THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON MAY 30, BY THE HERALD NEWSPAPER
Fun, fun and more fun, appears to be the lot of the members of the Akufo-Addo family and as many Ghanaians, continue to cry over poverty, a daughter of the President, has thrown an expensive bash in faraway London, to celebrate her birthday.
Edwina Akufo-Addo, who turned 35 this month, per a number of videos in the possession of The Herald, threw caution to the wind and partied hard with friends and love ones at a hotel identified as Cheddars Hotel- London.
It is not yet known, whether she is in any gainful employment or still dependent on her dad. She is not married and doesn’t appear to be in any serious relationship either.
She appeared drunk as her dance failed to follow a particular formula. She was seen with a glass filled with a liquid substance suspected to be hard liquor as she kept dancing.
Dressed in all red outfit with a penciled-heel shoe to match, Edwina, had taken the Centre stage with her dancing moves, to tunes from Ghanaian artistes, including “King Promise” and Tema-based “R2Bs” inviting cheers and applause from the guests she had invited.
On the low stage, was her name on an electronic board.
Ms. Akufo-Addo, reportedly flew artistes, including King Promise to the United Kingdom (UK) just after the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) for her birth bash, while Ghanaians, continue to debate about Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy clash at the awards ceremony.
Although the cost of the lavish birthday bash is not yet out, it may have cost her a fortune sending some friends, family members and the artists abroad.
The artists in particular, who will charge huge sums of money as performance fees, checked into hotels among other expenses for performing for her privately.
The spacious venue and the expensive chandelier, also show a lot of Pound sterling, may have been spent to celebrate the President’s last daughter birthday.
Business mogul, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Freedom Jacob Caesar, has offered what one may describe as some rather startling insights into his ‘entrepreneurial giftings.’
He said that at the age of 21, he moved to Ghana from Europe after earning his first one million pounds in the year 2001.
Speaking in an interview with YouTube Vlogger, Vanessa Kanbi, the business mogul shared that his love for animals sparked his interest in venturing into animal farming.
He stated that as a young boy, he managed to purchase two animals which he described as a ‘hen and a cock,’ which he later turned around into owning over 200 more animals.
“When I was young, I managed to buy two animals and turned that into 200 and something and that was a hen and cock. I was just about 8 years and that was my passion and fantasy to be able to have chickens all over the place,” he said.
The business mogul said his entrepreneurial ventures which is mainly focused on real estate and property development, has earned him about 200 properties in Ghana and abroad.
Meanwhile, Freedom Jacob Caesar recently came under fire after it emerged that he was keeping two tiger cubs at his residence for about six months.
This came after some residents at the Wonda World Estates located near the British High Commission at Ridge in Accra, had expressed worry over the presence of the two tigers at the estate.
This, however, resulted in a cross-section of the public taking to social media to draw the attention of the Ghana Police Service to the situation, which they believed was illegal.
But Jacob Caesar, in his defence, said he went through the right processes in bringing the animals into the country to boost Ghana’s tourism sector.
“First, it is right, I have two tigers that I bought on a bid between Ghana and Dubai. I was the representative from the private sector that initiated my interest in purchasing these two animals. But we did go through the process, the animals are seven months old, still at the very young stage,” he said.
The businessman in an interview with journalists maintained that he bought the tigers with the intention of making Ghana one of the first in the greater part of the continent to have the animals.
“I went in to buy these animals to add the value of tourism in our country. I wanted to go into the Safari World by making sure that Ghana becomes the first country in the whole of West Africa, East Africa, and Central Africa, except for South Africa, which has these animals,” Nana Kwame Bediako said.
Throwback 2019 where Nana Kwame Bediako stated in an interview that he started his first business which is poultry farm with one hen and a cock. https://t.co/NIzwCTUxAW
Lee Anderson has quit his job as the deputy Conservative chairman because he disagrees with the government’s important Rwanda bill.
Another leader of the party, Brendan Clarke-Smith, quit before voting against the government.
In a letter they wrote together to the leader of the country, the two people said they were in favor of the law but wanted to make sure it was very strong and secure.
They were part of a group of 60 Conservative MPs who supported a change to the bill that rebels said was meant to make it stronger.
The law aims to bring back the government’s idea to send certain people seeking asylum to Rwanda and to stop others from coming to the UK in small boats.
In their letter to quit, the two people said they had previously argued that “safeguards” were needed to make sure the law was very strong.
They said it’s important to be consistent with this to keep our credibility.
The Tory MPs said they backed rebel changes to the Rwanda bill because they want it to work, even though they aren’t against the law.
The lawyer for Isabel dos Santos, a rich person from Angola, says that the new criminal charges against her are motivated by politics.
Angola’s top lawyer has accused Ms Dos Santos of doing 12 bad things, like stealing money and lying, according to reports.
Ms Dos Santos is being accused of doing something wrong when she was in charge of a government-owned oil company.
Ms Dos Santos was in charge of Sonangol, the richest woman in Africa. She ran the company from 2016 to 2017.
She is the daughter of the ex-president of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country for 38 years until he stopped in 2017.
Critics say Ms. Dos Santos used her power in Angola to make herself rich, but she denies it.
In reply to the charges from last week, Isabel dos Santos’ lawyer, Dan Morrison, said to the media that she denies the charges and believes they were made by the Angolan government to harm her because of President João Lourenço.
During Mr Lourenço’s presidency, some of José Eduardo Dos Santos’ family members have been accused of different crimes but they say they didn’t do it.
In 2020, Angolan prosecutors accused Ms Dos Santos of stealing and illegally using money.
The international police agency Interpol put out a “red notice” for the billionaire in 2022, telling police around the world to find and temporarily arrest her.
Ms Dos Santos has not been taken by the police since they started looking into her, but her money and things she owns have been frozen in many places.
“Isabel’s lawyer, Mr. Morrison, said she is currently dealing with legal cases in different places to prove her innocence. ”
“The Angolan authorities are trying to scare her so she can’t come back to Angola and run for political office. ”
Ms Dos Santos was recently charged with a crime on 11 December, according to the Portuguese news agency Lusa. The Angolan attorney general’s office said they couldn’t talk about it because it’s a secret legal matter.
Ms Dos Santos has talked about running for president of Angola in different media interviews in the last few years.
She has been called the richest woman in Africa before, and it is said she has about $2 billion. Her name is not on the list of the richest people in the world by Forbes anymore because her money and property are being argued about in different places.
A person who helped people in a war in Ukraine was killed in a way that breaks the law, according to a coroner.
Christopher Parry, who was 28 years old, passed away in January 2023 after being shot in the head and body, according to an investigation.
Coroner Darren Salter said there is “some evidence” that the Wagner Group, which is a private military company funded by the Russian government, may be involved.
The investigation also learned that Mr Parry gave a speech for his parents’ anniversary before he went to Ukraine.
His mom, Christine Parry, said that he told them they were great parents and thanked them.
“It was not like her at all,” she said. “I think he knew he wouldn’t come back. ”
Mr Parry, who was from Truro, passed away with another volunteer named Andrew Bagshaw, the inquest found.
Mr Parry’s friends said he wanted to help a person leave the Soledar region of Ukraine on January 6th, 2023.
Mr Parry’s girlfriend, Olha Volodymyrivna Khomenko, said that she didn’t hear from him after he sent her a message in the morning.
His body was found and sent back to the United Kingdom after being examined in Ukraine.
Mr Salter, who is in charge of investigating deaths for the Queen in Oxfordshire, said Mr. Parry was killed while helping people in Ukraine. It happened around January 7, 2023 in the Soledar region of Ukraine.
Mr Salter said it was hard to prove because there were no people who saw what happened.
He mentioned that there is some evidence that the Wagner Group, a company funded by the Russian government, may be involved.
This means that someone from the Wagner group seemed to have Mr. Bagshaw’s phone and sent messages on the Telegram app.
Mr Salter said that it is very sad that Chris and Andrew, who were doing humanitarian work for a long time, were lost in this situation.
“A big part of it was about saving people from dangerous places, so there was a lot of risk involved. ”
He said there is evidence showing they were helping others when they disappeared on January 6th.
DrRussell Delaney, a doctor who studies dead bodies in a hospital in Oxford, said that Mr. Parry died because he was shot in the head and body.
He said that there were no signs of a weapon being fired up close or in contact with the body, despite the limitations of time and a previous investigation in Ukraine.
The police in Ukraine found a Mercedes car with all windows broken, according to Mr.
Christine Parry said her son came back home to Truro to get better after a small surgery in 2023.
He watched the news a lot, including the Russian attack on Ukraine.
“He went to Warsaw, Poland, she said, and then went to Ukraine to help people. ”
The inquest found out that Mr Parry talked to his sister Kate about his job, but he told his parents he was just “helping with logistics”.
In June 2022, when Mr. Parry visited home, he didn’t think the dangers were serious, even though his mother said they were.
In October 2022, he gave a speech at a party for his sister’s birthday and his parents’ anniversary, she said.
He said thank you to his parents for helping him, Mrs Parry said. She also remembered talking to her son on 5 January when he called to say he missed them.
He was gone the next day.
Christine Parry said the family was very sad, and they will always remember their son and keep him in their hearts.
She also talked about how kind he is and how much he hates unfairness. She remembered a family trip to the United States when Mr Parry gave all his spending money to homeless people.
She said that his family is very proud of him for helping more than 400 people to leave a dangerous place.
She said her son called the night before he disappeared to make sure his family was okay.
“We will keep feeling the pain but we will also remember him forever,” she said, explaining that the family plans to carry on with his helpful work in Ukraine.
She said Ukraine will always be in our hearts.
Mr Salter said that the FCDO and other agencies, like the police and Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, helped him with his inquiry.
Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has affectionately shared her nickname for Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
During an interview on PeaceFM, she playfully referred to the Vice President as “The Digital Champion.”
“Let’s all commend Dr Bawumia because he has championed the digitization drive. I call him the digital champion,” she said.
She indicated during the interview that the digital initiatives spearheaded by Dr Bawumia, have played a pivotal role in positioning Ghana as a tech-savvy nation.
She believes that the Vice President’s advocacy for digital literacy, technological innovation, and increased internet accessibility has garnered him the well-deserved title of “Digital Champion.”
She further commended the Vice President for his charisma and his ability to mobilize members of the government who otherwise would not comply, to cooperate and support policies aimed at boosting the government’s digitisation agenda.
In a significant development, the payroll monitoring exercise is set to expand its reach into public health institutions across the country this year.
The primary objective of this exercise is to scrutinize potential leakages in the public sector wage bill, addressing anomalies in both workload distribution and salary disbursement.
“This year, the focus would be on the health sector. Hopefully, the team will be on the field by the first week in February,” the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Benjamin Arthur, told the Daily Graphic in Accra.
Highlighting the ongoing progress of the exercise initiated in April of the previous year, Mr. Arthur noted its concentration on the Local Government Service within the Western, Greater Accra, Central, Volta, and Oti regions.
The other regions will be covered later, he said.
Preliminary investigations
The preliminary analysis of the exercise conducted in 17 institutions last year revealed a notable decrease in their respective wage bills.
Mr Arthur said that the wage bill was reduced by an average of 1.2 per cent from April to August 2023 during the exercise, translating into an equivalent of about GH¢36,108,000.
The Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) wage bill for 707,000 employees on the single spine had also witnessed a one and a six per cent reduction month over month, respectively, for July and August, resulting in savings of about GH¢178,360.000 and about GH¢ 18,448,000 for the country.
Mr Arthur commended the CAGD for its support which he said had made the exercise a success, and said the initiative to link the Ghana Card to the payroll was also helping to clean the books.
He, however, said that while the wage bill was dropping, the number of employees was going up, adding “This tells us that if we continue the payroll monitoring exercise, we would be able to clean and save the country a lot of money.”
Productivity
Mr Arthur further said that the exercise was also helping to improve productivity.
“It is letting people who were not reporting to work now come to work because they are aware the commission would be coming around to check attendance for purposes of head count,” he explained.
He said the commission had also introduced a programme to link pay to productivity.
In line with that, the CEO said last year, his outfit sensitised staff of 29 institutions, and that this year, “we want to do a minimum of 40 institutions”.
Mr Arthur said it was only when staff were able to understand the performance appraisal system that they would be able to help set targets for institutions and individuals to enable them to measure their performance.
Information from the performance assessment, he said, would expose challenges such as staff not being provided with assignments and not having the right skills or the right budget to execute their job, to enable his outfit to address those challenges and make the public service more productive.
For instance, Mr Arthur said, the country should get to a point where payslips were linked to input of employees to see if they matched their rewards.
Renowned Ghanaian entrepreneur and founder of the New Force Movement, Nana Kwame Bediako, widely known as Cheddar or Freedom Jacob Caesar, reveals facing loan rejections from certain financial institutions in the country.
Expressing frustration, Nana Kwame Bediako, also known as Cheddar or Freedom Jacob Caesar, voices his disappointment as numerous Ghanaian banks decline his loan requests aimed at supporting his various projects and businesses.
Nana Kwame Bediako holds a diverse conglomerate of businesses under his name.
In an interview on Citi TV, Cheddar indicated that only one bank expressed its willingness to give him a loan, but the bank later collapsed.
The founder of the New Force Movement emphasized that only the World Bank supported and financed part of his projects because he had a partner.
“We have had one bank that has lent us money before, IFC from the World Bank. They lent us money for a part of our building [properties]. When you come to Ghana, we have a lot of banks, from student loans to business advancement, whatever you ask of these banks, they don’t have the money for you. I’m sure we all know this. We don’t have banks supporting us, even if you want to high-purchase a car where you have a job. I have not borrowed money from Ghanaian banks before. I tried, but they won’t give me.”
“There was one Ghanaian bank that took me through a process and took my building documents at that time. I passed all the requirements, and when they got to give me the money, they didn’t, and it took me about two years to hear it has been dissolved,” he told Bernard Avle.
He raised concerns about the reluctance of financial institutions to offer loans to business owners in the country, posing a huge risk to the economy of the country.
Cheddar bemoaned the lack of trust in international financial institutions to loan Africans money.
“My partner had to come in and support. It’s difficult for Africans to benefit from such financial institutions; I don’t think they believe in our capacity. And I also don’t think they believe in the governance that built the economies of our country,” he observed.
Nana Kwame Bediako promised to give hope to the youth if he wins the presidential elections.
“Currently, there’s no hope; that is why we are here.”
Newly elected parliamentary candidate for the Adentan constituency under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Akosua Manu, affectionately known as Kozie, has began her philanthropic work in the constituency.
In an extraordinary display of benevolence and a commitment to instill hope throughout the constituency, she has made a remarkable donation of educational materials to a total of thirty-six (36) basic, junior high, and senior high schools scattered across the Adentan constituency.
An impressive donation totaling ten thousand (10,000) exercise books, ten thousand (10,000) pens, ten thousand (10,000) pencils, and an undisclosed quantity of calendars, was dispersed to the diverse schools during the initial two days of the school reopening.
To encourage and motivate these pupils and students, especially the girl child, to whom Akosua Manu holds a special commitment, she led the distribution of these record learning materials to the various schools.
She also mingled with the pupils and students and had hearty conversations with them.
She pledged to address their concerns subsequently, admonishing them to be passionate about their studies, since it is the only means through which they can break the poverty cycle and make meaningful impacts on their lives.
For the teachers, she equally had very engaging conversations and reassured them that as the pivot around which our educational system revolved, the NPP government would keep doing more to better their lot. Also, assuring them that in her, they have an advocate who will champion their interests and needs.
At the Frafraha Community Senior High School (FACOSH), after a durbar of students and teachers, she took turns interacting with teachers and students alike. As it was the first day at school, some parents who had come with their wards also engaged with the parliamentary candidate and expressed their gratitude for her generous gesture.
As the most likely winner in the December 2024 parliamentary elections, Ms. Akosua Manu (Kozie) represents a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale political environment dominated by male MPs since the creation of the constituency in 2004.
It is that feminine touch of motherly care, compassion, and an in-depth understanding of the issues that plague the constituency that she hopes to bring to bear in formulating lasting solutions for the constituency. For Akosua, this is only the start of an exciting developmental relationship with Adentan.
The Accra-Paga Highway, commonly referred to as the N10, has emerged as one of the most daunting and perilous stretches of road to traverse in Ghana, especially during nighttime journeys.
With safety concerns mounting, travelers are grappling with the challenges posed by this notorious highway.
The N10, spanning a considerable distance, has gained a reputation for being a nerve-wracking passage, raising alarms among both commuters and authorities. Travelers navigating this route, particularly after sunset, face heightened risks.
One prominent issue on the Accra-Paga Highway is the lack of adequate lighting, plunging the road into darkness during nighttime hours. The absence of proper illumination poses significant dangers, diminishing visibility and increasing the likelihood of accidents.
Despite its crucial role in supporting the Ghanaian economy and facilitating connections to the Sahelian region, the Accra-Paga Highway remains a neglected priority in terms of road infrastructure development across the country.
A concerning issue with travelling on the N10 trunk at night is the lack of reflectors at the various police checkpoints scattered along the stretch.
Police visibility along the stretch is encouraging and has enhanced security, reducing the rampant reports of robberies that used to plague travellers. It was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous for business people, as they were often robbed of their money and other valuables.
The stretch has been relatively safe in recent times due to the police checkpoints that are mounted almost, on average, 20 kilometers apart. However, the lack of reflectors at those checkpoints makes it dangerous for travellers and drivers. It is even tumultuous for drivers who are not familiar with the stretch, as they are likely to run into some of the checkpoints due to poor visibility.
There are well over fifty checkpoints on the road, but barely a little over ten of those have enough reflectors to warn drivers a few meters away.
As if by design, these checkpoints are riddled with terrible potholes, making them even more dangerous to navigate through.
The checkpoints do not only pose a threat to travellers; they also threaten the lives of the police officers who manage them.
Sergeant Avoka Azasiyand, who was stationed at the Tano Forest Snap checkpoint, a remote area in the Ahafo Region, was shot dead by unknown assailants in July 2023.
Sergeant Salihu Hifzullar, aged 39, was also run over by a truck at a police checkpoint near Apam in the Central Region.
Concerned institutions, agencies, and benevolent individuals should rally around to donate reflectors to these police checkpoints to complement the excellent sacrifice our gallant men in uniform are making to protect citizens.
The government of Sudan has stopped taking part in peace talks led by a group called Igad from East Africa.
It had been trying to get the army and the rival paramilitary RSF to talk and stop the nine-month civil war.
The foreign ministry said it stopped working with Igad because they added Sudan to a meeting without permission and invited the RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to come.
He recently went to many African countries to get more people to support him politically.
Since the war started in April, about 7. 5 million people had to leave their homes.
429 people, including children, have been found buried in a remote forest called Shakahola, which is about a two-hour drive west of Malindi. Many looked very hungry, but some, including children, may have been hurt.
Mr Mackenzie is said to have told people in his church to go there and get ready for the end of the world.
One person told the media that in January of last year, they were told to start fasting so they could “go to heaven. ”
Mr Mackenzie said the deaths couldn’t be his fault because he closed his church in 2019.
The investigators asked for him to stay in jail for a longer time while they kept looking for evidence.
They said they have enough proof to accuse him and the others of crimes like murder, assault and helping a terrorist act.
They are also accused of “hurting a child on purpose”, according to a statement from the head of public prosecutions.
The list of charges came out a week after the court told the prosecutors they had two weeks to share them, or the suspects might be let go.
64 out of the 95 people suspected of being involved were found in Shakahola. At first, they were thought to be victims and were taken to a rescue center.
However, investigators later discovered that a lot of them had kids who had passed away in the forest.
Some people had lied about their names and who they were and didn’t say where their kids were.
Last November, Mr Mackenzie was found guilty of running a film studio without a valid filming license. He was also accused of distributing films without permission.
At least eight people have died and many more are still missing after a boat overturned in a river in Nigeria’s north-central Niger state, according to the emergency services.
The people hurt are from Dugga village. They were going to Kebbi state to sell grain and sugar cane for their business.
According to the Niger state Emergency management agency (Sema), the accident caused eight people to die and many more are still missing.
Sema spokesperson Ibrahim Hussaini told the media that five women and three men passed away.
Ten people were saved, and the search and rescue mission is still happening, he said.
Between 2018 and 2023, over 1,200 people died in boat accidents in Nigeria, as reported by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).
The accidents were caused by too many people, not enough life jackets, and not taking care of the boats properly.
Health Minister Sylvia Masebo and three others got the oral vaccine in George township, Lusaka, because the World Health Organization gave 1. 7 million doses
Almost 400 people have died from the disease since October.
“The number of cases is going down steadily, which is a positive sign. ” “Don’t try to help sick people at home, but take them to the hospital,” Ms Masebo said during the vaccination campaign launch. The main focus is on giving the vaccine to people in areas with lots of cholera in Lusaka, which has about three million people.
In the last day, 23 people died in Lusaka, most of them were children under five years old and old people, according to Ms Masebo.
This week, a jury in Manhattan will decide how much money Donald Trump should pay to a writer who said he raped her.
E Jean Carroll wants $10 million because she says Donald Trump’s comments about her and the accusations hurt her.
Last year, a jury in New York decided that he attacked and lied about Ms Carroll, and they gave her $5 million.
Mr Trump says he did nothing wrong and is asking for the decision to be reviewed.
He went to the courthouse on Tuesday morning to join the group of people who are chosen to decide the outcome of a trial.
He arrived just a few hours after giving a speech in Iowa where he won the first Republican presidential nomination contest.
This court case is about Mr. Trump saying he didn’t rape Ms. Carroll when she first talked about it in a New York magazine a little over three years ago.
At that time, Mr Trump said her story was not true at all. He said he never heard of Ms. Carroll and she made up the story to sell her book.
This case is different from a previous trial in May where a New York jury decided that the former president hurt Ms. Carroll in a sexual way, but did not do anything wrong when she said he raped her in a dressing room in the 1990s.
The jury decided that Mr. Trump was responsible for making false and damaging statements about the magazine writer.
In September, Judge Lewis Kaplan decided that the second trial against Mr. Trump will only focus on deciding how much money should be paid for harm caused.
The judge told the ex-president to be careful about what he says in court.
He is not allowed to say or show anything suggesting that he didn’t sexually assault Ms Carroll, that she made up the assault, or that she had a reason to lie.
Ms Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, who is not related to Judge Kaplan, said that Mr. Trump will try to create confusion with his testimony. She wants him to promise, in court, that he knows what he can and cannot say.
“Mr Trump may have many reasons to want to turn this trial into a circus, for his own personal or political gain,” she wrote in a memo to Judge Kaplan.
Mr Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said that the former president knows about the court’s decision and the rules for his testimony.
The ex-president is in trouble with the law for trying to change the election results and for how he handled secret documents.
A violent murder at a gas station in southern Athens has shown how ruthless the Greek mafia can be.
Police are looking for the people who killed Vangelis Zambounis, a crime boss who was shot earlier this week.
Zambounis, a important criminal leader in Greece, was shot at over 90 times with a Kalashnikov rifle.
He was accused of leading a group that forced people to give them money and being part of illegal trading of cigarettes and fuel.
A video from a security camera shows a man, believed to be Zambounis, getting into a armored BMW jeep parked at his gas station in Athens.
Another car comes and stops behind the BMW. The police found out that the car was a Lexus stolen in Italy a few months ago, and it had fake license plates on it.
Two guys jump out. Someone wearing all black and a balaclava walked up to the BMW and shot an AK-47 at the driver’s window from very close, and then reloaded the gun.
The person with the gun takes it out of his jacket, opens the car door, and shoots the person inside again. Another person also shoots at the car with a different kind of gun. Both of them then leave in the Lexus car.
The police found the burnt-out car on the edge of Athens after the criminals escaped.
The brutal murder has caused a lot of focus in Greece, especially because it was recorded on camera and then shown on Greek TV shortly after. Two police officers got arrested the next day for sharing secret information and giving the video to the news.
Many people in Greece are talking and guessing about why Mr. Zambounis was killed.
One idea is that it was ordered as payback for the murder of mafia rival Vassilis Roubetis in June 2023. Another idea is that the murder happened because of problems between local tobacco smugglers and overseas mobsters who bring in cheap cigarettes from Ukraine.
The local news also said that a Kalashnikov rifle was found in Mr. Zambounis’s car, and he had a pistol in his belt.
He survived a murder attempt in 2018 when someone tried to shoot at his car, but the gun didn’t work.
According to a Greek newspaper, more than 20 murders have happened in Greece since 2017. These were carried out by gangs involved in illegal activities like extortion.
In a significant development, the international market has devalued the quality of Ghanaian cashew, resulting in a consequential reduction in the commodity’s prices both domestically and globally.
This shift in market dynamics poses challenges for stakeholders in the cashew industry, raising concerns about the economic impact on producers and the overall trade outlook.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), William Agyapong Quaittoo, states that this phenomenon has consequently led to the country’s decline from the second position in West Africa in terms of cashew quality to the third position.
Mr. Quaittoo attributes the downgrade to a decrease in the country’s cashew price per tonne, plummeting from US$1,080 to US$880.
Ideally, nuts of premium quality should exhibit a firm and crunchy texture, avoiding any undesirable softness or mushiness. This is crucial as the texture of the nut plays a significant role in shaping the overall eating experience.
Nevertheless, this is the prevailing scenario in the local cashew market. A majority of nuts available are reported to be excessively soft, indicating suboptimal storage conditions, potentially resulting in a loss of flavor and nutritional value.
Remedy and mitigation strategies
As part of processes to retrieve quality cashew production and encourage farmers to pursue best practices, government through the TCDA, as a short-term strategy, has set a GH¢7 price per kilo for all cashew purchases across the country.
The price, which is for the 2024 crop season, is a downward review from the GH¢8.5 per kilogramme at which the commodity was sold in the previous year.
Mr. Quaittoo made the announcement at a meeting with cashew farmers and buyers in Bono East Region about the price drop, and said the downward review of price is part of plans to create a market for farmers and producers despite current challenges.
“Per calculations using the current formula, a kilo this year is supposed to be sold at GH¢6.76; but government has decided to round the figure up to GH¢7,” he disclosed.
Other factors for the price drop
The Ghanaian currency’s value, according to the TCDA CEO, also played a significant role in the downward review of price.
However, the Authority maintains there are indications that the price could see an upward adjustment within the first quarter of this year – but only if the quality of cashew improves.
Meanwhile, the TCDA is finalising processes to train farmers and other stakeholders, as well as regulating traders in the cashew industry to improve quality.
Ghana is among the top exporters of cashew in West Africa, with about 350, 000 metric tonnes of Raw Cashew Nut (RCN) expected to be exported in 2024.
Last year, the TCDA confirmed that the World Bank has granted a US$100million facility to boost production and improve the value chains of cashew, coconut and rubber.
The facility is a partnership with the government under a six-year funding initiative known as the Tree Crop Diversification Project.
The final male superstar from the great time of French movies is in the news again, but it’s not because of a new movie or getting married later in life.
At 88 years old, Alain Delon, who was once known as the most handsome man in movies, is now unwell and spends most of his time alone.
The last sad part of Delon’s life, that everyone in the news couldn’t help but watch, is his family falling apart.
His three kids are arguing over the things that remind them of their dad and the love he showed them.
Birds find a place to hide and die. Large animals do it in the spotlight, ” says the first line of a long article in Le Monde newspaper about the saga.
The newspaper says it’s like a Greek drama – there’s a family fighting and a big house that used to have great parties.
And most importantly, a main character who is struggling with the problems from his own difficult past.
The French people see Delon as a big star in the movies who was very charming and attractive in the 1960s. He was in popular movies like The Leopard and Rocco and his Brothers.
For many years, they have closely followed all the details of his successful career and his very active love life, through Paris-Match and other magazines about famous people.
They knew that the actor had three kids – two boys and a girl – with two different women, and another boy who was not recognized and has passed away.
However, in the past two weeks, they found out that the Delon family is going through a lot of pain and distress. The surviving children have been expressing their anger and complaints to the media by insulting each other, making accusations, filing lawsuits, and sharing secret recordings.
Anthony Delon, who is 59 years old and the son of actor Nathalie Delon, spoke to Paris-Match in an interview. He accused his younger half-sister, Anouchka, of hiding their father’s cognitive test results and called her a “liar” and “manipulative. ”
Anouchka is 33 years old and the daughter of Dutch model Rosalie van Breemen. She defended herself in a statement from her lawyer. She said that Delon couldn’t handle the aggressiveness of his son anymore, who always tells him he is getting old.
Then the two people continued to insult each other on French TV. After that, the third child, Alain-Fabien, who is 29 years old, sided with his half-brother on Instagram. He also shared a secret recording of Anouchka supposedly saying bad things to their father.
The most recent debates in court have been about the medical care for Delon, who had a stroke in 2019 and now has another serious health problem. The specific condition has not been named in the French media. On Saturday a doctor approved by the court checked the actor, but the children disagreed with his findings right away.
In the background is another person who is also suing: 66-year-old Hiromi Rollin was Delon‘s former housekeeper or lover, depending on who you ask. The kids kicked her out last year when they all agreed, which doesn’t happen often. But now she’s suing them because they didn’t give Delon his medicine and that put his life in danger.
The story is happening in a big house that Delon built in Douchy, in a wooded area 120km (75 miles) southeast of Paris. The old star lives there with Alain-Fabien, and sometimes the other children visit.
Alain-Fabien thinks the place is not as good as it used to be and people are not allowed to go there. “Things keep breaking and the power isn’t working,” he said.
Everyone thinks that Alain Delon, even though he is weak and sometimes confused, still understands and is aware of the seriousness of what is happening to his family.
Le Monde and other commentators see it as a sad event that is connected to the actor’s past.
Delon had a difficult childhood and teenage years, which may have made it hard for him to connect with his sons.
He was born outside of Paris in 1935. When his parents got divorced, he went to live with another family when he was four years old.
He was a naughty kid who didn’t like going to school. He joined the navy and fought in Indochina, but he got in trouble for stealing a jeep and had to go to a military court. In the late 1950s, he lived in Paris with prostitutes and gangsters. His good looks helped him become a movie star.
Le Monde said that the person’s big ego made him see his sons as competitors that he wanted to get rid of early on.
It is clear that Delon was a strict father to his two boys, and both of them got into trouble with drugs, guns, and the law.
Anouchka was different. In 2008, he said about her, “I have told no other woman ‘I love you’ as much as I have told her. ”
Nico, the rock-star from Germany who was in the Velvet Underground, also had a son who suffered. Ari Boulogne was born in 1962, but Delon never accepted him.
But Delon’s mother thought he was her child and she took care of him. He died in Paris last year because he took too much of a drug.
Delon made a plan for what will happen to his things when he dies. He decided that half of his things will go to Anouchka, and the other half will be split between his two boys.
But everyone agrees that the problem between the siblings is not about the money.
It’s about love, competition, and the things that happened before.
A young man, suspected to be a homosexual has been assaulted on the campus of the University of Ghana, Legon.
In a video making rounds on social media, a group of young men can be seen following the suspected gay who had been stripped naked; one flogging him with a stick, while the others followed closely.
In other videos, students are heard making fun of the young man, while they looked on for him to be assaulted.
Plans have been made to select 150 judges to handle a new system for quickly deciding on appeals for people being deported from Rwanda.
The justice secretary said that over 100 staff have been hired to help with a new system for reviewing deportation orders.
Last year, a law was proposed to create new courts to prevent migrant appeals from causing delays in the justice system.
MPs are starting to talk about a bill that wants to bring back the Prime Minister’s idea to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Additional resources have been created to address criticism from some Conservatives MPs that allowing individual appeals against deportation to Rwanda will cause too much work for the courts and should be completely stopped.
Alex Chalk, the person in charge of justice, said the changes will make 5,000 more days available to hear asylum cases.
Members of Parliament are talking about the Safety of Rwanda Bill in the House of Commons.
The government wants to send some people seeking asylum to Rwanda to stop them from trying to come to the UK in small boats. Labour has said they don’t like the policy because they think it costs too much and is just a trick. They would rather focus on stopping the gangs that smuggle things.
After the court made a decision, the government made a new law called the Safety of Rwanda Bill. This law says that in the UK, Rwanda is considered a safe country.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is having trouble with his power because two Conservative vice chairmen said they would support a series of rebel changes to his main Rwanda bill.
Make the process simpler and more efficient.
The government wants to calm worries about legal issues by adding more judges to the tribunal system. They will move some judges from the lower tribunal to the higher tribunal to handle appeals from Rwanda.
Judges will get extra learning and more money to work on nights and weekends. The government made 25 more rooms for hearings to handle more cases.
The change is meant to bring all complicated migration cases and appeals to one place, making the process more efficient.
The Home Office studied and found that almost all legal challenges under the Illegal Migration Act will not succeed. However, there is still a chance that many people appealing could overwhelm the system and cause delays in their removal.
The Ministry of Justice has been working with the courts since last summer to make more room in the system before starting the Rwanda policy.
The person in charge of justice said the judges will decide if they need extra judges for a little while.
Around 100 people are being tried in Vietnam for taking part in organized shootings at government offices that resulted in deaths.
Last year, some attacks happened in the Central Highlands and nine people died, including four police officers.
The events happened in a place where people from different cultural backgrounds live. They say the government treats them unfairly.
The lawyers say the attackers wanted to start their own country.
On June 11th, in the Cu Kuin district of Dak Lak province, a group on motorcycles attacked the local political headquarters and police offices using guns and other weapons. This happened about 300km north of Ho Chi Minh City.
Nine people died, which included four cops, two local leaders, and three regular people.
During the trial that started on Tuesday and will go on for 10 days, 98 people were accused of terrorism. One person was accused of hiding criminals and another of helping illegal immigration, according to the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
In Vietnam, people who commit terrorist acts can be punished with the death penalty. Amnesty International thinks that many people are executed in the country every year.
Six people who are accused of a crime are not at the trial and there are warrants for their arrest from other countries.
In Vietnam, people are not allowed to have guns and there are very few cases of gun violence.
“The situation was very serious. The terrorists were trying to take over the state and create a new state called Dega,” said H’Yim Kdoh, deputy chair of Dak Lak People’s Committee.
The Dega are a group of Christian people who live in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Some of them want to have more control over their own lives and not be controlled by the government.
The report says that H’Yim stated that the people being accused admitted to the crimes, but claimed they were pressured to do it.
The police took away 23 guns and rifles, two grenades, 1,199 bullets, and other dangerous devices after the attacks, which they said were very cruel and not human.
Minority groups in Vietnam have said for a long time that they are treated unfairly by the Communist Party, which is in control of the country’s government.
A ship from Malta with a Greek owner was hit by a missile in the Red Sea near Yemen, according to Ambrey, a company that provides security for ships.
It is believed to be the third time the big ship named Zografia has been involved in something bad in the last day.
On Tuesday, the US military said they stopped weapons from Iran that were meant for the Houthis.
At the same time, the US has attacked more places in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group.
An American official told CBS, which works with the BBC, that the US did more attacks on Houthi positions last night.
The US and UK bombed many Houthi targets on 11 January after the Houthi group attacked ships in the Red Sea.
We still don’t know what was targeted in the recent US operation.
The Houthis promised to fight back, and the US said it stopped a missile from hitting one of its ships that was launched from a Houthi- controlled area in Yemen.
The fighters of the movement have attacked several ships in protest against Israel’s war with Hamas since November.
However, many people do not have any ties to Israel.
The Red Sea connects the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, but some shipping companies are now taking a longer route around the Cape of Good Hope to reach Europe instead.
On Tuesday, the US announced that the weapons they found on a ship near Yemen were similar to the ones the Houthis used in their attacks in the Red Sea.
The robbery happened on January 11th near the coast of Somalia, which was the same day as the first US-UK airstrikes.
Missile parts and defense equipment were found on a ship.
US Central Command said they have captured the first shipment of dangerous, Iranian-made weapons to the Houthis since the attacks on ships began in November 2023.
The search is still going on for two Navy Seals who fell overboard during the mission.
Media said that an officer fell off the ship because of big waves, and another officer jumped in to help, as they are supposed to do.
In the Eastern Region’s Nsawam Adoagyiri Constituency, heightened tension prevails as posters of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary aspirant Hayford Siaw are defaced, further intensifying the political climate in the area.
Backing their candidate, supporters of Hayford Siaw, the CEO of the Ghana Library Authority, engaged with individuals caught defacing Mr. Siaw’s campaign posters in the constituency.
Mr. Siaw is making a bid to dislodge the current Member of Parliament for the area, Frank Annoh-Dompreh.
In the lead-up to the party’s January 27 primaries, Mr Siaw’s publicity team has been posting their candidate’s posters in strategic locations across various neighbourhoods.
However, they have discovered that these posters are being removed overnight by unknown individuals.
A video has surfaced showing a man, allegedly from the incumbent MP’s camp, physically assaulting a member of Siaw’s team who questioned him about the defacement of Siaw’s posters.
According to sources from Citi News, bystanders had to intervene to prevent the situation from escalating further, as tensions between the two camps continued to rise.
Mr Siaw’s supporters have condemned these acts, describing them as cowardly, and are calling for the police to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Attempts to contact the incumbent Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri have so far been unsuccessful.
In response to escalating geopolitical tensions impacting oil prices and a year-end consumer inflation rate of 23.2 percent, the Bank of Ghana Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is poised to maintain its ‘tighter-for-longer’ policy stance until inflation is securely anchored.
This strategic move reflects the central bank’s commitment to navigating economic uncertainties and fostering stability in the face of external pressures.
In the year 2023, consumer inflation witnessed a significant decline, registering a notable drop from 30.4 percent to close the year at 23.2 percent.
This surpassed both the government’s target of 31.3 percent and the IMF‘s central forecast of 29.4 percent.
Despite this positive trend, inflation persists at elevated levels when compared to the medium-term target of 8±2 percent.
The most recent projections from the central bank signal an ongoing disinflationary process, backed by a resilient monetary policy, a stable exchange rate, and the effects of base drift.
The central bank underscores its dedication to vigilance in closely monitoring potential risks that could impact the ongoing disinflation process.
Addressing recent occurrences since the last committee meeting, increased tensions in the Middle East and disruptions in the Suez Canal present additional challenges. According to a Reuters report, air and sea strikes by the United States and Britain on Houthi targets in Yemen led to a 3 percent surge in oil prices.
The Suez Canal, responsible for approximately 12 percent of global trade, has already experienced weeks of disruptions, causing a 1.3 percent decline in global trade from November to December 2023 and impacting businesses worldwide.
Brent crude futures were up US$2.21, or 2.9 percent, at US$79.62 a barrel at 13.50 GMT; while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed US$2.13, or 3 percent, to US$74.15.
The main transmission conduits for these global uncertainties will be through energy prices, exchange rates, inflation and interest rates, especially if the Middle East conflict expands to involve Iran.
Gita Gopinath, First Managing Director-IMF, warns central banks about the potential challenges in addressing inflation trajectories, especially in the face of financial stresses. She emphasises the need for vigilance and preparedness in navigating the complex economic landscape, considering the possibility of a stagflationary environment.
“If inflation proves to be stubborn or escalates due to unforeseen shocks, it may necessitate higher interest rates for an extended period – or even lead to rate increases. This could result in a situation where there is an inflation problem while simultaneously experiencing a significant slowdown in economic growth. Such a scenario is known as a stagflationary environment, and it should not be dismissed as a possibility. Therefore, there is a need for vigilance and preparedness in addressing potential challenges in this complex economic landscape,” she said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that joining with South Korea is not possible anymore and wants to change the constitution to call them the main enemy.
Mr Kim also said three groups working on bringing families back together will close, according to state media KCNA.
The president of South Korea said they will react even more strongly if North Korea provokes them.
North and South Korea have been separated since the Korean War ended in 1953.
They didn’t agree to a peace treaty and have been technically still at war ever since.
Mr Kim gave a speech at North Korea’s parliament and said that they should change their rules to teach people that South Korea is their main enemy.
He also said that if there is a war in Korea, the country’s laws should show how they would take control of the South.
Mr Kim took over from his father as the leader of North Korea in 2011. He said that North Korea doesn’t want war, but also won’t try to avoid it. This was reported by KCNA.
He said he was making a new decision about relationships between the north and the south, and he wanted to get rid of all the groups that were working on bringing them back together.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told his cabinet that if North Korea does something bad, South Korea will hit back even harder. He said the South Korean military is very strong and can respond strongly.
Increased conflicts or problems.
He said this as tensions got worse between North and South Korea in the past few months.
In November, North Korea stopped a deal with South Korea that was supposed to make their military less tense for five years. It said it would stop trying to stop a war and would send more soldiers to the border.
The South had stopped the agreement for a little while because Mr. Kim said he sent a spy satellite into space.
The North’s words and actions have been getting worse since then.
During the end-of-year meetings, Mr. Kim said he wanted to change North Korea’s position on relations with South Korea and its policy on reunification. He said he wanted to make a big change in the policy towards “the enemy”.
He also said he might use nuclear weapons on the South, and asked for more weapons for his country’s military.
The North recently fired missiles and held live-fire exercises near South Korea.
In a recent report by 38 North, an organization in the US that studies North Korea, two experts, Robert Carlin and Siegfried S Hecker, said that the situation in Korea is more dangerous now than it has ever been since the Korean War started in 1950.
“It may seem like an exaggeration, but we think that Kim Jong Un has decided to go to war, just like his grandfather did in 1950,” the statement read.
“We don’t know when or how Kim will attack, but the danger is much worse than the usual warnings from Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo about North Korea’s actions. ”
It also said that it didn’t think North Korean media’s talk about getting ready for war was just empty threats.
At the same time, North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui is in Russia and is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin.
The two countries have gotten closer lately, because both are not liked by Western powers. In September, Mr. Kim went to Russia and met Mr. Putin
The court decided that the money in the Jersey bank account was probably stolen by Nigerian government officials in 2014.
The assets will be discussed with Nigeria to be given back.
Money was moved in a way that looked like the government was buying weapons, but it was actually being used for something else during attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria from 2009 to 2015.
‘People who have been hurt by a criminal’
The Jersey government said that it’s likely that the money meant for legal weapons deals was moved to and from foreign bank accounts through fake companies.
The Attorney General’s office said they think the money went to the former ruling party’s family members and was shared among its members during the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. They also said the tainted property was going to be used for this “illegal transaction”.
Mark Temple, who is a lawyer for the King, said that the Jersey government had worked closely with Nigeria to get back the property for the Nigerian people.
He said: “The 2018 Forfeiture Law is doing a good job in getting back stolen money from corruption and giving it back to the people who were hurt by crime. ”
“I plan to make a deal with Nigeria to get back something valuable. “
Lingering misfortunes from the early 2020s have cast a shadow on anticipations for 2024, with a lot of people predicting continued economic hardship in the new year of 2024.
As the new year unfolds, a mere two weeks in, the conflict in the Gaza Strip has rapidly intensified to unprecedented levels, evoking a sense of impending doom among keen observers.
Yemeni armed rebels have targeted commercial sea-going vessels along the Red Sea route, resulting in fatal attacks that have sparked significant concern among both business professionals and ordinary consumers.
While the economic impact on Ghana remains unquantified, experts, drawing parallels from similar incidents in recent years, caution against expecting a positive outcome.
Nonetheless, trade expert and West Africa Director for CUTS International, Accra, Appiah Kusi Adomako has expressed some optimism for 2024 as far as the economic outlook of Ghana is concerned, in light of global happenings.
Reviewing the year 2023 and prospecting for 2024 on the Eye on Port TV programme, Mr. Adomako predicted relative stability for the cedi in the new year.
He said with the United States Federal Reserve reportedly likely to cut interest rates, investors will redirect funds to emerging economies like Ghana. This, according to him, will have a positive effect on the cedi’s value.
“In 2022, the cedi was stable until the US decided to increase its interest rates; so, people were moving all their investments from emerging economies and Ghana was suffering a lot, because every day investors were withdrawing their investments from Ghana. And whenever they withdraw their investment and convert to dollars, there’s a lot of pressure on the cedi. This year, we expect government to reduce the interest rate; and most likely we are going to have a lot of dollars coming into emerging economies, and Ghana could benefit.”
He added that Ghana is meeting its external creditors for an Extended Credit Facility programme, “and we hope that once they are able to agree on a good deal for us, we will end up getting the US$600million. In fact, the president said we hope to get US$1.6million by end of May”.
However, all won’t be rosy in 2024 according to the West Africa Director-CUTS International Accra, who calls for a sense of caution and preparation in 2024.
He says while it is fair to acknowledge the effects of global events like COVID-19, the war in Ukraine among others on the local economy, government is not absolved from blame.
Mr. Adomako urged government to strategically introduce policies such as import restrictions in proportion to the local capacity to produce.
He said proper planning and accountability can have a mitigating effect on the impacts from global shocks on the economy.
According to Mr. Adomako, Russia has shown no sign of withdrawing from the war in Ukraine, and the potential regionalisation of the Israeli-Palestine war may require economic resilience from governments around the world.
He urged government to be circumspect in its expenditure during 2024, especially as the country prepares to head to the polls in December.
He said government must abide by the Fiscal Responsibility Act in order not to return the state into an economic quagmire in 2024.
The United Nations is thinking about sending help to Sudan through a different path from South Sudan because they are having trouble reaching many areas of the country.
Rick Brennan, from the World Health Organisation (WHO), said they were planning to set up operations that would go across the borders from South Sudan into South and West Kordofan in Sudan.
He said the war has caused a big problem for people and made it hard for workers to do their jobs.
The fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has made almost half of the people in Sudan need help.
Over seven million people have left their homes, which makes Sudan the biggest displacement crisis in the world.
Around 225 people, including children, have died from hunger in Ethiopia’s Tigray region due to drought and war since last July, according to local officials.
Health officials told regional TV that most of the 209 deaths have occurred in the rural area of Edga Arbi.
In a different place, 16 people died because they didn’t have enough food. They had to leave their homes because of a war that lasted for two years and ended in 2022.
Officials from Tigray had warned that a famine like the one in Ethiopia in the 1980s may happen again, and many people could die.
The government says there isn’t going to be a famine soon and they are giving help to stop it.
The UN says over 20 million people in Ethiopia need food help because of fighting, lack of rain, and too much water.
In a strategic move, the government has successfully concluded the divestiture of shares in Jubilee Oil Holdings Limited (JOHL), an offshore entity, transferring ownership to GNPC Explorco—a subsidiary under the umbrella of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
This milestone marks a pivotal moment in the government’s management of key assets in the energy sector.
In the third session of the 8th Parliament, Parliament‘s Committee on Mines and Energy disclosed the completion of the shares transfer to Explorco.
This development resolves longstanding concerns raised by the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), a state watchdog, regarding the use and management of oil revenues.
Additionally, civil society organizations (CSOs) in extractives, anti-corruption, and good governance had persistently advocated for the prompt execution of this transfer.
This comes in the wake of a prior parliamentary directive instructing GNPC to promptly commence the process of transferring the shares to its subsidiary, Explorco.
Parliament’s directive and subsequent action also underscores the influence wielded by civil society and regulatory bodies in shaping the trajectory of Ghana’s energy policies and governance.
JOHL, the offshore company registered in the Cayman Islands, was acquired by GNPC through an over-US$164million ‘share purchase agreement’ between Ghana and Anadarko WCTP Company in 2021, when the latter announced plans to offload its interests.
The company holds 7 percent commercial interest in Jubilee and TEN oil fields operated by Tullow Ghana.
Although acquisition of the stake was well-received, the decision to incorporate JOHL in the Cayman Islands – a tax haven – per the argument of PIAC and CSOs complicates the nation’s interest in the oil fields, injects risks of revenue leakages and violates the transparency and accountability mechanisms established in the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA), according to many industry watchers and corruption fighters.
It made its first oil lifting of 944,164 barrels of oil in the Jubilee Field during the first half of 2022, realising over US$100million.
In 2022 alone, JOHL’s stake raked in some US$290million, according to the 2022 PIAC annual report. Total payments for cash calls (including fields in which Explorco holds an interest) amounted to US$83million – leaving a gross margin of US$207million for GNPC/JOHL from the Jubilee and TEN fields.
PIAC expressed concern about how GNPC used JOHL to carry out operations that were not approved in its plan; for example, in 2022.
Two notable examples are Explorco cash calls on Springfield, ENI Block 4 among others at US$5,546,419 – and decommissioning the Saltpond oil rig at US$11,000,000.
Responding to the action taken by government, Technical Manager-PIAC, Mark Agymang said: “PIAC has always been in constant discussions with GNPC, therefore we are not surprised with the current development. GNPC has since exhibited good faith by telling PIAC in its meetings that they are working on the process of transferring the shares to Explorco”.
However, he added that PIAC had always argued and still maintains that revenues from the resultant operations and earnings of JOHL will have to be lodged in PHF.
In view of this, he concluded that revenues that come from Explorco’s operations concerning the shares they have been assigned should be lodged into PHF, adding that the subsidiaries of GNPC should endeavour to focus on their specific mandates.
Also, the Head, Policy Lead, Petroleum and Conventional Energy at Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Kodzo Yaotse, stressed the need for thorough accountability of the revenues accrued to JOHL – despite the transfer’s belated status.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in second place in Iowa’s caucuses, beating former UN ambassador Nikki Haley who came in third. The contest was mostly focused on Donald Trump.
Mr DeSantis worked very hard to win in the state, but he ended up far behind the former president.
With almost all the votes counted, Mr. Trump has 51% of the votes, Mr. DeSantis has 21%, and Ms. Haley has 19%.
Iowa was the first state where Republican voters chose who they want to be president.
The reason their election is called a caucus is because people have to go in person to a specific place at a certain time to vote.
The person chosen by the party will compete against President Joe Biden in the November election.
At a party in Des Moines, Mr. Trump said it was a great night and encouraged Americans to work together to solve the world’s problems.
He said he will close the border to stop people coming in and called Joe Biden the worst president.
Registered Republicans in Iowa went out in very cold weather to vote at various locations like churches, schools, gyjsonyms, and community centers on Monday evening.
Donald Trump was expected to win in Iowa, and Glenn Jacobs, a former WWE wrestler who supports Trump, had also predicted that Trump would win.
He talked to the BBC before people started voting in Des Moines. He said that the country was going in the wrong direction because of the border crisis and US involvement in the Middle East.
At a high school in Davenport, in the eastern part of the state, a Trump supporter named Brian Romer gave a passionate speech to his fellow Republicans in support of the former president.
“He said that what is happening in this country is similar to what happens in communist countries,” when talking about Mr. Trump’s criminal accusations. “We no longer live in a country where we have freedom. ”
Both DeSantis and Ms. Haley, who used to be governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the UN under President Trump, said on Monday night that they have a lot of political support.
“They threw a lot of things at us,” Mr. The media didn’t support us. They wrote about our death several months ago.
“Even though there were challenges, we managed to secure our ticket out of Iowa. ”
Kyle Brock gathered people to support Mr. DeSantis at Grant Ragan Elementary School in Waukee, which is a town near Des Moines. He said it was time for Republicans to stop supporting Mr.
“I admire the Florida governor’s honesty, how he presents himself, and what he has accomplished in Florida,” he said.
Mr DeSantis spent a lot of time and money in Iowa, visiting all 99 counties and trying to get support from the state’s important group of evangelical voters. The Florida governor might have a harder time in New Hampshire, which is a more moderate state, when they have their primary next week.
Ms Haley has a small chance of beating Mr Trump in the state, and she says she is gaining momentum.
However, her third-place result was seen as a letdown for a candidate who was expected to do much better in the caucuses.
Hallie Still-Caris went to a meeting at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines and said that Ms. Haley has the best chance of winning in November.
“I see the other people running for President in the Republican party and President Biden,” she said, “and I think she can win the election. ” We need less fighting and less confusion.
Biotech businessman Vivek Ramaswamy said he was stopping his run for president because he was not doing well in the race. He supported Mr.
Mr Biden said on X that it looks like he will be running against Mr. Trump again
“But let me tell you, this election was always going to be us against the extreme Maga Republicans,” the president from the Democratic party said. “It was true yesterday and it will still be true tomorrow. “
As part of its E-Banking transformation agenda, the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) PLC has broadened its instant card issuance services, now offering a trio of options: the Gh-link instant card service, instant Visa Contactless Prepaid Card service, and the newest addition, the Instant Visa Debit Contactless Card service.
This expansion underscores ADB’s commitment to providing diverse and efficient financial solutions in line with evolving consumer needs.
The primary goal of the instant card issuance service is to elevate convenience and enhance the overall customer experience.
This initiative enables both existing customers and non-customers, including walk-in customers (for the Visa Prepaid Card designed for both customer and non-customer use), to swiftly acquire their cards for immediate or future transactions, be it on a local or international scale.
At present, instant card issuance is operational in 29 selected branches nationwide, primarily in regional capitals, market centers, and district capitals. It’s important to note that while all other branches throughout the country continue to issue cards, the process is not immediate. The strategic plan entails extending the instant issuance service to encompass all ADB branches in the near future.
Instant card issuance is currently available at the following branches: Ridge, Osu, Kaneshie, Dansoman, Ring Road Central (RRC), Gulf House, Tema Meridian, Kasoa, Madina, Accra New Town, Nungua, Abeka Lapaz, Spintex, Ho, Hohoe, Denu, Sogakope, Kumasi Nhyiaeso, Kumasi Prempeh II, Obuasi, Sunyani, Techiman, Cape Coast, Agona Swedru, Takoradi Harbour, Tamale Main, Tamale Aboabo, Bolgatanga, and Wa.
Transformational agenda
The Managing Director-ADB PLC, Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu-Tali, in his remarks expressed enthusiasm about the new service; stating that the initiative is a testament of the bank’s commitment to making banking more accessible and convenient for its valued customers.
He noted that the new service form part of ADB’s transformational agenda toward improving its digital banking segment to enhance service delivery, convenience, and customer experience. This, he said, marks a significant departure from the traditional card issuance process that sometimes delays a bit.
“To meet customer expectations and improve the turnaround time on card issuance and delivery, the new service will allow customers to walk into any of the 29 branches to request and instantly receive not only the Gh-Link card and Visa Prepaid Card but also Visa Debit Cards for online transactions, among others,” he said.
Alhaji Yakubu-Tali indicated that customers are increasingly leveraging technology to facilitate their banking transactions, and that it is incumbent on ADB to redirect its service delivery to not only enhance the overall customer experience but also be at par with competition in the rapidly changing financial sector landscape.
“By embracing technology, we are not only enhancing the overall customer experience but also staying at par with competition in the rapidly changing financial industry,” he stated.
The ADB MD assured customers that management is working assiduously to extend the instant card issuance service to all branches nationwide. He added that while steps are being taken to extend the instant card issuance service to all branches, measures have been put in place to ensure branches that are not currently issuing the cards instantly provide their swift delivery to customers.
Robust security measures
In addition to the convenience factor, Head-IT, Mr. Emmanuel Ofori Boateng, disclosed that the bank’s instant card issuance system prioritises security and has implemented robust measures to ensure the process is secure and complies with industry and international standards.
He added that ADB has been certified and is compliant with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 27001 and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) to safeguard customers against potential risks associated with card issuance and usage.
In his remarks, Head of E-Business, Mr. Alex Forson, stated that ADB is positioning itself among the top-tier banks within the electronic banking space. He indicated that ADB was the first bank to introduce the Contactless Point of Sale (POS) devices, and was also among the first banks to introduce a Visa Contactless Prepaid Card service (tap and pay) in Ghana.
“The bank will continue expanding its E-Banking service delivery to continue serving the changing needs of our customers,” he said. “Management is committed to creating expansive and robust e-platforms; continue to offer improved service delivery; and provide optimal comfort and convenience to our customers,” he added.
]Mr. Forson indicated that the instant issuance of cards aligns with the bank’s broader strategy to leverage technology and innovation in providing efficient and customer-centric solutions. He reiterated the bank’s commitment to continual innovation in better-serving valued customers and other stakeholders.
India’s agency that makes rules for flying, told airlines to pay attention after many people went on social media to say their flights were late or cancelled.
The government has told airlines to cancel flights early and let passengers know about any delays as they happen.
Airlines say the fog in Delhi caused a lot of problems.
A man was taken by the police because he was accused of hurting a co-pilot at IndiGo airlines. Later on, he was let go after paying bail. The man’s plane was late for more than 10 hours on Sunday. A popular video showed a passenger attacking the co-pilot while he was talking on the plane.
In another video, people were seen eating food while waiting on the runway at the Mumbai airport. Their flight from Goa to Delhi was redirected there after being delayed for a long time.
Many flights in Delhi have been late since Sunday because of heavy fog. Delhi has one of India’s busiest airports. It is also the main place where big airlines like IndiGo and Air India operate from.
Every year, there is fog at the Delhi airport. But this year, it’s worse because of other problems like not enough parking for planes and a runway closed for maintenance.
The problem got worse on Sunday, and now it’s causing more problems on Monday. It will probably still be a problem on Tuesday too.
The weather department says that there will be thick fog in Delhi and other northern cities for two more days. Some trains are running late.
Since Sunday, many passengers complained about their flights being late. They told the federal aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and different airlines about it on X (formerly Twitter). Some people said they had to sit on planes without food and water because they didn’t know when the planes were going to leave.
On Monday afternoon, Mr Scindia talked about the confusion in a long post on X, saying that the heavy fog in Delhi on Sunday was very unusual.
“Visibility changed a lot for a few hours, and sometimes it was zero between 5am and 9am. ” The officials had to shut down operations for a while, even on runways that can handle low visibility. They asked the Delhi airport to start using the fourth runway that can handle low visibility.
Mr Scindia also said that bad behavior is not okay and will be handled by the law.
IndiGo said in a statement that it had reported the attack on its staff member to its own internal committee for “appropriate action”.
Most of the complaints were from people flying with IndiGo, which is the biggest airline in India in terms of passengers and planes. The airline said sorry for the trouble it caused customers in a statement on Monday.
“Because of heavy fog, cancellations and delays caused problems throughout the day, which affected operations even more,” it said.
Some leaders from opposing parties like Pawan Khera from Congress and Saket Gokhale from Trinamool Congress, said bad things about the aviation minister and the regulator for not doing their jobs well.
MrGokhale wants the government to investigate what went wrong with IndiGo on Saturday and Sunday. He says it’s not just because of the fog in northern India.
“He said there are scary stories about travelers from other parts of India who had the same issues. ”
Some famous people from Bollywood caused trouble.
Actor Ranvir Shorey shared on social media that his IndiGo flight was very late, causing him a lot of trouble because he needed to get home to his son. He said he would report IndiGo to the authorities.
Actress Radhika Apte said she and other people were stuck in a hallway at the airport for a long time because their flight was delayed. They didn’t have access to water or toilets.
An expected boost of ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ solutions is set to propel a major shift in the domestic Fintech landscape, legal experts at Sustineri Attorneys PRUC have said.
In its Q4 2023 Ghana Fintech report, the latest findings project Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) to emerge as the prevailing trend, mirroring the global surge in adoption of this flexible payment model.
As fears mount about the stagnation of fintech innovation, paired with a notable increase in consumer-driven demands for e-commerce solutions, enhanced identification, and credit scoring, Sustineri anticipates that Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) will play a pivotal role in fueling growth. Projections indicate a staggering 92 percent surge in global BNPL transactions, soaring from US$353 billion in 2019 to an anticipated US$680 billion by 2025.
“The emergence of Buy Now Pay Later payment models represents a paradigm-shift in consumer finance, providing individuals with more options to manage their money effectively,” a portion of the report reads.
Up and away
Juniper Research forecasts that Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payments will make up nearly 25 percent of global e-commerce transactions by 2026, marking a significant rise from the 9 percent reported in 2021.
The affinity for BNPL is notably strong among younger demographics, with Insider Intelligence predicting that 59 percent of Gen Z (born mid-1990s to early 2010s) and 53 percent of millennials (early 1980s to the mid-1990s) will engage in BNPL payments during 2026 – in contrast to 41 percent of Gen X (early 1960s to the early 1980s) and 24 percent of baby boomers (the mid-1940s to mid-1960s).
This payment method holds broad appeal, drawing interest from diverse audiences – with Gen Z and millennials being particularly inclined toward its usage.
Despite the widespread appeal, concerns remain in Ghana – particularly regarding regulatory oversight, data protection and robust credit scoring systems. The report highlights a need for adequate safeguards to ensure responsible BNPL adoption.
On these concerns, the report added: “This flexibility [offered by BNPL] has critics concerned about the potential for BNPL to encourage impulsive spending habits and accumulate debt. Regulatory bodies are closely examining issues related to consumer protection, data security and the fairness of lending practices”.
Open doors
However, the BNPL boom could unlock new funding avenues for Ghanaian startups, as analysts hope increased fintech activity will attract more investment.
Last year, heightened funding caution led to a total funding accumulation of US$2.6billion by African startups in 2023, encompassing equity, debt and grants exceeding US$100,000 as reported by The Big Deal Africa as of November 2023. Of this, US$1.5billion was raised through equity. However, overall funding on the continent experienced a notable -39 percent year-on-year decline.
Ghana found itself trailing the traditional ‘Big Four’ – Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya – as these countries collectively attracted 87 percent of all startup funding in Africa, marking their largest share since 2019. Remarkably, these nations housed 71 percent (357 of 500) of startups that secured US$100,000 or more in funding on the continent last year.
People in a village in Nigeria‘s Katsina state are running away from their homes because some armed men attacked a nearby military camp, set vehicles on fire, and stole things.
Over 100 armed men attacked a military base in Batsari, Katsina state on Sunday night. The base houses soldiers, police, and other security forces.
An army official told the Premium Times news website that the attackers set fire to two army vehicles. No soldiers died, said the source.
A person who lives there told the news that the attackers, who came on bikes and a truck, defeated the soldiers after three hours of shooting.
After the attack on the army base, the armed men went to Nahuta and stole a lot of things from the shops and houses, including goods and animals worth a lot of money.
The attack has made a lot of people very scared. Many of them have run away to nearby villages to stay safe, according to reports.
Criminal gangs called bandits are causing a lot of trouble in Nigeria. They kidnap people and ask for money in exchange for their release. They have killed many people, even though the military has tried to stop them.
Niger’s Prime Minister appointed by the military government, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, is in Moscow, the capital of Russia, to talk about making the economic and military relationship between the two countries stronger.
He is with Defence Minister Salihou Mody and Niger’s ministers of petroleum and trade.
Mondafrique, a news website in Paris, said that Mr. Zeine would also travel to Turkey, Iran, and Serbia.
Niger’s National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) group, facing strict punishments from its neighboring countries in West Africa, wants to make new partnerships, according to Mondafrique.
The CNSP wants to become independent from Western influence. They are starting by cutting off military connections with France.
Iraq expressed disapproval of the attacks, saying they broke its rules.
The Israeli government has not said anything about the claims from Iran.
In another news, Kurdistan officials said they had used guns to bring down three drones with weapons, that were flying over Irbil airport where US and international forces are stationed, Reuters reported. Officials did not tell us about any harm or injuries.
The Iranian attacks happened when things were already tense in the region because of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which is supported by Iran. The war started on 7 October in the Gaza Strip.
“We will keep checking the situation, but it looks like these strikes were reckless and not accurate,” said Adrienne Watson, who speaks for the White House National Security Council.
“She said the United States is on Iraq’s side and wants them to be free and safe. No US people or buildings were attacked. ”
The Revolutionary Guards of Iran said that they destroyed a main spying base of Mossad in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using ballistic missiles.
A comment was made in reaction to the recent terrible actions of the Zionist government.
Iran has launched missile attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan, aiming at places where they believe Iranian separatist groups and Israeli agents are located.
The leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, criticized the recent attack on Irbil as a “bad thing for the Kurdish people”.
A well-known businessman named Peshraw Dizayee was one of four civilians who were killed, according to Mr. Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party.
The Revolutionary Guards said they attacked Islamic State (IS) group areas in Syria on Monday night.
Loud blasts were heard in the city of Aleppo and the surrounding area in north-western Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least four missiles came from the Mediterranean Sea and landed there.
The Revolutionary Guards attacked in Syria because of a suicide bombing that happened this month. It was done in revenge for the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by the US.
The attack in Kerman, in southern Iran, killed at least 94 people and hurt many others.
Former President John Mahama is urging Ghanaians, with a particular emphasis on trade and labor groups, to consider affording him a grace period should he successfully reclaim power.
This appeal arises in light of the heightened calls for enhanced conditions of service from these organizations.
Addressing attendees at a ‘Campus Connect’ event in Hohoe, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer stressed the importance of allowing time to revive the economy before tackling specific demands.
“And you will realize the harm that the NPP administration has done to Ghana’s economy. This country is broke, and so we will beg you that when we come into office give us a bit of a honeymoon, let’s put things in place so that we bring the economy back onto its feet.”
Mahama emphasized that his party is exercising caution in making promises for the 2024 election, considering the challenges facing the ailing economy.
“And I will plead with the teachers union, GNAT, NAGRAT, UTAG and TEWU and all of them, I know all of you are clamoring for allowances. Let me caution you that in 2025 when we take over we will show you the books and the finances of this country.”
Mr Mahama was speaking during his ‘Building Ghana’ tour of the Volta where he assured that his campaign would not engage in outrageous pledges ahead of the 2024 election.
“And when we have done that we can accede to your demands again, and that’s why I’m being very measured in the promises that I make because we all know the crises in which this country has been plunged”.
The leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has vehemently denounced a reported assault on the party’s Northern Regional Treasurer, Hajia Shamima Yakubu.
The party has expressed its disapproval of such irresponsible actions and has committed to conducting a comprehensive investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
In a press statement released on Monday, January 15, and signed by General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the party apologised to the victim and assured her of adequate support.
“The NDC takes a very serious view of the conduct of the party officer responsible for the assault, and at the next meeting of its Functional Executive Committee meeting, measures will be taken to address the matter thoroughly to leave no doubt in everyone’s mind that the party does not approve of unlawful acts of assault and battery.”
The NDC also expressed its commitment to the safety of all Ghanaians, emphasising that no one should take the law into their own hands.
“The NDC is committed to ensure that its members adhere strictly to the long-cherished practices that have made our internal politics the enviable attraction of teeming millions of the people of Ghana.”
Hajia Shamima Yakubu was assaulted by a regional party officer of the NDC during a stakeholder meeting in Tamale over the weekend.
The meeting turned chaotic, leading to injuries on Hajia Yakubu’s face, requiring her hospitalization.
The recently concluded District Level Elections (DLEs) have once again underscored pressing concerns regarding diminishing voter participation and the ongoing challenge of inadequate representation of women in local governance across the country.
The outcomes of the elections shed light on the urgent need to address these issues and fortify the democratic process at the grassroots level.
The District Level Elections (DLEs), conducted on December 19 last year, exposed a stark gender imbalance, with 95.9 percent of the 6,243 elected assembly members being male, while females accounted for only 4.1 percent.
The percentage of elected women assembly members is an increase of 0.3 percent compared to 3.8 percent in the previous election (2019).
However, the statistics showed that female voters did not repose confidence in women contestants, given that the about 6.2 million voters who turned out for the polls were almost evenly distributed between males and females at 50.5 percent and 49.5 percent respectively.
A further dig into the statistics released to the Daily Graphic by the Electoral Commission (EC) showed that the 5,984 males who won the assembly member elections constituted 35.4 percent of the male candidates, given that 16,925 of them contested the polls.
Comparatively, the 259 women who won the elections formed 25 percent of the total female applicants which stood at 1,049.
The figures also showed that 73 persons with disability (PWDs), comprising 55 males and 18 females, won the elections.
In terms of the unit committee elections, 22,646 out of the 42,094 male applicants won, representing 87.2 percent of the total persons elected.
Relatedly, 3,335 out of the 5,666 female applicants for the unit committee elections won, representing 12.8 percent of the total elected members.
For PWDs, 67 candidates, made up of 38 males and 29 females, were elected as unit committee members.
Predictably, the 2023 DLEs recorded yet another low turn-out of 35 percent, two percentage points down from the 37 percent in the previous election (2019).
The EC statistics revealed that many of the peri-urban regions recorded turn-out rates above 50 percent while the urban regions recorded low voter participation.
According to the statistics, the North East Region had the highest voter turnout of 55.2 percent while the Northern, Oti, Upper East, and Upper West regions followed with 52.1 percent, 51.1 percent (Oti and Upper East), and 50.8 percent respectively.
The Savannah, Ahafo, and Western North regions recorded 48.2 percent, 45 percent, and 44.6 percent respectively while the Bono and Eastern regions had 40.1 percent and 38.6 percent each.
Also, the Volta, Central, and Bono regions had 37.2 percent, 36.7 percent, and 36.1 percent turnouts, with the Western Region settling for 33.7 percent.
The Greater Accra and Ashanti regions recorded the lowest turn-outs of 18 percent and 33.4 percent respectively.
Two executives of the General Transport Petroleum Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) have found themselves interdicted amid the swirling controversy surrounding the deal between the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and Torentco.
The interdiction comes as authorities intensify investigations into the contentious agreement, raising questions about the roles of the union executives in the unfolding situation. The move signals a heightened focus on accountability and transparency within the union in the wake of the controversial TOR-Torentco deal.
The decision, enacted by the TOR Board of Directors, comes into immediate effect.
One of the interdicted persons, Anthony Joojo Koomson, who is the Chairman of the Petroleum Union Senior Staff Association confirmed this in an interview on Adom FM.
Mr Koomson said they have been interdicted for disclosing vital information on the TOR-Torentco deal at a press conference.
The Board argued that they breached the non-disclosure agreement they undertook not to disclose the details of the draft TOR /Torentco Lease and O&M agreements, citing Article 43(4) (vii) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between TOR and GTPCWU.
But Mr Koomson contends that the board acted in bad faith because his action was in accordance with the Whistleblower Act.
“We alerted management about the shortfalls in the deal and they told us they can’t respond to the issues because the board is solely in charge. We wrote to the board and till date, they haven’t responded to us so we just had to do the needful by making the issue public,” he stated.
Mr Koomson warned the Board should not for any reason think the interdiction will gag him.
“This is the biggest mistake by the Board because it will not end her. The mandate of the board is not to micro-manage management. It is management who is to take disciplinary action but this clearly shows the incompetence of the board and the fact that they do not understand their job,” he lashed out.
Meanwhile, GTPCWU has threatened an industrial action over the interdiction and the deal.
In a significant blow to business activities within the Bole district of the Savannah Region, the collapse of the Doli Bridge in Bole township has triggered disruptions and financial burdens for shippers navigating alternative routes.
The unexpected collapse has not only hampered the usual flow of commerce but has also compelled shippers to incur substantial additional costs as they seek alternative paths to reach their destinations. The ramifications of this infrastructure failure are rippling through the local economy, raising concerns about the long-term impact on both businesses and the broader community.
Truck drivers previously traversing through Bole to Sawla are now facing a ban following the collapse of a crucial bridge. The infrastructure gave way due to an intense downpour lasting approximately four hours on Sunday, September 17, 2023.
This incident has effectively rendered the main road connecting the Upper West Region to the south impassable, prompting authorities to implement restrictions on the affected route. The ban poses a substantial challenge to transportation and raises concerns about the broader implications for regional connectivity and trade
The collapse has also cut-off road transportation for hundreds of heavy-duty trucks from the main highway that leads from Ghana to Burkina Faso and Mali.
Consequently, security personnel have had to be deployed at vantage points to curb any crime rate increase that might occur – while heavy-duty truck drivers sleep in the open at the mercy of Harmattan weather.
The situation has brought extra responsibility on the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) Customs Division, as they embark on route checks at the new roads to ensure goods are transited to the nearby countries and not stolen or tampered with.
Tamale Branch Manager-Ghana Shippers Authority, Mr. Fredrick Atogiyire, has expressed worry about the rate at which the little economic activity of Bole residents has been curtailed.
“It is very worrying to see haulage and heavy-duty truck drivers go through a hectic period in sending goods from Tema Harbour to nearby countries.”
If the bridge is not fixed in time, the possibilities of shippers and truck drivers diverting their routes to other countries are high – which could affect economic activities, he added.
Some truck drivers have expressed worry about the delay in fixing the bridge, and therefore appealed for government through the Road Ministry to fast-track documentation processes to ensure speedy reconstruction of the bridge to ease the stress heavy-duty truck drivers have been enduring.
The District Chief Executive for Bole, Madam Veronica Alele, has confirmed the Assembly is in touch with the Urban Roads Department to fast-track paper documentation and then award contracts for work to commence.
National Vice Chairman-Ghana Haulage and Heavy-Duty Truck Association, Mr. Abdul-Rasheed Braimah, added his voice to calls for the government to help get the bridge fixed in time so shippers and truck drivers can save time and money.
A minister in Italy has been accused of having and showing a stolen painting from the 1600s, but he says it’s not true.
The newest claims against a member of Italy’s government focus on Vittorio Sgarbi, who is a well-known art critic.
Mr Sgarbi is being investigated for hiding stolen things after putting the painting in a show in 2021.
In 2013, “The Capture of Saint Peter” was stolen.
Rutilio Manetti, a painter who followed Baroque style like Caravaggio, used to have his painting shown in a castle in northern Italy, in Piedmont.
Mr Sgarbi, who is on TV and has a history of using bad language and lying about people, is accused of changing the painting by putting a candle in the corner to hide where it came from.
The politician said he discovered the job while renovating a house his mother bought over twenty years ago. He says the painting is the real one, but the one that was stolen in 2013 was just a fake.
The accusations were found in a report by the TV show ‘Report’ on the Italian channel Rai. The person who owns the castle said that the painting was stolen in 2013. She also mentioned that one of Mr. Sgarbi’s friends had come to see the property before and wanted to buy the art piece.
The report also said that a friend of the politician gave a damaged painting called “The Capture of Saint Peter” to someone who fixes paintings later. It was said that the hole had the same shape as a piece of the canvas that was cut out of the Piedmont castle frame in 2013.
In 2021, Mr Sgarbi showed the restored painting with a candle added in the top corner.
The junior minister is being accused of owning an expensive painting by a French artist. The painting, worth €5m, was taken by police in Montecarlo. Mr Sgarbi is being looked into by a lawyer for sending the painting out of the country unlawfully. He said that it is a copy and that he did not own it. The BBC tried to talk to Mr Sgarbi, but he didn’t answer.
Other political parties want Mr. Sgarbi to be fired. The Five Star Movement will propose a motion in parliament to remove him from his position.
The Italian government is embarrassed again because a member of the ruling party is being investigated for bringing a gun to a New Year’s Eve party and accidentally shooting someone. Emanuele Pozzolo says he didn’t shoot the gun, but the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has stopped him from working for now.
MsMeloni’s political party, Brothers of Italy, is doing well in the polls and her alliance with other right-wing parties seems strong at the moment.
Before the European elections in June, all parties will try to take advantage of any weaknesses or opportunities they can find. She has already publicly argued with her coalition partner Matteo Salvini.
This year, politics in Italy could become even more unpleasant. The prime minister wants to avoid having three scandals happening at the same time.
Data from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) has revealed that the year 2023 has witnessed a concerning surge in road accidents, with a staggering 14,135 crashes reported, resulting in an alarming toll of 2,276 fatalities.
These distressing statistics highlight the urgent need for enhanced road safety measures and awareness campaigns to mitigate the growing risks on the nation’s roads.
These figures contrast with a total of 14,960 road crashes recorded in 2022, with 2,373 people killed and 15,690 injured.
For the 2023 road crashes, Accra recorded 4,797, Tema 994, Eastern 490, Eastern North 139, Eastern South 881, Central 576, Central East 295, Central North 196, Western 706, Western North 237, Ashanti 2,312, Ashanti North 421, and Ashanti South 684.
Volta recorded 319, Volta North 101, Oti 49, Northern 115, North East 41, Savanna 66, Upper West 147, Upper East 143, Bono 133, Bono East 165, and Ahafo 128.
A total of 23,998 vehicles were involved. Commercial vehicles numbered 8,084, private vehicles were 10,767, and motorcycles were 5,147.
They said his prostate cancer was treated early and worked well. They also said his chances of getting better are really good and he doesn’t need any more treatment.
The defense secretary is an important person in the US military and is right under the president in the chain of command.
In December, Mr. Austin had a small surgery to treat his prostate cancer. He went back to the hospital on New Year’s Day because the procedure had caused problems.
High-ranking military officials and the White House did not find out that Mr. Austin was very sick until three days after he was readmitted.
The fact that it was kept secret raised worries about security and transparency. As a result, three investigations have been started to look into how his health crisis was managed.
President Joe Biden said he still trusts his secretary to lead, but he wishes the secretary had been more honest about how sick he was.
Mr Austin said sorry for not telling people the right information.
He continued to work in his job while he was getting better. Last week, Mr. Austin gave permission for many attacks on Houthi fighters in Yemen from his hospital bed in the Red Sea.
On Monday, he said thank you to the doctors and nurses who took care of him.
“Now, as I keep getting better and working from home, I really want to get better soon and go back to the Pentagon,” he said.
The Pentagon said he can use secure communication to work from home.
Brother of late President, John Evans Atta-Mills, and a prominent figure in Ghanaian politics, Samuel Atta-Mills, has questioned President Akufo-Addo over his silence on the autopsy report of Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu, popularly known as JB Danquah.
This follows a call by the former deputy General-Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Samuel Koku Anyidoho, backed by President Akufo-Addo, for the autopsy report of former President John Evans Atta-Mills to be made public.
Mr Anyidoho together with some kinsmen of the late President paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo and appealed to him to ensure that Prof Mills’ autopsy report is made public. According to the delegation that called on the President, there has not been an autopsy report presented to the family even after eleven years of his demise.
Addressing President Akufo-Addo, Nana Enyimfua III who initiated the appeal said “Our biggest problem as a family is that ever since I was enstooled as queenmother, I have not seen any autopsy report in the family. That is the biggest problem I have with the family because if someone asks me what killed him I won’t know if the doctor said he broke his arm or his neck or drunk something.”
“So we plead with you and the government that the family needs the autopsy report so that in future when I am no more queen mother posterity will learn from it because no child from the family knows what killed the late former president not to talk about me the queen mother in the family. So I plead with you on behalf of the family, before you leave office let us get the autopsy report.”
Mr Anyidoho made a similar call which was supported by President Akufo-Addo. This has attracted a reaction from Mr Samuel Atta-Mills, who has since been questioning the rationale for demanding his brother’s autopsy report.
In the wake of the controversy, Mr Atta-Mills has asked President Akufo-Addo to also be concerned about the autopsy report of JB Danquah, a Ghanaian chartered accountant and politician who was murdered in his home in 2016.
He was a member of the Parliament of Ghana for the Abuakwa North on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party between 2005 and 2009, and once more from 2013 until his death.
He was killed on February 9, 2016, at age 50, at his Shiashi Legon Home. Although the suspect in the murder has been apprehended, there has not been any public mention of an autopsy report of JB Danquah.
It is in view of this that Mr Samuel Atta-Mills is asking the President to also be concerned about Mr JB Danquah’s autopsy report as he is concerned with that of late President JEA Mills.
“Wasn’t JB Danquah a sitting Member of Parliament. Has his autopsy report been published?” Mr Atta-Mills questioned.
He also also asked the President and Mr Anyidoho to allow his brother rest in peace.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis responded to her critics who say she had a romantic relationship with a prosecutor working on the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump.
During a speech at an old church in Atlanta, the prosecutor from Georgia said she wasn’t perfect.
Ms Willis is being accused of having a bad relationship with a lawyer who she says is a “great friend”.
She said the criticisms were because of her race.
Ms Willis, who is the first black female district attorney in Fulton County, spoke publicly for the first time about the allegations since they were first mentioned in a court filing on 8 January.
In the legal papers, Michael Roman’s lawyers claim that Ms Willis had a close romantic relationship with the main prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case.
MrRoman asked the judge to drop his legal charges, claiming that Ms. Willis benefited personally from their relationship. He also said the judge should not allow Ms Willis to continue prosecuting cases because she supposedly cheated the public by not telling about her relationship on purpose.
The lawyers claimed that the special prosecutor hired by Ms Willis was not very experienced, but still got paid about $650,000 in legal fees.
MrWade and Ms. Willis went on expensive trips together, like cruises and vacations to California and the Caribbean, according to the court documents.
MrTrump’s lawyer said in court on Friday that they are thinking about adding themselves to the complaint.
Ms Willis spoke at the Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Martin Luther King Jr Day. She did not talk about Mr Wade or the accusations of having a wrong relationship.
She talked for about 30 minutes about how she thinks race has been involved in the accusations, and she also supported Mr.
Rebels in western Myanmar say they have taken control of a key town on a main road to India from the army.
The Arakan Army (AA), which is one of three armed groups, started a big attack against the military in October. They say they have now taken control of Paletwa in Chin State.
The group said on its messaging app that there are no more military camps in the whole Paletwa area.
Myanmar’s army has not said anything.
Delhi will pay close attention to the changes happening in Paletwa, which is near the border of Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh. The town is being improved by a big project funded by India to make it easier for people to travel to and from the area.
The AA is a new but well-equipped group of fighters from Myanmar. They have been fighting against the military in Rakhine State and parts of Chin State for a few years and have been making progress in their battles. Even before the army took control in February 2021, AA soldiers had made big progress in Rakhine. Two years ago, it said it controlled 60% of the state.
During the 2021 coup, the army decided to stop fighting with a group that was not involved in the coup, so they could focus on stopping anyone who was against it.
Last October, the AA said it was fighting against military rule with other groups and started to attack the military, which was already stretched thin by the opposition to its coup in many parts of the country.
In the last 11 weeks, the alliance has beaten the military along the border with China many times.
– Last Saturday, the AA took control of the last military post in the Paletwa township on the other side of the country. The hilltop base at Meewa had been difficult for them to take in 2020, but they were able to take it after 42 days of fighting now.
The AA now controls the port of Paletwa on the Kaladan River, which means they also control the roads and waterways to the Indian border. This gives them a base to plan more attacks in Rakhine State.
Losing any of the big towns in Rakhine to the rebels would be a really bad hit for the military’s power. They are using planes and helicopters with guns to stop the AA from getting to the town of Kyauktaw. Kyauktaw is on the main road that connects the Rakhine capital Sittwe with the rest of Myanmar.
We don’t know what the AA will do next. It may want to keep its progress and prevent more people from leaving. The group wants to be in charge of themselves in a country that is part of a bigger group, and they think it’s better to have a new elected government instead of military control.
After Paletwa fell, the main question is if the leaders can make their soldiers feel better and convince them to keep fighting against the opposition from different places.
