Following the recent revaluation of his personal assets, African-American billionaire and leading musician Kanye West’s net worth has dropped by $2 million in the past 24 hours, bringing his total net worth below $400 million.
West, who is one of the world’s richest Black people thanks to his robust business empire spanning entertainment and the retail industry, has seen his net worth decline from $400 million to $398 million in the past 24 hours.
The $2-million drop in his fortune is the latest in a steady decline in his net worth over the last five months, which can be attributed to the termination of his lucrative multi-year contract with German multinational sportswear giant Adidas due to his antisemitic remarks that violated Adidas’ core values of diversity, inclusion, and equality.
The termination of his multi-year agreement to design the Yeezy sneaker line for Adidas caused his net worth to plummet from $2 billion to $400 million, leading to his exit from the exclusive billionaire club in what Forbes described as a “self-induced downfall” for the musician-turned-business-mogul.
Despite the drastic decline in his net worth from $2 billion to $398 million, West, now known as “Ye,” still boasts a higher net worth than both Emma Grede, the successful founder and CEO of Good American, and the immensely talented tennis icon Serena Williams, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players in history.
With no other retail partnerships to rely on, West’s net worth of $398 million, which consists of real estate, cash, a music catalog, and a five-percent stake in his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company, Skims, makes him the 2,429th wealthiest person in the world.
Roman Kashpur will be the one with the most visible signs of the conflict as the throng of racers congregates at the TCS London Marathon starting line.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian serviceman will represent his country at his first long-distance race next month, despite losing his lower leg as a result of stepping on a landmine.
He sustained the injury while on a reconnaissance trip in the eastern Donetsk region; he now uses a prosthesis, and on the day it was placed, he ran 50 meters on it for the first time.
Roman’s first attempt at the 26.2 mile distance follows a service history that includes several major battles after he first entered active frontline duty six years ago at the age of 19.
The injury came in May 2019 when he was on the mission near the city of Marinka. The father-of-two’s right leg had to be amputated a third of the way up his shin and his left leg received multiple shrapnel injuries.
He underwent rehabilitation in Latvia before determining to ‘run like never before’, becoming a CrossFit champion and even returning to the frontline following Russia’s full-scale invasion last February.
Roman, from the central Vinnytsia region, is raising awareness for wounded Ukrainian personnel by taking on the marathon with support from his wife, Yulia, with whom he has two sons, Ivan, eight, and two-year-old Oleksandr.
He is running as an ambassador for the Citizen Charity Foundation, a Ukrainian organisation supporting injured servicemen with modern prosthetics, physical and psychological rehabilitation and education.
‘I’ve never run a marathon in my life,’ Roman told Metro.co.uk.
‘Since I am an ambassador for the Citizen Foundation, we had the idea to take part in the London Marathon not only to motivate people wounded in the Russia-Ukraine war, but to draw maximum attention to the issues of helping amputees in Ukraine and throughout the world.
‘We want to raise funds for heavily wounded Ukrainian soldiers in order to provide them with wheelchairs and modern prostheses, as well as various accessories to improve the functionality of the prosthetics.
‘Sport is extremely helpful in the psychological and physical rehabilitation of people whose health was affected by the war.
‘I want to show people who, like me, have faced a serious injury in life, that through sport you can recover and continue an active, fulfilling life and achieve your goals.’
At the time of the blast, Roman was serving with the 74th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, with his specialisms including scout machine gunner and scout sapper. His active service was interrupted when he stepped on the enemy anti-personnel mine and needed to undergo the amputation at a hospital in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.
The explosion also affected his left knee, which wouldn’t bend and was left with 20% functionality.
Although a physical therapist in Latvia was able to restore the joint, activity is vital in maintaining the tone of the damaged muscle.
‘From the very first day I was injured I promised myself that I would live a more active life than before the injury, and I would run as never before,’ Roman said.
‘When I first stood on the prosthesis and took the first steps, I realised that things were not that bad and I could run and walk on the artificial limb.
‘Nine months later I completed my rehabilitation and I was fitted with a “permanent, everyday” prosthesis.
‘Immediately afterwards, I went outside and ran my first 50 metres.
‘I will always remember that run as the day when I became convinced that amputation is not the end of life, it is only a new challenge that will either break you or make you stronger.’
Roman went on to clinch two consecutive victories in the ‘Games of Heroes’ CrossFit Competition and decided he wanted to motivate other seriously injured fighters.
His mission led him to set a Ukrainian national record for ‘pulling an An-26 aircraft by a person with a disability’ — hauling the 16-tonne cargo plane via a harness on his back.
At the onset of the full-scale invasion, the combat veteran evacuated his family from Kharkiv and returned to the frontline.
He spent the first month and a half on active combat operations before becoming an instructor.
Roman now concentrates on sport as he believes it is the best way to support and motivate his country and military.
His next challenge begins in Greenwich Park on April 23 as he takes on the marathon to raise a target of £100,000 for the British-Ukrainian Aid charity, which has partnered with Citizen to support servicemen with amputations and severe wounds.
‘It will be a great honour for me to represent Ukraine at a world-class sports event,’ Roman said.
‘So I will do my best and train very hard to overcome the marathon distance.
‘My message to the world is that Ukraine needs all possible help against Russian terrorists. Ukraine is now a shield for the entire civilized world, therefore the Russian aggression against Ukraine should be the problem of the whole world, which should help Ukraine win.
‘If Ukraine does not withstand, the Russians will not stop only at Ukraine and the next target can be any state and city in Europe.’
Roman is currently training for the marathon in his home town of Khmilnyk.
His sons are also in his thoughts as he prepares to join around 50,000 runners aiming to make it to the finish line on The Mall.
‘I certainly cannot give my sons an example of a person with a disability who, having lost a limb, has just given up,’ he said.
‘On the contrary, I motivate my children that you should always get up, no matter how painful the fall.
‘No matter how hard it is, you need to get up and fight.’
Lawrence Abrokwa, a former husband of media personality, Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, popularly known as Afia Schwarzenegger was in March 2020 arrested and later granted bail in the sum of GH¢20,000.00 bail with three sureties for failing to appear before the court.
High Court judge, Mrs Justice Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku, on March 24, 2020, was expected to give judgement on the case Abrokwa was being held on two counts of domestic violence to wit emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, threat of harm, assault, publication of obscene material, carrying offensive weapon, causing unlawful damage and stealing but he failed to appear before the court.
It would be recalled that Afia Schwarzenegger took on his former husband for circulating naked videos of her and also threatening her with a substance he claimed was acid.
When their marriages ended, Afia, announced that she had been a victim of domestic violence while living with the man she married in 2016.
Below is an account by the Prosecution:
The Prosecution had earlier told the Court that the complainant, Afia Schwarzenegger, and Abrokwa were legally married and lived together at Dome Pillar Two, a suburb of Accra, in the house of the complainant.
According to the Prosecution, about three weeks before the domestic incident, Abrokwa packed his things and left the house for Dansoman, following persistent misunderstanding between them.
He said on August 29, 2017, Abrokwa was informed by their house help, one Afia Nyamekye, there is a male visitor with her mistress who would be spending the night with her.
The Prosecution said based on this information, Abrokwa armed himself with a kitchen knife and a bottle containing some liquid purported to be acid.
The prosecution said Abrokwa proceeded to the house of the complainant, scaled the wall and entered the compound.
He said the accused found a strange private car, which he believed belongs to the visitor parked on the compound, deflated two tyres of the said car, and entered the house through the back door, with the assistance of the house help.
He said the accused entered the bedroom with his mobile phone and forced the bedroom door opened and found Afia and her male visitor naked in bed.
The Prosecution said Abrokwa threatened them to stay put as he had found them for him to video them, or else he would pour acid on them to cause harm to their bodies.
Prosecution said the male visitor managed to escape during the confrontation, but Afia was prevented by Abrokwa, who ordered her to go on her knees, to declare herself as a prostitute, while he held the bottle of the alleged acid in his hand.
He said Afia obliged to his instructions, while Abrokwa continued his video filming of the complainant in her nudity amidst pleas from her to stop.
The Prosecution said in the process, Abrokwa assaulted Afia and chased her out of the house.
He said Afia escaped to a neighbour, who eventually clothed her.
The Prosecution said the accused then transmitted the nude videos of his wife to his second mobile phone before reporting the matter to the Police with all the items belonging to the visitor and the first phone used for the video.
He said when the complainant went to the house later, she alleged that her bedside drawer had been forced opened and 2,000 dollars and 500 pounds had been taken by the accused.
He said the complainant reported the matter to the Police and Abrokwa was arrested, cautioned and granted bail later.
According to Prosecution, whilst the case was being investigated, Abrokwa transmitted the video from his phone to Afia’s father on his phone on September 1, 2017.
He said the video, however, went viral on social media and the bottle containing the said acid was sent to the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) for examination.
He said on September 13, 2017, the Police received a report from the GSA that the content in the bottle was water and not acid.
Research reveals exponential amount of germs present in reusable bottles.
Making the sustainable decision to carry around and drink from reusable water bottles might not be the cleanest choice ever.
Reusable water bottles hold 40,000 times more bacteria than do toilet seats, a recent study from WaterFilterGuru of Denver, Colorado, revealed.
After swabbing several different reusable water bottles (and different parts of the bottles), researchers found two types of bacteria present — gram-negative rods and bacillus.
Gram-negative rods are commonly associated with hospital-acquired infections and are increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics, the study noted.
Bacillus can potentially be helpful as a probiotic, but it can also be food-spoiling and disease-causing, and can lead to gastrointestinal issues.
Reusable water bottles held an average of 20.8 million CFUs, or colony-forming units, which estimates the number of living microbes on a sample.
Of all the water bottle types, those with spout-top and screw-top lids contained the most bacteria, with 30 million CFUs each, the study found.
Researchers discovered the same number of CFUs after testing a tap water faucet as well.
The research team at WaterFilterGuru, the organization says, “focuses on the latest in water quality, pollution and residential water treatment. The quality and safety of water varies widely by region, city and even neighborhood.”
It adds on its website that it partners with “research institutions and other organizations” to increase Americans’ “awareness and understanding” of water quality.
While comparing water bottles to sink taps, the group compared reusable bottles to other household items as well.
Bacteria is one of four pollutants that may be present in water coming out of taps, the study reported, even though U.S. tap water is considered among the safest compared to tap water in the rest of the world.
While comparing water bottles to sink taps, the group compared reusable bottles to other household items as well.
This included toilet seats, which hold an average of 515 CFUs — that’s 40,000 times less bacteria than most water bottles were found to have.
Specifically, squeeze-top water bottles had 6,000 times the bacteria of a toilet seat.
On average, reusable water bottles had 14 times the bacteria of a pet water bowl and five times that found on a computer mouse.
His comments come as the Western allies reject a peace plan put forward by China’s President Xi Jinping, who met Mr Putin in Moscow this week.
Ukraine has demanded that Russia withdraw from its territory as a condition for fresh discussions – but the Kremlin will not agree to this.
Russia will bomb any country that detains Putin using the International Criminal Court arrest warrant, the country’s ex-president Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.
The arrest warrant was issued after the Russian leader was accused of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.
Russia has committed a ‘wide range’ of war crimes in Ukraine, UN inquiry finds
But not all countries are supportive, with Hungary admitting it would not arrest Putin if he entered the country.
Lord Owen, the ex-leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said today: ‘Ukraine has had very substantive trade arrangements with China in their own right and a very large amount of Ukrainian grain was going to China.
‘So there has been this formed relationship with communist China and Ukraine over quite a long period of time. So, I think he’s going to try to bring this war to an end.’
The secretary general of Nato recently cautioned that there were ‘signs’ indicating Russia has asked for lethal aid from China.
On the prospect of peace talks to end Russia’s invasion, Lord Owen said: ‘I believe there should be no negotiation by Britain.
‘If I was asked, I would say that the Prime Minister should not talk to Putin, and nor should the Foreign Secretary talk to Sergey Lavrov.
‘And I think that we should say that the matter of negotiations should be conducted between the two who are conducting war against each other. We are not at war with Russia.’
However, he noted ‘there has to be a difference for some people’, adding: ‘If Biden decided that the time had come to speak to Putin, then he should go, as he is the de facto political negotiator that really matters.
NATO: China should not provide lethal aid to Russia
‘But I would be reluctant if I was Biden to do that, because you would be sucked in. It’s a very, very narrow line.’
Asked if there is something more Western allies could do to help Ukraine, Lord Owen said he ‘would not have ruled out sending Typhoons’ and that the delivery of tanks should be accelerated.
He said it is ‘unacceptable’ for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to say he is sending tanks to Ukraine and then ‘not doing it, delaying it’.
He added: ‘That is very dangerous. I mean, by any standard, there should be 30 or 40 Leopard tanks now, already there.’
Lord Owen served as foreign secretary from 1977 to 1979 under James Callaghan and two years later became one of the ‘Gang of Four’ who left the Labour Party to form the SDP.
Appointed as a life peer in 1992, Lord Owen sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until March 2014, and now sits as an ‘independent social democrat’.
A year on to the colourful ceremony which saw Kojo Jones‘ ‘diamond’ become a topic for discussion.
Read the story as published on March 24, 2022, below.
On March 22, 2022, Ghanaian real estate mogul and CEO of Empire Domus, Emmanuel Kojo Jones, shook social media with an incredible display of wealth.
Many questions loomed and lingered as to why the young man will parade such luxurious cars and for what reason.
The convoy he paraded to Kumasi was made up of some of the most expensive vehicles which included 2 G wagons, 5 V8 vehicles, a 4-wheel Lexus ride, a Range Rover, a heavy ford and Chevrolet pickup trucks, a party bus, a small Hyundai salon car, a coastal bus and a minibus all on the road to Kumasi.
The cat was finally let out of the bag when the labelled ‘Ghana’s future President’, in a viral video shared by blogger, GHhyper, confirmed the paraded convoy from Accra to Kumasi was to wed Kojo’s wife-to-be.
Fast forward to March 23, 2022, and the bride has been unveiled.
A New Pariotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful, Kennedy Agyapong, has slammed the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government over its decision to ban the importation of used cars into Ghana.
Ken Agyapong said that the decision by the government is totally wrong and was not well thought off.
Speaking at an event in a viral video shared by Graphic Online, on March 23, 2023, Mr Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, added that a lot of Ghanaians are going to lose their jobs because of the decision by the government.
“You cannot bring a year to five-year-old cars because VW is going to produce brand new cars in Ghana, because Nissan is going to produce brand new cars in Ghana.
Ken Agyapong’s views on the vehicle assembly policy in Ghana and the effects on importation of vehicles pic.twitter.com/B80VsbIK1J
— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 23, 2023
“The direct tax (we are losing) through customs is more than anything in the country. Look at the number of people who are going to lose their jobs. How many jobs are these companies going to create? We didn’t sit down to analyse all these things, we just come out with policies, don’t bring used cars,” he said.
He added that “Just this 2016, I bought 240 used pick-ups for NPP campaigns. Today, you are in power and you are telling Ghanaians not to buy used… what is the purchasing power of every Ghanaian in the country. How many people can afford new cars.”
The NPP flagbearer added that the government should have rather made the car manufacturers make Ghana their production hub for Africa.
Mason Mount has seen his Chelsea minutes slump this season and a recent withdrawal from the England squad sums up a wretched period for the injured midfielder.
The Blues struggled in the opening weeks of the season under Thomas Tuchel and are now trying to find consistency with Graham Potter at the helm.
As the campaign enters its final months, Mount’s future remains unclear and the two-time Champions League winners remain at risk of missing out on a spot in Europe’s top competition next term.
We take a look at the academy graduate’s options ahead of an important summer for both player and club.
Money talks
At the end of this season, Mount will be at a crossroads.
The England star, 24, looks to have already made his first move by partnering with experienced agent Neil Fewings to help resolve his contract situation.
The 36-cap international has been in talks with the Blues over a potential new deal but no agreement has been reached, with reports of him wanting a substantial pay increase.
Mason Mount has not been as effective in front of goal for Chelsea this season
Should co-owner Todd Boehly refuse to sanction a bumper offer, Mount would likely work with his advisers to manufacture a move away from Stamford Bridge.
His current deal is set to expire in 2024, meaning a transfer is logical for all parties if a renewal becomes unrealistic.
Liverpool and Manchester United have emerged as frontrunners for his signature and are supposedly more willing to adhere to Mount’s salary demands.
Pay his worth
Arsenal legend Paul Merson has sided with Mount in his ongoing contract saga, urging Chelsea to pay the homegrown talent what he wants.
Mount is thought to currently earn around £80,000 a week, which is less than a quarter of the whopping £325k weekly wage reportedly collected by team-mate Raheem Sterling.
And Merson has blasted Chelsea for their approach to the situation. He said: “Mount was by far Chelsea’s best player last season. He was outstanding.
“You don’t offload your best players. There are so many players that need to get shipped out of this Chelsea squad before Mount.
“The kid can play. It’s bad business by Chelsea — they should give him what he’s asking for.”
Mounting problems
Mason Mount has struggled to hit the target for Chelsea this season
Last season, Mount scored 11 times and notched a further 10 assists in the Premier League — but he has only tallied five goal contributions in 23 outings this term.
He has also seen his attempted take-ons, chances created, shots and passes attempted per game all drop.
Mount has veered away from his familiar direct style of play and is recording more long balls, with a lower passing accuracy than he boasted under Tuchel in 2021-22.
Per 90 minutes, the Portsmouth native is averaging 0.49 shots on target compared to 1.1 in the previous campaign and 1.59 chances created, compared to 2.21 last season.
That lack of success in the final third may well by why club chiefs are stalling on handing out a new contract.
Gone to Pott
Graham Potter has not been able to get the best out of Mason Mount yet
Potter himself has admitted that Mount is suffering and has refused to offer his support on the contract situation, with the English tactician preferring to leave that side of things to his superiors.
He said: “In terms of the contract, that’s between him and club. I’m the head coach and I get on with my job to work with the players and help them improve.
“At the moment, we’re not doing that as well as we like so that’s the focus for me.”
Mount has not played 90 minutes for Potter since the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in January.
And after going eight games without a goal in the top flight, it does seem he is uncomfortable in Potter’s new-look line-up.
Mount must decide the best course of action sooner rather than later or he risks his career heading into decline.
Joao Cancelo was shocked to hear Bayern Munich have reportedly sacked Julian Nagelsmann but asked his potential new coach Thomas Tuchel to help him win the Champions League.
Reports emerged on Thursday suggesting Bayern had elected to dismiss Nagelsmann and replace the 35-year-old with former Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain coach Tuchel.
Bayern are into the quarter-finals of the Champions League – they will face Cancelo’s parent club Manchester City for a place in the last four – and sit second in the Bundesliga, trailing Dortmund, who they play on April 1, by one point.
Cancelo started the scoring in Portugal’s 4-0 rout of Liechtenstein in Euro 2024 qualifying on Thursday, and was subsequently made aware of the Nagelsmann rumours at full-time.
“I didn’t know. I was a little surprised,” Cancelo told reporters. “I want to thank coach Nagelsmann, he was the one who wanted me at Bayern.
“It’s caught me off guard, but all the luck in the world to him.”
On Tuchel’s possible arrival, Cancelo added: “When he arrives, I will try to adapt the concepts of the new coach as much as possible and I hope it goes well, because we have many important games.
“The decisive phase of the season is about to be entered and Bayern is a team that, individually and collectively, is always ready to win it all.”
Speaking to Sky Sport, Cancelo suggested Tuchel owes him after the German’s Chelsea side defeated City in the 2020-21 Champions League final.
“He made me lose a Champions League final, so I hope he lets me win this year,” Cancelo quipped.
Lionel Messi struck the 800th goal of his remarkable career and lifted the World Cup trophy one more time in Buenos Aires, telling all of Argentina to enjoy this footballing prosperity while it lasts.
His landmark strike came in a 2-0 friendly win against Panama on Thursday at El Monumental, as Argentina played their first game since triumphing at Qatar 2022.
They showed off their World Cup spoils after the final whistle, with Messi addressing the crowd and saying it was a moment he had dreamt of throughout his life.
Messi, who turns 36 in June, delivered another inspired performance for his country, hitting the crossbar with two free kicks before sending another into the top corner in the 89th minute.
That brought up the 800 for club and country and sealed Argentina’s win, after Thiago Almada bagged the opener in the 78th minute. It was also Messi’s 99th goal for Argentina.
With a microphone in his right hand, and his left placed on the trophy, Messi told the crowd: “I want to thank you for all the love we are receiving, not just for winning the World Cup but from before, when we won the Copa America.
“I always dreamed of this moment, being able to celebrate with you in this country. Let’s enjoy it because we spent a long time to win it, and because you don’t know how long it will take until we win it again. Let’s enjoy the third star.”
#SelecciónMayor 🎙️Lionel Messi: "Primero que nada, darles las gracias a todos por el cariño que venimos recibiendo. Hace tiempo decimos que íbamos a hacer todo lo posible por ganar un Mundial". pic.twitter.com/Ufo1GayjTO
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) March 24, 2023
Paris Saint-Germain’s former Barcelona star won the Golden Ball at the World Cup for his efforts in captaining Argentina to glory. That is the trophy awarded to the player of the tournament.
Argentina won the World Cup previously in 1978 and 1986, with a 36-year wait coming to an end when La Albiceleste beat France on penalties in the December 18 final, after a 3-3 draw.
Messi will almost certainly have retired from international duty by the time the next World Cup rolls around in 2026, marking the end of a storied era.
He was keen to spread the latest acclaim throughout the Argentina ranks.
“I know that today is our day, but I don’t want to forget all those colleagues I had before, who also did everything possible to get this one, and unfortunately it didn’t happen to us, we were very close,” he said. “They also deserve respect and recognition.
“We were going to do everything we could for this. I always dreamed of this moment, being able to come to my country and lift the World Cup. It was shown that it is very difficult to achieve this, it depends on many things. Sometimes due to small details it gets away from you.”
Richard Gasquet will get a showcase match against second-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Miami Open after prevailing 6-4 3-6 6-1 against Christopher O’Connell on Thursday.
The biggest names in the field learned their opponents after the 32 seeded entrant received byes into the second round of the Masters 1000 event, and Tsitsipas will be desperate to avoid a third consecutive loss after quick exits at the Rotterdam Open and Indian Wells Open in recent weeks.
Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev is waiting for Roberto Carbellas Baena after he blew away Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-0 3-0 (retired) in an all-Spanish showdown, while fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime will meet Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro in the second round after his 6-4 7-6 (8-6) triumph over Australia’s Jason Kubler.
After O’Connell and Kubler both fell, Thanasi Kokkinakis flew the flag for Australia with a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (9-7) comeback against Belgian wildcard Zizou Bergs, and his reward will be a battle against Polish eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz.
France’s Gregoire Barrere earned a big matchup against 11th seed Cameron Norrie after eliminating Roman Safiullin 6-4 3-6 6-3, and Safiullin’s Russian compatriot Pavel Kotov will join him on an early flight home after going down 6-2 6-2 against recent Chile Open finalist Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff headlined a great day for the Americans at the Miami Open as they both advanced into the third round on Thursday.
Pegula, who is the second-highest seed remaining in the field after Iga Swiatek’s withdrawal, had no issue dispatching Canada’s Katherine Sebov 6-3 6-1 in just 66 minutes.
Gauff, the six seed, followed suit as she raced to a 6-4 6-3 win over Canadian Rebecca Marino in just 73 minutes.
Florida’s own Danielle Collins thrilled her hometown crowd with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 triumph against Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova, and rising 22-year-old talent Clare Liu made it a perfect 4-0 sweep for the USA representatives by defeating Julia Grabher 6-4 6-3.
Last week’s Indian Wells Open champion Elena Rybakina was made to work in her 7-5 4-6 6-3 win over Anna Kalinskaya, while an even more gruelling effort was required in Paula Badosa’s two-hour-and-52-minute 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-2 result against Laura Siegemund.
The top seed to fall on Thursday was eighth seed Daria Kasatkina, as she won the first set before going down 4-6 6-2 6-2 against Elise Mertens.
Liudmila Samsonova, the 12th seed, made light work of Viktorija Golubic in a 6-1 6-1 drubbing, and 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko prevailed 6-3 6-4 against Mirjam Bjorklund.
Ostapenko will next play 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia after she won a strange back-and-forth contest 7-6 (7-4) 0-6 6-0 over Tereza Martincova.
Another week, another landmark for Lionel Messi as the Argentina superstar scored his 800th career goal in Thursday’s friendly against Panama.
It’s been an almighty journey for the all-time great, who has basically won everything on offer and claimed a record haul of seven Ballons d’Or along the way.
The player regarded by many as the greatest ever, Messi reached his latest milestone with a picture-perfect free kick in the 89th minute against Panama, curling one into the top corner after crashing two prior free kicks into the crossbar.
Although Messi hits new landmarks so frequently, at the age of 35 he is approaching a point where such achievements will become a little rarer.
With that in mind, it’s worth celebrating Messi and his feats while we still can – therefore, Stats Perform has delved into the Opta data behind his latest accomplishment.
On the receiving end
It’s nearly 18 years since Messi’s first goal in professional football. Then a floppy-haired 17-year-old, he latched on to a Ronaldinho pass before lifting a clever lob over Albacete goalkeeper Raul Valbuena on May 1, 2005.
That goal has since become famous given its significance in marking the arrival of Messi – it also left a mark on the career of Valbuena.
— Selección Argentina in English (@AFASeleccionEN) March 24, 2023
“The press calls me every time he’s broken a record or achieved something important, especially press from Catalonia,” he told Marca nine years later. “To me, it’s a funny anecdote in my career as a goalkeeper.”
Well, it’s all right for some. Many goalkeepers have had to contend with Messi smashing past them a few more times than Valbuena’s single concession.
In total, 232 goalkeepers had let in a goal against Messi before Thursday. No one conceded more than Diego Alves, however, with the Brazilian beaten 21 times. Iker Casillas is a close second (19).
Returning the favour
Of course, over his career Messi has also become synonymous with creativity, routinely setting up goals for his team-mates.
But, given how many he’s scored, he’s also had to benefit from plenty of service from his colleagues as well – when he’s not doing it all himself.
There are several players with whom he’s struck up particularly effective on-pitch relationships.
For years, his combination with Dani Alves was unrivalled, the Brazilian setting up 42 of Messi’s goals, but then along came Luis Suarez.
Suarez, Messi and Neymar were a revered and feared front three, their understanding on the pitch so deadly. The Uruguayan ended up assisting 47 goals for Messi across their six years together, with no one else teeing him up more often.
Messi also has his favourite clubs to score against. Impressively, Real Madrid (26) are right up there – but there are four teams he has punished more.
That same season he also started playing for Barça C and Barça B, making 37 official appearances and scoring 35 goals. He also won the league with the U18B team and played for the 🇦🇷 U20 national team👏 pic.twitter.com/h7ZK7edF6W
Athletic Bilbao (29), Valencia (31) and Atletico Madrid (32) all struggled against him, but if there has been one team who have resembled lambs to the slaughter when facing Messi, it’s Sevilla (38).
Heights few have reached
The world of football numbers can be a little muddy. What constitutes an official goal? What’s an official competition?
As such, there has been lots of confusion regarding the ‘official’ goals hauls of players down the years – we’re looking at you, Pele and Romario.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) considers Cristiano Ronaldo to be the world record holder, stating in December 2021 that the Portugal forward was the first player to reach 800 official career goals.
This makes Messi the second to reach that figure, with Opta corroborating his career record. There remains a possibility he will eventually reach 1,000. No one is expecting him to get there soon, though.
After all, as good as he remains, achievements like scoring 91 times in a calendar year – as he managed in 2012 – appear to be beyond him these days.
That was his best ever year, which – perhaps unsurprisingly – coincided with his most prolific season (2011-12), when he scored 82 goals.
Still, the 35 goals he plundered in 2022 wasn’t a bad return, especially given that haul included seven en route to World Cup success with Argentina.
Still to come?
There aren’t many records at Barcelona that don’t already belong to Messi. Top scorer? Done. Most appearances? Completed it. The most-photographed person at Camp Nou? Probably.
It seems unlikely Messi will be around at PSG long enough to have the same kind of impact there, but he certainly still has career targets in sight.
There’s the aforementioned 1,000 goals landmark, though before then he will have his eyes on more international achievements.
In 2004/05 he alternated between Barça B and the first team. He made his competitive debut against Espanyol and scored his first goal against Albacete at the Camp Nou ✨⚽ pic.twitter.com/nXZzxLJA2h
Messi’s free kick to seal Thursday’s 2-0 win left him just one from reaching 100 with Argentina, and after that he’ll perhaps have designs on usurping both Ali Daei (109) and Ronaldo (120), the two highest-scoring players in men’s international football.
Similarly, with Ronaldo now out of the way in Saudi Arabia, Messi could also take his record for the most Champions League goals (140) –Messi is on 129.
But regardless of what else he does or doesn’t go on to achieve, Thursday’s milestone is just another reminder of how fortunate we’ve been to witness Messi’s truly remarkable career.
Bayern Munich have sensationally sacked Julian Nagelsmann, and Thomas Tuchel is in line to take over.
While not officially confirmed by the German club, widespread reports on Thursday suggested Nagelsmann had been dismissed.
Bayern sit second in the Bundesliga, one point behind Borussia Dortmund, and it is one of their rivals’ former coaches who is favourite to replace Nagelsmann.
TOP STORY – TUCHEL SIGNS BAYERN DEAL
According to Fabrizio Romano, Tuchel – who was sacked by Chelsea in September – has already agreed to become Bayern’s new coach.
Tuchel’s first game would be against his former team Dortmund on April 1.
Bayern face Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals. Nagelsmann, meanwhile, is sure to be linked with plenty of high-profile job opportunities.
ROUND UP
– The Sun, citing a Sport Bild report, claim that Eintracht Frankfurt have placed an £88million (€99.7m) price tag on Manchester United target Randal Kolo Muani.
– The father of Brighton and Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister has informed ESPN no clubs are in concrete talks with his son, but that there are interested parties.
– According to 90min, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Manchester City are all scouting Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior.
– Fabrizio Romano says that Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool are interested in Florian Wirtz, though Bayer Leverkusen are confident of keeping hold of the youngster.
The House on Thursday, February 23, 2023, completed the debate on the report of the Appointments Committee on the six nominees who were vetted weeks ago.
The House engaged in an extended sitting after some issues had risen out of the minority’s opposition to the nominations.
During the debate, members on both sides including their leadership counter-argued about the need to approve the nominees.
While the majority supported the approval, the minority maintained its position that the size of the government under the current economic hardship facing the country is big and must be reduced.
Following the debate, the speaker, Alban Suaman Kingsford Bagbin adjourned sitting to today (March 24) for the house to vote on the approval or otherwise of the nominees.
The nominees include Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, Kwabena Tahir Hammond as Minister-designate for Trade and Industry, Abetifi MP, Brian Acheampong for Minister of Agriculture and Former CEO of the State Interests and Governance Authority, Stephen Asamoah Boateng who has been nominated for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
The remaining are former deputy Energy Minister, Mohammed Amin Adam as Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Osei Bonsu Amoah for Minster of state at the Local Government Ministry and Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Dr Stephen Amoah for Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry.
Although he is looking forward to winning some slots at the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, Kelvynboy seems more enthused about performing at the award ceremony.
According to him, he rather loves to perform at the award events than win awards.
“Me, I like performing at awards than receiving awards. I like performing because e dey pay,” he said while responding to his chances of winning an award at this year’s VGMAs on Hitz FM’s ‘Daybreak Hitz’.
The Down Flat singer performed at the 2022 VGMA Xperience Concert in Koforidua and the VGMA Industry Awards in Accra. He has also been featured on award stages like Ghana Music Awards UK and 3Music Awards.
In the meantime, he is hopeful of winning at least the Afrobeats Artiste category. He said as someone who in the past championed the Afrobeats agenda, he will be happy to pick up that award.
“Ebe me force dem make dem put that category. Ebe here norr wey we talk am say that category no dey wona award scheme, dem for put am. Wey I force saaa ebe like dem no hear am but dem put am,” he said in Pidgin English.
Kelvynboy has been nominated in the Most Popular Song of the Year, Afrobeats Song of the Year and Highlife Song of the Year categories of the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.
He won the Afrobeats Artiste of the Year award at the Ghana Music Awards UK.
Former deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has stated that he holds nothing against former president John Dramani Mahama.
According to him, he has nothing against him but his only problem is the way he disrespected the late President of the republic Prof. John Evans Atta Mills.
Koku Anyidoho explained that John Mahama refused to listen to his advice to renovate Asomdwe Park, the gravesite of president Atta Mills, as a sign of respect to the former statesman.
He continued that it took an appeal to president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to rebuild the Asomdwe park to befit a burial ground for the late president.
Speaking in an interview with Neat FM, on March 23, 2023, Koku Anyidoho explained: “I don’t have a problem with him, my only problem with John Mahama is that …President Mills appointed you as running mate, so when he died, Ghanaians voted for him (John Mahama) to become president …which respect did you give to president Mills?
“You couldn’t build Asomdwee park and it took me to go on my knees to beg president Akufo-Addo to build the Asomdwee park before president Akufo Addo built the park and commissioned it.”
It may be recalled that Koku Anyidoho, in April 2021 alleged that John Mahama hated him because of his loyalty to the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
He was also suspended by the Functional Executive Committee of the NDC over some conduct that breached the party’s constitution.
Yul wrote a note of encouragement to Funke Akindele over her decision to remove all campaign pictures from her Instagram page following her defeat alongside her party in the March 18 gubernatorial election.
Akindele was the running mate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Lagos State governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran aka Jandor.
While Jandor, won at his polling unit, 001 located in Irewe, polling 87 votes beating the APC candidate who secured 66 votes; Akindele, lost her polling unit 019 in Ita Aro square, Ikorodu, after garnering 19 votes against APC‘s 77.
Though she said that she had no regrets about running for political office noting the journey to the ballot was an eye opener, she, however, deleted all her campaign posters and politics-related posts.
But her colleague, Yul recounted his experience when he contested for governorship in 2017, and encouraged Akindele not to be put down by her loss at the poll.
He suggested that her decision to delete all posts about her political joinery and exploit was not the best as they are part of her battle scars as a warrior.
Yul, referring to the mother of two as a warrior, urged her to wear her battle scars proudly.
He added just like he still anticipates being the president of Nigeria someday, Akindele shouldn’t despair because she would also hold a political office in the future.
He said: “To my dear colleague, @funkejenifaakindele. I want to congratulate you for the bold political step you took, running for Deputy Governor of Lagos State. You did great.
“I noticed you deleted all your campaign pictures from your Instagram page. Of course, I can’t sit in my house and know your reason for doing so, neither is it my business. But as a concerned colleague and friend I want to encourage you and through you encourage others out there.
“A warrior is always proud of his or her battle scars. The scars are proof that he or she went to battle and came back alive. You’re a warrior.
“Your campaign pictures are part of your battle scars. Wear them proudly. Those pictures deserve to remain on your page forever. It’s a historical moment for you. A rare privilege.
“No matter what anybody says to you. Don’t be discouraged by those who are laughing at you for not winning. Na childish brain dey worry dem. Cowards will always laugh at the brave ones. That’s the only way they console themselves for being cowards.
When they grow up they’ll laugh at themselves for not having the courage to try what you did.
“There are no failures in life as long as you never give up. It’s either you win or you learn. The person who fails is that person who has not tried at all.
“Out of the millions of Lagosians you were picked to be Deputy Governorship candidate. It’s a human and spiritual honor to be given the opportunity to serve the people. It marks the beginning of your political journey. Never give up.
“In 2017 I ran for Governor of my state, from start to finish and it’s one of the best things I’ve done in my life. One of my proudest moments. I learnt a lot. My campaign pictures are still on my page, my battle scars. I wear those scars proudly. And I’ll never give up. One day I’ll be the President of Nigeria.
“Funke, you will sit in your office someday as Deputy Governor or Governor or President and look at your first campaign pictures and you’ll have tears of joy in your eyes. You will be proud of your journey. Never give up. I wish you the very best. May God lead you always. Cheers.”
Child Sanitation Diplomat, Maame Akua Ohenewaa Gyimah, has advised the public, especially children, to desist from wasting water to ensure that other communities get access to clean water.
Maame Gyimah indicated that treating water by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) was expensive, therefore, wasting it had a negative effect on the country’s finances and hindered extension of the service to communities, which need it.
She gave the advice during a tour of the GWCL Kpong Treatment Plant with her mates from the Dawhenya Methodist ‘B’ Basic School as part of the celebration of 2023 World Water Day, which is marked globally on March 22.
The tour was organized by Kings Hall Media in collaboration with the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS).
The theme for 2023 World Water Day is “accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crises.”
She said other practices such as washing, open defecation, disposal of refuse, and illegal mining in water bodies, among others, were some of the practices that must be stopped “if Ghana wants to meet the Sustainable Development Goals on water and also provide potable water to its citizens.”
She said the tour of the Kpong Treatment Plant was an eye opener on the expensive processing of raw water before reaching households and pledged to encourage children and adults to be responsible in their water usage.
Ms. Sharon Quaye, Programme Manager, Kings Hall Media, said children must know the importance of water as humans could not live without it and reiterated the need to conserve it.
Ms Quaye said Kings Hall Media and partners organized the tour for the pupils to inculcate good sanitation practices and to appreciate where the water they used came from and how it was processed.
She expressed the hope that the children would fall in love with good sanitation practices and serve as ambassadors of change among their peers, family and community.
Mr. Prince Osei, Technical Assistant at the GWCL Kpong Treatment Plant, took the children through the ten stages of water treatment, saying the company had put in measures to ensure that consumers received only the best water in line with the Ghana Standards Authority and Food and Drugs Authority’s requirements.
He said to ensure the quality was maintained, samples were taken every hour for testing for all the stages of treatment.
Mr. Osei said the stages of water treatment were screening of the raw water, which was then pumped through a 72-inch pipe to the other stages of aeriation, segmentation, filtration, and disinfection.
It also goes through the Power of Hydrogen, storage, laboratory test, and distribution through the various booster stations, he added.
A total of 75 aspirants have successfully filed nominations to contest the upcoming NDC parliamentary primaries across the 18 constituencies in the Volta Region, the party said in a statement on Thursday.
“Submission of nomination forms ended peacefully at all the Constituency offices on Wednesday, March 22,” the statement signed by Mr James Gunu, the Volta Regional Secretary of the NDC, said.
Out of the number, 15 are females.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu and Mr Charles Agbeve, MP for Agotime Ziope are going unopposed.
The statement said two sitting MPs, Dr James Klutse Avedzi, MP for Ketu North, and Mr Benjamin Kpodo, the Ho Central MP, have declared not to seek re-election.
Meanwhile, the Ketu North Constituency has the highest number of eight aspirants, who have successfully filed their nominations to contest the parliamentary primaries.
Ho Central has seven candidates, Anlo and Hohoe with six aspirants each and South Dayi with two candidates, Mr Rockson Dafeamekpor, the incumbent and Mr Kwame Prosper Ofosu.
The Regional Secretariat of the party has since set April 3 to 5 to vet all the 75 Parliamentary Aspirants ahead of the main contest.
The NDC has set May 13 for the Presidential and Parliamentary Primaries across the various constituencies in the country.
Ghanaian veteran musician, Nana Akua Amoah, popularly known as Mzbel, has recently found herself amid controversy after Afia Schwarzenegger indicated that she helped her lie against Josh Laryea, accusing him of rape.
In a recent statement she shared on her Instagram, Mzbel denied accusing gospel musician Joshua Laryea, who was also a former member of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), of the act.
She clarified that she had only complained about certain activities in the church that made her uncomfortable and that she was treated poorly when she brought these concerns to light.
According to Mzbel, she was treated like an outcast after voicing her complaints and ultimately decided to leave the church.
She maintains that Laryea’s suspension from the church years later was unrelated to her and that this can be confirmed by ICGC Christ Temple leaders.
“I never accused Josh Larye of rape; neither did I tell anyone that because that didn’t happen. I discovered some activities in the church that made me uncomfortable, and when I complained, I was treated like an outcast, so I left…
“Josh was suspended years after I left for reasons unrelated to me.” You can confirm that with ICGC Christ Temple leaders. “Ignore that alcoholic ugly midget,” she said.
In an earlier post, Afia Schwarzenegger claimed that Mzbel wasn’t raped by Rev. Josh Laryea, as purported in 2017.
Afia Schwarzenegger and her best friend at the time, Mzbel stormed social media in excitement over the suspension of Rev. Josh Laryea following claims of immorality, among others.
This was after reports went viral that the ‘emre sesa’ hitmaker had raped Mzbel, who was then a member of the same church.
Tunisia is looking forwards for the qualification game on Friday versus Libya in Category J for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Jalel Kadri’s side currently sit top of the table with four points after two matches with Libya a point behind, and the teams will also clash again in Benghazi next Tuesday.
Every game versus any team is important.
Nonetheless, this matchup features two African teams.
In the event that we defeat Libya, we will be in a great position to qualify (to the Africa Cup of Nations, Ed). (to the Africa Cup of Nations, Ed.).
We have prepared for the match extremely well”, remarked Tunisia defender, Montassar Talbi.
Like Libya, Equatorial Guineaalso have three points in the group, while Botswana are bottom with a single point.
Tunisia assistant coach, Ali Boumnijel, added “we are neighbours and it is not our first match against our neighbours, Libya. It is a derby. We know they are focused on us. Every time we played against them, in Tunis or Tripoli, the confrontation is not easy. We notice that they have new players”.
The top two teams from each group qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in the Ivory Coast across January and February next year.
The concerned youth of the Ho West Constituency has called on the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), for the area, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah to step down after being in the House of the legislature for 16 years.
According to the concerned youth, the inactions of the MP have led to the division of the party in the constituency by opening doors for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to gain grounds.
The concerned youth, therefore, want the MP to step down to enable the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to amass votes in the Constituency.
The leader of the concerned youth Emmanuel Dobi who spoke on behalf of the group said: “What the MP and his cohorts fail to understand is that the NDC is bigger than any individual or group of greedy or selfish people.”
The youth called on the “party leadership at both regional and national to conduct an investigation about their loyalty to the NDC before the primaries.”
The leader of the concerned youth of Ho West added: “The Honourable MP Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzrah should step aside for a new face in order to maximise both presidential and parliamentary votes in the Ho West Constituency even though he has filed his nomination to contest in the upcoming primaries.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) says the claim by Dr Theo Acheampong that prices of fuel under the Gold for Oil deal are higher than those from other sources on the market is inaccurate.
The NPA says the assertion by the Economist and Political Risk Analyst maybe based on inadequate information.
According to the Authority, the contrary is what is currently happening on the market.
In a press release issued on Thursday, March 23, by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of NPA, it urged analysts to seek the right information before commenting on the policy.
“We would like to state that the claim is inaccurate and maybe based on inadequate information available to him, at the time.
“Information on the sale of petroleum products by Bulk Import, Distribution and Export Companies (BIDECs) to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) depicts that a significant volume of products are sold above the G4O prices,” part of the statement said.
The Economist and Political Risk Analyst had earlier highlighted some downsides of the gold for oil policy.
Dr. Theo Acheampong pointed out that the Bulk Oil Distributing Companies (BDCs) who did not sign up for the policy are rather selling fuel at lower prices.
This, according to him, does not meet the second objective for the policy, thus to bring down prices of fuel at the pumps.
“As we speak currently, in the recent pricing window, the gold for oil product that came in are actually selling slightly higher than products that are on the market that the normal BDCs who are not participating in this policy programme, are doing,” he stated in an interview on JoyNews Newsfile on Saturday, March 18.
Dr Acheampong added that “Petrol under gold for oil is selling at about 9.6 cedis per litre and from the non Gold for Oil sources are selling it at about 9.1 cedis per litre.
So you got almost like a 50 pesewa difference. Similar thing with diesel.”
But the National Petroleum Authority has rejected his claim insisting it is baseless.
A New Parotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful, Kennedy Agyapong, has slammed the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government over its decision to ban the importation of used cars into Ghana.
Ken Agyapong said that the decision by the government is totally wrong and was not well thought off.
Speaking at an event in a viral video shared by Graphic Online, on March 23, 2023, Mr Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, added that a lot of Ghanaians are going to lose their jobs because of the decision by the government.
“You cannot bring a year to five-year-old cars because VW is going to produce brand new cars in Ghana, because Nissan is going to produce brand new cars in Ghana.
“The direct tax (we are losing) through customs is more than anything in the country. Look at the number of people who are going to lose their jobs. How many jobs are these companies going to create? We didn’t sit down to analyse all these things, we just come out with policies, don’t bring used cars,” he said.
Ken Agyapong’s views on the vehicle assembly policy in Ghana and the effects on importation of vehicles pic.twitter.com/B80VsbIK1J
— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 23, 2023
He added that “Just this 2016, I bought 240 used pick-ups for NPP campaigns. Today, you are in power and you are telling Ghanaians not to buy used… what is the purchasing power of every Ghanaian in the country. How many people can afford new cars.”
The NPP flagbearer added that the government should have rather made the car manufacturers make Ghana their production hub for Africa.
Ghana’s National Media Commission (NMC) is concerned about the surge in misinformation in the country, following the emergence of social media.
The Commission thus wants stricter legislation instituted to check the rise of fake news due to social media.
Arguably, social media comes with a lot of benefits, including the fact that it allows for easy sharing and access to information. Nonetheless, it also comes with its own disadvantages which include dissemination of unverified and sometimes, false information.
With this, the NMC is concerned that the tool may undermine Freedom of expression.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr. George Sarpong, speaking at a public forum on Misinformation, Peace, and Democratic Consolidation in Ghana, in Accra on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, emphasised the need to protect the right to freedom of expression, without eroding the peace and security and democracy of the country.
He contended that the current spate of disinformation undermined the entire communications experience as well as the truth and the integrity of public discourse.
“The right to free expression is inalienable. It is something that we fought for, and we need to protect it. It is the foundation of all freedoms, so we need to protect it at all costs,” he said.
Stressing the need for Freedom of Expression to be “protected at all cost” he noted that it was prudent to keep harmful and unproductive content that may undermine the right to free expression under check.
“We need to look for methods that are effective, and constitutional. And that is the balancer we are calling for,” he said.
Additionally, he said the “global trend now is towards legislation. And we think that it is the way to go, but whatever law we put together must be democratic and consistent with the requirements of our Constitution.”
Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Samuel Dubik Masubir Mahama has indicated that the upsurge in the use of electrical gadgets is having a heavy toll on Ghanaians as this comes with increased use of power at a higher cost.
“We have enough power but we as a nation do not have to brag now because based on the grid impact assessment, and the taste of everybody, we are going to have double our power in about four to five years to come…because we are buying more electricity, our taste is what is also killing us”, he said.
According to Mr. Mahama, the frequent power interruption faced by the country for some time now has nothing to do with Ghana’s power generation but rather increased power consumption and the overloading of transformers.
He stated that overloading transformers by new settlers in a neighbourhood and new companies without recourse to the ECG is a contributing factor to the frequent power interruption.
He said Ghana has the highest record of electricity penetration in West Africa with the rural areas gradually being rolled onto the national grid.
Mr. Mahama admitted that Ghana is in a very comfortable state in terms of power generation to the point of exporting electricity to other countries including Togo, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
He said in as much as Ghana has enough power, the country has to double its power generation in the next four to five years because of high power or electricity consumption.
He further warned against illegal connection of meters and loading of transformers by unqualified electricians. He admitted that, though the official process of getting connected to the national grid takes a long time, it is the ideal standard for every customer to follow.
A dietician at the Meridian Medical Centre, Forzia Baidoo has cautioned Ghanaians against the consumption of putrefied fish, known in the Akan parlance as momoni, kako or koobi.
Momoni, literary translated as “stinking fish” is any fish left to start fermenting in tropical heat for 6–10 hours, then salted for 1–2 days and sun-dried, according to the oxford reference dictionary. Kako and koobi are Ghanaian traditional salted fish made from shark and tilapia respectively.
According to Baidoo, there is a strong correlation between the intake of salty foods and kidney diseases.
“There are certain foods that we do eat in Ghana here like the putrefied fishes, the ones we call momoni, kako, and koobi. They are all high in salt, so when you are consuming them, try to consume them in minimal amounts. They add flavour to the food but they do not add any nutrition to the food. They are dangerous flavours and cause a lot of harm to the kidney,” she explained.
The kidney is an important organ of the body and it is responsible for filtering waste from the human body into the blood. It also helps excrete excess water and maintains electrolyte balance in the body.
Despite the significance of the kidney to the body, kidney disease is the 10th leading cause of death in the world. The World Health Organization revealed that Ghana recorded over 4,000 deaths from kidney disease in 2020.
“Kidney disease does not present symptoms at the beginning unless you’ve lost up to 90% of your kidney function before you begin to see signs,” she disclosed.
Madam Baidoo admonished Ghanaians to develop the habit of eating a balanced diet which includes fruits and vegetables, legumes, animal and plant protein foods, and drinking a lot of water to stay healthy.
She was also Mother to Mrs. Patricia Christabel Kyerematen, Wife of Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen.
Madam Georgina Amoafi Kingsley-Nyinah’s love for Tennis started in her early years at the Adabraka Tennis Club and she maintained the passion throughout the years.
The climax of her competition career came in 1976 when she defeated Victoria Dowuona to win the Ghana Lawn Tennis Association Women’s Single Title.
She won the national title at the age of 44 and defeated her younger and powerful opponent who was 18 and pre-tournament favorite, prevailing over three sets of nail-biting tennis.
It was an extraordinary demonstration of skill, determination and strength of spirit which were the hallmarks of the career of the deceased.
It was the last competitive match of the woman known in Tennis circles as Auntie Georgina, who subsequently shifted from Social Tennis and also played Administrative roles in the Sport serving on the Board of the Ghana Lawn Tennis Club and on the National Sports Council for many years.
Kumawood actor Yaw Dabo visited the Black Stars camp in Kumasi ahead of the players’ first game on Thursday, March 24, 2023, in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
He met with some of the players as he recorded a video of them encouraging others to support his soccer academy.
He met with Black Stars captain Dede Ayew who urged others to support the Kumawood actor’s dream of being a successful club owner, He said:
Hi, this is Dede Ayew. Keep supporting Dabo Academy.
After he finished his statement, Yaw Dabo told his fans that since the current Black Stars Captain has endorsed his soccer academy, others should follow suit.
However, when it got to Inaki Williams’ turn to send a message to others, he struggled to mention the name of Dabo’s football club.
His fellow footballer, Gideon Mensah tried to save him as he popped up in the video.
The video got many people laughing hard as they flooded the comment section with laughing emojis.
Reactions as Inaki Williams tried to mention Yaw Dabo’s Soccer Academy in video
godfre_d remarked:
General William’s dierrr line b3n nu nu? he say kakamotobi
s_o_n_of_faith stated:
Inaki se de3n wo ho?
official_youth_king_ said:
Come to Ghana u say no. Look at what u are saying.
bra_bozen commented:
Inaki part weak me..wo s3 d3n???
iambokity opined:
See the effort and promo Dabo is putting in. He is going everywhere and doing everything. When the time comes for him to reap, haters will come and say shid.
China’s navy said on Thursday it had tracked and driven out a U.S. destroyer that unlawfully entered waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Milius violated Chinese territorial waters, according to a statement from the military, jeopardizing peace and security in the busy waterway.
According to Tian Junli, a spokeswoman for China’s Southern Theatre Command, “the theater forces will maintain a high state of readiness at all times and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
The U.S. Navy on Thursday disputed the Chinese military statement, saying the destroyer is conducting “routine operations” in the South China Sea and was not expelled.
“The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows,” a statement from the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet said.
The United States has been shoring up alliances in the Asia-Pacific seeking to counter China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing seeks to advance its territorial claims.
The entertainment industry is known for its cutthroat competition, and the pressure to succeed can be overwhelming for creatives.
While competition can be a healthy motivator for growth and progress, negative competition can significantly impact creatives in the film industry.
The latter, however, has been the woes of some creatives in the Ghanaian film industry, and believe are, it has hurt business and creative growth, somehow, hindering them from successfully competing with African counterparts in the industry.
Budding Ghanaian actress Halliote Sumney has also narrated her experience in a recent interview on #TheZone with Maame Animwaa on the industry’s unhealthy competition.
Ms Sumney has fairly described how the unhealthy competition among her colleagues in Ghana has had a toll on the growth of the film industry hence the gradual nose dive seen in the Ghanaian film industry.
She intimates that women in the Ghanaian movie industry are negatively competitive as compared to their Nigerian counterparts.
“But I think we are a bit too competitive in a negative way and we should come together, we can go really far”.
Ms Sumney described the respect accorded to her by Nigerians stemming from the good works her Ghanaian predecessors in the film industry had set among Nigerians
“When you go to Nigeria, and you say you are a Ghanaian Actress they have so much respect for you because of veterans who have set that path for us. So we should keep that ball rolling and do much better at supporting each other. Women in the Ghanaian movie industry must do better in supporting each other.”
The Ghanaian goddess also juxtaposed her experience working with Ghanaian actors with her experience working with Nigerian actors and believes Nigerians are more harmonious and efficient at supporting one another unlike few of her experiences in Ghana. She asserted that in Ghana’s film industry, negativity binds the hearts of many individuals which leads to the unhealthy competition which plagues the movie industry.
Ms Sumney wrapped up by sharing that she had a few surprise boxes for her fans and movie fanatics to unwrap in the coming months.
As she has been working with Ghanaian Executive film Producer, Enoch Atakorah to make that happen. She hopes to contribute to the positive growth of the Ghanaian film industry and pen down her legacy in the process.
For the first time ever, festive Ramadan lights have been displayed in London’s West End.
30,000 environmentally friendly lights that proclaim “Happy Ramadan” and have shimmering moons and stars were strung throughout Piccadilly Circus.
The stunning exhibit, which is the first of its kind in Europe, shows the moon’s phases throughout Ramadan.
The installation was sponsored by the nonprofit Ramadan Lights UK and paid for by contributions from the general population.
Aisha Desai, the founder, claimed that her appreciation of the capital’s holiday decorations served as her inspiration.
‘As a child, a trip into central London to see the festive lights was an annual treat,’ she said.
‘My sister and I would lie in the back of the car looking at the lights through the sunroof. It was magical.
Latest London news
‘As a proud Muslim, I wanted to bring some of that magic to my community… And three years ago, that journey began with Ramadan Lights.
The festive lights mark the start of the Ramadan period.The lights read ‘Happy Ramadan.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan officially switched on the lights (Picture: PA)
‘And our generous donors have helped us go from strength to strength.’
The lights were switched on by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, one of the city’s many Muslims celebrating Ramadan.
It is observed by 1.3 million Muslims across London and 3.8 million across the UK.
Muslims will fast this year during the daylight hours from March 22 to April 21.
Elsewhere across the capital, an open Iftar – breaking of the fast – will be held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington.
The museum has also erected a pop-up mosque and Ramadan pavilion for Muslims and non-Muslims.
And in a first for Chelsea FC, an open Iftar will be held at the side of the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Wembley Stadium are set to do the same later this month.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) of the Savannah Region has dismissed reports that former President John Dramani Mahama was booed at Damango during the outdooring of the new Yagbonwura in Damongo on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. They say the public should disregard a viral video suggesting so.
According to the NDC, Mr. Mahama was welcomed with cheers and loud applause as his brilliant speech touched the hearts and minds of his tribesmen, chiefs, and elders at the ceremony.
“There was absolutely no reason or cause for anyone whatsoever to hoot at President Mahama. The false narrative of being booed must be treated with contempt.
“It was observed that a small group of people who were part of unruly and uncouth supporters of the NPP were on the blind side of President Mahama and his delegation, shouting and recording themselves. In the process, the detachment of police and military personnel ensured that they remained where they were, without the people at the durbar hearing whatever they were saying,” the NDC Communications Officer for Savannah region explained in a statement.
Below is the full statement
We have taken notice of a video circulated by Koku Anyidoho on behalf of the Bawumia-led faction of the NPP.
The video and narration sought to create an impression that former President John Mahama was booed by his own tribesmen at the outdooring of our new Yagbonwura in Damongo on Tuesday.
Here are the facts:
1. As a Royal and a native of the Gonja Kingdom, President John Mahama attended the event as a son and grandson of the land.
2. HE John Mahama, after all the protocols, paying homage to the new Yagbonwura with his delegation, stepped forward to deliver his speech, which had nothing to do with politics but was full of wisdom, history, and the great traditions of the great Gonja Kingdom.
3. He was welcomed with cheers and a loud applause as his brilliant speech touched the hearts and minds of his tribesmen, chiefs, and elders at the ceremony.
4. There was absolutely no reason or cause for anyone whatsoever to hoot at President Mahama. The false narrative of being booed must be treated with contempt.
5. It was observed that a small group of people who were part of an unruly and uncouth supporters of the NPP were on the blind side of President Mahama and his delegation, shouting and recording themselves. In the process, the detachment of police and military personnel ensured that they remained where they were, without the people at the durbar hearing whatever they were saying.
6. These were NPP supporters bussed into Damongo by the NPP, obviously because of the Vice President’s feeling of insecurity and nervousness. A total of five buses transported these supporters from Tamale and Wa to cheer him.
7. However, we wish to state in the strongest terms possible that the deliberate attempts by the NPP to always bus people from other regions into the Savannah Region just to cause confusion, disorder and mayhem at public functions will no longer be tolerated, and this will be the last caution.
8. For the records, H.E John Mahama remains the only president with an enviable record of projects in the entire Gonja kingdom from Senior High Schools (E Blocks at Daboya, Mpaha and Bamboi etc), Hospitals (Sawla, Buipe and Bamboi district hospitals etc), roads (147km Fufulso-Sawla road, Datoyili – Buipe road etc), factories (Buipe shea nut, Daboya smock, Savanah cement factories etc), water projects (Ntereso water project etc) among others.
For maximum satisfaction and the avoidance of doubt, kindly find attached two videos- one of the arrivals of President Mahama at the durbar ground, and the other, the beautiful speech delivered by the former president as he was cheered on by the good people of the Savannah region and all present.
Regional Communications Officer Savannah Region NDC Damongo
The 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill confirms an already existing punishment of life in prison for same-sex conduct, while also increasing to 10 years the sentence for an attempt at same-sex conduct.
Violations draw severe penalties, including death for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ and life in prison for gay sex.
‘Aggravated homosexuality’ involves gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law.
People holding rainbow flags take part in the Gay Pride parade in Entebbe on August 8, 2015 (Picture: AFP)
It also creates new offences that will further curtail any activism on LGBTQ+ rights, which supporters say threaten traditional values in the conservative and religious nation.
Anyone advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, or financially supporting organisations that do so, could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The bill also criminalises any person who fails to report someone they suspect of participating in same-sex acts to the police, calling for a fine or imprisonment for six months.
Effectively, this targets families or friends of LGBTQ+ people failing to report their loved ones.
Member of Parliament from Bubulo contituency, John Musira, dressed in an anti-gay gown (Picture: Reuters)
‘Our creator God is happy [about] what is happening. I support the bill to protect the future of our children,’ lawmaker David Bahati said during a debate on the bill.
‘This is about the sovereignty of our nation, nobody should blackmail us, nobody should intimidate us.’
The legislation will be sent to president Yoweri Museveni to be signed into law.
Frank Mugisha, a prominent Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist denounced the legislation as ‘very extreme and draconian’.
‘It criminalises being an LGBTQ+ person. They are also trying to erase the entire existence of any LGBTQ+ Ugandan,’ he warned.
President Museveni has not commented on the current proposal but he has long opposed LGBTQ+ rights.
But in 2013 he signed an anti-LGBTQ law that was widely condemned by Western countries before a domestic court struck it down on procedural grounds.
An astute member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who is also eyeing the enviable slot of the party’s flagbearer, Kojo Bonsu, has decried the amount as presidential filing fees for the party.
The NDC recently announced a GH¢500,000 filing fee for all persons hoping to contest the party’s impending primaries to elect a new flagbearer.
So far, four names: John Dramani Mahama, Kojo Bonsu, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, and Ernest Kobeah, have picked up nomination forms, with a number of them accordingly going through their filing processes.
However, the former Mayor of Kumasi, Kojo Bonsu, believes that the charge is just too much.
“It is a lot of money. I do not support it. Does it mean that if I do not have that amount of money, but I have the capacity and I’m competent enough to run for the leadership of the party, I can’t contest? And this is a social democratic party?” he said to journalists when he filed his nomination forms on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, a report from citinewsroom.com said.
He, however, told his supporters that they should be rest assured of his intentions to go through with this, knowing that he is not backing down.
He also said that, unlike the last time he made an attempt to be the NDC’s flagbearer in 2018, this time, he would not disappoint his constituents.
“You got it all wrong. The last time (2018), I did not go further to pick and file a nomination, but today, I have paid GHC 500,000. Do you think I will drop and let it go? I am not that rich. So, I will contest, and my chances are very bright”, he said.
In 2018, Kojo Bonsu backed down on his decision to run for the NDC slot, announcing that he would rather support whoever emerged victorious at the end of the primaries.
Authorities reported that the teen who is accused of shooting two high school administrators on Wednesday morning was found dead close to his automobile.
Austin Lyle, a 17-year-old student suspected of shooting two deans at East High School in the Colorado city, had a body located in a remote, mountainous location about 50 miles south of Denver, according to the Park County Coroner’s Office.
During the hunt for the missing teen’s whereabouts in the forest, police, sheriff’s deputies, and FBI agents issued a shelter-in-place order to the locals of Bailey, Colorado.
They eventually found his car abandoned on a rural road around 4.30pm, then found his body a short distance away in the forest.
A flyer distributed by investigators during the six-hour-long search for Austin Lyle (Picture: AP)
His cause of death has not yet been determined, and police have not confirmed if they had recovered the weapon used in Wednesday’s shooting.
According to police, Lyle had a safety plan which required him to be searched by school administrators before attending classes each morning.
On Wednesday morning around 9.50am, he pulled out a gun and opened fire on two deans conducting the search.
Lyle was a recent transfer student at East High School. He had previously been expelled from Overland High School in 2021 after posting videos on social media with a gun, CBS News Colorado reported.
After other students reported the videos, Lyle was arrested after he was found to be in possession of a ‘ghost gun’ – an untraceable weapon with the serial numbers filed off.
After the shooting, Lyle fled from the school on foot. He was found over six hours after the incident.
Meanwhile, school administrators confirmed that armed police officers would return to guard East High School when students return for classes.
‘Today was my fourth visit to Denver Health’s Intensive Care Unit due to victims of gun violence,’ Denver Public Schools Superintendent Dr Alex Marrero said. ‘These events should not have happened on my watch or on the Board’s watch.’
Joseph DeRuvo Jr., from Norwalk, Connecticut, gave up on footwear over two decades ago, after getting painful bunions on his feet, and he has been walking around barefoot ever since.
59-year-old Joseph DeRuvo Jr. doesn’t remember the exact day he decided to shun footwear for good, but he recalls that it was about five years before the first Apple iPhone came out (2002). He had developed bunions on both feet, which hurt when he went jogging in tight running shoes. A doctor recommended surgery to relieve the pain, but before being scheduled for the procedure, the former photographer decided to go barefoot because the pain in his feet was so intense. As he considered the surgery, DeRuvo Jr. learned that the screws that were to be inserted into his feet contained a metal he was allergic to, and he also realized that he was feeling much better. In the end, he passed on the surgery and decided to adopt a barefoot lifestyle.
“The tactile feedback just kind of makes everything else going on feel a little bit smoother,” Joseph recently told The New York Times.
But simply shunning footwear for good isn’t as simple as it sounds. We may be born barefoot, but as a respectable adult living in the United States, you are kind of expected to wear shoes when going out. Which is why Joseph DeRuvo Jr. and his wife Lini Ecker “get thrown out of a lot of places”. People apparently don’t feel comfortable around someone who is barefoot, even if they are otherwise acting completely normal, and they will complain to the management of whatever establishment they are in.
Because certain situations require him to have shoes on, such as going out with friends at restaurants that he knows he can’t go into barefoot, Joseph jas a pair of loose sandals in his car, but he only puts them on when he absolutely has to. Otherwise, he prefers to go barefoot, even in the extreme heat of summer, or on freezing winter days. He claims that nothing is as painful as walking on chemically treated, ice-melting salt in winter, adding that the experience has given him a lot of sympathy for dogs.
DeRuvo often gets asked about the danger of getting sharp objects stuck in his callused soles, but he says that the benefits far outweigh the risks, and that walking barefoot simply means that he has to be more careful when he’s out and about.
It’s disciplined movement,” he told CBC’s Asi It Happens. “I mean, it doesn’t allow you to be absent-minded when you’re walking around. You have to be conscious where you’re stepping and where you’re placing your foot and how you’re rolling off your foot.”
Apart from his medical reasons for going barefoot, Joseph DeRuvo Jr. claims that he has gotten so used to walking barefoot that whenever he doesn’t feel the ground beneath his feet he always gets a little edgier than normal. When his feet make direct contact with the ground, he always feels literally more grounded.
DeRuvo, who describes himself as a religious man, also cites the Bible as an inspiration for his unusual lifestyle choice, particularly the Old Testament story of God speaking to Moses from the bush, where he says ‘Take off your sandals, this ground is holy’. He tries to take that as far as he can…
Joseph certainly isn’t the only person to adopt a barefoot lifestyle, but he has been doing it for a lot longer than most.
A man has appeared in court on charges that he castrated other males and posted the video on his “eunuch maker” website.
The removal of his victims’ penises and testicles is among the drastic body changes that Marius Gustavson and eight other people are accused of doing on their victims.
The group would record the operations and publish them to Gustavson’s eunuch maker website, where users would pay to view the treatments, London Magistrates Court was informed on Wednesday.
Gustavson, who is originally from Norway, is said to have been the ringleader of the wide-ranging conspiracy, which involved up to 29 offences involving extreme body modifications, the removal and trade of body parts, and the uploading of illicit videos.
The Metropolitan Police said the charges relate to 13 alleged victims.
Raids were carried out in London, Scotland and South Wales on Wednesday morning and a total of nine men later appeared in courts in central London and Wales over the alleged six-year plot, which is said to have brought in some £200,000 in income.
Gustavson, from Tottenham, north London, is charged with conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent between January 1 2016 and January 1 last year, along with five counts of causing GBH to five alleged victims.
The GBH charges include the removal of a man’s penis, the clamping of another’s testicles and freezing of a leg which required amputation.
He is further charged with acquiring or possessing criminal property, making an indecent image of a child and distributing an indecent image of a child.
The court heard Gustavson, who appeared in the dock in a wheelchair, has had his own leg, penis and nipple removed.
He appeared alongside Peter Wates, 65, from Croydon, in south London, who is charged with conspiracy to cause GBH with intent.
Wates is alleged to have been involved with nine of the 29 incidents while Romanian national Ion Ciucur, 28, who works in a hotel in Gretna Green, Scotland, is said to have been involved in two.
Ciucur, who appeared separately, faces the same count of conspiracy to cause GBH and all three men were remanded in custody ahead of their next appearance at the Old Bailey on April 19.
Three other men – David Carruthers, 60, Janus Atkin, 37, and Ashley Williams, 31 – who are all from Newport, in Gwent, South Wales, appeared at Newport Magistrates’ Court, charged with being involved in the same conspiracy.
They were granted bail and will appear at the Old Bailey on the same date for a plea hearing.
Nathan Arnold, 47, from South Kensington, west London, Damien Byrnes, 35, from Tottenham, north London, and Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 22, from Epsom, Surrey, also appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday each charged with a single offence of causing GBH with intent.
Arnold is alleged to have removed Gustavson’s nipple, Byrnes is accused of removing his penis and Crimi-Appleby is accused of freezing his leg requiring amputation.
They were each granted bail and will also appear at the Old Bailey with their co-defendants next month.
None of them have entered pleas to any of the charges.
The group is said to have been part of a society in which people willingly undergo extreme body modification.
The practice is linked to a subculture where men become ‘nullos’, short for genital nullification, by having their penis and testicles removed.
The Met said in a statement: ‘We encourage anyone who has had similar experiences to seek medical advice from their local sexual health clinic or GP.’
I chanced on this important study in the men’s health article in the Times of India(2018) and I would to share it with you.
We cannot be wiser than God indeed. Well, today, the craze for body enhancement in both males and females has dominated the airwaves. But we don’t also look at the negative aspect of these body enhancements. We look at the interlocutory benefits.
One well Studies from researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Harvard University investigated the link between male body image issues and mental health.
A researcher interviewed 2,460 men aged 18-32 about their gym habits, and about 10% of them have “body-image disorder.” They found that body-obsessed men have a higher risk of not only depression but also weekend binge drinking, and using illegal supplements, including anabolic steroids.
With this disorder, they will feel guilty when missing out on one workout even while they are in excellent shape; they will still feel the need to be thinner.
Apart from that, 6 Pack Abs Interfere With Your Breathing. Your breathing consists of your lungs, diaphragm, and accessory respiratory muscles. The “Rectus Abdominis Muscle,” what we know as the 6-pack, is directly connected to the lower part of your ribcage.
When your abs are in a contracted state, it will further pull your ribcage down and restrict the free gliding movement of the lungs and interfere with your breathing.
6-Packs?
The term “six-pack’” typically refers to the rectus abdominis muscle. Flynn and Vickerton, nd) explained that the rectus abdominis muscle runs from the sternum to the pubic bone and is responsible for dynamically flexing the spine forward. Some Studies have shown, though, that this muscle is not necessarily effective as a stabilizer of the spine(Kim and Lee 2017; Stokes et al. 2011).
Tyler Read(2021) explained in his article that, The moniker “six-pack” comes from its appearance of visible rows of 4–8 distinct muscular segments that you can see on individuals with relatively low body fat.
Although many additional important muscles comprise your core, the rectus abdominis is the most superficial one.
As such, it’s the muscle that gives chiseled abs their distinct appearance. Likewise, because it’s the outermost layer of ab muscle, it does not do much in terms of stability of the spinal column.
Visibility of 6-Pack
The major issue that has to do with six-pack visibility is the amount of subcutaneous body fat store around the stomach.
We have been advised that the fact that one does not have visible six-pack abdominals doesn’t mean our core is weak, or even that you are carrying excess weight.
Traditionally, visible six-pack abs need a body fat percentage far lower than that required for general health benefits.
One study(Branco et al. 2018) recommended that a normal range for body fat percentage is 17.6–25.3% in males and 28.8–35.7% in females.
There is no universally accepted body fat percentage at which six-packs become visible, typical ballpark ranges are 10–12% body fat for men and 16–20% body fat for women.
Besides, Tyler Read(2021) opined that these figures are too low for those needed for optimal general health and fitness despite the popular association between visible abs and optimal fitness.
This notwithstanding, he pointed to one article by Harvard Health that asserts that the excess visceral fat, which is located deeper in the abdomen and surrounds our organs, is far more dangerous to our health than excess subcutaneous fat, which lies just under our skin and coves our muscles from the outside.
Hence, he believes that more levels of visceral fat may not affect the visibility of the six-pack to the same extent as subcutaneous fat, even though excess visceral fat is a greater health concern.
Also, genetics as well influences where you store body fat, which greatly influences the specific body fat percentage at which your abs will be visible. Tyler Read(2021) notes that If one store more fat in the hips, the abs will be visible at higher body fat percentages and vice versa.
Lifestyle factors, such as sleep and stress levels, also affect fat gains, which will affect the visibility of your abs.
He justified this with one study by Cooper et al. (2018) that found regularly sleeping less than 7 hours was linked with greater rates of obesity and weight gain. They also found that sleep deprivation has negative effects on ghrelin, leptin, and insulin, which are key hormones for regulating hunger and fat storage in the body.
Another study by Valk et al.(2018) found that higher stress levels, as reflected by greater glucocorticoid activity, were also associated with increased rates of obesity.
Despite the above factors, a surplus calorie intake will typically lead to fat gains over time, which will decrease the visibility of your six-pack — independent of any other factors.
Should 6 Packs be the major goal in exercise?
Read says had this to say: “While it’s OK to strive for aesthetic fitness goals like having visible abs, the truth is that your core and abdominals play a much more important role than just being nice to look at. The rectus abdominis is just one of many muscles in the so-called core, which is a series of muscles that span the hips to the thoracic spine and include superficial and deep layers, as well as different muscles along the front, side, and back of your lower torso. Collectively, the core muscles stabilize the spine and allow it to bend and twist as required for functional activities. The biggest benefits of core training have nothing to do with visible abdominals. Furthermore, the abdominals are just one of many core muscles you should target in your routine”.
He further says: Additional core muscles that play a vital role include:
transverse abdominis
multifidus
diaphragm
pelvic floor
internal and external obliques
quadratus lumborum
A large body of evidence supports core training for a variety of improved outcomes across different populations.
For instance, Hsu et al. (2018) study found that 4 weeks of core strength training enhanced performance on sudden perturbation tasks, which correlates to our ability to catch ourselves and stand upright when we’re about to fall over.
Also, another study by Hung et al. (2019) found that for athletic performance, additional research found that an 8-week core training program enhanced static balance, core endurance, and running economy in college running athletes.
Finally, Chang et al.(2015) study on core training and low back pain found that all core routines studied enhanced lower back pain. Frequent ones that targeted the deeper core muscles, such as the transverse abdominis and multifidus, had the greatest positive effects on lower back pain.
Read finally summed it all: “It’s worth noting that training the core may help build more muscle mass in that region, which will add more contour to your six-pack and potentially allow it to be visible at slightly higher body fat levels.
However, you will still need to have relatively low body fat for this effect to occur, and the main reasons to train the core have more to do with performance and health benefits rather than aesthetic appearances”.
In conclusion, getting six packs alone is not enough and researchers believe that those who engaged in them have no confidence in themselves, they drink more as well and have mental health issues leading to depression because they are not happy with their natural bodies.
Also, six-packs don’t automatically make you fit, but they also don’t mean you’re underweight or addicted to exercise. Those abs aren’t great correlations for much of anything and these are not markers of health and wellness.
NB: Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups. My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.
The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, a Medical Journalist, and a science writer. President, Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT), African Naturopathic Foundation, Ashaiman, Ghana. E. mail: professor40naturopathy@gmail.com.
References
Kim BJ, Lee SK. Effects of three spinal stabilization techniques on activation and thickness of abdominal muscle. J Exerc Rehabil. 2017 Apr 30;13(2):206-209. doi: 10.12965/jer.1734900.450. PMID: 28503534; PMCID: PMC5412495.
Stokes IA, Gardner-Morse MG, Henry SM. Abdominal muscle activation increases lumbar spinal stability: analysis of contributions of different muscle groups. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2011 Oct;26(8):797-803. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2011.04.006. Epub 2011 May 14. PMID: 21571410; PMCID: PMC3157598
Cooper CB, Neufeld EV, Dolezal BA, Martin JL. Sleep deprivation and obesity in adults: a brief narrative review. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2018 Oct 4;4(1):e000392. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000392. PMID: 30364557; PMCID: PMC6196958.
Branco BHM, Bernuci MP, Marques DC, Carvalho IZ, Barrero CAL, de Oliveira FM, Ladeia GF, Júnior NN. Proposal of a normative table for body fat percentages of Brazilian young adults through bioimpedanciometry. J Exerc Rehabil. 2018 Dec 27;14(6):974-979. doi: 10.12965/jer.1836400.200. PMID: 30656157; PMCID: PMC6323334.
van der Valk ES, Savas M, van Rossum EFC. Stress and Obesity: Are There More Susceptible Individuals? Curr Obes Rep. 2018 Jun;7(2):193-203. doi: 10.1007/s13679-018-0306-y. PMID: 29663153; PMCID: PMC5958156.
Hsu SL, Oda H, Shirahata S, Watanabe M, Sasaki M. Effects of core strength training on core stability. J Phys Ther Sci. 2018 Aug;30(8):1014-1018. doi: 10.1589/jpts.30.1014. Epub 2018 Jul 24. PMID: 30154592; PMCID: PMC6110226.
Chang WD, Lin HY, Lai PT. Core strength training for patients with chronic low back pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Mar;27(3):619-22. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.619. Epub 2015 Mar 31. PMID: 25931693; PMCID: PMC4395677.
Hung KC, Chung HW, Yu CC, Lai HC, Sun FH. Effects of 8-week core training on core endurance and running economy. PLoS One. 2019 Mar 8;14(3):e0213158. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213158. PMID: 30849105; PMCID: PMC6407754.
Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, has taken to social media to mark her 27th wedding anniversary with her husband, Captain Matthew Ekeinde.
The actress, while celebrating their anniversary, ceased the occasion to also wish the Captain a glorious happy birthday.
Omotola added that although they have been married for 27 years, they are yet to get into the second phase of their union.
While reiterating her endless love for the Captain, she added that their youngest child is 27 years hence they wouldn’t need parental guidance anymore.
She wrote: “Happy birthday my Forever HoneyBoy… And… Happy Anniversary to us. 27 years and we only just about to get into phase 2 ! Last kiddo now 21… no more PG …. Ready Love? ♥️ U Endlessly
Her post generated reactions from social media users as it appeared that Omotola’s husband had a tattoo of the actress name “Omosexy” on his arm
chii.ogbu: “The omosexy tattoo, they’re locked in fr”
abimbolaadeoye.c: ” I no go talk Wetin Dey my mind “
ivapaisly: “Congratulations to them, it’s not easy to be a top celebrity and still maintain marriage. God will continue to give both of them the strength to carry on the families affair”
anita_ifeoma: “his marriage thing ehh. Some people dey enjoy am”
chizzyalichi: “Sweetest love happy Anniversary my faves”
empressnjamah: “HWA TO YOU BOTH ,many more blessed years ahead”
yollie_maz: “Last kiddo 21…No more PG hahahaha that’s a caption right there”
Former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has taken a swipe at critics who are discrediting government’s flagship programme Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ).
According to him, critics of the programme are being ignorant and must not be tolerated.
However, in his view, despite the initiative’s challenges, it had some positive results, including the prevention of food shortages in Ghana.
Speaking in an interview with Kwamina Sam Biney on Angel FM/TV’s Anopa Bofo morning show on Wednesday, March 22, he said due to the intervention of the programme; there was hunger-free in Ghana during the coronavirus era, despite the hunger menace hitting some countries globally.
He noted that the attribution of the recent hikes in food prices by some sections of the public to the Planting for Foods and Jobs policy is just “hostile.”
The agriculture sector growth, he stated, had declined as low as below 3 percent under the then-main opposition National Democratic Congress government, but the implementations of some key policies during his tenure under the Akufo-Addo government have seen massive growth.
Dr. Akoto supported his argument, saying, “we had an annual growth of 4.7 percent in 2019, 7.4 percent in 2020, and 8.4 percent in 2021.
“If someone tells you that there’s a hike in food prices, so therefore, the Planting for Foods and Jobs is a failed policy, tell the person I said he doesn’t know what he is saying,” the former minister added.
He reminded his critics that the programme included five modules [tree crop, horticulture, livestock, farm mechanization, and the PFJ itself], and to that end, using the setback of one module as a yardstick to judge the entire programme as unsuccessful is unjustifiable.
Whiles bidding for his presidential ambition, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture said when offered the nod as the country’s president, he would provide the requisite resources through the sector and tap the willingness of the hardworking Ghanaian farmer to ensure that the potential of the sector was reaped for the socio-economic development of the nation.
Planting for Food and Jobs
The concept of the agricultural flagship programme – Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) – policy was introduced by the NPP government to address the declining growth in the country’s agricultural sector.
It was launched on April 19, 2017, at Goaso in the Ahafo Region and spearheaded by the then Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, to, among others, encourage Ghanaians to take farming more seriously than in the recent past and aims to make farming once more a respectable and profitable venture and create jobs.
This was made known by the current leadership of the church when they informed the membership about the upcoming one-week celebration of the passing of the late preacher.
“When we went to Otumfuo’s Ankobiahene Baffour, something came up that we need to explain to avoid any misrepresentation. What happened was that Maame Yaa Asantewaa was called but she refused to honour the invitation and the Ankobiahene based on that and the fact that the family has not officially invited her to a funeral ruled that she cannot perform the widowhood rites. So on that note, Maame Yaa Asantewaa is not invited to the one-week celebration, “ the church leadership said amidst a resounding jubilation by the members in a video shared by Oman Channel.
The leadership explained that the decision by the Ankobiahene of the Otumfuo, Baffour Kusi was a result of the failure of Mrs Boakye to honour an invitation from the chief’s palace for a meeting on the funeral arrangements.
“This decision is not from us, the church or the family. We all met there as the family, church and children and we are aware she was also invited but failed to come without giving any reason to the chief. So the chief based on that to rule on the subject,” the leadership said.
The church leaders also announced that the one-week observation will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023, at the premises of RPNGC on the Accra-Kasoa road.
“The family, the church leadership and the children have met at Otumfuo’s Ankobiahene’s palace and we have all agreed that our father’s one-week celebration will be held on March 31, 2023,” the leadership said.
The renowned man of God passed away on Tuesday night February 21, 2023, at the Korle bu Teaching Hospital.
Prior to his demise, Reverend Boakye had been ill since November 2021, and his absence from the church brought about a power struggle between his wife on one hand and the leadership of RPNGC on another.
The pastor while on his sick bed had on multiple occasions accused his wife and her family of attempting to cause him public ridicule.
In August 2022, Mrs Boakye was captured in CCTV footage engaging some leaders of the church in a heated confrontation.
The video showed an angry Mrs Boakye attempting to assault the leaders of the church over some donations made by the members of the church during a service.
Widowhood rites in Ghana refers to some rites performed by and for a bereaved married woman. The rites in a long determine the legitimacy of a wife in the eyes of her husband’s family and her right to inheritance.
The practice also serves as an opportunity for the bereaved woman to honour her late husband.
A powerful warlord close to Putin has demanded that Russia use nuclear weapons against the UK for providing depleted uranium shells to Kyiv.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, made a public appearance once more last week amid rumors that he had been poisoned.
Since then, he has claimed to be “absolutely” healthy, despite being a little bloated, and has resumed his irrational rants in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He asserted that “Western nations have long been open about their derogatory rhetoric toward Russia.”
‘They have even managed to “reassure” everyone that it is not radioactive uranium.
‘In Russia there are a thousand times fewer fools who are not aware of the properties of heavy metal.’
He warned: ‘I will not mention consequences of usage of such dirty shells….’
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is Putin’s deputy in the Kremlin security council (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov at the Kremlin on March 13, 2023 (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Kadyrov then urged Putin to ‘demonstrate once to the West the consequences of uranium contamination on their own territories – then the desire to argue about this topic will disappear by itself.’
Meanwhile, ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, who is now Putin’s deputy in the Kremlin’s high-powered security council, defended the bloody war and claimed Ukraine was part of Russia.
While he admitted Putin is acting like gangster Al Capone in Ukraine, he blamed the west and warned the conflict could go on for ‘decades’.
‘As we know, a kind word and a gun brings more results than a kind word alone – this is attributed to Al Capone, although he never said it,’ Medvedev said.
‘But it is unfortunately an immutable fact of modern political life…’
Medvedev has his finger on Russia’s nuclear button and warned any attempt to arrest Putin for war crimes would be seen as a declaration of war.
Putin’s warlord pal urges nuclear attack on UK over depleted uranium ammo
Leading Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said Putin is acting like gangster Al Capone in Ukraine (Picture: autolada.ru/East2West News)
The UN and multiple human rights agencies have detailed a ‘vast network’ of detention facilities and convoys in which civilians are systematically forced out of their homes by invading Russian soldiers.
The warrant seeks to haul him before a tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, for allegedly trafficking Ukrainian children from occupied territories into Russia.
‘Let us imagine – obviously, this is a situation that will never come to be, yes – but let us imagine that it has indeed happened,’ Medvedev said.
‘An incumbent president of a nuclear power comes to, for example, Germany, and got arrested.
‘What is it? A declaration of war against the Russian Federation.
‘In this case, all our means [firepower] will fly to the Bundestag, the chancellor’s office and so on.’
Ghanaian musician, Rocky Dawuni, has spoken about his perspective on awards and recognition within the music industry.
In a Graphic Showbiz report, Rocky underlined that he does not view any accolades, especially those given by the VGMA (Vodafone Ghana Music Awards), as a competition but rather as a celebration of the talent and labour of artists.
“Awards are not competition for me, including that of VGMA. It is a recognition of the works that artistes have created and an opportunity to honour and celebrate each one’s creativity.
“It is always a good feeling for me to stand alongside my friends and brothers. That is why I don’t regard the VGMA as competition,” he said.
The Jerusalem artiste also expressed gratitude for his recent nomination at the VGMA and acknowledged his fellow nominees as strong contenders.
Reflecting on his career in music, Dawuni noted that the past year has been particularly fulfilling, with his third Grammy nomination for the song “Neva Bow Down” and a host of concerts around the world.
He believes that his work has not only contributed to enhancing his personal profile but also increased the presence of Ghanaian music around the world.
“Of course, they are very strong contenders, but I’m certain there is no better time than now to have this nomination. That is why I am always filled with gratitude for all my blessings.
“The year under review has been amazing for me as a musician, with my third Grammy nomination for the song Neva Bow Down, and playing a host of concerts around the world. It has contributed to enhancing my personal profile and shooting up the presence of Ghanaian music around the world in many ways,” he told Graphic Showbiz.
Aside from his music career, Rocky Dawuni is also known for his humanitarian work with the United Nations, where he serves as the Regional UN Goodwill Ambassador.
His music often reflects his passion for social justice and positive change, with songs like “In Ghana,” “Jammin Nation,” “Jerusalem” and “Akwaaba” addressing issues such as inequality and unity.
A popular Nigerian politician; Ike Ekweremadu, has been convicted together with his wife and a doctor for engaging in organ trafficking.
The 60-year-old former deputy president of the Nigerian senate, his wife; 56, and the said doctor; Dr. Obinna Obeta; 51, are said to have conspired to facilitate the travel of a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London, with the intent of exploiting him for his kidney.
The 3, through this, sought to get the young man whose name is withheld for legal reasons, to become a donor for the senator’s daughter who was sick, a report by UK’s portal; theguardian.com said.
The senator’s daughter; Sonia Ekweremadu reportedly had a kidney disease which forced her to drop out of Newcastle University where she was pursuing a master’s degree in film.
Breaking down the details of the incident, Prosecutor, Hugh Davies KC told the court that in February 2022, the man was sent to the Royal Free Hospital in London where he was falsely presented to a private renal unit as a cousin of Sonia (the Senator’s daughter) so that they could perform an 80,000 Euro transplant.
The medical secretary at the hospital was then paid to act as an Igbo translator between the parties (the man and the doctors) to help convince them that he was a selfless donor.
The prosecutor further told the court that Ekweremadu, his wife and the doctor, treated the said man and other potential donors as “disposable assets – spare parts for reward” and then entered an “emotionally cold commercial transaction” with him.
Prosecutor Davies further noted that the Senator who owns several properties and had a staff of 80, by this act, “agreed to reward someone for a kidney for his daughter – somebody in circumstances of poverty and from whom he distanced himself and made no inquiries, and with whom, for his own political protection, he wanted no direct contact”.
Davies added: “What he agreed to do was not simply expedient in the clinical interests of his daughter, Sonia, it was exploitation, it was criminal. It is no defence to say he acted out of love for his daughter.
Her clinical needs cannot come at the expense of the exploitation of somebody in poverty.”
His actions were against Nigeria’s laws against organ trafficking which he (Ekweremadu) helped draw up, the prosecutor maintained, adding that it sowed “entitlement, dishonesty, and hypocrisy,” the prosecutor told the jury.
After a six-week trial at the Old Bailey, on Thursday, March 23, the jury found them guilty of conspiring to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London for exploitation and for defying modern slavery legislation.
His daughter however was declared not guilty.
Background from mynigeria
It was gathered that medics at the London Royal Free Hospital rejected the man, saying he was not a suitable match for Sonia.
During a cross-examination, Ekweremadu was asked why he did not find a suitable match among his family members.
Ekweremadu responded saying it wasn’t an option for them.
Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC quizzed Ekweremadu why he failed to ask one of the specialists he consulted at the Royal Free if one of his family can donate kidney.
The former senator said he had limited intelligence, although the prosecuted described his response as false.
The judge asked Ekweremadu why he did not ask one of his daughter’s cousins to donate rather than risk a person he is unaware about.
He responded that he made an agreement through agents to recruit a donor who would donate a kidney to his daughter for a reward.
Ekweremadu also denied trying to transfer his daughter to from UK hospital to Turkey to seek medical care and under the transplant.
He told the court that he was the victim of a scam. His wife, Beatrice denied any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy.
However, WhatsApp messages showed to the court revealed that Obeta charged Ekweremadu 4.5m naira (about £8,000) made up of an “agent fee” and a “donor fee”.
Ekweremadu and Obeta admitted falsely claiming the man was Sonia’s cousin in his visa application and in documents presented to the hospital.
The judge, said Ekweremadu failed to hid to medical advice to find a donor for his daughter among genuine family members.
He said: “At no point in time was there ever any intention for a family member close, medium or distant to do what could be paid for from a pool of donors.”
Six decades after their parents called off their engagement, a couple of young sweethearts have finally exchanged vows.
Even though Len Allbrighton, 79, and Jeanette Steer, 78, had a very difficult time getting together, they are now more joyful than ever.
When Len was 19 and Jeanette was 18, they first met in 1963.
They claimed to have fallen in love at first sight while working as student nurses at St. Mary’s Hospital in Newport, on the Island of Wight.
Soon after they first met, Len proposed to her by getting down on one knee. Nevertheless, destiny had other ideas.
After Jeanette accepted his proposal, he moved to Australia, planning to buy a plot of land and build a house for them to live in once they were married.
However, the age of consent at the time was 21, and Jeanette was three years too young.
Her mum and dad put a stop to the planned wedding, and Len received a heartbreaking letter calling off the engagement while he was living down under.
Len Allbrighton in 1963, during his Isle of Wight years ahead of the move to Australia.
Over the next 50 years, Len married a woman in Australia, had three children, divorced, and moved to Stevenage where he worked as a district nurse.
Jeanette, meanwhile, stayed on the Isle of Wight to also become a nurse, then got married to a naval officer and had two kids.
She was retired and still with her husband when Len decided to track down his old flame by travelling to Newport and looking up her address using the electoral roll in the local library.
He said: ‘I was daunted, not knowing what her reaction would be or if I would even see her.
‘I went on the off chance. It was not an easy place to find but I did.
‘I just hoped she was ok – I didn’t expect anything else.’
Len took this picture of Jeannette Wild, as she was then known, in Godshill on the Isle of Wight in May 1963.
Len stood by her garden fence looking at the house, when Jeanette – not recognising him 52 years older and sporting a beard – asked who he was.
She said: ‘I nearly died when I realised it was him standing by my garden fence.
‘I was glad he looked me up. I thought of him a lot at the time.’
At the time, she sent her former fiance away and told her husband he was a stranger asking for directions.
But two years later, Jeanette’s husband died from cancer, and she reached back out to Len using an address he’d included on a Christmas card the year before.
In 2018, she agreed to move up to Stevenage to live with him, and last year Len once again got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a customs officer and two others accused of stealing gold valued at USD4,303,234.00 belonging to GND Global Trading LLC.
Emmanuel Dwamena, 37, the Customs Officer, Abdul Karim Lakoh, 38, and Seth Dzamesi, 43, both businessmen, denied conspiring to steal the 75 kilos of gold bars.
They would be brought back to the Court on March 27, 2023.
Meanwhile, their accomplice, George Asamoah, is on the run.
Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Evans Kesse, said the Complainants: Abdallah Ali, Farhad Sami, and Zev Volf, were citizens of the United Arab Emirates and Australia, respectively. Lakoh is a Sierra Leonean, as Dzamesi, a Ghanaian, claimed to be a businessman, residing at Tantra hills, and Dwamena, the customs officer, also a Ghanaian, resided at Kasoa, and Asamoah was at large.
He said in March 2023, the complainants went to Sierra Leone to buy Gold, and Lakoh, who was among the people who sold the gold to the complainants, promised to assist the complainants from Sierra Leone through Ghana on transit to Dubai with the gold.
DSP Kesse said on March 16, 2023, the Complainants and Lakoh arrived at the Kotoka International Airport with Sky Airline with their personal belongings, including 75 kilos of gold bars.
However, when the complainants landed at Kotoka International Airport Ghana, Lakoh managed to come out from the arrival hall, and Asamoah, now at large on cell phone 0269736510 and Asamoah came to the Airport in a black Range Rover vehicle to pick Lakoh out of the arrival hall.
The Court heard that they met Dzamesi, who was also using customs branded Toyota Hilux Pickup with registration number GX stole the bag containing the 75kg of the gold bars and kept it in the Toyota pickup.
He said whilst the complainants were at the transit arrival hall, an Immigration officer sneaked the complainants from the arrival hall and handed them over to Dwamena at the departure hall and he drove them to a supposed customs bonded warehouse at East Legon, Accra with House No.18 Shamo Kwei Avenue, to meet Dzamesi who posed as a customs officer.
The prosecution said the bag containing the 75 kilos of gold bars was sent to his office, where Dzamesi forced the complainants out of his office after taking the gold. Dwamena drove the complainants back to the Airport and abandoned them.
At the Airport, the Court heard that Lakoh attempted to escape but he was arrested and handed over to the Airport Police for investigation.
Further background checks on Lakoh indicated that the whole gold scandal started in Sierra Leone and with the help of Dwamena and Asamoah who happen to be their Ghanaian accomplices, they succeeded in stealing the 75 kilos of gold bars from Kotoka International Airport.
He said the accused persons admitted the offence in their cautioned statement that they hatched the plan from Sierra Leone and with the assistance of the Ghanaian accomplices in Ghana to steal the gold. Efforts are being made to arrest the other accomplices.
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