive their cards to follow up at the NIA offices to ensure their cards were retrieved.
Mr Mahama said the old CI allows for a guarantor system and that was the position of the NDC.
A driver who dishonestly appropriated two excavators, cars, and land valued €160,000 (GH₵2,059,814.40) belonging to a retiree, has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
The culprit, Isaac Dwomoh also known as Nana Yaw was held on four counts of fraudulent breach of trust.
Dwomoh pleaded guilty and the court presided over by Mrs. Adelaide Abui Keddy convicted him on his plea. He prayed through his counsel to the court to have mercy on him.
The prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah beseeched the court to consider the intrinsic seriousness of the offence and the premeditation with which the accused carried out his plans.
It further entreated the court to consider the loss suffered by the complainant, Comfort Amo, and the long-term effect of the offence on her.
“It is our prayer that the sentence will be retributive and deterrent enough to serve as a lesson to likeminded persons.”
The case of the prosecution is that the complainant is a Retired Health Care Nurse domiciled in London while Dwomoh lived in Ghana.
In February 2019, the complainant arrived in the country on holiday.
The prosecution said that on her arrival at Kotoka International Airport, the complainant requested for an Uber ride service to her home at Haatso and Dwomoh was assigned to her.
It said that a few months after the complainant’s stay in Ghana, she bought a KIA Picanto saloon car for Dwomoh to use for Uber ride service and left for London.
The prosecution said while in London, the complainant was in constant touch with Dwomoh and through their conversation, she declared the intent to return to Ghana.
It said while in London, the complainant shipped two CAT excavators valued at €135,000 each, a Toyota RAV4 utility vehicle costing €20,000 and sent €5,000 to Dwomoh to purchase a parcel of land at Pokuase.
The prosecution told the court that in December 2022, the complainant arrived in the country for the holidays and called Dwomoh to pick her up at the Airport, but he did not show up, switched off his phone and went into hiding.
It said all efforts made by the complainant to trace the accused and the vehicles proved futile.
The complainant, therefore, reported the case to the Police.
On January 29, 2023, Dwomoh was arrested at his hideout.
The prosecution said in his caution statement that Dwomoh admitted to selling all the vehicles and misappropriating the proceeds.
Aspiring Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has announced an award scheme that will reward branches and constituencies of the party that work hard to increase the party’s parliamentary and presidential votes in 2024.
Mr Mahama who has been insisting during his tour of various constituencies that his 2024 campaign will be anchored by the branches, says the award scheme is intended to both set targets for the constituencies and encourage them to meet the targets.
“We are going to institute a reward system for constituencies and branches. We’ll give every constituency a target and if you meet the target and exceed it, the branch and constituency will be rewarded”, he announced to wild cheers from the executives.
Mr John Mahama is currently on a three-day tour of the 23 constituencies in the central region, campaigning ahead of the NDC’s May 13, 2023, presidential primaries.
According to him, the award scheme and branch-level campaign will be supported with the needed campaign materials and logistics.
He also cautioned constituency and regional executives against keeping campaign logistics and other resources, denying the branches where the real work of canvassing for votes take place.
Former President Mahama says, he will decentralise his 2024 campaign, much more than he did in 2020, working together with the branches and constituencies to engage, mobilise and canvass for the votes.
The former president has visited six other regions already, including the Volta, Bono East, Bono, Ahafo, Ashanti and Western regions.
The total investable wealth currently held on the African continent amounts to US$2.4 trillion and its millionaire population is expected to rise by 42% over the next 10 years, according to the latest 2023 Africa Wealth Report, published by Henley & Partners in partnership with New World Wealth.
The report reveals that Africa’s ‘Big 5’ wealth markets — South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco — together account for 56% of the continent’s high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and over 90% of its billionaires.
There are currently 138,000 HNWIs with an investable wealth of USD 1 million or more living in Africa, along with 328 centi-millionaires worth USD 100 million or more, and 23 US dollar billionaires.
Despite a tough past decade, South Africa is still home to over twice as many HNWIs as any other African country, and an impressive 30% of the continent’s centi-millionaires.
Egypt takes the prize for the most billionaires, and Mauritius boasts by far the highest wealth per capita (average wealth per person) in Africa, at USD 37,500, followed by South Africa at USD 10,880 and Namibia at USD 10,050.
Some of the fastest-growing markets in the world
The 2023 Africa Wealth Report is the continent’s annual benchmark for wealth research and is now in its 8th year, providing a comprehensive review of the wealth sector in Africa, including trends among HNWIs, the luxury market, and wealth management.
Andrew Amoils, Head of Research at New World Wealth, explains that “for our purposes ‘wealth’ refers to an individual’s net investable assets (including property, cash, and listed company holdings). Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing markets, including the likes of Rwanda and Mauritius.”
In terms of projections, Mauritius is expected to experience the highest wealth growth rate at 75% over the next decade (to 2032). This will make it the fourth fastest growing country in the world over this period in millionaire growth percentage terms, after Vietnam, India, and New Zealand.
Commenting in the report, Louisa Mojela, Group Chairman of the black women-owned investment company, WIPHOLD, says Africa is undoubtedly open for business. “Known as the continent with both the youngest and fastest growing population means that Africa naturally holds the greatest potential for investment prospects.
Additionally, having the dubious honour of also being the poorest continent opens up a myriad of opportunities from an investment growth potential point of view. Without doubt, Africa provides the broadest and most fulfilling opportunities for impact investing.”
Wealthiest cities and residential areas
Four of Africa’s Top 10 wealthiest cities are in South Africa — Johannesburg has the most millionaires in Africa, with 14,600, Cairo, in 2nd place with 7,400 resident HNWIs, is just ahead of Cape Town, which has 7,200. Lagos is in 4th position with 5,400 millionaires, and Nairobi is 5th with 4,700.
The other two South African cities in the Top 10 are Durban, in 6th place with 3,600 and Pretoria in the 8th spot with 2,400 HNWIs. South Africa is home to some of the world’s most upmarket residential areas including Clifton in Cape Town, Beachy Head Drive in Plettenberg Bay, and Sandhurst in Johannesburg.
According to New World Wealth’s latest figures, there are approximately 3,700 homes in South Africa that are valued at over USD 1 million. By this measure, South Africa ranks as one of the 20 largest prime residential markets in the world, well ahead of the other countries in Africa and in line with big emerging markets such as India and Brazil.
Namibia – Africa’s new frontier
Namibia is expected to be one of Africa’s fastest growing markets going forward, with high-net-worth growth of over 60% forecast by 2032. The country’s total investable wealth currently stands at USD 26 billion, with 2,100-dollar millionaires.
Its recently launched residence by investment offering is likely to attract more high-net-worth investors from across the globe as Namibia has much to offer, including a source-based tax system, which means that foreign residents are only taxed on the income that they generate in Namibia.
Commenting in the report, Catherine Shipushu, Senior Manager at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, says the country is endowed with abundant natural resources including diamonds, uranium, copper, and gold.
“Namibia has one of the largest uranium reserves in the world and is currently attracting global attention with recent discoveries of gas and oil reserves off the coast.
With bold ambitions of becoming the sustainable energy capital of Africa, the country’s strategic location and world-class port make it an ideal gateway to over 300 million people in other African markets.”
Investment migration as an innovative financing tool
Dominic Volek, Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners, says more African countries are setting their sights on attracting HNWIs by providing residence and citizenship through investment opportunities that have the potential to transform their economies by injecting essential foreign capital and encouraging sustainable growth.
“As wealth grows on the continent, and countries realize the benefits in aiding economic progress, we expect to see investment migration continue to gain ground in Africa in the coming years — not only on the demand side from African HNWIs looking to improve their travel freedom and economic mobility, secure location optionality, and mitigate risk, but also on the supply side, with more and more African countries looking to launch their own investment migration programs to increase the inflow of both capital and talent.”
Commenting in the report, Dr. Areef Suleman, Director of Economic Research and Statistics at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Institute, says when it comes to visa-free access to global economic output, the citizens of African countries and other developing nations with sizable and growing private wealth are at a distinct disadvantage.
“More than just a travel document, our passports can define our financial freedoms regarding access to international investment and business opportunities.
“Investment migration is attractive to investors who intend to maximize and stabilize their profits by diversifying their activities across more reliable economies, making this kind of investment a form of insurance against global volatility.”
A delegation from the Ugandan Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) has spent three days at the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) concretising discussions on the Optic Fibre Business due to GRIDCo’s expertise.
This comes six months after the Board of the UETCL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate with the power-producing company.
Acting Director, Office of the Chief Executive, Sam Acquah, led the GRIDCo Consult, Southern Network Department, to hold interactive sessions on working models adopted by the power-producing company with regard to the commercialisation of fibre.
Jumba Abdul Karim, who led the Ugandan delegation, said the UETCL would adopt a good fibre business strategy.
“We will start a fresh page of a profitable and economically viable fibre business. We will also adopt good fibre business strategy; fibre business roadmap and restructure the ICT organogram accordingly. Additionally, the team will correct the errors made to avoid losses and litigation issues,” Mr. Karim said.
He indicated that the next step would be to revamp UETCL’s fibre business model in order to incorporate the lessons learned in GRIDCo benchmarking.
The UETCL, after its commencement in 2001, held a Public Infrastructure Provider’s Licence from the Uganda Communications Commission for owning and operating its optic fibre infrastructure.
The primary purpose was to support the Supervising Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in ensuring grid availability and reliability in Uganda.
On Twitter, Ohio governor Andy Beshear stated that “fatalities are expected,” but there was no immediate update on the condition of the crew members on board.
The Fort Campbell Army Base issued a statement stating: “The command is currently focused on caring for the service members and their families.”
The two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, collided at around 10pm on Wednesday in Trigg County.
One local told WKDZRadio: ‘Two helicopters came over pretty low, and all of a sudden – as soon as they got over the house – something popped, a loud bang. And everything shut down all of a sudden.
‘So, we jumped in the truck and got over here, and that’s what we found – two helicopters.’
A US Army soldier at the scene told the station there were ‘multiple deaths’ in the crash.
The 101st Airborne, nicknamed the ‘Screaming Eagles’, is the US Army’s only air assault division.
The HH-60 is a variant of the Blackhawk helicopter designed to provide support for various military operations, including air assaults and medical evacuations, according to the Army.
This comes after an exercise carried out in the Ada District by the ECG Revenue Taskforce, discovered that the company had owed power debt accrued over the years.
But the management of the company, interacting with journalists, explained that the debt situation was an inherited one after it took over the premises.
They added that the company had inherited a debt about GH¢2 million from the previous occupants of the premises – a large chuck which they indicate has been paid by Electrochem.
“All though the situation is unfortunate, we have to put on record that when we took over Songor, the lights were off for about 8 years with over GH¢2 million power debt which was inherited. We have since paid a large sum of it and want to assure that we are keen on settling all outstanding owed to the ECG,” the management explained.
Meanwhile, the power distribution company said that the meters installed at the premises of Electrochem Ghana Limited, the salt-mining company, have been tampered with, forcing the ECG to cut off power supply to the company.
Prior to the disconnection exercise, the ECG taskforce also cut the power supply of some three other privately-owned businesses in the Ada District.
They include Moonlight Fresco Limited, which is a banana-producing firm; and fish farming company, Frosell.
The other company, which was impacted by the exercise was Kemmat Hotel, which is said to have owed over GH¢200,000 in debt on its six power meters.
Further, the ECG on March 20, 2023, embarked on a nationwide revenue mobilisation exercise.
The company is targeting to collect a debt of about GH¢5.7 billion owed by various ministries, departments and agencies, state-owned enterprises, postpaid and prepaid customers across the country.
In the Philippines, a tourist ferry caught fire, killing dozens of passengers—including a six-month-old child.
The fire on the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 off the southern province of Basilan on Wednesday night resulted in at least 23 injuries, and several of them were taken to hospitals.
Rescuers are still looking for at least seven people who have gone missing, and they are concerned that there may be more passengers on board than are stated in the manifest.
The ship is entirely enveloped in flames in shocking video footage.
In the Philippines, a tourist ferry caught fire, killing dozens of passengers—including a six-month-old child.
The fire on the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 off the southern province of Basilan on Wednesday night resulted in at least 23 injuries, and several of them were taken to hospitals.
Rescuers are still looking for at least seven people who have gone missing, and they are concerned that there may be more passengers on board than are stated in the manifest.
The ship is entirely enveloped in flames in shocking video footage.
Regional governor Jim Hataman described survivors leaping into the sea where they were rescued by the coast guard, another passing vessel and local fishermen.
He said: ‘Some of the passengers were roused from sleep due to the commotion caused by the fire. Some jumped off the ship.’
Several victims drowned and were recovered at sea, while 18 were discovered in a budget section of the passenger cabin, he added.
Survivors rest after being rescued from the still burning MV Lady Mary Joy at Basilan, southern Philippines (Picture: Philippine Coast Guard via AP)Coast guard personnel pull a survivor from the water (Picture: EPA)The search for survivors is ongoing (Picture: EPA)
The ferry, which was enroute to Jolo town in Sulu province from the southern port city of Zamboanga when it caught fire, was towed to Basilan’s shoreline and an investigation is underway.
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, has a poor record for maritime safety.
Sea accidents are common due to frequent storms, badly maintained boats, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.
In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.
He made the statement on the back of the need for new tax bills currently before parliament to be passed as soon as possible.
According to him, the passage of tax measures are necessary at this point to widen Ghana’s tax net since the country has been locked out of the international capital market due to the current economic crunch.
The three new tax bills before parliament are expected to rake in GH¢4 billion annually when passed.
“If we don’t do what we have to do for the country, we will have major challenges. So, this is a set of measures we must ensure is worth passing. This is a major bridge we have to cross in closing this revenue gap and ensuring that there is more liquidity.
“We are not in a good place because we don’t have access to the international capital market. Having hard currency to service our import obligations is significantly being threatened,” he is quoted by citinewsroom.com
The bills before the House for consideration include the Income Tax Amendment Act, Amendment Act, the Growth and Sustainability Act, and the Excise Duty.
However, these have faced some opposition since they were laid before parliament last week.
Oppong Nkrumah also reiterated the need to fast-track talks with the International Monetary Fund in order to avert further economic challenges.
“It is important we complete all prior actions, lock up this deal and get a shore up best from the IMF and other inflow sources and do certain broad things to ensure that the economy doesn’t crash and expand investments that will bring economic inclusion. We need to do what must be done to ensure that we cement the kind of relative stability we have had in the last four to five months and gradually begin to reverse the economic challenges we have had,” he added.
He also urged members of parliament to support the passage of the bills as soon as possible.
“To our colleagues in the Minority, I think it is clear that we need to work together to achieve a certain objective for the country. My appeal to those in government, Minority, economic groups is that, we must ensure that these revenue bills are passed,” Oppong-Nkrumah urged.
The US Vice President, Kamala Harris, yesterday announced a $1billion investment fund to advance women’s economic empowerment initiativeson the African continent.
The support, targeting three key areas; information communication technology, finance and healthcare sectors, is expected to afford women entrepreneurs and those in small businesses access to capital and digitilisation, improve healthcare, education and combat gender-based violence on the continent.
Ms Harris made this known at a roundtable meeting with selected women entrepreneurs in Accra yesterday.
“The Bill-Melinda Gates Foundation together with our administration will establish the women in digital economy fund, a $60 million global fund which among others,will address access, affordability, digital literacy and gender inequality.
“In addition, the Gates Foundation is investing an additional $40 million to support these goals. Beyond this, I am also pleased to announce a series of other significant private sector commitments alongside the US government efforts to promote the economic empowerment of women,” she stated.
Vice President Harris noted that the gapping digital divide globally was a major disincentive to women’s economic empowerment and Africa bore the major brunt.
Digital inclusion and services, she stressed, remained essential to “21st century economies” and all efforts must be made to bring women at par in the digital space.
“Women must have the opportunity and access to all that is necessary to achieve their goals, their desire, and their potential to also live so the investments that I have outlined, we believe will help build a future where women are not just treated equally but are able to thrive.
Where women have the opportunity to live and a future simply put, where there will be no barriers for the ability of women to participate in the economy, where they can enjoy freedom from violence and equal access to healthcare and education and where they shatter every glass ceiling,” she stated.
In a bid to track progress on women development, Ms Harris said an Advisory Council has been established at the US Embassy to keep conversations around women economic empowerment going and to uplift women entrepreneurs across the country.
“I know there are many factors that will impact the women’s ability to survive and thrive and one of those factors is women’s economic impact. When we lift up the economic status of women we lift up the economic status of families, communities and almost all society benefit.
I have seen how economic empowerment of women has a direct impact on their health and by extension the health of their families and communities and the economic empowerment of women relates directly to the ability of that person to engage in innovation in a way that makes real the aspirations, the vision and the dream that she naturally has,” the Vice President said.
Vice President Harris, who ended her three-day visit to Ghana yesterday is expected to visit Tanzania and Zambia as part of her African tour.
The visit is borne out of a renewed drive to strengthen US-Africa relations with a focus on economic development, climate change, food security and women and youth empowerment.
In a jab at Joe Biden, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt outlined the government’s answer to the Americans’ massive investment in green technologies.
The President’s 430 billion US dollar (£348 billion) program aims to green the economy by providing tax breaks for ecologically friendly technology.
Nonetheless, the action has effectively blocked the UK and Europe from accessing American markets, and Commerce Secretary Kemi Badenoch criticized it as “protectionist.”
Writing in The Times, Mr Hunt said Mr Biden was leading a ‘distortive’ global subsidy race, arguing that the long-term solution to the threat of protectionism was ‘not subsidy but security’.
‘Yes, we will continue to back industries of the future, however, we will target public funding in a strategic way in the areas where the UK has a clear competitive advantage,’ the Chancellor said.
‘We are not going toe-to-toe with our friends and allies in some distortive global subsidy race.’
He went on to announce that the Government was investing £30 billion to support ‘our green industrial revolution, with an additional £6 billion for energy efficiency, and up to £20 billion for carbon capture, utilisation and storage’.
‘While taxpayer support is important to kick-start new industries, we need to leverage billions more in private capital,’ Mr Hunt said.
‘Ultimately, the best and only way to ensure our energy independence is to invest in domestic sources of energy that fall outside Putin or any autocrat’s control.
‘We will do that by pulling every lever at our disposal to scale up cheap renewables and new nuclear, while maximising economically viable North Sea oil and gas as we transition.’
The Chancellor’s update to the green finance strategy, which is due to be published on Thursday, quickly drew criticism from Labour.
The shadow climate and net zero secretary Ed Miliband accused the Chancellor of ‘waving the white flag in the global race for green jobs’.
‘Other countries are matching the ambition of the US, UK business says we must, but Tory dogma says No,’ the former Labour leader said.
‘Britain can’t afford a government that will make us losers in this race.’
Mr Miliband added that the strategy outlined by the Chancellor placed the UK ‘outside the emerging mainstream’.
‘From Washington to Berlin… modern industrial policy requires active government, investing in partnership with business. Britain can’t afford another 5 years of this approach.’
Member of Parliament for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak has condemned what he describes as extreme partisanship in Parliament.
According to the MP, the development has made it difficult for the national interest to be pursued. Rather party interests are always made paramount.
The comments of the immediate past Minority Chief Whip come days after his side voted to approve six ministerial nominees in defiance of party directive.
“We are taking too many entrenched positions on both sides, those in government taking too much entrench position, those in opposition taking extreme positions and I can tell you this is not helpful to our country, it is not helpful to us.
“The better both sides begin to think that there is a national interest above the NPP interest and above the NDC we will be sinking our country,” Muntaka stated.
First deputy speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu who was presiding in eulogizing the late Tafo MP indicated that the late MP has always called for good governance as stated by the Asawase MP.
“There is one thing as has been confirmed by honorable Muntaka, in spite of our differences governance must go, that was always his position,” Mr. Osei-Owusu stated.
Chief Executive Officer of Crystal Lake and JCS Investment Limited, Ms Patricia Safo, has urged business owners to consider employing persons with disabilities for increased productivity and efficiency.
According to her, persons with disability, when given the relevant training and orientation, work more satisfactorily and efficiently compared to persons with full abilities, which she believed would boost productivity.
Ms Safo made the call when the Safo Family together with JCS Investment Limited and partners donated some Samsung tablets to the pupils and students of Demonstration School for the Deaf in Mampong, Akuapem in the Eastern Region.
They also awarded prices to the best twelve students from Kindergarten to JHS in different categories.
The presentation and award of prizes to deserving students and pupils was in commemoration of the two-year anniversary and as part of activities to observe the death of their late father, Daniel Yaw Osei Safo – the Chairman and Managing Director of Combined Farmers Limited, who passed away two years ago.
According to her, engaging the services of persons with disability can have significant impact on productivity in business.
People with disability often face barriers that limit their ability to participate fully in the labour force, resulting in reduced productivity for both the individual and the economy at large, facing quite a number of barriers to decent work in the rising global unemployment crisis.
As King Charles created history by becoming the first British monarch to address the Bundestag, King Charles declared to his mother that the UK’s connection with Germany was “extremely special.”
He claimed that beginning in 1965, when it was still “scarred” by the war, she frequently visited the nation, which is “probably the reason why she has won such a precious part in the hearts of all Germans.”
Speaking in both German and English, he said he could ‘hardly begin to express the pride’ he felt in the relationship and spoke fondly of his ‘cherished’ family ties to Germany.
He also thanked the country for its kindness and ‘deep sympathies’ following the death of his mother, the late Queen.
Charles said: ‘Today, it gives me particular pride to be with you … and to renew the special bond between our two countries.
‘This friendship meant so much to my beloved mother, the late Queen, who often spoke of the 15 official visits she made to Germany, including her five state visits.
‘The first of those, in 1965, came when our continent was still deeply scarred by war, and the trauma of conflict. Hers was the wartime generation, and like my father, the Queen had served in uniform.
‘That my parents’ 11-day tour of Germany should prove to be a pivotal moment in the reconciliation between our nations was, therefore, a matter of great personal significance to them both.
King Charles addresses members of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin (Picture: Reuters)German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) is among the politicians who applauded the monarch (Picture: EPA)
‘My mother understood the immense achievement that reconciliation represented, and in returning to Germany time and again, she was determined to play her own part. It is, perhaps, for this reason that Her late Majesty won a particular place in the affection of the German people.’
He also drew laughs by poking fun at the rivalry between the two nations on the football pitch, including the Lioness’s victory over Germany in last year’s Euros.
The monarch hailed it as ‘just one example of how our countries, together, can offer a compelling example to the world’.
He went on to praise Germany for supporting Ukraine, saying Russia’s invasion ‘threatens’ security across Europe.
To more applause, he went on: ‘We are deeply shocked by the destruction, but we can be encouraged by our unity when it comes to defending Ukraine, peace, and freedom.
‘Germany’s decision to provide such military support to Ukraine is considered to be very welcome and very important by the world at large.’
Charles spoke of the years of ‘mutual admiration’ between the nations (Picture: PA)
The King also touched on climate change leadership and praised their joint work in developing offshore wind capability, as well as the use of hydrogen, which he describes as ‘the fuel which could transform our future’.
‘This essential partnership between our two countries is built on the expertise, dedication, and ingenuity of countless people in both Germany and the United Kingdom,’ Charles added.
‘To them all, I can only offer my sincere and heartfelt gratitude.’
Concluding the address, he said: ‘In the long and remarkable story of our two countries, there are many chapters yet unwritten.
‘Let us fill these with the restless pursuit of a better tomorrow. The legacy of our past, and the great promise of our future, demand nothing less.’
Three men have been arrested by the Ghana Police Service (GPS) for brandishing weapons without lawful authority and acts of vigilantism at Japa near Wassa Akropong in the Western Region.
The three suspects, Godfred Appiah alias Nana Kobina Gyan, Isaac Amoako alias Nana Owusu and Theophilus Yeboah alias fire were arrested following an investigation into a viral video on social media in which one person was seen shooting at another and threatening violence.
The arrest was however made on March 27, 2023.
According to the Police, the intelligence-led operation initially led to the arrest of the prime suspect, Godfred Appiah who was seen in the video firing the weapon.
Further Police investigation led to the arrest of suspects Theophilus Yeboah and Isaac Amoako, who the investigation revealed as the owner and supplier of the said weapon.
“A search conducted at the residence of suspect Isaac Amoako led to the retrieval of four pump action shotguns including 24 AAA-refilled cartridges. However, he could not produce documents to cover three of the weapons,” the statement added.
The statement noted that suspects were put before the Tarkwa Circuit Court today, Wednesday 29th March 2023, and have been remanded into custody to re-appear on 6th April 2023.
Meanwhile, efforts are currently underway to get other accomplices in connection with the case arrested to face justice.
The U.S. dollar and euro steadied on Thursday as concerns over the banking sector receded, while investors switched focus to inflation for more hints on central banks’ next rate moves.
Inflation data from German states, used to calculate a preliminary inflation figure for the euro zone’s largest economy due at 1200 GMT, have started to come in.
Consumer prices in the state of North Rhine Westphalia rose by 0.6 % month-on-month in March, versus a 1% climb in February, and were up by 6.9 % year-on-year, from 8.5% previously.
Separately, data showed that Spain’s consumer prices rose 3.3% year-on-year in March, the slowest pace since the 12-month period through August 2021 and less than expected by analysts.
“With the European Central Bank explicitly data-dependent…this week’s inflation figures are set to be an important driver of the market’s rate expectations,” said Francesco Pesole, FX strategist at ING.
The ECB has increased its key deposit rate by 350 basis points to 3% since July as it seeks to tame surging inflation. There are currently two 25 basis point rate hikes by the European Central Bank fully priced in by September, according to Refinitiv.
European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel said on Wednesday underlying inflation in the euro zone is proving sticky and the recent fall in energy costs may not pull it down as fast as some expect.
The euro edged up 0.07% to $1.0851, but was on track to end the month with a 2% gain.
The dollar index, which measures the currency against six major peers, was 0.1% lower at 102.52, as banking crisis worries faded. It was on course to clock a 2% decline for March due to market tumult triggered by the collapse of U.S. lender Silicon Valley Bank and culminated in the emergency takeover of Credit Suisse by rival UBS.
The dollar had been under pressure from the possibility that the Federal Reserve may have to relent in its fight against inflation and pause rate hikes.
But with no further signs of cracks in the financial sector and after steps taken by regulators, investor nerves have been calmed for now.
“The broader risk sentiment appears sustained as bank contagion concerns continued to fade,” said Christopher Wong, a currency strategist at OCBC in Singapore.
Data on U.S. personal consumption expenditures due on Friday will provide further clues on inflationary pressures in the world’s largest economy.
“With recession fears fading off, the market’s focus is now turning to the upcoming U.S. PCE data later this week, which is seen as the Fed’s favourite inflation parameter,” said Tina Teng, an analyst with CMC Markets.
Sentiment also improved after the tech behemoth Alibaba (9988.HK) announced plans on Tuesday to split into six units, which investors have taken as a signal that Beijing’s regulatory crackdown on corporations is ending.
The Japanese yen strengthened 0.4% to 132.35 per dollar, after falling 1.5% on Wednesday. The currency has been volatile in the run-up to the end of the Japanese fiscal year on Friday.
