President of the Ophthalmologist Society of Ghana, Dr. Dzifa-Bella Ofori-Adjei, has cautioned against the use of eye drops as treatment for glaucoma.
She says eye drop is not a remedy to glaucoma. Rather, they are meant for the medical management of the disease to prevent its progression.
Speaking on the GTV Breakfast Show, she stated that some patients get discouraged from the daily administration of eye drops without being healed.
“You put the drops in the eye every single day, and that is the difficulty for people. The drops do not cure the disease. It does not bring back the lost vision. It maintains the vision you have,” she explained.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve.
Dr. Ofori-Adjei also stated that Ghana has one of the highest prevalences of glaucoma, adding that a 2015 study showed that blindness in one out of five people is caused by glaucoma.
She made these statements to mark World Glaucoma Week (March 12–18, 2023). She encouraged Ghanaians to have their eyes checked at the hospital to aid in early detection and slow the progression of glaucoma.
Fiona Beal, 49, is accused of killing and disposing of her partner Nicholas Billingham after she called in sick to work and claimed to have Covid.
After a run of infidelity over their 17-year relationship, when one of the women he slept with became pregnant and gave birth to his child, she supposedly thought he was cheating on her once more.
Prosecutors said Beal had stabbed the 42-year-old in her bedroom, bought items from B&Q, then buried him in her garden.
The jury heard she then left a ‘chilling’ journal at a rental property in the Lake District, detailing how she had committed a murder – and blaming it on a dark alter ago she called Tulip22.
The Year 6 teacher was arrested in March last year, after police discovered Mr Billingham’s body under carpet wrapped in a bedsheet, duvet and cable ties and buried in her back garden in Kingsley, Northampton.
The 42-year-old builder had been missing since the end of October 2021, with the jury being told the murder was likely to have taken place on November 1.
Prosecutor Steven Perian KC said: ‘She believed he was cheating on her again.
‘Instead of leaving him, she worked out a plan on how and when to kill him, where to conceal his body, how to cover up and explain his disappearance to others and to explain her own absence from work when she killed him.’
Fiona Beal’s defence argues Nick Billingham, 42, was ‘psychologically domineering’
After the alleged murder, Mr Perian said Beal had ‘carried on with her normal life as if nothing had happened’, repainting the bedroom to cover the blood spatters.
The jury at Northampton Crown Court heard Beal had sent messages from Mr Billingham’s phone following his death, pretending to be him and claiming he had also caught Covid.
She had later checked in to the High Borrans Lodges near Windermere, Mr Perian said, where police first spoke to her.
A fellow teacher at Eastfield Academy had raised concerns with officers after Beal was found to have lied about being absent due to the coronavirus, the court was told.
Forensic officers at Fiona Beal’s house after Mr Billingham’s body was discovered in the garden (Picture: PA)
The prosecutor said Beal told police she had been looking for some ‘some peace and quiet’.
Three days after they left, she sent a message to her family saying: ‘I am so sorry. I love you all very much.’
Police returned to find a suspected suicide note and Beal lying in the bath with her wrists cut. She was then sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
The court heard officers also found a blue notebook, which detailed the planning and killing of a man.
Mr Perian read an excerpt, which said the behaviour of Mr Billingham ‘fuelled my dark side – I call her Tulip22, she’s reckless, fearless and efficient’.
Nicholas Billingham’s body was found buried in the garden of Fiona Beal’s house in Northampton (Picture: PA)
It continued: ‘I started plotting as Tulip22 after he’d gone to bed.
‘I got used to sleeping downstairs and waited for him to go to bed and then got high and let Tulip22 out. Halloween sealed it. He was vile. That night I planned.’
The notebook then allegedly describes how, on November 1: ‘He (Billingham) had been pushing for sex. I encouraged the bath with the incentive of sex afterwards.
‘While he was in the bath I kept the knife in my dressing gown pocket and then hid it in the drawer next to the bed.
‘I brought a chisel, bin bag and cable ties up too. I got him to wear an eye mask. It was harder than I thought it would be.
‘Hiding a body was bad. Moving a body is much more difficult than it looks on TV. I started to believe the cover story.’
Beal denies murder, with her defence arguing it is a case of manslaughter as she was ‘worn down until she was quite literally broken’ by the ‘psychologically domineering’ Mr Billingham.
In a legal first, a supporter who sent racist remarks to England striker Ivan Toney was prohibited from entering any football stadium in the nation.
In a message sent in October of last year, Antonio Neill, 24, referred to Mr. Toney, 26, as a “black c***” after the striker had assisted Brentford in defeating Brighton.
The abuse was investigated by the police as a hate crime and linked to a suspect who was at the time residing in the North Shields region.
When Neill, a resident of Blyth, Northumberland, appeared before Newcastle Magistrates’ Court in January, he entered a plea of guilty to transmitting an insulting message.
He was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and a three-year football banning order yesterday.
The banning order is the first of its kind to be issued under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
This legislation widened the scope for banning orders to be issued for online hate crimes that are linked to football.
Ivan Toney helped Brentford FC win 2-0 against Brighton on October 14.Antonio Neill, 24, pleaded guilty to sending an offensive message in January.
When Neill, of Robert Street, admitted the charge in January he apologised in court to the player and said: ‘I’m disgusted and ashamed and want to become a better person.’
Northumbria Police’s hate crime lead superintendent Scott Cowie said: ‘Discrimination has absolutely no place in any society, whether out in our communities or online.
‘I am therefore delighted that the seriousness of Neill’s offence has been reflected with this banning order, the first of its kind to be issued in the UK.
‘I hope this reinforces our commitment to taking action against anybody who commits a hate crime – it will not be tolerated, and we will do all we can to put perpetrators before the courts.’
Commissioner Kim McGuinness added: ‘If you are going to choose to be vile and abusive to others, doing it from behind a computer screen or on your phone doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it, far from it.
Brentford FC said it wants to see ‘tough action taken against anyone found guilty of such abuse’.
‘As this case shows, Northumbria Police can track you down, and I hope this banning order demonstrates how seriously officers take hate matters and that it paves the way for other offenders to face similar punishment in future.’
After the case, Brentford FC said: ‘Court appearances set a strong precedent for anyone else who commits hate crimes, and it is our hope that sentences increase in severity until this sort of crime is eradicated.
‘Ivan Toney has been subject to sickening racist abuse on a regular basis, and we want to see tough action taken against anyone found guilty of such abuse.’
Mr Toney faced racist abuse again in February, after a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
Brentford said in a statement: ‘We call on football fans everywhere to relish the competition and rivalry that exists between us, but to respect and embrace our differences and celebrate the diversity that exists throughout the Premier League.
Political Parties Outside Parliament (PPOP), a coalition of parties without representation in the legislature, has called on the government to release funds to the National Identification Authority (NIA) to enable it deliver on its mandate of ensuring that all qualified Ghanaians have the National Identification Card also known as the Ghana Card.
This, they said, would help facilitate using the Ghana Card as the sole document for identification for the continuous voters’ registration in the country.
PPOP
The parties made the call at a press conference held in Accra yesterday to state their position on the proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) of the Electoral Commission (EC) seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole document for continuous voter registration.
The political parties that make up the PPOP are the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), National Democratic Party (NDP), People’s National Convention (PNC) and the All People’s Congress (APC).
The General Secretary of the GCPP, Citizen Ato Dadzie, who read the statement on behalf of the parties, also called on Parliament to ensure that the new C.I. was laid to help guarantee the integrity and credibility of the voters’ register and reduce the chaos at registration centres.
He said the new C.I. that seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole form of identification for prospective voters would help cure the issue of foreigners and minors getting onto the electoral roll.
“A country cannot be truly democratic until its citizens, not foreigners, have the opportunity to choose their representatives through elections that are free and fair,” he stated.
“In every election, modalities are set out to ensure a level playing field and also set the tone for credible and transparent processes that will end in an acceptable result by stakeholders. This we do even in our internal political party elections,” Mr Dadzie stated.
Consensus building
Mr Dadzie said discussions for a new C.I. to make the Ghana Card the sole document for identification for voter registration started about two years ago in October 2021, involving all stakeholders made up of political parties and civil society organisations.
He said it was resolved after almost a year of deliberations and series of meetings to accept to use the Ghana Card as evidence of identification for anyone who applies for registration as a voter.
He therefore described, as untrue statements made in a press conference by the Minority Caucus in Parliament to the effect that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was not invited to the series of meetings to discuss the proposed C.I.
Mr Dadzie, therefore, dared the NDC to tell Ghanaians how the use of the Ghana Card as a source document to register as a new voter could be rigging machinery, saying the same EC the party was discrediting conducted the recently ended elections of their national officers and would also conduct and supervise their election of presidential and parliamentary candidates.
“Ghana has come a long way with her democracy and has attained enviable achievements in the sub-region and across the globe. We should, therefore, not allow baseless suspicions to ruin the successes we have chalked over the years,” he said.
Menstruation is an unavoidable part of every woman’s life. During menstruation, a woman typically experiences pain, fatigue, bloating, and cramps.
Hence, it is important to follow a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet to reduce menstrual pain as it can severely impact mood and other bring other changes.
Although our lifestyle plays an important role in determining a healthy period flow, our diet should not be neglected. Certain foods trigger menstrual pain whereas other foods will relieve you from the pain and the fatigue
The Ga Mantse, Nii Teiko Tsuru II, has expressed his displeasure on what he describes as mistreatment and disrespect to the Ga people in their own land over the years.
The traditional ruler said this among other things on Monday, March 13 when New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Alan Kyerematen paid a courtesy call on him in his palace.
According to him, the Ga people and their traditional authority have been so marginalized and relegated to the background that people engage in far-reaching activities in the Ga land without recourse to the traditional council.
“We are sad about the way we are being treated in the capital. People just get up, go to a place like Agbogbloshie and start building why? Without even consulting a traditional authority,” Nii Teiko Tsuru II fumed.
“Ga Dangbe is sad, sad because of a lot of things that are being done against us. That is why I am speaking in English today and I want you to hear we are sad!” he added, as quoted by myjoyonline.com.
He warned that any politician who decides to marginalize the Ga people in the 2024 general elections does so at his or her own risk because they are the kingmakers.
“We will decide this election in 2024 because Accra is the pivot of the election. Accra is Ghana and Ghana is Accra, don’t take us for granted,” he said.
“Build a social contract with the Ga-Adangbe people and you will see the light. Reiterating the number of people you have mentioned of Ga descent, Obetsebi Lamptey, Ako Adjei and all, are great men who stood and fought for this party. If you win your bid, which we pray you to do, don’t forget the toil of these great leaders whose will, thought and process made this party what it is today. Remember that the Gas have laid down their lives for you.”
Reacting to the concerns of the king, Alan Kyerematen promised to give the Ga people what is due the if he becomes President of Ghana on the ticket of the NPP.
“In our party, our symbol is the elephant and we know that it is the symbol of the Ga State. All Gas naturally belongs to the NPP and there is a spiritual connectivity between our symbols…. The role that the Ga community has played in bringing us to power must be appreciated by our party. And so if it is God’s will that I lead this party and I become president, I will make sure that Ga’s feature very prominently in government.”
Recently, the Ga Traditional Council issued a statement to register its displeasure about the ongoing construction of hostels for head porters (Kayayei) at Agbogbloshie in the national capital, Accra.
According to the council, it had not been consulted by the government before the start of the construction project, which is one of its biggest campaign promises on the Ga land.
American comedian, actor, and TV host Steve Harvey encouraged black Americans to travel to Africa to gain a better understanding of African culture and the significant contributions made by Africans to the world.
Harvey in a recent post shared by Nigerian YouTuber Walethewave1 advised people to put aside any preconceived notions and experience Ghana first, followed by Botswana, which he describes as the world’s second-largest diamond producer with a lot to offer.
“Leave everything you’ve ever heard. After you go to Africa, you got to go to Ghana first, and then you need to go to Botswana because you need to see what we… (Pause.)”
He also highlighted Johannesburg as another essential destination to understand the true nature of African people.
Harvey specifically cited Burna Boy, a popular Nigerian musician who has been accused of copying American music styles, and claimed that it is the opposite.
“Them Africans is us mhen; they are the beat; they are the rhythm; they are the song. They are the hard work; we get our courage from them. When you see them, people, they look just like your family,” he added.
Harvey believes that seeing Africans in person will help people understand that they are just like everyone else, with the same rhythm, song, and hard work that everyone relies on.
Harvest Praise is an annual gospel music outreach program, initiated by Harvest International Ministries (HIM) in 1998 and held on every Good Friday.
The biggest gospel musical concert has since helped people who hitherto did not know Christ, come to have an amazing relationship with their maker.
The annual event has also been used to project local and international talents in the gospel music industry.
This year’s event dubbed the ’Silver Jubilee Edition’ promises to be an unforgettable experience as lovers and fans of gospel music will be treated to a night of quality gospel music on Good Friday, 7th April 2023.
Artistes on the bill to thrill the audience include Grammy award-winning American artiste Don Moen, Nigerian Gospel artiste Moses Bliss, Harvest Gospel Choir, and a host of other surprise gospel artistes.
The Harvest Gospel Choir will also take the opportunity of the event to launch its own album.
The 25th Harvest praise tickets selling at GHȼ80 for single, GHȼ150 for both Double and VIP can be purchased at the Baatsoona Total filling station, Airport Shell, Harvest Chapel International and online at http:.tickets.ipaygh.harvestprai.com as well as other selected outlets.
As a family-oriented program, children between 5–12 years will be treated to a special package of music, dance, and games to be held simultaneously in an auditorium on the same premises. Performances by KingzKid, Kasa Music, Louis Pascal, and Children of God will ensure the children have a nourishing and life-changing experience.
Britain may soon completely prohibit TikTok because of “security dangers” posed by China.
Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, stated that he gave the National Cyber Security Centre the duty of determining whether the widely used software for young people should be removed from government-owned devices.
It’s a good idea to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.
In another interview with Times Radio, the politician said: ‘I do not have it, and the prime minister asked me to defend the leading democracy taskforce a little while ago.
Security minister pondering TikTok ban on government phones
‘As part of that we are looking at the various threats to parliamentarians, but also to journalists.
‘Looking at the various apps people have on their phones and the implications for them is a hugely important question and I have asked the National Cyber Security Centre to look into this.
‘Until they come back with an answer I am not going to give you one.’
Owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, the app has already been banned on government networks in the US, Canada and the European Union over concerns it could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or gather user data.
In December, the US House’s chief administrative officer said the app is ‘high risk due to a number of security issues’.
Rishi Sunak has previously hinted that the UK could follow the US and the EU by vetoing TikTok from government phones and devices too.
The PM said the government will ‘look at what our allies are doing’.
But speculation about a full ban – like the one ordered by the Indian government in 2020 – has mounted for some time.
Mr Tugendhat, who is seen as a hawk on China within the Tory Party, noted their move on 58 Chinese-owned apps.
Pressed on the full ban, he refused to comment and said: ‘It will be addressed with the challenges we face, with the threats we face.
‘I am not going to give you an answer until I know what the risks are.’
TikTok has long argued it does not share data with China but Chinese intelligence legislation requires firms to assist the Communist Party when requested.
Gary Linekar: “I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost 3 decades and I am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world. I cannot wait to get back in the MOTD [Match of the Day] chair on Saturday”.
These were Gary Lineker’s words on Twitter when he expressed delight to return as BBC reviewed social media rules for staff.
Gary Lineker is returning to BBC screens this weekend after reaching a deal with the corporation – following an impartiality row in which he criticised the government’s new asylum policy.
Lineker’s next appearance for the BBC will be the coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final clash between Manchester City and Burnley.
The match will kick off on Saturday at 17:45 GMT, with coverage from the Etihad Stadium on BBC One starting at 17:25 GMT.
Gary Lineker was last week taken off air following an impartiality row in which he criticised the government’s new asylum policy.
BBC director general Tim Davie announced on Monday that an independent review will be carried out on social media guidelines.
Lineker said he backed the review and looked forward to getting back on air.
He said the last few days had been “surreal” and thanked people for their “incredible support”.
In a statement, Mr Davie said: “Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences.
Last week, in a tweet, Lineker compared the language used to set out the government’s asylum plan to “that used by Germany in the 30s”.
His words, about the government’s new Illegal Migration Bill, were criticised by Conservative ministers, including the home secretary.
Lineker was told on Friday he had to apologise for his tweets or would beunable to present Match of the Day at the weekend.
When he refused to do so, he was taken off air, triggering an unprecedented wave of walkouts from fellow pundits and commentators.
Weekend football coverage across the BBC was disrupted due to walkouts triggered by Lineker’s suspension.
After announcing he will return to presenting on BBC TV, Lineker tweeted: “However difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away.
“After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming,” he tweeted on Monday morning.
“A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you,” he added.
“We remain a country of predominantly tolerant, welcoming and generous people. Thank you”
After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming. 1/4 — Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
‘Abide by the guidelines’
BBC employees are expected to remain impartial on political matters and must follow strict social media guidelines, but there is significant debate about how they should apply to staff outside of news.
Lineker said he backed the independent social media review which Davie said will have a “particular focus” on how the guidelines apply to freelancers outside news and current affairs.
“Shortly, the BBC will announce who will conduct that review,” Davie said.
“Between now and when the review reports Gary will abide by the editorial guidelines, that’s where we are.”
Former controller of BBC editorial policy Richard Ayre said rewriting guidelines was not straightforward and was “going to be a nightmare”.
Mr Ayre said: “Whatever emerges will be unsatisfactory to a significant number of people. It’s inevitable.
“It’s not remotely a problem solved. It’s a problem shelved for the time being.”
Lineker is expected to return to host Match of the Day’s live coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley on Saturday evening.
He is then set to front Sunday’s live coverage of Grimsby Town at Brighton & Hove Albion on BBC One.
Davie added: “Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend.”
The BBC Board has welcomed the agreement with Lineker following the weekend of disruption.
In a statement the board said: “We believe this is the right time to look at the clarity of the BBC’s social media guidance and how it is applied.
“We will support the executive in its continuing work to ensure the organisation delivers world-class, impartial content for all audiences.”
Taking Lineker off air backfired horribly – ex-BBC executive
Former head of BBC Sport and BBC TV News Roger Mosey has spoken out, describing the Lineker row as having “backfired horribly” on the BBC’s senior management.
Mosey tells Adrian Chiles on Radio 5 Live that he has sympathy for the corporation’s leaders in trying to ensure impartiality, but asking the Match of the Day presenter to “step aside was a very big move” and “unwise”.
He adds that while many current and former BBC executives shared the view that Lineker’s Tweet comparing the government’s asylum policies to 1930s Germany was “against the guidelines”, his comment’s “weren’t something you would normally take someone off air for”.
Mosey says the problem with the situation was that it “looked like the BBC was giving into the government and Tory MPs” and therefore making the situation worse – even if this wasn’t why Lineker was taken off air.
“The problem is that if you get every BBC presenter, whether they’re news or not tweeting anything that comes into their head, in that case, you can see why there might be a problem about impartiality. That’s why it’s better if presenters are not getting stuck into current political issues.” from Roger Mosey Former head of BBC Sport
“The problem is that if you get every BBC presenter, whether they’re news or not tweeting anything that comes into their head, in that case, you can see why there might be a problem about impartiality. That’s why it’s better if presenters are not getting stuck into current political issues.”
The deal to get Gary Lineker back on air is a “problem shelved for the time being” rather than a long-term solution, says Richard Ayre, who was once the controller of BBC editorial policy.
Ayre who was part of the former BBC Trust until 2016, tells BBC News that he’s surprised by the agreement, adding that it looks like the corporation has backed down without Lineker “having apparently given any ground” other than welcoming the review into its social media guidelines.
“So it’s bound to look as though it’s the BBC that’s moved rather than both parties moving, which doesn’t bode very well for a long term settlement.”
Asked if the deal was a resolution or just kicking the can down the road, he says the situation is “not remotely a problem solved”.
“Gary will continue to hold his views. He says he will continue to abide by the BBC’s guidelines until they’re rewritten. But then, he was supposed to be abiding by the BBC guidelines last week when he tweeted what he tweeted. So watch this space, this story has a long way to run.
The 2023 Academy Awards unfolded at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, with Everything Everywhere winning big.
It was a night of historic wins at the 95th annual Academy Awards, taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
On Sunday, two films quickly emerged as dominant forces in the race to pick up the most Oscar trophies: the German-language war epic All Quiet on the Western Front and the topsy-turvy multiverse action-comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The latter ultimately pulled in the most awards, with seven wins in some of the biggest categories, including best picture, best director, best original screenplay and three of the acting categories.
But All Quiet on the Western Front, an adaptation of the 1929 anti-war novel from Erich Maria Remarque, still notched four wins, including the best international feature film trophy.
This year’s Oscars included a record number of Asian artists nominated for the acting categories — and Sunday’s ceremony made good on that promise, crowning 60-year-old screen icon Michelle Yeoh its first Asian best actress.
Her Everything Everywhere All at Once co-star Ke Huy Quan — a former child star and refugee born in Vietnam — also took home the prize for best supporting actor.
India also made history with its first nomination and win in the best song category for the suspender-snapping banger “Naatu Naatu” from the film RRR.
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang
The cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once — from the top left, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jonathan Wang, Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu — celebrate with directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, seated below [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP]
Actress in a Leading Role: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Michelle Yeoh accepts the award for best performance by an actress in a leading role for Everything Everywhere All at Once [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
Actor in a Leading Role: Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Brendan Fraser poses with the award for the best actor [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP]
Actor in a Supporting Role: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Ke Huy Quan accepts the award for best supporting actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
Actress in a Supporting Role: Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Jamie Lee Curtis celebrates her best supporting actress win [John Locher/AP Photo]
Directing: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Daniel Kwan, left, and Daniel Scheinert get playful with their trophies for best director [Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]
Animated Feature Film: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley)
Guillermo del Toro (centre) accepts a win for his stop-motion version of Pinocchio [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
Cinematography: James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front
James Friend celebrates his win for All Quiet on the Western Front [Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]
Costume Design: Ruth Carter, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ruth E Carter gets her second trophy in the costume category, after her win for 2019’s Black Panther [Chris Pizzello]
Documentary Feature Film: Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris, Navalny
Yulia Abrosimova (second from left), the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, addresses the crowd as the film Navalny wins best documentary [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
Documentary Short Film: Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga, The Elephant Whisperers
Kartiki Gonsalves, left, and Guneet Monga pose with the award for the best documentary short film [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP Photo]
Film Editing: Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Paul Rogers accepted his Oscar by admitting Everything Everywhere All at Once was only his second film [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP]
International Feature Film: All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Three Oscar winners from All Quiet on the Western Front — (from left) Christian Goldbeck, Edward Berger and James Friend — attend the Governors Ball on March 12 in Los Angeles [John Locher/AP Photo]
Makeup and Hairstyling: Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Annemarie Bradley, The Whale
Judy Chin (from left), Adrien Morot and Annemarie Bradley pose with their awards for best makeup and hairstyling for The Whale [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP]
Music (Original Score): Volker Bertelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front
Volker Bertelmann accepts the award for best original score for All Quiet on the Western Front [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
Music (Original Song): “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, with music by MM Keeravaani and lyrics by Chandrabose
The stars of RRR perform ‘Naatu Naatu’ on stage at the Oscars [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Sarah Polley, Women Talking
Sarah Polley brought home the only win for Women Talking, with her adapted screenplay [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP]
Writing (Original Screenplay): Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Daniel Scheinert (left) and Daniel Kwan scored big wins for best screenplay, director and picture [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
Production Design: All Quiet on the Western Front, with production design from Christian M Goldbeck and set decoration from Ernestine Hipper
Ernestine Hipper, left, and Christian Goldbeck celebrate a production design win for All Quiet on the Western Front [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP Photo]
Short Film (Animated): Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy, left, and Matthew Freud pose with the award for best animated short [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP]
Short Film (Live Action): Tom Berkeley and Ross White, An Irish Goodbye
Tom Berkeley, left, and Ross White attend the Governors Ball after their win for live action short [John Locher/AP Photo]
Sound: Mark Weingarten, James H Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, Top Gun: Maverick
Mark Weingarten (from left), James H Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor celebrate a win for Top Gun: Maverick [Jordan Strauss/Invision and AP]
Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, Avatar: The Way of Water
Eric Saindon (from left), Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett and Joe Letteri accept the only Oscar for Avatar: The Way of Water [Chris Pizzello/AP Photo]
An 87-year-old former boxer from Japan who is thought to be the prisoner on death row with the longest sentence has been given a new trial.
For robbing and killing his boss, the man’s wife, and their two children, Iwao Hakamada received a death sentence in 1968.
He initially denied the killing but then admitted to it. However, following a severe police interrogation that included beatings, he eventually withdrew the confession, claiming it had been coerced.
Despite the retraction and questions over a key piece of evidence used to convict him, the verdict was confirmed in 1980.
But today judges at Tokyo High Court ordered a retrial and Hakamada has been freed while his case is proceeded.
His lawyers left the court after a brief session and unfurled banners reading ‘retrial’ as supporters shouted ‘Free Hakamada now!’
‘I was waiting for this day for 57 years and it has come,’ said Hakamada’s sister Hideko, 90, who has campaigned on her brother’s behalf.
‘Finally a weight has been lifted from my shoulders,’ she said.
A district court in the central city of Shizuoka first granted a retrial of Hakamada’s case in 2014, finding investigators could have planted evidence.
But Tokyo’s High Court overturned the lower court ruling four years later, and the case was sent to the Supreme Court on appeal.
There, judges ruled in 2020 that the Tokyo High Court must reconsider its decision.
One key piece of evidence used to convict him was a set of blood-stained clothes that emerged more than a year after the crime.
Supporters say the clothes did not fit him and the bloodstains were too vivid given the time elapsed.
DNA tests found no link between Hakamada, the clothes and the blood but the High Court rejected the testing methods.
National broadcaster NHK said the court’s presiding judge Fumio Daizen cast doubt on the credibility of the clothes as evidence.
‘There is no evidence other than the clothes that could determine Mr Hakamada was the perpetrator, so it is clear that reasonable doubt arises,’ NHK quoted him as saying.
Japan is the only major industrialised democracy other than the United States to retain capital punishment, which is always carried out by hanging.
The death penalty still enjoys broad public support and debate on the issue is rare.
Supporters say nearly 50 years of detention, mostly in solitary confinement with the ever-present threat of execution, took a heavy toll on Hakamada’s mental health.
He told AFP in 2018 he felt he was ‘fighting a bout every day’.
His sister Hideko told a news conference later on Monday she does not talk about the trials with him.
‘I will only tell him to rest assured, because we got a good result,’ she said.
‘Now, I just need to make sure I can see the retrial begin.’
The process for a retrial could take years if a special appeal is filed, however, and lawyers have been protesting against this system.
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations welcomed today’s ruling but said in a statement it ‘strongly demands prosecutors swiftly start the retrial process without issuing a special appeal to the Supreme Court’.
‘We cannot afford any further delay to remedy Mr Hakamada, who has an advanced age of 87 and suffers mental and physical conditions after 47 years of physical restraint,’ association head Motoji Kobayashi said.
Rights group Amnesty International also welcomed the decision as a ‘long-overdue chance to deliver some justice’.
‘Hakamada’s conviction was based on a forced “confession” and there are serious doubts about the other evidence used against him,’ said Hideaki Nakagawa, director of Amnesty International Japan.
While anger is seemingly brewing in the camp of the Despite Group of Companies over the departure of actress cum television host Nana Ama McBrown, staff at Media General seem overwhelmed by the fact that she has joined their family.
One staff who has expressed joy over her appearance is General Manager of TV3, Francis Doku who has stated that his outfit is confident of the abilities of actress/ TV presenter, Nana Ama McBrown will help push the Onua brand to the heights they want to achieve.
He said in an interview that there was no argument that McBrown was currently the best at what she does which was evident with her exploits as host of the United Showbiz programme on UTV.
“I think that there is no argument that Nana Ama McBrown is the biggest TV personality in Ghana.
“Her United Showbiz programme on UTV attracted millions of viewers in Ghana and all over the world. In our quest to improve our Akan broadcast channels— Onua TV and Onua FM, we looked at some of the people who can help achieve that goal.
“We brought in Captain Smart and Mona Gucci, now we are bringing in Nana Ama McBrown to spice up the team and see to the development of the Onua Group. We believe she will deliver the best to our audiences and our clients.
“We also thought that Nana Ama McBrown will help push the Onua brand to the heights we want to achieve, we are really excited to have her in our fold,’’ he mentioned to Graphic Showbiz in an interview earlier today.
Ghanaians woke up on Monday, March 13, to the news of screen goddess Nana Ama McBrown joining the Media General Group specifically Onua TV and Onua FM.
Nana Ama McBrown was officially welcomed to the media house by management and staff amidst drumming and dancing.
Meanwhile, the decision of actress and television host, Nana Ama McBrown to move from Despite Media where she worked as the host of United Showbiz has been greeted with mixed reaction. While most Ghanaians have welcomed the move, others especially staff of the Despite Media Group are not pleased with the decision.
On March 13, McBrown was unveiled as the latest staff of Media General. The move has resulted in backlash from some staff of her former employers.
Abena Moet of Okay FM is the latest to drum home to the world all the sacrifices Despite Media made for the media personality who has been tagged as ‘ungrateful’.
On the account of Abena, it took the effort of their media house to unearth one of McBrown’s talents adding that she was groomed to become one of Ghana’s seasoned show hosts without any “proper education”.
“Nana Ama McBrown also known as Mrs Mensah has moved to Media General. I don’t know if they do that often but they had a whole ceremony with a cultural display just to welcome her.
“For her to transition from acting to the media without having any proper education is impressive. Whatever goods she gives you Media General, just know that we gave it to her first because we made her a TV host. We are the ones who groomed her, the credit goes to us. We groomed her into a better host,” these are the words of Abena Moet.
Meanwhile, Ola Michael has publicly questioned Nana Ama McBrown for leaving her ‘family’ to join another media station considering the sacrifices owners of Despite Media made for her.
“We have lifted you to a high pedestal but because of disloyalty and ungratefulness, you have been reduced to class 1, we thank God,” he said.
In Canada, a truck that struck a crowd resulted in the deaths of two persons and the injury of further people.
At 3 p.m. local time on Monday, police were called to the site in the northern Quebec town of Amqui.
After handing himself in to the police, the car’s 38-year-old local driver was taken into custody.
Sergeant Helene St-Pierre confirmed the two people killed were both men, one in his 60s and the other in his 70s.
A police car and a Transport Quebec truck guard the perimeter of the crash (Picture: AP)Police officers and firefighters rushed to the scene in the afternoon (Picture: AP)
Among the injured, two suffered serious injuries and the seven more were being evaluated.
Ms St-Pierre said investigators and accident reconstruction experts were working to establish the circumstances of the crash.
‘Everything indicates it was an isolated incident, and that there is no more danger in the area, and there is just one suspect,’ she said.
The incident happened along St-Benoit Boulevard in Amqui, a town about 220 miles northeast of Quebec City.
A baby stroller lies on its side by police tape (Picture: AP)Authorities have not yet confirmed a motive (Picture: AP)
Pictures show large police presence at the scene, which was cordoned off with police tape. A baby stroller can also be see overturned on its side.
The regional health board confirmed that a ‘code orange’ had been declared at the Amqui hospital, which generally indicates a situation with a high number of casualties.
Meanwhile, an anonymous senior government official familiar with the matter said the incident was not terrorism or national security related.
Authorities have not yet mentioned any motive. It comes just a month after a man driving a city bus deliberately smashed into a daycare centre in Laval, killing two children.
Nigerian fashion content creator and Brand Ambassador for American Footwear Company, Crocs Inc, Eni Adeoluwa has shared his admiration and appreciation for the fashion sense of Ghanaians he encountered over the weekend during the Crocs Brunch Party.
Eni in a recent interview on Y 107.9 FM’s “Party Pressure” with host Princess AJ, declared Ghanaians as the best-dressed people on the continent.
The Nigerian-born socialite, who is currently in Ghana on behalf of Crocs, spoke about his experience in the country, stating that Ghanaians have a unique sense of fashion and style.
According to Adeoluwa, the brunch held in Ghana was a huge success, and Ghanaians came out in their numbers looking fashionable and stylish. He noted that Ghanaians have a rich sense of fashion with impressive wealth.
He further reiterated his admiration for Ghanaians, stating that despite being from Nigeria, he admits “Ghanaians slay all day.”
“It’s been good vibes since my arrival in Ghana. I’m here for Crocs and you know we had a brunch and it was really lit,” he said.
“Ghanaians showed up and showed out and I’m like people are so fashionable here. I keep saying people are just rich in Ghana – fashion on point, money game on point, shoes on point and I’m so jealous. I’m from Nigeria and I thought we knew how to dress but Ghanaians slay all day.”
For googling for Kim Jong-un on Google, a North Korean spy received a death sentence.
The unnamed spy risks being executed by firing squad for having the audacity to read about the tyrant from within Bureau 10, the covert organization that keeps tabs on both internal and external communications in the oppressive state.
The person was one of several intelligence officials who were betrayed to the Ministry of State Security by a colleague, sources in Pyongyang informed the South Korean daily Daily NK. According to reports, the other officers have lost their jobs.
The source told Daily NK: ‘Bureau 10 departments are given access to the internet, which had allowed agents to turn off their search word recording devices and search the web as much as they like without issue.
‘But after a new bureau chief took over, even these previously routine issues have turned into major incidents.’
Greg Scarlatoiu, director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said the purge speaks to how the regime is increasingly struggling to maintain its iron grip on the flow of information into the country.
Internet access in North Korea is strictly controlled, with even high-level officials requiring clearance before accessing online search resources.The Bureau 10 agent sentenced to death is understood to be among a group recently targeted by a purge within the secretive agency.Experts say the Kim Jong-un regime’s iron grip on the flow of information into North Korea is weakening.
Mr Scarlatoiu said: ‘Even the most trusted agents of the Kim regime are now attempting to access information from the outside world.
‘The Kim family regime has stayed in power through overwhelming coercion, punishment, surveillance and information control.’
He added: ‘The regime continues to see the very limited information entering the country from the outside world as a grave threat to its grip on power.
‘Despite the regime’s efforts, the North Korean information firewall is slowly, but surely and steadily, crumbling.’
The intelligence officials caught up in the recent purge of Bureau 10 are all understood to have been young, having joined the agency not long after graduating last year.
They were mostly of mid-to-high rank at the organisation, charged with developing programmes for controlling the country’s information firewall, according to Daily NK.
Ghanaian event organizer and traditional dance instructor, Van Calebs has waded into the ongoing feud between movie star cum politicians John Dumelo and Fred Nuamah.
Van Calebs in social media post called for calm and appealed to the two celebrities to settle their differences amicably.
He warned that the feud could degenerate into an unwanted situation that could hurt the ambitions of both men.
“Just saw the video of my good friend Dumelo’s comment on UTV and I believe everything can be resolved. John and Fred are good friends I think we can resolve this and make sure it doesn’t get bad,” he said.
Van Calebs however advised Fred Nuamah to withdraw his candidature and throw his weight behind John Dumelo.
According to him, John Dumelo polled some good numbers in the last elections and therefore represent a credible chance for the National Democratic Congress to wrestle the Ayawaso West Wuogon parliamentary seat.
He explained that it will be in interest of the creative sector to have another representation in Parliament and that John Dumelo has shown to be someone who has the interest of the constituency and the sector at heart.
Van Calebs urged Fred Nuamah and Ghanaian creatives to rally behind Dumelo and support his bid to win the seat from the incumbent Lydia Seyram Alhassan.
“John did well in the last election and I think we can all support him to win it in 2024. Fred has a good move but I think he should withdraw and support Dumelo”.
Dumelo and Fred Nuamah who were known to be friends are set to go head-to-head for the right to represent the NDC in the 2024 elections.
Fred Nuamah accused John Dumelo of bad faith as he alleged that he had the blessings of his friend to contest the polls.
But John Dumelo in a UTV interview dismissed the claims, calling Fred Nuamah a liar. He disclosed that at no point did Fred Nuamah hold conversation with him over his interest in the Ayawaso West Wuogon seat.
Acting Volta Regional Director of Health, Dr Kwasi Senanu Djokoto, said the Ketu South Municipality has recorded 10 cases of Measles.
He however disclosed to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, that the arrival of the vaccines was “timely, appropriate and God sent,” towards reducing the effect of an escalation of the outbreak of the disease”.
Dr Djokoto however said the region’s exercise to immunise the babies would hopefully start on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, as consignments were being distributed to the Municipal and District Health Directorates for onward transportation to the various facilities.
He appealed to parents especially nursing mothers to avail their babies to the hospitals for vaccination, to make up for the missed opportunities.
Measles patients present with fever, rash, and one or more of these symptoms – cough, red eyes and runny nose. Image [Credit: Flickr]
Dr Djokoto commended the media for bringing the shortage of vaccines onto the front burner, which resulted in expedited action to prevent a national calamity.
There was a shortage of vaccines for three childhood killer diseases, Measles, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and Polio, which threatened the country’s effort with the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service on Saturday received the first consignment of vaccines for the three childhood illnesses, and an announcement by the Ministry of Information, through a press statement said distribution to various regions and facilities was underway.
The statement indicated that more vaccines were expected in the coming weeks from multiple sources.
The precise import for the formation of the United Nations (UN) was to come together to resolve conflicts that might result in war.
The UN replaced the League of Nations.
The aftermath of World War II premised the advent of this international organisation.
The enormity of the death, destruction and terror that wreaked our community of nations was a sufficient testimony of the need to prevent a third world war.
There are so many horrifying stories about World War II.
The war could be termed as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with states and individuals committing appalling human rights violations.
There was unimaginable horror across countries, with towns largely empty of inhabitants.
1945
The UN is the only international organisation which takes a universal character.
States have agreed together to meet the challenges relating to international peace and stability.
States have agreed that the UN charter be accepted and recognised as the document to guide the conduct of nations and individuals in matters relating to international peace and stability.
As member states, the contents of the charter is to be our watch word. Member states have the legal responsibility to adhere to the statutes of this document.
The UN continues to articulate a vision to lift the world from impending conflicts.
Our assurance in the organisation is based on the fact that the League of Nations failed to prevent the World War II.
The charter which was to regulate the running of the UN was drawn based on the proposals from the representatives of the US, The Soviet Union (Russia), and the UK.
These three countries became permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The cardinal aim of the UN as inscribed in the preamble of the charter is to save succeeding generations from the scourge of wars.
The implication is that the UN will endeavour to avoid mass scale wars, at the scale of the first and second world wars.
In this perspective, the UN became an organisation in which the international community, which primarily constitutes the member states, could build trust.
Some of the states which were the architects of the UN charter suffered as a result of the Second World War.
The UN after 1945, through its diplomatic efforts, has been trying to prevent a Third World War.
Series of conflicts, civil wars like what occurred in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the war in the former Yugoslavia, and currently Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had individual or state action contradicting the requirements of the preamble to the charter, which states: “…And to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small…”.
Has UN failed?
No. Though member states which accept the obligations of the charter continue to defy human rights and international humanitarian laws, it could be deduced from this that the UN has challenges, but hasn’t failed.
“For the United Nations there’s no higher goal nor deeper commitment and no greater ambition than preventing armed conflicts.
The prevention of conflicts begins and ends with the development of human security”.
Kofi Annan General Assembly Security Council A/52/871S/1988/318.
The cardinal aim of the UN is clearly defined, preventing of wars, and defending humanity.
Security Council
The mandate of the UN Security Council is to ensure global peace and stability.
The Security Council has to deal with interstate and intrastate conflicts.
The Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and stability under the charter.
It’s involvement in the maintenance of peace and stability is manifested in various roles, calling on countries to contribute troops for peace keeping operation, the formation of observer missions, all within the framework of peace building.
The Security Council influence should be supreme, pervading and controlling every other, the Security Council at its 9135-meeting presided over by Shirley Ayorkor Botchway Ghana’s Minister For Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The meeting was of the view that Russia’s action is at war with international humanitarian laws and that Russian initial pronouncements as a special military operation has been converted into a full-scale war.
The writer is Initiator, International Forum on the Status of Refugees in the World, Senior Lecturer, Coordinator, Russian Section. University of Ghana.
Sony Achiba has argued that if foreigners can manage the national football team Black Stars, nothing stops the West African country from employing foreign politicians and sector leaders for the prosperity of its economy.
The Hiplife artiste was on Thursday, March 9, 2023, speaking to Sammy Flex on CTV’s Class Showbiz.
Achiba said many diasporans, including him, would like to return to Ghana to help build it with their knowledge and skills but for how “hard” and “very tough” things are “at home [Ghana].”
“If our leaders are able to put things right–there are a lot of people who want to come home to help the country with their knowledge and experience,” he added.
“It is amazingly worrying to me that our leaders– I don’t know if it is sheer wickedness or sheer incompetence – so if they can’t do the job, they should find people who can to do it,” he admonished.
Sonny Achiba contended that if Ghana can employ foreigners, including White people, to manage the senior male national team, Black Stars, leaders should be equally able to have such foreigners occupy posts such as the “Agricultural Ministry, Trade and Industry Ministry [and others].”
He cited Israel having very little arable land yet being famous for cultivating various plants and fruits of commerce and pressed that “go and take someone from there to be the Agric Minister so we learn from them.”
“It’s something they must consider,” the music star said.
“It is simple,” he said. “If you can’t do it, you just can’t, so you let someone come and teach you.”
Achiba went on to say that even though he is not as educated as Ghana’s political leaders, whenever he visits, he can identify so many business opportunities.
“The people in leadership, however, don’t know how to create the jobs,” he charged passionately. “It means something is wrong somewhere.”
He stressed that “if the right things are done, a lot of people will return with their knowledge and skills to come home and help. They already have the desire to return.”
Former Chelsea Manager, Israeli, Avram Grant, took Ghana to the final of the 2015Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON).
Serbian Milovan Rajevac had two stints with the national team; first in 2010, when Ghana came to the brink of a historical semi-final appearance in South Africa, and second in 2021.
Since “2004/2005 thereabouts,” Sony Achiba has been living and working in the United Kingdom (UK).
In Ghana, Sunyani and Wenchi in the Bono Region to be specific, inspired by actor, farmer and politician John S. Dumelo, he has farms.
Upon his possible permanent return to Ghana, he intends to venture into snail and fish farming, he also informed Sammy.
The infamous Putin foe and former president of Georgia claims he was poisoned while incarcerated and doesn’t have much time left to live.
Mikheil Saakashvili, the pro-Western leader of Georgia at the time of Russia’s invasion in 2008, said that he has lost approximately half of his body weight recently.
He recently moved from a guarded clinic to prison, where he has been detained since 2018 on charges of corruption and abuse of power.
According to letters seen by Sky News, Mr Saakashvili wrote: ‘I was initially 120 kilograms, now I am 64, if I become less than 60 doctors predict multiple organ failure.’
He added: ‘I am in bed all the time, my bones are disintegrating and it gives [me] excruciating pain.’
Georgian Dream, the ruling party in Georgia, has consistently denied allegations that Mr Saakashvili was poisoned.
The government insists Mr Saakashvili’s weight loss is merely down to him not eating sufficiently, claiming he’s receiving adequate care in custody.
However, an independent expert gave evidence at a recent hearing indicating the former president does indeed show signs of exposure to heavy metals while in prison.
Mikheil Saakashvili claims he is being poisoned in prison.Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Georgian government of ‘slowly killing’ Saakashvili.
Mr Saakashvili’s renewed claims of an ongoing attempt on his life come after mass protests in the capital of Tbilisi saw the government throw out a proposed law, which threatened to curtail civil society and press freedoms.
Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Georgia’s relationship with the West has steadily deteriorated. Not least given the longstanding ties between the ruling party’s oligarch founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and powerful Russian business interests.
Those ties have seen repeated calls for Ivanishvili to face sanctions, and have been held up as an obstacle to Georgia’s ongoing aspirations for European Union membership – something supported by roughly 85% of the country’s population.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Tbilisi last week to demonstrate against the government’s attempt to pass measures to crush dissent There were fears the proposed law on ‘foreign agents’ would have threatened press freedoms and civil society if passed.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, has praised the Georgian government for not becoming ‘another irritant’ to the Kremlin by remaining largely neutral on the war in Ukraine.
Though a widely unpopular figure in Georgia due to rampant corruption and human rights abuses during his tenure as president, Mr Saakashvili has increasingly become a flashpoint for mounting tensions.
Last week, French president Emmanuel Macron called for Mr Saakashvili’s release and warned the accelerating deterioration of his health is being viewed as a ‘litmus test’ for Georgia’s goal of joining the bloc.
Founder of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, is being called on to release his precessor from priosn.
Mr Macron’s comments follow Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accusing the Georgian government of ‘slowly killing’ Mr Saakashvili, who has also served as a politician in Ukraine.
In his correspondence with Sky News, Mr Saakashvili issued a message to those who demonstrated outside the Georgian parliament, writing: ‘Stay very vigilant, be ready to mobilise at short notice, because of the vengeful mood of the oligarch’s regime.’
The fight against misinformation has been reinforced with the launch of a new platform by the Information Services Department (ISD) of the Ministry of Information.
The platform which is a website called Ghana Today is a reliable news portal that provides accurate information on government projects, programs, communications and positions.
The launch of the platform took place on Monday, March 13, 2023, at the Ministry’s premises, and was attended by several government officials, stakeholders, and members of the media.
Speaking at the event, the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, stated that combating misinformation is a critical task in today’s information age that requires a multifaceted approach. He said one of such approaches is developing of tools that will help to monitor and track the spread of misinformation on social media platforms and other online channels.
“As you may be aware, a significant section of our population now relies on online platforms and other social media platforms for information. It is also important to note that some unscrupulous persons have used many of these portals and social media platforms to propagate falsehood and misinformation. This phenomenon is gradually undermining our democracy.
“The rollout of this website will, therefore, aid the Department in the fight against misinformation by providing direct information from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) about the works of Government and becoming a repository of all happenings in government. It will provide facts about Government projects and programmes, full texts of all speeches by heads of MDAs, official communications and publications, policies, and program documents to reduce the level of misrepresentations and sometimes outright misinformation online,” he said.
He said the launch of the platform forms an integral part of the re-organization and retooling programme of the Department aimed at equipping it serve more audiences with its work even as the times and media consumption patterns change.
On his part, the Acting Chief Information Officer of the ISD, Mr. David Owusu-Amoah urged Ghanaians to make use of the Ghana Today platform and to be vigilant in their consumption of online content. He said it is important that we all take responsibility for the information we consume and share and be mindful of the impact of false information on our society whiles working together to combat it.
“We all have a role to play in combating misinformation. We must all be responsible and verify information before sharing it. With this new tool, we hope to empower Ghanaians to take an active role in the fight against fake news,” he added.
Media personality, Akumaa Mama Zimbi has revealed that she has been verbally abused on multiple instances for hosting her ‘Odo Ahomaso’ show, a sex education programme on Adom TV.
The host of Odo Ahomaso said that some pastors and members of the community accused her of being a ‘Krobo prostitute’ aiming to ruin Ghana’s youth with the aforementioned programme.
Akumaa Mama Zimbi stated in an interview with Neat FM, on March 13, 2023, explained that the programme does not intend to harm the youth of the country in any way but rather seeks to provide the entire population with sex education.
“I have been to several programs whereby people get up from my side just because they claimed sitting beside me will make their children listen to me.
“People didn’t want to associate with me, they were saying I was evil even including some men of God…a lot of people, and they thought we the ‘Damgbes’, the “Krobos” people think we’re prostitutes, so I’m coming to destroy the world.
By way of advice, she explained: “I’m telling you that, give proper training to your children the moment the person begins to menstruate.
“Tell her not to allow men to sleep with her because she will get pregnant and become a school dropout…
“Let me tell you, in this country, uncles have broken their own nieces’ virginity, aunties have done it, and some fathers are sleeping with their own daughters and sons.
“It is happening, what did you tell your daughter, what did you tell your son…Odo Ahomaso is gospel.” she stressed.
Were it not for the wickedness and incompetence of Ghanaian leaders, a lot of diasporas would have returned home to help build the country, Hiplife star Sony Achiba has said.
He said this on CTV’s Class Showbiz hosted by Sammy Flex, Thursday, March 9, 2023.
Achiba mentioned that he has lived and worked in the United Kingdom since “2004, 2005 thereabouts.”
He, however, revealed that he has the desire like many other diasporas to return home, except that life in Ghana is “hard a bit. Home is very tough.”
“If our leaders are able to put things right – there are a lot of people who want to come home to help the country with their knowledge and experience,” he said.
He lashed out at Ghana’s leaders questioning their conscience and competence.
“It is amazingly worrying to me that our leaders – I don’t know if it is intentional wickedness or sheer incompetence,” he lamented, suggesting that “if” the Ghana’s leaders “can’t do the job, they should find people who can to do it.”
The ‘Nipa Boniayefo’ hitmaker argued that if Ghana can employ foreigners, including White people, to manage the senior male national team, Black Stars, leaders should be equally ready to appoint foreigners to occupy posts such as the “Agricultural Ministry, Trade and Industry Ministry [and others]” as long as it will result in good fortunes and profits to the nation.
“It is simple,” he said. “If you can’t do it, you just can’t, so you let someone come and teach you.”
Achiba went on to say that even though he is not as educated as Ghana’s political leaders, whenever he visits, he can identify so many business opportunities.
“The people in leadership, however, don’t know how to create the jobs,” he charged passionately. “It means something is wrong somewhere.”
He stressed that “if the right things are done, a lot of people will return with their knowledge and skills to come home and help. They already have the desire to return.”
Currently, Sony Achiba is a farmer with farms in Sunyani and Wenchi, all of the Bono Region of Ghana.
He said his biggest inspiration for this venture was actor, farmer and politician John Setor Dumelo.
Eyeing a permanent return to Ghana, he revealed he intends to venture into fish and snail farming.
Mohammed Amin, 28, made the decision to purchase a van while searching for more ways to earn money in his prior work.
He started doing odd chores for individuals, like building and dismantling furniture, to make some additional cash.
Yet when the need for his furniture making skills swiftly increased, he realized he could make it a full-time career.
Mohammed left his delivery driver days behind and now rakes in roughly £3,000 a month to put up sofas, tables, and desks for DIY-shy customers.
The jobs can take him anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours each time.
The handyman, from Whitechapel, in east London, said: ‘You can be working for a company and build up their empire, most jobs that require a man in a van I will take on and the odd other jobs I have been doing involve assembling and dissembling furniture.
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After buying himself a van, Mohammed started a side hustle completing odd jobs for people.
‘If people need help changing a room around I do a bit of that too, I thought, ”I can do this. I can make a lot of money.”
‘It came to the point where I didn’t want to work for anyone and I wanted to get out there and get the job done.’
Mohammed started his side hustle in early 2022 after being urged sign up to Airtasker, a local services marketplace.
He was able to leave his previous venture just four months in after earning more than £12,000.
He now earns more than £35,000 a year.
The DIY-expert estimates to have done around 330 tasks for people since starting just over a year ago.
He manages the steady salary working just 30 hours a week and was even recognised as one of Airtasker’s Top Taskers in 2022 for his services on the app.
Mohammed mainly takes ‘day jobs’ that can be quickly completed in order to maximise his daily work rate.
Mohammed continued: ‘Most of my jobs are a man in a van job, I am very hands-on.
‘I dissemble and reassemble furniture, if people need to move items, I take that on too.
‘I quit my old job as I started to see that I can do more jobs and earn more doing what I do now compared to my old job.’
Veteran singer Sony Achiba has revealed that he is into farming now.
He said this to Sammy Flex on CTV’s Class Showbiz.
“I’m a farmer,” he shared. “I’m into farming and I have a farm in Sunyani. I farm cassava, ginger and others.”
According to the ‘Sony Maba’ hitmaker, he was inspired by actor cum politician John Dumelo who is also a popular farmer.
“John Dumelo really inspired me,” he added. “I have a pig farm in Wenchi.”
He indicated he is “planning to relocate permanently to Ghana,” and upon his return, he intends to go into fish and snail farming.
The Hiplife singer also divulged that before he moved permanently to the United Kingdom, he had started visiting the country in the year “2000 thereabouts.” It was not until “2004 or 2005 that,” he completely relocated to the European country, however.
Achiba stated that he had a permit to stay and live in the UK, adding that “it’s not time to come back home [to Ghana].”
He explained his decision.
It is because life in Ghana is “hard a bit. Home is very tough.”
However, “if our leaders are able to put things right – there are a lot of people who want to come home to help the country with their knowledge and experience,” he said.
The singer stated that what is keeping diasporans away from returning to Ghana is bad leadership stemming either from “intentional wickedness or sheer incompetence.”
Both private and commercial drivers, as well as motor riders would have to brace themselves to pay at various tollbooths as government through the Finance Ministry has made a proposal for new road and bridge tolls across the country.
This is ahead of the reintroduction of tolls in the country.
In a statement made available via UTV, the Ministry of Finance stated that this is based on Section 6 of Act 1080.
“It is provided under Section 6 of Act 1080 for the minister to amend the schedules of the Act to include or exclude MDAs and/or adjust the fees and charges collected by MDAs for their services through a Legislative Instrument, when necessary.
“We are by this letter conveying the proposed rates as per the attached Appendix I for input by the Ministry of Roads and Highways to enable this minister complete the schedule of fees under the impending Legislative Instrument,” the statement, signed by Ken Ofori-Atta, said.
Accordingly, the new tolls will include 50pesewas for motorbikes, GH¢1 for cars, and GH¢3.50 for heavy goods trucks (5 or more axles).
It will be recalled that during the reading of the 2021 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in 2020, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced the cancellation of road tolls.
The announcement, affirmed by a directive by Kwesi Amoako-Atta, the Minister of Roads and Highways, saw an immediate closure and seizure of the collection of tolls across the country.
The Minority in Parliament, however, did not like the move made by the government.
An experienced music teacher who was fired for missing a staff meeting after learning that her mother had cancer has been awarded more than £16,000 in damages.
On her day off, Jacqueline Dumigan, a piano and singing instructor who spent 24 years working at the elite Mount School in Huddersfield, was instructed to attend the event.
An employment tribunal heard that she emailed the owner of the school to let him know she couldn’t go because she had to meet with family members to discuss her 90-year-old mother, who had just been diagnosed with cancer.
Owner of the school, Christopher Sellers, emailed her back telling her ‘resignation accepted,’ the panel was told.
Having sued the £9,000 a year school based in Edgerton, West Yorkshire, an employment judge decided Ms Dumigan had been unfairly dismissed, and awarded her damages of £16,800.
The tribunal in Leeds heard Ms Dumigan worked part time at the school for four to 11-year-olds, which Mr Sellers and his wife, Natalie, took over in 2017.
In December 2021, Mr Sellers sent an email telling all staff members to attend a compulsory meeting in the school.
Ms Dumigan had finished for the term so was not working on the day of the meeting, and would have needed to come in on her day off, the tribunal heard.
She told Mr Sellers she would not be able to attend because she was seeing her sister, who was travelling from a distance, but did not explain the reason why they were meeting, the panel heard.
The teacher was meeting her family members to discuss treatment and care for her elderly mother.
Mr Sellers responded to her email to tell her that the meeting was not optional, the panel heard.
When she told him again that she would not be able to make it, he replied: ‘resignation accepted’, the tribunal was told.
The teacher told Mr Sellers that she had not resigned, to which he replied telling her that the email was formal notice that her employment was to cease.
The tribunal heard Ms Dumigan was regarded by the school’s owner to be a ‘difficult’ staff member.
He admitted a ‘failing on his behalf’ in not carrying out a formal investigation into the matter.
Employment Judge Amir Jaleel concluded that Ms Dumigan had been unfairly dismissed.
Judge Jaleel said: ‘Mr Sellers did not carry out an investigation and accepts that he did not hold a formal disciplinary process before dismissing Ms Dumigan.
‘In his own evidence Mr Sellers did not think that an investigation or hearing was necessary.
‘I found that Mr Sellers had made up his mind about dismissing (Ms Dumigan) without ascertaining the facts regarding her refusal to attend the meeting by way of an investigation meeting.
‘She had finished for the term and in any event did not work on Mondays. She was essentially being asked to attend a meeting on her day off.’
Ms Dumigan – who also runs her own gin business – won a total of £16,802.31
When there seems to be no hope at the beginning of her acting career, Nana Ama McBrown kept her faith and hope high and longed for a day like this when the world will bear witness to her exceptional talent.
Now an accomplished firebrand in Ghana, McBrown, takes credit for success and not giving up on her dream but working day and night. For this reason, she pays no heed to critics and accusers who attempt to ridicule or look down on her.
On Monday, March 13, the popular actress and show host was unveiled as the latest member of Media General, confirming her move from Despite Media where she hosted United Showbiz for over 3 years.
The move has witnessed some staff of Despite Media describingMcBrown as ungrateful with others claiming that her former employers groomed her in being a better television presenter.
Recalling her life struggles on 3FM with Johnnie Hughes, the award-winning media personality took credit for her growth in acting and every aspect of her life.
“It didn’t start today, I started this long ago. I knew and saw this picture long ago. I am not impressing anybody, I am working for myself…it is part of the job when people come after me. How about the blessings? It is the same way when the ambassadorial deals are coming.
“Whoever is saying what about me, I leave that person to God because I know myself and I know I have worked my way through here. I didn’t come here just for the sake of my beauty or maybe my smile. I have worked to make my smile impactful. I am here because I have worked, oh Jonnie I have worked!” she hammered with pride.
In an exclusive interview with NBC, Rishi Sunak stated that China posed a “systemic challenge” to the global order.
During an interview with Lester Holt while visiting the US, the Prime Minister expressed his alarm over recent Chinese behavior.
A agreement for nuclear submarines for $201,000,000 was revealed by the prime minister earlier today.
He added that China “represents the biggest major threat to our economic interests” because it is “behaving in a more authoritarian manner at home” and “more forceful outside.”
He added: And it’s a systemic challenge for the world order.’
China has replied to news of the deal by calling it ‘a blatant act of nuclear proliferation’ that undermines regional peace and stability.
Sunak also weighed in on the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, saying that it was important to a large number of UK technology companies.
He said he was ‘concerned’ by the behaviour of China in his chat tonight (Picture: NBC)The PM met with the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden earlier today.
He said: ‘I’ve been working through the weekend with our finance minister, the Chancellor and our Bank of England, our regulators to find an appropriate solution. We’ll be making an announcement about that very shortly.’
‘Britain is back’ Sunak added.
Asked how Britain would respond if China were to try to seize Taiwan through military force, Sunak declined to answer directly.
The PM said the international response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine served to deter any country from launching an unprovoked attack.
He told NBC: ‘I think the best thing we can do to deter hostile action by any state anywhere, is doing what we’re doing right now in Ukraine. And that’s where we’ve seen an illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
‘And the right thing to have done in that circumstance is to provide Ukraine with all the support that it needs to defend itself.
He added: ‘I think it’s important right now that we accelerate and intensify our support to Ukraine.’
He said London’s commitment to the AUKUS pact was part of an overall increase in defence spending by the UK.
He said: ‘We’re investing more in our armed forces over the next couple of years, billions of pounds more. We’re increasing our defence spending, because my belief is that the world has become more volatile.’
Nigerian actress Halima Abubakar has advised her fans and women to stay away from married or break the homes of their fellow women.
She made this known in an Instagram post on Monday, March 13, 2023.
The actress who was hit with an undisclosed illness which made her quit acting in October 2022, thanked God for saving her and revealed that she is on a new journey.
She wrote, “Leave a life you would be proud of Thank you all for all the prayers and encouragement, love.
“I am on a new part to a new life, strive to be new you and stay safe and morally right.
“No do side chick o…see u soon Find a side business and leave people’s husband. Let’s do this.
“DON’T MAKE THE MISTAKE I MADE… THE IDEA IS TO BE MORALLY RIGHT.”
As per reports, Russia is getting ready to send female inmates to the front lines for the first time.
According to the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, Vladimir Putin has looked for “other sources of replenishment of manpower” because of the war’s severe casualties.
“This week, a train with designated seats for carrying detainees moved into the Donetsk region. According to a statement, one of the carriages was for prisoner women.
Earlier this week, there were reports the Kremlin had moved female convicts to Kuschevka in Krasnodar region, close to the war zone.
Female convicts have been moved to near the front line, Ukraine claims.
Here some female prisoners – released under a special scheme linked to the war effort – were put to work as farm labourers in field as well as ‘greenhouses and cowsheds’, possibly deployed in supplying the military.
Olga Romanova, of Russian Behind Bars Foundation, believes around 100 women were sent to Ukraine.
Male prisoners have been recruited in Russia in their tens of thousands and offered a deal which reduces their sentences if they serve – and stay alive – for six months at the frontline.
Olga Romanova, human rights activist and head of Russia Behind Bars Foundation.
Last month the Ukrainian general staff said that Russia was actively ‘trying to recruit convicted women to participate in the hostilities’.
This was to ‘compensate for losses in personnel’, they said.
Some had been recruited from a women’s penal colony in Snezhnoye, in occupied Donetsk region.
Even before the war broke out, and amid long-term personnel shortages in the Russian Armed Forces, the Kremlin has made little efforts to enlist women.
Russian corporal Anastasia Savitskaya, 35, died in July 2022.
Although throughout the 2010s many women sought to join the armed forces, they were not permitted in frontline combat roles, barred from holding ranks higher than colonel and denied jobs such as ;driver, mechanic, sniper or gunner.’
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stated in May 2020 that c. 41,000 women were enlisted in the Russian Armed Forces.
According to a 2020 poll conducted by the state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Centre, 63% of Russians said they didn’t want a daughter of theirs to join the military with 42% saying ‘the army is not a woman’s business, the army is for men’.
On 12 July 2022, Russian media reported the first death of Russian female soldier in the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The soldier was Anastasia Savitskaya, a corporal from Volgograd.
The National Patriots Against Injustice and Corruption in Ghana (NAPAICGhana) has urged the Chief Justice to recognise and reward judges who go above and beyond in their duties.
This is in line with NAPAIC’s observation of how a High Court Judge turned down what was suspected to be a bribe to induce him against a mining case he is handling at the High Court in Bolgatanga in the Upper East region.
According to NAPAIC-Ghana, the chief of Baare Naab Nyakora Mantii in the Talensi District and one Richard Yinbil, who is the secretary to the Paramount Chief of Talensi, Tongraan Kugbilsong Nanlebegtang, were arrested for attempting to bribe the judge.
There was drama in the courtroom of the High Court in Bolgatanga, where the High Court Judge, His Lordship Alexander Graham, ordered the police to arrest two people who had come into the court premises to downplay his reputation.
The two gentlemen, a chief of Baare Naba Nyakora Mantii and the secretary to the Chief of Tongo, told officials of the court that they being sent by the Tongraan to deliver a message to the judge.
The judge had been briefed about their presence in the chambers. After a while, the judge stormed out of his chambers with the two Tongraana agents and into the courtroom, asking them to repeat what they had told him privately in his chambers to the hearing of the people in the courtroom. But there was total silence from the two agents.
They were arrested and handcuffed immediately on the Judge’s orders. A member of NAPAIC-Ghana Mr. Zuma Tii-roug gave further details of the drama.
“His Lordship furiously started by saying that he had issued warnings several times in his courtroom against people who might want to circumvent justice by visiting judges in their homes and in their chambers and that this act was common in the Upper East Region.”
“He further stated that the Chief of Baare, Naab Nyakora Mantii, and the Secretary to the Paramount Chief of Talensi, Richard Sunday Yinbil, came to him in his chambers and told him that they had been sent by the Paramount Chief of Talensi, Tongraan Kugbilsong Nanlebegtang, to invite him (the judge) to his palace to discuss some mining-related cases which the judge was presiding over and for the judge to understand the cases before him. They further told the judge that the Tongraan was an accountant, a member of the Council of State, a former board chairman of the Tema Oil Refinery, etc. His Lordship Alexander Graham considered their act as a trap and contemptuous.”
According to NAPAIC-Ghana, the bench of lawyers who were in the courtroom on different cases from Sunyani, Tamale, and Bolgatanga pleaded on behalf of the two accused persons and the Tongraana. One lawyer, Mohammed from Gbewa Chambers in Tamale, pleaded with the court not to give custodial sentences to the two accused persons and the Tongraana.
The two pleaded guilty to the charge and were convicted on their own plea. NAPAIC-Ghana is, however, commending the High Court Judge, His Lordship Alexander Graham, for exhibiting professionalism.
“We at NAPIAC-Ghana see the development recorded today within the Judicial Service of Ghana as one of the best actions led by a judge in the Upper East Region, and we humbly would ask of him to do more. We also would love to suggest to the Chief Justice of Ghana to identify good judges like His Lordship Alexander Graham and award them enormously to serve as motivation for others to emulate and to make the vulnerable also receive deserved justice when the need arises,” Mr. Zuma Tii-roug commended.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Lawyer Abdulai Jalaldeen, who confirmed the incident to Radio Ghana, said it was up to him and colleague lawyers to intervene for the two to be pardoned.
He cautioned the general public against attempting to bribe and induce judges presiding over cases in their favor. The accused persons were convicted and made to sign a bond of six months and to be of good behavior before the Upper East Regional Police Command.
The decision of actress and television host, Nana Ama McBrown to move from Despite Media where she worked as the host of United Showbiz has triggered some people.
On March 13, McBrown was unveiled as the latest staff of Media General. The move has resulted in backlash from some staff of her former employers.
Abena Moet of Okay FM is the latest to drum home to the world all the sacrifices Despite Media made for the media personality who has been tagged as ‘ungrateful’.
On the account of Abena, it took the effort of their media house to unearth one of McBrown’s talents adding that she was groomed to become one of Ghana’s seasoned show hosts without any “proper education”.
“Nana Ama McBrown also known as Mrs Mensah has moved to Media General. I don’t know if they do that often but they had a whole ceremony with a cultural display just to welcome her.
“For her to transition from acting to the media without having any proper education is impressive. Whatever goods she gives you Media General, just know that we gave it to her first because we made her a TV host. We are the ones who groomed her, the credit goes to us. We groomed her into a better host,” these are the words of Abena Moet.
Meanwhile, Ola Michael has publicly questioned Nana Ama McBrown for leaving her ‘family’ to join another media station considering the sacrifices owners of Despite Media made for her.
“We have lifted you to a high pedestal but because of disloyalty and ungratefulness, you have been reduced to class 1, we thank God,” he said.
As per officials, a 3-year-old Texas girl used a “unsecured” weapon to shoot and murder her 4-year-old sister on Sunday.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of Harris County described the occurrence as “tragic” and “extremely preventable.”
The sheriff claimed that five adults were present in a residence in Houston while the two kids were playing unattended.
The two toddlers were essentially left unaccompanied inside the bedroom at some point, according to the sheriff, when one parent thought the other was minding the other kids.
In the bedroom, the children found a loaded semi-automatic pistol.
‘Family members heard a single gunshot. They ran into the room and found the small toddler, four years old, on the floor unresponsive,’ Sheriff Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the adults were able to quickly secure the weapon after the gunshot and call 911, but the injured child was still pronounced dead at the scene.
Neither child has been identified yet. Any charges against the adults in the house have not yet been announced, although Sheriff Gonzalez said charges were ‘very likely’ in this case.
‘Our hearts are broken. Our deputies are pretty shaken up,’ Gonzalez said. ‘The community is impacted when a child loses their life in this way.’
Gonzales emphasized that this kind of incident is preventable if parents follow proper gun safety practices.
‘You’ve got to be sure you’re being a responsible gun owner, securing your weapons in a safe place,’ the sheriff said. ‘It’s got to be more than just telling young kids not to touch the weapons. You know, we’ve got to do a little more. We see far too many tragic situations like this unfold.’
Earlier this year, a six-year-old child in Newport News, Virginia took a legally-purchased firearm from their parents and used it to shoot his teacher in the classroom.
The child’s parent’s insisted the weapon was secured, and admitted that he suffered from an ‘acute disability’ which typically required additional supervision at school.
A month later in Pennsylvania, a mother was arrested when her children found an unsecured firearm and brought it in their backpack on the bus to school.
Nobody was hurt in the Norristown, Pennsylvania incident – children on the bus acted as ‘heroes’ and informed school administrators before the weapon was fired.
One month after being released on bail, Gary Glitter is scheduled to be sent to custody for violating the terms of his release.
In a report by The Sun, the embarrassed popstar, 78, was discovered attempting to enter the black web.
He has “been recalled to prison after a breach of his licence conditions,” the Probation Service has verified this evening, a spokesperson said.
He was seen in a newspaper photo asking how to use a smartphone to browse the web without being seen.
Glitter – real name Paul Gadd- was freed from low-security HMP Verne, in Portland, last month after serving half of his 16-year sentence for sexually abusing three schoolgirls.
Glitter 78, was only released last month.
Authorities said he was living under ‘some of the strictest licence conditions’ including a GPS tag and close monitoring by police and probation officers.
Last month angry crowd sparked a disturbance at the entrance to Glitter’s halfway house after he was released from prison.
Strict bail conditions he was supposed to follow included wearing a tag and telling police if he enters into a relationship with someone who has a child under 18.
A Probation Service spokesperson said: ‘Protecting the public is our number one priority. That’s why we set tough licence conditions and when offenders breach them, we don’t hesitate to return them to custody.’
A source told The Sun: ‘The mood music is heading in one direction.
‘The Deputy PM has now taken a personal interest, as you would expect.
‘The pictures and comments in themselves are enough to have raised serious concerns.’
The departure of actress Nana Ama McBrown from the Despite Media Group to work for another media organization has angered some employees of the Despite brand.
Nana Ama McBrown, who hosted United Showbiz on UTV, has left to join the Media General Group, owners of TV3, Onua TV, and others.
On Monday, March 13, 2023, at the Media General’s premises in Kanda, Accra, the well-known television personality was formally unveiled.
She joins the Onua brand.
Following the development, some presenters of Okay FM, Kwame Nkrumah Tikesie and Ohene Nana Kwame Amo, while on the “Ade Akye Abia” morning show, blasted McBrown for leaving the Despite brand.
In addition to that, Ola Michael, a presenter at Neat FM also fired McBrown for leaving UTV to a different station.
For these people, Nana Ama McBrown has been unthankful to the company and its Managing Director, Fadda Dickson, who provided her the opportunity by teaching her the ability to host shows.
But, in response to the criticism, Afia Pokuaa, nicknamed Vim Lady, a staff of the Despite Media Group, has noted that the criticism made against Nana Ama McBrown by her coworkers are improper.
She said in a Facebook post that the action was not cool and that it would reflect poorly on the Despite Media.
She asserted that the owners of the Despite Media Group do not object to McBrown quitting the company and that she [Vim Lady] is consequently baffled as to why some of her coworkers are criticizing McBrown.
Vim Lady pointed out that the critics were only acting in this way just to attract favour from their bosses.
“The owners of Despite Media are okay with McBrown but the disciples are always shouting to gain favor from the bosses,” she fired.
She took advantage to caution McBrown to be careful as according to her, there are “bad colleagues” and an “imperfect system”. She advised her to refrain from conducting interviews about her former employers.
Vim Lady also told her to enjoy her new position while remaining attentive and alert.
Mr Samuel Ewudzie Arthur, an official of the Finance Department of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Head Office, Accra, has been installed the Guantoahene of Abura Dunkwa, capital of the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese district of the Central Region.
He assumes Nana Kojo Dadzie I as his stool name and succeeds the late Guantoahene, Nana Kwame Asoku I.
Swearing the oath of allegiance, Nana Dadzie pledged to team up with the other sub-chiefs in supporting the chief of the town, Nana Asokwa Kwegyir II in his developmental endeavours at all times.
He also promised to assist in effectively mobilising the people towards the rapid development of the town.
“This will, however, be difficult to achieve if we, as a people, fail to unite as one people with a common goal,” he cautioned.
Nana Dadzie therefore urged the people to forge a common front with the leaders devising an efficient means of tele-guiding the youth, in particular, towards the achievement of their individual and collective aspirations as well as community development.
In a related development, the late Guantoahene who died about a year ago was laid to rest last weekend.
Present to support Nana Asoku, were Mr James Quarshie, formerly of Ghana Post Company Limited, Cape Coast, Mr Benjamin Hope Appiah, retired teacher, Abura Dunkwa, Mr John Otchere, opinion leader, Abura Dunkwa, Mr Frank Otchere, formerly of New Times Corporation, Kumasi and others.
A total of 10 women suffering from breast cancer have been presented with a cheque for GH¢33,000.00 to aid their “radiation and chemotherapy treatment” at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).
The donation was made by a charity organisation known as the Indian Women Association (IWA) over the weekend, to reduce the financial burden of the patients for cancer treatment.
Presenting the cheque, the president of IWA, Vanisha Daryanani, underscored the need for more stakeholders to be actively involved in providing financial assistance to persons living with the ailment as a lot of them were impoverished.
“We came across many ladies who were suffering from the disease but were not aware and cannot afford the treatments. So, in our little way we started the breast cancer awareness programme to raise awareness and financially assist them,” she added.
She stated that the gesture aligned with the IWA goals of creating awareness about breast cancer as many women were succumbing to the illness although it could be treated.
“Cancer treatment is expensive and because of that, others who cannot afford it resort to other forms of treatment or abandon treatment halfway and end up losing their lives,” she lamented.
Ms Daryanani noted that the exercise would not be limited to only the Korle Bu Hospital but would be replicated in the various major hospitals in the country as a healthy population contributes significantly to socio-economic development.
Ms Daryanani urged women to visit the nearest medical centre to screen for the disease or do a self-examination to know their status as early detection of the ailment increases your chances of survival.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, a nursing officer at the Breast Cancer and Oncology Unit of the KBTH, Julitta McCarthy, commended the IWA for their support as it would reduce the financial burden of the patients.
She urged Ghanaians to be constantly updated on their health status while calling for more stakeholder support for breast cancer patients as the illness was deadly but treatable when detected early.
Ms Josephine Oppong-Yeboah, a broadcaster and gender equality advocate, has urged the government to increase investments in digital education that prioritizes the needs of girls.
She said investing in digital education infrastructure would create an enabling environment and entice more females to the sector to support the country’s industrialization agenda.
Ms Oppong-Yeboah was commenting on theme, “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls,” in an interview with the Ghana News Agency when she attended the Commission’s Status of Women (CSW67) meeting in New York, United States of America.
The session was aimed at identifying the key factors and trends regarding women’s participation in ICT and its dynamics, as well as analysing practices that could enable women’s participation in the digital world.
It sought to provide updated evidence for prognostics and policy-making in women in ICT in the world.
Ms Oppong-Yeboah said data trends suggested that gender inequality in the digital sphere was essentially a result of the persistence of strong unconscious biases about what was appropriate and what capacities each gender had, as well as about the technologies themselves.
She noted that for the country to address the gender inequalities in the ICT sector, it needed to initiate processes at the educational level, particularly at the basic school level to enable girls develop the interest in ICT at an early age.
“If the existing biases are not addressed, rapid economic advances by digital transformation will not take account existing gender gap in the sector, which will simply amplify and, possibly perpetuate gender stereotypes,” she said.
Ms Oppong-Yeboah said, “Only few women graduate in ICT related fields and very few enter the sector after graduation. Despite the increased awareness and numerous initiatives, women still face significant challenges in the sector that affect all stages of females’ career paths and life courses in the digital sphere.”
She thought that if equality in the digital sphere was not achieved, the world would miss talents, vision, resources, and wealth.
Ms Oppong-Yeboah said when women were involved in technology development, they factored the concerns of their and customized innovations that addressed their unique challenges.
On Ghana’s participation in the UN conference, she expressed concern of no representation from the country, describing it as “disheartening.”
“Today’s session is very critical, and Ghana needed to be here. We cannot claim to be interested in the affairs of women and ignore today’s session with no representation,” she told the GNA.
Nana Afawuah Dum II, the Chief of Adansi Nyankumasi, has blamed the sale of wrong herbal medicines for wrong ailments as a key contributory factor to the high rise in kidney-related diseases in the country.
He observed that the frequent intake of some herbal medication recommended by fake herbalists and spiritualists was among the reasons why some patients were battling kidney diseases.
Nana Dum II, called on the government through the Food and Drugs Authority to monitor, inspect, and sanitise the activities of such practitioners and the medicines they publicly advertised in the media space, to prevent the intake of such harmful substances.
The Chief revealed these and narrated his ordeal to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during a free health screening at Cape Coast in the Central region, to mark the 2023 World Kidney Day.
The screening, organised by the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) on the theme; “Kidney Health for All,” was to increase awareness of kidney-related diseases, and educate the public on the need to take routine check-ups seriously to safeguard their health.
Nana Dum II, who was diagnosed four months ago, explained that he battled hypertension for years and resorted to herbal medicines recommended by friends and family, especially those advertised on television and radio which almost led to kidney failure.
He said low education on kidney-related issues among others were the reasons why patients engaged in self-medication, which eventually compounded their situation.
“The treatment and management of kidney diseases are expensive,” he noted and called on the authorities to include some aspects of the treatment of the disease in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to support patients in that regard.
Additionally, he advised the public to desist from patronising un-prescribed and over-the-counter medicines and seek medical attention when they were not feeling well.
Some patients of kidney diseases, including Mr Thomas Cann, the Founder of ‘Yes We Can Kidney Foundation,’ called on the Government to consider adding dialysis units to the proposed agenda 111 projects, and further remove taxes on medical inputs and supplies used for dialysis and kidney care to reduce the cost.
Mr Cann who is a journalist with TV3 stated that kidney patients were dying not from the disease but rather, from the high cost of treatment which deterred them from seeking continuous care.
Madam Eunice deGraft-Eshun, a Senior Nurse in charge of the Dialysis Unit of the CCTH, said though the hospital charged the lowest in dialysis and kidney services compared to other facilities, the government needed to intervene to lessen the burden on patients.
“Though we charge the least in dialysis, it is expensive as a patient needs to go through the process every week for survival, she added.
She advised the public to avoid the consumption of artificial spices which accumulate to affect the kidneys in the long term.
Madam deGraft-Eshun revealed that out of every three million population, about thirty thousand persons were battling with kidney diseases representing thirteen per cent of the total population.
Dr Kwasi Senanu Djokoto, the Acting Volta Regional Director of Health, on Monday, said the Ketu South Municipality has recorded 10 cases of Measles.
He however disclosed to the Ghana News Agency, that the arrival of the vaccines was “timely, appropriate and God sent,” towards reducing the effect of an escalation of the outbreak of the disease”.
Dr Djokoto however said the region’s exercise to immunise the babies would hopefully start on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, as consignments were being distributed to the Municipal and District Health Directorates for onward transportation to the various facilities.
He appealed to parents especially nursing mothers to avail their babies to the hospitals for vaccination, to make up for the missed opportunities.
Dr Djokoto commended the media for bringing the shortage of vaccines onto the front burner, which resulted in expedited action to prevent a national calamity.
There was a shortage of vaccines for three childhood killer diseases, Measles, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and Polio, which threatened the country’s effort with the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service on Saturday received the first consignment of vaccines for the three childhood illnesses, and an announcement by the Ministry of Information, through a press statement said distribution to various regions and facilities was underway.
The statement indicated that more of the vaccines were expected in the country in the coming weeks from multiple sources.
Dr Robert Doh, a Parliamentary aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ho Central Constituency has presented some health equipment to the Ho Teaching Hospital in the Volta region worth Gh¢12,000.00.
The items included central venous lines, femoral artery catheters, foley catheters, chest tubes, pneumothorax kit, and gloves and were aimed to help the hospital to deliver quality healthcare to the people.
Dr Doh told Ghana News Agency in an interview that he had a vision and plan for medical service and excellence for Ho Central and the Volta region at large.
The Parliamentary aspirant said health facilities would be able to deliver quality, effective and timely services to their clients if they had adequate equipment.
He said plans were underway to engage hospitals outside the country in exchange programmes with the Ho Teaching Hospital as a way of boosting and offering some form of support to the hospital in its operations.
Dr Doh said the donation was in memory of his friend’s daughter who lost her life at the hospital due to kidney disease and that the gesture would continue sometimes.
The Parliamentary aspirant said the life of the lady would have been saved if the condition was to be detected early, and therefore, advised the citizenry to visit health facilities for regular checkups.
Professor Yaw Asante Awuku, Head of Medicine at the Ho Teaching Hospital, thanked Dr Doh for the gesture and assured him that the items would be used well.
He called on benevolent individuals and organisations to emulate the gesture of Dr Doh and support the hospital in its quest to deliver quality services to the people.
Mr Samuel Atuahene Antwi, a Nutritionist at the Tema Metropolitan Health Directive, has cautioned pregnant women against alcohol intake, saying it could endanger the lives of their unborn babies.
He said babies of mothers who consumed liquor risked developing alcohol syndrome, which could affect their central nervous system, growth, and cognitive abilities, leading to physical and mental disabilities.
Mr Antwi was speaking at the weekly programme dubbed; “Your Health! Our Concern!” a public health advocacy initiative by Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office, to promote communication on health-related issues.
The initiative explores the parameters of the four approaches to health communication: informative, educating, persuasive, and prompting.
Mr Antwi stated that alcoholic mothers had their babies scoring very low on the APGAR scores which was a quick test performed on baby’s minutes after their birth to check the healthiness, adding that some of them were delivered with symptoms of drowsiness.
He explained that such babies were also prone to being malnourished, as the alcohol inhibits their bodies’ ability to absorb nutrients from the food they receive.
Mr Antwi further cautioned against alcoholism during breastfeeding as it had the same effect on babies just like in the womb, because it could easily be transmitted through breastmilk.
He advised mothers to ensure good nutrition for their children right from pregnancy to breastfeeding saying, “there is the need to start right, and feed right.”
The Nutritionist said mothers must be prepared well nutritionally for the sake of their babies, stressing that eating non-nutritious substances would end up in the stomachs and bloodstreams of the babies.
Ghanaian bride Dr Suzzy Abena Sefa Boakye and her gorgeous famed sister, Anita Sefa Boakye, have been trending with their elegant ensembles for the viral wedding in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
The medical doctor chose top Ghanaian fashion designers to create her bespoke wedding dresses which she styled with expensive shoes.
Ghanaian bride Dr Suzzy looks stunning in a sleeveless kente gown:
The beautiful bride Dr Suzzy wore a corseted customised kente gown for her traditional wedding over the weekend. The young bride looked elegant in her frontal hairstyle and flawless makeup, smiling graciously for the cameras.
Ghanaian bride Dr Suzzy looks ravishing in an off-shoulder white gown:
The happy bride glowed in an off-shoulder white dress with a long train embellished with 3d flowers and leafy details.
The unique features of the ball gown include side ruffles, gemstones and pearls. Dr Suzzy Sefa Boakye wore a shiny headpiece that matched the expensive customised dress.
Ghanaian bride Dr Suzzy looks ravishing in a pink dress:
The gorgeous Ghanaian medical doctor Suzzy Sefa Boakye was seen slaying in a pink halterneck beaded gown for the reception party after the traditional wedding.
Ghanaian gospel artiste Ernest Opoku said his song “Onyame A Otease” was the biggest song of his career and one that gave him the popularity he has enjoyed in the music and entertainment industry.
In an interview on Hello FM, he disclosed that he used to stay in a house in a town in Kumasi called Krofrom where his neighbours mostly called “Osofo” because he was very prayerful.
One day, a woman knocked on his door when he was meditating and begged him to come and pray for her dying son because there was nothing she could do.
The gospel musician, who was a bit nervous at the time, decided to pray for the child even though there were a number of people around. When he started praying for the child, the lyrics in his “Onyame A Otease” song came to him through the Holy Spirit.
He added that he would not have known this if someone standing by had not recorded and later shared the recording with him. The child who laid down lifelessly coughed and started breathing minutes into his prayer.
“The song travelled all over the world and did wonders for many people. It was directly from God and not me, and every song I have sang afterwards carries weight and power”, he said.
Ola Michael, a presenter at the Despite Media Group has accused former co-worker Nana Ama McBrown of ungratefulness and disloyalty to the Group.
In a broadcast on Neat FM (March 13, 2023) Ola suggested that the former hostess of United Showbiz on UTV (a subsidiary of Despite Media Group) should not have left for rival group, the Media General Group.
In a clip circulated on social media, Ola I heard saying: “If there is someone who has worked in this house (Despite Media Group) and has to be very very grateful to the owners of this business, Nana Aba will be the first. But have you seen what has happened?
“We have lifted you to a high pedestal but because of disloyalty and ungratefulness, you have been reduced to class 1, we thank God,” he added.
He explained why he was openly critiquing the actress cum entrepreneur: “If it happened elsewhere, we will talk about it. It has happened to us and we are stating it because we are not hypocrites. We have said it as it is. Let’s be grateful, let’s stop being ungrateful.”
McBrown was welcomed to the Media General Group with an elaborate ceremony that included new colleagues lining up to receive her before a musical show was held as part of the welcome party.
Information available to GhanaWeb shows that she will be working at the Twi-language subsidiary of Media General’s Onua FM/TV.
In the state of Maine, a 10-year-old kid was detained after carrying a gun to school.
When it was determined that the pupil had arrived to Monroe Elementary School in Monroe before 9am on Friday, police were summoned.
He was brought into custody and transferred to the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office without causing any injuries.
The force confirmed there was no ongoing threat to the school or the community.
Police confirmed there was no ongoing threat to the school (Picture: AP)
Monroe is a rural community of about 900 people, about 100 miles northeast of Portland.
The small school has about 70 students and is set on a two-lane road amid rolling hills and forest.
Ted Pellerin, who lives near the school and sent his own children there years ago, stressed that the reports are ‘alarming’.
The 64-year-old said it seemed the community avoided a tragedy, adding that the incident should prompt ‘a discussion about how dangerous something like that could be, how seriously something like that could be’.
‘It’s a quiet, rural community with nice people who support each other,’ he added.
Other communities in the US have also seen their share of firearms showing up at elementary schools recently.
The incident in Monroe comes just weeks after a six-year-old boy brought a gun to his primary school in Virginia.
Again, no one was hurt, and the handgun had already been confiscated by staff at the Little Creek Elementary School when police turned up.
In Naples, Florida, an 11-year-old student was arrested in 2021 after bringing an unloaded gun to school and threatening two classmates, authorities said.
The founder and head of Anointed Palace Chapel (APC) Worldwide, Reverend Obofour, has recently sparked controversy by daring to reveal alleged secrets about Stephen Adom Kyei Duah, a popular Ghanaian televangelist.
The feud between the two religious leaders appears to stem from an incident where Rev Adom Kyei Duah accused Obofour of visiting his church, drinking his sobolo (a traditional Ghanaian drink made from hibiscus flowers), and requesting a loan afterwards.
Obofour has vehemently denied the allegations and accused Duah of lying to draw attention to his miracle items, which he claims is a tactic to generate income.
In a video circulating on social media, Obofour can be seen calling Duah a “liar” and questioning why, if he had drunk the sobolo, which he uses for miracles, he could have also used it on his bald head to make it grow.
“That guy is a criminal. He said I came to drink his sobolo and biscuits so he could advertise them. Don’t take it as a joke. He always wants attention to come to his miracle items. That’s how he gets the money.
“He is a liar; I didn’t drink any sobolo. If I took his sobolo, why doesn’t he pour it on his head so his bald hair will grow? I have watched the video. The man was boasting,” he said.
The dispute between the two pastors has escalated further with Obofour’s daring to reveal alleged secrets about their past interactions.
According to Obofour, he has met Duah on 11 separate occasions, and while he has denied drinking the sobolo, he claims they have “done serious things together” during that time.
“I’ve met him 11 times in this life. He claims I have come to his church, and he has also come to mine and even to the office. He has also come to my house. We have done serious things together. He said he would prove it to Ghanaians. We know ourselves. Out of the 11, I will explain what transpired during three of our meetings.
“When he impregnated someone, ask which pastor stood in the beg for him. If he gathers the courage to mention my name and say he is referring to me in all his shades, ask him what he did with the two Sabroso oils and four claws of an eagle in the years 2014 and 2015,” he added.
Duah, for his part, has fired back at Obofour, accusing him of hiding behind his television station to make defamatory remarks about him.
In a video response, Duah challenged Obofour to mention his name directly so that he could respond in detail.
He also claimed that Obofour had once come to him to request a loan, asking why someone of his stature would need to borrow money from a fellow pastor.
“There is a young man who sits at his TV station and says things about me. If you are a man, mention my name, and I will come out and explain in detail. So, I can mention your name and say there was a time when this person came to request a loan from me.
“Who was I, then, for you to come and beg for a loan from me? Weren’t you the guys that served him sobolo and biscuit (cream crackers),” he expressed.
The feud between Obofour and Duah has garnered significant attention in Ghana, with many people taking sides in the dispute.
Former Agric Minister and NPP flagbearer hopeful, Dr Afriyie Akoto, has called on banks for financial support in his quest to transform the country through Agriculture, if given the nod as the President of the Republic.
He believes the banks can entrust him with their financial resources given his achievements in the Agricultural sector during his tenure as the sector Minister.
Addressing a gathering at the University of Professional Studies, Accra on March 13, 2023, during the launch of his campaign to contest in the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries, he mentioned that: “The government made significant Investment in farm inputs in order to increase agricultural productivity to raise, incomes of farmers, and to achieve national food security. The Ministry procured and distributed 1.4 million MT of fertilizer and 93,192 MT of improved seeds which were distributed to over 1.7 million farmers from 2017 to 2021.
“As a result of these measures, Maize yields increased from 1.8mt/ha to 3.0mt/ha; Rice yield increased from 2.7mt/ha to 4.0mt/ha and Soya yield increased from 1Mt/ha to 2.5Mt/ha, in the period from 2017 to 2021. With Planting For Food and Jobs (PFJ) intervention, production of maize has risen from 1.7 million MT in 2016 to 3.6 million MT in 2021, Rice from 688,000MT to 1.2 million MT, and soya from 143,000MT to 230,000MT over the same period,” he added.
While acknowledging that there is a lot of room for improvement in the PFJ, the Minister noted that the “stories that I have shared provide some evidence that the implementation of the program has been a resounding success.”
“As indicated earlier Government expenditure on improved seeds and fertilizers amounted to 2.6 billion Ghana Cedis in the period 2017-2021. To optimize the gains from such investments, we must further invest in the education of farmers, wherever they are in the country,” he noted further.
Touting these achievements and more, he concluded that “all banks should be giving him money to develop the sector.”
Dr Akoto’s highly centered on developing the country through Agriculture. During the campaign launch, he expressed the optimism that the agric sector will take Ghana out of its economic woes.
Speaking at the launch of his flagbearership campaign at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) said “I strongly believe Agriculture will lift Ghana out of poverty.”
According to him, the sector will as well “assure us not only food and nutrition security but also generate the necessary resources for the development of the other sectors including industry, health, education and infrastructural medium to long term.”
