TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Cuba Gooding, Jr. avoids jail time in forcible touching case

    As Cuba Gooding Jr.’s forcible touching case faded to black Thursday with no jail time for the movie star, some of the dozens of women who have accused him of groping, unwanted kissing and other inappropriate behaviour criticized the outcome as a slap on the wrist — and a slap in the face.

    The Oscar-winning actor turned #MeToo defendant avoided prison time by complying with the terms of a conditional plea agreement that saw him plead guilty to charges involving just one of what prosecutors have said were allegations from at least 30 women, many at New York City nightspots.

    Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Coleen Balbert told a judge Thursday that since the deal was reached in April, Gooding has stayed out of trouble and completed six months of alcohol and behavioural counselling.

    That enabled him to withdraw his misdemeanour guilty plea — for forcibly kissing a waitress at a Manhattan nightclub in 2018 — and instead plead guilty to a non-criminal harassment violation.

    That means no additional penalties and no criminal record for Gooding, the star of films such as “Jerry Maguire,” “Boyz N the Hood” and “Radio.”

    “This plea deal feels like a misstep,” said Kelsey Harbert, a neuroscience student whose allegation that Gooding groped her at a nightclub led to his 2019 arrest but wasn’t part of his guilty plea.

    “After three long years of trying to hold Mr. Gooding accountable for touching my breast without my consent, having my day in court taken away from me is more disappointing than words can say,” said Harbert, who was tearful at times as she spoke in court.

    Harbert’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, called the plea deal “an insult” to Gooding’s accusers and a “prosecutorial gift to a celebrity who is undeserving of such an outcome.”

    Balbert told Judge Curtis Farber that she has received “positive reports for the last six months” from Gooding’s therapist. Gooding started counselling in September 2019 and will continue with treatment beyond the time required by his plea agreement, Balbert said.

    If Gooding had failed to comply with the terms of the deal, he would have faced up to one year in jail.

    Arrested in 2019, Gooding was among a profusion of Hollywood heavyweights accused of wrongdoing in the #MeToo movement, which exploded five years ago this month.

    As Gooding was in court Thursday wrapping up his case, another Oscar-winning actor, Kevin Spacey, was on trial down the block in a civil lawsuit alleging that he sexually assaulted actor Anthony Rapp.

    Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, former studio boss Harvey Weinstein and “That 70’s Show” star Danny Masterson are in the midst of separate rape trials. Weinstein was convicted of similar charges in New York in 2020 and is serving a 23-year prison sentence.

    Gooding was arrested in June 2019 after Harbert told police he fondled her without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square.

    A few months later, prosecutors charged Gooding with pinching a server’s buttocks after making a sexually suggestive remark to her at TAO Downtown and the allegation to which he pleaded guilty — forcibly kissing a waitress at LAVO New York in midtown Manhattan, both in 2018.

    The LAVO waitress said in a victim impact statement that Gooding was facing “minimal repercussions” while his victims continued to deal with the emotional trauma of his actions.

    The TAO Downtown server asked, to no avail, that he be required to complete another six months of therapy to ensure that he changes his behaviour and to send a “special message” to men that sexual assault and misconduct won’t be tolerated.

    Asked about the criticism, the Manhattan district attorney’s office referred to Balbert’s remarks in court in April in which she said prosecutors believed the plea deal to be a “fair and equitable disposition” that spared accusers from having to testify at trial and being subject to cross-examination.

    Gooding said little in court Thursday, did not apologize to his accusers — as he did in April — and did not answer shouted questions from reporters as he hustled out of the courtroom.

    Asked to explain what he did, Gooding told Farber: “I kissed a waitress, your honour.”

    The waitress, in her victim impact statement, said Gooding forced his tongue into her mouth unexpectedly while she was serving drinks. In the statement, read into the record by Balbert, the waitress said she was aware of incidents involving Gooding and three other women at the club.

    Gooding had previously pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanour counts and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His lawyers argued that overzealous prosecutors, caught up in the fervour of #MeToo, were trying to turn “commonplace gestures” or misunderstandings into crimes.

    Along with the criminal case, Gooding is a defendant in civil lawsuits, including one alleging he raped a woman in New York City in 2013. After a judge issued a default judgment in July because Gooding hadn’t responded to the lawsuit, the actor retained a lawyer and is fighting the allegations.

    The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, as Harbert has done.

    Source:myjoyonline.com

  • FLASHBACK: Ghana’s credit rating still B negative, disregard reports of upgrade – Bawumia

    When then-President John Dramani Mahama and his Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, claimed that the nation had been upgraded by rating agencies, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said in 2016 that this was untrue.

    He claimed that the nation’s creditworthiness condition remained poor.

    “Ghana’s outlook was recently changed from B- negative to B- stable (the equivalent of B3), turning the situation around from bad to stable.
    And as a result, the NDC government and President Mahama incorrectly believed that Ghana’s credit rating had improved,” he stated.

    Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, an economist, has challenged recent assertions by President John Mahama and Finance Minister Seth Terkper that international rating agency Moody’s upgraded Ghana recently.

    The former Central Bank Deputy Governor, speaking at the launch of the manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the weekend at the Trade Fair in Accra, said: “With the recent revision of Ghana’s outlook from B- negative to B- stable (i.e. the equivalent of B3), the outlook was revised from negative to stable. And this has resulted in a misinterpretation by this NDC government and President Mahama that Ghana’s credit rating has been upgraded.”

    Moody’s did not upgrade Ghana

    “This is in fact not the case. Moody’s did not upgrade Ghana. Ghana’s rating under Moody’s is still B-. It is only the outlook that has been revised and that is not equivalent to a change in rating, or ratings upgrade. The outlook is not equivalent to an upgrade in ratings. Sometimes one wonders whether they don’t read or they don’t understand,” he explained.

    Dr Bawumia stated that “without oil, Ghana was being rated at B+ positive, under the NPP. We’ve now come down with oil under the NDC and John Mahama, to B- with a stable outlook in 2016. So we’ve gone from B+ to B-.”

    Noting that international ratings agencies like Moody’s, Fitch and Standards and Poors now had basically the same credit rating for Ghana, he advised the President to desist from such erroneous interpretations and fall on his economic management team for explanation.

    Ghana worse off now

    “The Mo Ibrahim 2016 Report on governance shows that on virtually all key indicators such as safety, and the rule of law, human rights, economic opportunities, infrastructure, business environment, human development, health and public management, all these indicators, Ghana is worse off today than it was 10 years ago.

    “The IMF, in its recent review of the economy, has warned that Ghana is on the cusp of a financial and economic crisis. Notwithstanding this abysmal record, President John Mahama is actually asking Ghanaians where the economic crisis is. He is clearly out of touch. Mr President, the economic crisis is everywhere.”

    “Teachers are suffering. Teacher trainees are suffering. Nurses are suffering. Nursing trainees are also suffering. Patients are suffering. Students are suffering. Traders are suffering. Pensioners are suffering. Drivers are suffering, contractors are suffering. Civil servants are suffering and farmers are suffering. Fishermen are suffering and industries are suffering. Artisans are suffering and ‘kayayei’ are suffering. The disabled are suffering and men are suffering. Women are suffering and children are suffering, and Ghanaians as a whole are suffering.”

    Huge debts without substantial benefits

    The incumbent is on record as having received huge resources and yet accumulating as much as 66 percent of the country’s debt in the last 3 and half years.

    Some of its policies have driven the country’s industrial sector to register -5 percent in the second quarter of this year.

    The country’s total public debt as at August this year totaled GH¢110 billion but there is still massive unemployment among the youth and high cost of living.

  • EPA permits not for development – Assemblies told

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has charged local Assemblies to reject the siting of projects that do not meet their development criteria irrespective of the developer procuring environment permits from the Agency.

    The EPA said it was solely responsible for environmental issues, and thus did not have the capacity to determine the structural integrity of a facility.

    At a meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives in Accra on Thursday to discuss challenges with land use, Mr Kwabena Badu-Yeboah, Director in charge of Environmental Assessment and Management at EPA, told the Assemblies to, “raise questions” about permits issued by the Agency and disapprove it if they found it problematic.

    “The EPA permit is not for development. We are in charge of development issues, but you (Assemblies) are responsible for the development of the land, and you have your criteria. If your criteria conflict with the EPA permit, you can disapprove it,” he said.

    At the meeting, some planning officers raised issues with some permits issued by the EPA, which they said conflicted with their development plans.

    They said the Assemblies were challenged in such situations as some developers held the position that so long as they had obtained EPA permits, they could not be stopped by the Assemblies in executing a particular project.

    The planning officers appealed to the EPA to seek the consent of the Assemblies before they issued permits to aid compliance and conformity with their land development regulations.

    Among the issues discussed at the meeting were lack of land use plans and development control, re-zoning issues, noise pollution, development within wetlands, mangroves, and sensitive areas, and citing of heavy industries close to residential areas.

    The Assemblies mentioned the lack of land use plans as a major challenge to effective land development in their jurisdictions, especially in new settlements.

    They said in the absence of land use plans, some developers went ahead with their projects and that had its own consequences on the development, control, and effective management of lands.

    Mr Daniel Alexander Nii-Noi Adumuah, the Municipal Chief Executive of Adentan Municipal Assembly, called for the involvement of the Assemblies in the issuance of land titles to avoid unauthorised development of areas earmarked for specific purposes.

    He said there had been instances where some individuals got land titles for areas designated as buffers or earmarked for roads, adding that the Assembly had a tough time preventing development of such areas.

    Ms Anna Adukwei Addo, MCE for Tema West, called for the development of a national policy on natural resources and wetlands to determine how those areas would be protected to prevent encroachment.

    “Let your conscience speak. When you’re issuing building permits; make sure you are doing the right thing,” she urged the Assemblies.

    Mr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, Executive Director, EPA, said the Agency would not hesitate to apply the relevant laws against any District Assembly whose action and inactions would result in the damage to the environment and human health.

    Source: GNA 

  • GRA shuts down 13 shopping centres over E-VAT invoicing in three days, more to follow 

    Over the past few days, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has embarked on a mission to close down shopping centres that have failed to comply with the authority’s electronic VAT (E-VAT) invoicing regime.

    So far, the operations of 13 shopping centres in Accra have been brought to an abrupt end.

    This, according to the GRA, forms part of initiatives to crack down on non-compliance with E-VAT invoicing introduced by the Authority.

    The Authority rolled out the E-invoicing system for VAT collectors on October 1, 2022.  

    Unlike the manual system, the GRA stated that through the E-VAT invoicing system, the Authority can track the transactions of these entities, making it impossible for taxpayers to either under invoice or avoid the payment of VAT.  

    According to the GRA Area Enforcement Manager of Accra Central, Joseph Annan, about 50 tax-paying companies are supposed to be enrolled in the Certified Invoicing System.

    However, since the inception of the policy, he indicated that only 25 companies have complied.

    Mr. Annan noted that closing these malls is essential to enhancing Ghana’s domestic tax mobilisation efforts. 

     “We are working with a number of taxpayers, and those taxpayers have been earmarked for the first phase of the invoicing implementation. Now those taxpayers that refuse to be on board are the taxpayers that we have taken the necessary sanction against,” he said.

    List of shopping centres closed 

    Officials of the GRA have shut down five branches of the Palace and China Mall and three branches of the Game Mall. 

    Five branches of the Palace Mall at the Labone, Spintex, Madina and Weija were closed down on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

     On Monday, October 10, 2022, the Spintex Road, Weija branch, Ashaiman branches of China Mall were also shut down. 

    Also, the Game Shopping Centre at the Accra Mall, Achimota Mall and the Westhills Mall faced similar punitive measures on Wednesday, October 12. 

    In a related development, the Regal Chinese Restaurant in Osu, four cold stores at Tema and a beverage distribution company; Josh Nartey ventures and UnderBridge event Centre located in East Legon, have all been shut down for similar reasons.

    According to Mr Annan, will only be open to the public after management of these businesses complies with the E-VAT invoicing.

    He further issued a word of caution to companies yet to enrol on the Certified Invoicing System to do so before the law catches up with them.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • ‘I’m not going anywhere’ – Kwasi Kwarteng 17 hours before his sacking

    The UK’s finance minister, who is of Ghanaian descent, expressed confidence in his choice to rescind a £43 billion tax relief program in the nation’s mini-budget around 17 hours ago.

    Kwarteng, the first Black person to hold the role, changed his mind shortly after delivering the UK mini-budget, causing market volatility and considerable opposition to the tax cut.

    The decision also sparked a rebellion among British Conservative MPs, but Kwasi Kwarteng persisted.

    In an interview with the BBC, he insisted he was “not going anywhere” despite admitting the market turbulence was caused in part by the policies announced in the mini-budget.

    When questioned if he will yet again make a U-turn on certain sections of the mini-budget, Kwasi Kwarteng said “our position hasn’t changed.”

    He was also asked if he was confident that he and British Prime Minister Liz Truss would remain in their positions in the coming months, to which he boldly said, “absolutely, 100%.”

    But the stance has now changed as Kwasi Kwarteng has been fired from his position as the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer after serving in office for six weeks.

    The announcement was made on Friday, October 14, 2022, after he was reported to have rushed back to the UK while attending the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington DC, USA.

    British Prime Minister to announce tax cuts:

    Meanwhile, it is expected that Prime Minister, Truss will hold a news conference in due course, as speculation builds that the government could reverse more of the tax cuts announced in its mini-budget.

    Earlier, a No 10 Downing source told the BBC that Truss thought the chancellor was “doing an excellent job”

    The PM faces growing calls from within her party to rethink her economic plans, with one Tory MP telling the BBC: “It’s checkmate, we’re screwed”, the BBC further reported.

    Kwasi Kwarteng, 47, took over as head of the British Treasury in September 2022, after new UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, took over; with the responsibility of trying to pull the UK out of a serious cost-of-living crisis without plunging the public finances into the abyss.

    He took over from Nadhim Zahawi, an Iraqi-born Kurd, who himself succeeded Rishi Sunak, of Indian origin, and Sajid Javid, with Pakistani roots, embodying a more inclusive face of the Conservative party.

    His sack makes him the second shortest-serving UK chancellor on record.

    The shortest serving chancellor, Iain Macleod, according to the BBC, died of a heart attack 30 days after taking the job in 1970.

    Since 2019, the UK has had four chancellors, including Nadhim Zahawi who served the third shortest tenure with 63 days during a short-lived reshuffle under Boris Johnson, and Sajid Javid who served 204 days – the fourth shortest tenure on record.

  • Gender Ministry calls for resources for Domestic Violence Fund

    Minster Designate, Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Zuweira Lariba Abudu, has called on the general public to support the Domestic Violence Fund.

    She said that would enable it provide support in all forms to victims and survivors of domestic violence.

    Mrs Abudu made the call at the official launch of Gender Rights and Empowerment Programme (GREP) organised by the STAR- Ghana Foundation.

    The programme is intended to increase the effectiveness of civil society advocacy for women and girls’ political and social rights, particularly rights to inclusive and quality social services and participation in public governance at the national and sub-national levels.

    It will cover six regions, including the three regions in northern Ghana, Central, Eastern and Volta regions.

    Participants at the launch included representatives from the Gender Ministry, UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Parliament, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, (CHRAJ), and Civil Society partners.

    Mrs Abudu said: “Some victims and survivors come to the Support Centre in just their panties, and we have to get them what to wear before listening to their issues.”

    Some persistent cultural beliefs, and social norms, the Minister Designate noted, contributed to intimate partner violence whiles preventing women and girls from reporting violence and abuse against them.

    Mrs Abudu appealed for access to justice for victims and survivors to be intensified to enhance confidence in Ghana’s judicial system and said governments over the years had embarked on programmes to address peculiar challenges that women and girls faced in exploiting their full potentials.

    They include free maternal healthcare under the National Health Insurance, School Feeding, Capitation Grants and Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty, targeting poor communities.

    Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko Amindu, Executive Director, STAR- Ghana Foundation, said the Foundation was focused on increasing the effectiveness of Civil Society’s influence for inclusive development, and access to public services for citizens, particularly women and girls.

    He noted that complex issues such as cultural practices and religious beliefs, and systemic challenges at the state level prevented the realisation of gender rights in the country.

    Alhaji Amidu called for increased advocacy and awareness creation on the rights of women and girls, and the need for them to be empowered to achieve a more inclusive society.

    Mrs Enyonam Azumah, Team Leader, Human Development, UK FCDO, said globally, Civil Society backing had been significant for influencing changes in law and approaches.

    Hence, she said, FCDO was providing £580,000 through STAR-Ghana to 18 Civil Society Organisations to champion the rights and empowerment of women and girls in Ghana through the GREP.

    The project, the Team Leader said, was consistent with the second priority of UK’s International Development Strategy to provide women and girls the freedom they needed to succeed by educating, empowering and ending violence against them.

    Source: GNA 

  • Today in History: Dangote’s refinery to supply natural gas to Ghana

    Ghana was anticipated to get more than 20% of the natural gas needed to fuel its power plants from the petrochemical facility in Nigeria.

    In order to make up for Ghana’s deficit, which periodically results in insufficient energy output, the Dangote Group offered to supply Ghana with natural gas while also constructing one of the largest refineries in the world.

    The Dangote Group, which is currently building one of the world’s largest refineries, is promising to supply natural gas to Ghana to make up for the country’s deficit that occasionally triggers electricity generation shortfall.

    Ghana will receive over 20 percent of natural gas from the petrochemical plant that is under construction in Nigeria to fire its power generating plants, officials told journalists during a tour of the facility in Lekki, Lagos State.

    The development will be a welcoming one for Ghana’s energy sector, which has for the past four years witnessed some challenges in electricity generation resulting in crises that have impacted negatively on the country’s economy.

    Ghana has over the years experienced a shortfall in natural gas supply from Nigeria Gas [NGas] through the West African Gas Pipeline to power electricity generating plants, particularly those in the Tema enclave, which rely solely on natural gas.

    The issue of Ghana’s indebtedness to Nigeria recently compounded the problem as the suppliers were forced to close their pipelines to Ghana until a government intervention.

    The 12-billion-dollar Dangote project is set to generate enough natural gas, which officials say Ghana will be one of the key countries they will export the gas.

    The plant, which will be ready in 2019, would refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and produce 400 megawatts of power, as well as produce some other petrochemical products to serve the African continent. Officials are hopeful the completion of the world-class refinery will end the recurring power and fuel crisis in some countries in the sub-region.

    Head of Engineering, Rama Rao Putta told TV3 the second phase of the petrochemical manufacturing plant would integrate into the refinery.

    He noted that the designing, engineering, and procurement are nearing completion, adding 95 per cent of the project materials have arrived on site for construction to take place on 250,000 hectares of land. Media Relations Manager of Dangote Group-Ghana, Etornam Komla Buami said the project would generate 1,600 permanent jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs.

  • Gunna Denied release from jail for third time, Judge argues ‘same concerns’ over witness intimidation

    Gunna has once again been denied pre-trial release.

    Thursday, per a report from Billboard, Judge Ural Glanville declined to release Gunna from jail ahead of a trial that’s currently slated to begin in January. This marks the third such rejection, with the stated reasoning behind Thursday’s refusal summarized by the judge as being rooted in the “same concerns” asserted in the prior two rejections (namely, claims of potential witness intimidation).

    Gunna’s legal team, however, has argued (including in their client’s third bond motion in September) that prosecutors have “no evidence” to support holding him.

    As previously reported, Gunna was first arrested in connection with the larger YSL indictment in May. In court documents filed last month and viewed by Complex, Gunna’s legal team again argued their client should be released, specifically highlighting the fact that the “only serious overt act” against the artist had previously been dropped.

    “Sergio Kitchens (Gunna) is very hopeful that the Court will now recognize that the discovery provided by the prosecution fails to show his pretrial release poses a significant risk of danger to any person or the community or poses a significant threat to witnesses, and accordingly grants a reasonable bond,” Steven Sadow, Gunna’s co-lead counsel, said in a statement to Complex at the time.

    Meanwhile, the Protect Black Art petition—launched in June by Kevin Liles and Julie Greenwald—is nearing its goal of 75,000 signatures. The petition takes aim at the “shameful and un-American practice” of criminalizing creative expression and has received public support from Young Thug, who is also currently behind bars in connection with the YSL indictment.


    Last week, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was reported to have asked the court to delay the trial’s kickoff to late March of next year.

    Reached by Complex for comment on this latest development, co-lead counsel Sadow stated on the artist’s behalf, “Although we must respect the Court’s ruling, we know it is wrong. Gunna is innocent of the charge against him and should not be in jail pending trial. The prosecution has produced no evidence that supports the denial of bond. Keeping him detained is a miscarriage justice.”

    Source: Complex.com

  • GRA revenue for September up by 4.6%, rolls out new systems to seal loopholes

    According to Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu Amoah, Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, tax revenue performance for September 2022 was GH7,457,097 as opposed to a target of GH7,128,061.

    He claims that this has a positive deviation of 4.6%, which corresponds to 29.8% of its year-to-date performance.

    Speaking to the media in Accra, he claimed that nominal growth in customs income for the same time period was likewise 29.8%.

    “Customs, particularly, for this September did very well and exceeded even the stretch target by GH¢246million,” he disclosed.

    The Commissioner-General said the authority is implementing a number of tax policy initiatives to boost revenue generation this year.

    “We have introduced the GRA Taxpayers portal, which is basically a portal that allows you to log in to see your own tax activity. Again, we have introduced the electronic VAT invoicing, and it connects to the invoicing system of the merchant. And as the merchants trade, we see every invoice and details of purchase. We have introduced a new excise stamp tax authenticator which is also an app that allows you to use your phone to test whether what it is on the bottle is genuine or not.”

    As part of measures to improve revenue for the state, he said the authority will be piloting an e-auction module on the Integrated Customs Management System.

    The GRA boss said: “Our target is that from 15th October, we are loading some of the items available for auction on this system as a pilot phase and every citizen is free to go there to look at the vehicles and decide if they are interested”.

    He said in order to achieve its revenue target for the year 2022, GRA is adopting strategies to ensure that all loopholes are sealed with the roll-out of rigorous enforcement and compliance measures.

  • Kumasi traders reopen shops after Asantehemaa’s intervention

    After receiving an Asantehemaa emissary on October 13, 2022, merchants in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region, temporarily reopened their stores.

    Charles Kusi Appiah-Kubi, the executive secretary of the Ashanti Business Owners Association, said this in an interview with Kumasi-based Akoma FM.

    He claims that “we met urgently with an Asantehemaa emissary and we treated our mother with respect to start our businesses.”

    It would be recalled that on Monday, October 10, 2022, some traders in Kumasi locked up their shops in protest of the frequent depreciation of the cedi.

    They also cited the high cost of doing business and the collection of exorbitant taxes by the government as some reasons for the protest against the government.

    According to the traders within the central business district, the demonstration will last for three days.

    They explained that the protest also aims to kick against the decision by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to station their officers at each shop to record Value Added Tax (VAT) on products they sell.

    Closure of shops in Kumasi affecting us badly, act now – Truck pushers, head potters to govt

  • 43 ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ Easter Eggs and references you might have missed in season 1

    That escalated quickly.

    For weeks, critics and fans gave the new She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series on Disney+ mixed reviews, at best. The jokes didn’t always land, and sometimes trivialized the characters. The CGI didn’t hold up; that’s what happens when visual effects artists are overworked and held to impossible deadlines. And the story felt disconnected—and not in a good way—from the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Between the wedding, the spiritual retreat, and the misadventures in online dating, we got some nice vignettes, but it was difficult to see the bigger picture.

    But Episode 8, “Ribbit and Rip It,” was a massive turnaround. Finally, we have dramatic, narrative stakes. Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) found the stress point where she nearly lost control of her Hulk side. And as her cousin, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), said in the series pilot: “When people start seeing you as a monster, that never goes away.”

    Episode 8 also introduced Matt Morgan, aka Daredevil, to the MCU. Finally, we had a foil for Jennifer—one that understood her dual life, could trade barbs with her, and came with genuine, romantic chemistry. Even if this becomes nothing more than a setup for the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again series, Matt uncovered facets of Jennifer that made her relatable and well-rounded. And ironically, this now feels more like “her show” than ever before.

    The season finale drops on Thursday, Oct. 13. To prepare you, here are 43 She-Hulk Easter eggs and references you might have missed.

    1. RBG Fan

    Jennifer Brooks Law Degree
    Image via Disney

    If you look in the background of Jen’s office, you can see that she’s a graduate of UCLA, one of the most prestigious law schools in the country. She also has a bobblehead of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a former Supreme Court justice and advocate for progressive principles.

    2. Hulk Inhibitor

    Hulk Inhibitor
    Image via Disney

    Bruce is wearing the same contraption on his arm that he was wearing in the end credits scene of Shang-Chi. We learn that this is an inhibitor, which allows him to suppress the Hulk entirely. Unfortunately, it also makes him vulnerable to things like car accidents, especially if he can’t deactivate it in time, and especially if his cousin skids off the road.

    3. Blood Transfusion

    She Hulk Green Blood
    Image via Disney

    In the show, Bruce accidentally bleeds on Jennifer after the car crash; the gamma blood gets into her body and transforms her into She-Hulk. In the comics, the origin is different; a mob boss tries to kill Jennifer, and Bruce Banner gives her a blood transfusion to save her life.

    4. Metal Shirts

    Led Zeppelin

    Tony Stark was a big heavy metal fan, and when Jennifer wakes up in Bruce’s gamma lab, he’s left her a Led Zeppelin shirt to change into. We can assume that this is one of Tony’s old shirts, since he built the gamma lab for Bruce and spent a lot of time there.

    5. Gamma Lab

    Gamma Lab

    Bruce first mentions the gamma lab in Avengers: Endgame, when he explains to the Avengers how he merged his Hulk and human form into “Smart Hulk”: “Eighteen months in the gamma lab, I put the brains and the brawn together. And now look at me—best of both worlds.”

    6. Sun’s Getting Real Low

    Natasha Hulk Lullaby
    Image via Disney

    Bruce mentions how in the old days, Natasha would tell him a lullaby to make him turn from Hulk back into human. This is a callback to Avengers: Age of Ultron, back when Bruce had a romantic relationship with Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow. She was the only one of the Avengers who could calm him down.

    7. Inside Out

    Bing Bong Inside Out

    When Bruce explains how the Hulk comes out during times of extreme emotional stress, Jennifer mentions Bing Bong. This is a character in the Disney/Pixar film Inside Out, who sacrifices himself at the film’s climax to save the main character.

    8. Spandex!

    She Hulk Spandex

    When Bruce discusses clothing choices with Jennifer, he mentions the importance of spandex. It’s a humorous meta-reference to how much smaller Jennifer and Bruce are compared to their Hulk alter egos.

    9. Carved Initials

    Tony Bruce Initials

    We see that Bruce Banner (B.B.) and Tony Stark (T.S.) carved their initials into the bar that they built together.

    10. Meet Titania

    She Hulk Titania

    Titania is one of She-Hulk’s main foes in the comics, and she has super strength thanks to Doctor Doom’s biological experiments. In her MCU incarnation, Titania is a comic relief villain, and she has a career as a social media personality and influencer.

    11. F-Word

    Captain America Virginity
    Image via Disney

    When Jennifer finds out that Captain America lost his virginity during the USO tour, she begins to say the F-word, but the camera cuts off right before she can get it out. This is a callback joke to Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, where the same thing happens.

    12. Wolverine, Eternals, Shoe Deal

    Wolverine Eternals

    Whenever we see Jennifer looking at her phone, there’s always lots of Easter eggs. In this shot, we see that Iron Man has a shoe deal. We see a reference to Wolverine: “Man fights with metal claws in bar brawl.” And we also see a reference to the climax of Eternals: “Why there is a giant statue of a man sticking out of the ocean.”

    There’s also a QR code in the headline. A lot of the Marvel episodes have them, and they lead to free comics to promote Marvel’s Unlimited subscription service.

    13. Captain America Wallpaper

    Captain America Wallpaper

    Jennifer’s phone background is a shot of Captain America’s well-defined gluteus maximus. America’s ass, indeed.

    14. Emil Blonsky

    Emil Blonsky

    Emil Blonsky a.k.a. Abomination debuted in the second MCU movie The Incredible Hulk, starring Ed Norton as Bruce Banner. Abomination was the product of mixing a variant of the Super Soldier serum with Bruce’s gamma blood. In She-Hulk, he appears fully reformed, and he successfully appeals for parole.

    15. Completely Different Person

    Hulk Abomination

    Mark Ruffalo took over the role of Bruce Banner from Ed Norton, starting with The Avengers. He makes a cheeky reference to this when he talks to Jennifer on the phone and says that it was years since he fought Abomination, and he’s “a completely different person now, literally.”

    16. Massive Spaceship

    Hulk Spaceship

    We see Bruce launch into deep space on a Sakaarian ship. The fan speculation is that this will lead into an adaptation of the Planet Hulk comic storyline, in which Bruce was banished to the violent planet Sakaar and eventually became king.

    17. ‘Silence of the Lambs’

    Silence of the Lambs

    There’s a direct allusion to the horror film The Silence of the Lambs when Jennifer is going to see Emil Blonsky in the deepest bowels of the prison, and the guard reviews the protocol for prisoner interaction. She starts paraphrasing Hannibal Lecter’s line about eating a man’s liver until the guard cuts her off.

    18. Shang-Chi Brawl

    Shang Chi Golden Daggers

    We see in Shang-Chi that Wong has been sneaking Blonsky out of his cell during the night to set up prize fights at the Golden Daggers Club. This is later used against Blonsky during his parole hearing, and Wong must come to court to testify on Blonsky’s behalf.

    19. Wong’s LinkedIn

    LinkedIn Wong

    We see from Wong’s LinkedIn profile that prior to becoming a librarian at Kamar-Taj, he was a Target sales associate for nine years.

    20. Asgardian Wisdom

    Asgard Elf
    Image via Disney

    The light elf Runa attempts to use Thor’s signature line in Thor: Ragnarok during her defense: “Asgard is not a place, it is a people.” The judge counters that Thor’s inspirational speeches are not admissible in court.

    21. Wrecking Crew

    Wrecking Crew

    Jennifer insults the Wrecking Crew by asking if they stole their gear from an Asgardian construction crew. In the comics, the Wrecking Crew does acquire their powers from Asgard, although it’s less clear if their MCU counterparts have the same origin.

    22. Megan Thee Stallion

    She Hulk Megan Thee Stallion

    It’s official: Megan Thee Stallion exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jennifer twerks with her to close out Episode 3.

    23. Mystic Castle

    Mystic Castle

    The Mystic Castle where Donny Blaze performs is a reference to the real-life Magic Castle, a prestigious Los Angeles clubhouse for magicians and magic lovers.

    24. Donny Blaze?

    Donny Blaze

    The magician’s stage name, Donny Blaze, is a homage to Marvel character Johnny Blaze, a.k.a. Ghost Rider.

    25. Poor Adriana

    Sopranos Adriana Episode

    The Sopranos episode that Wong is watching when Madisynn “drops in” is “Long Term Parking,” in which Silvio kills fan favorite Adriana.

    26. QR Code

    QR Code Dating

    Here’s another one of the aforementioned QR codes: It’s on on the left of Jennifer’s new dating profile.

    27. Wong’s Business Card

    Wong Business Card

    ​​​​​​​Wong’s business card affirms that he goes by “Wong,” with no apparent first name. In her court documents, Jennifer refers to him as “Wong” in quotes, inferring that she remains skeptical that this is his real name, and not an alias.

    28. Luke Jacobson

    Luke Jacobson
    Image via Disney

    The fashion designer for superheroes has his roots in a little known comic series called Dakota North, from 1986. Writer Martha Thomases based the Jacobson character on fashion designer David Freelander, a personal friend who died of AIDS in 1987.

    29. Leap-Frog Sighting?

    Leap Frog Cameo

    When Jennifer walks into Jacobson’s studio, we see someone who looks suspiciously like Eugene Patilio a.k.a. Leap-Frog walking out. He becomes a key antagonist in Episode 8.

    30. Daredevil Tease

    Daredevil Tease
    Image via Disney

    We see a glimpse of Daredevil’s costume in Jacobson’s studio, before an assistant quickly covers it with a box lid. Clearly, this man keeps an exclusive clientele.

    31. Mr. Immortal

    Mr Immortal
    Image via Disney

    In the comics, a cosmic entity known as Deathurge gives Mr. Immortal his invulnerability. In the MCU, Mr. Immortal largely plays for comic relief. He’s being sued by multiple ex-wives for faking his death and absconding.

    32. Intelligencia

    She Hulk Intelligencia
    Image via Disney

    Intelligencia’s attacks on She-Hulk share a lot in common with real-life, decentralized media campaigns against public and private figures, which originated on websites like 4chan, Reddit, and the now-defunct KiwiFarms. In the comics, Intelligencia is a collective of supervillain geniuses; the MCU iteration seems a lot more homegrown and crowdsourced.

    33. Miss Piggy Cameo

    Miss Piggy

    While waiting for Josh to text or call her, Jennifer watches The Great Muppet Caper on television. It’s the scene where Miss Piggy is in prison after being framed for robbery.

    34. The Gang

    Blonsky Crew

    The individuals in Emil Blonsky’s supervillain support group are all real Marvel comics characters, sourced from Marvel comics. We’ve already met Wrecker of the Wrecking Crew. Porcupine was a supervillain that originated in 1963; he was a weapons designer who wore a gas mask to protect himself from his own artillery. Man-Bull originated in 1971 as a Daredevil adversary. Saracen was a vampire character who debuted in 1999 as an enemy of Blade. And El Aguila was a master swordsman and antihero who debuted in 1979.

    35. Abomaste

    Abomaste Abomination

    We can see “Abomaste” written on an inspirational poster behind Blonsky, a portmanteau of Blonsky’s alias Abomination and “Namaste,” a Hindu greeting that denotes respect.

    36. Leap-Frog

    Leap Frog Marvel

    In the comics, Leap-Frog is the alias for failed inventor Vincent Patilio, who tried (and failed) to become a master criminal. The MCU version of the character is the spoiled son of Vincent, named Eugene Patilio. Eugene is a minor character in the comics as well.

    37. Matt Morgan

    Matt Morgan

    Matt Morgan a.k.a. Daredevil makes his long-awaited debut in the penultimate episode of She-Hulk Season 1. He successfully represents Lucas Jacobson when Eugene Patilio sues him for damages.

    38. Classic Costume

    She Hulk Costume

    We see a comics-inspired version of She-Hulk’s purple-and-white outfit during the Leap-Frog fight scenes. In the comics, the purple leotard dates back to the ‘80s, when She-Hulk was a member of the Avengers.

    39. I’m Daredevil

    Daredevil Netflix Theme
    Image via Disney

    When Matt formally introduces himself as Daredevil to Jennifer, the familiar strains of the Netflix show theme play in the background.

    40. Hallway Fight

    Daredevil Hallway

    One cardinal rule in the Netflix Daredevil series: Never, ever confront this man in a hallway. We get another classic hallway fight with monochromatic lighting during the siege of Leap-Frog’s lair.

    41. Frogger

    Frogger Arcade

    You can see a classic Frogger arcade in Leap-Frog’s lair. Created in 1981, the game casts you in the role of a frog, who must cross a busy intersection and a dangerous swamp to make its way home.

    42. Red Hulk

    Red Hulk

    Jennifer jokingly references “Red Hulk” as a possible twist, but there actually is a Red Hulk in the comics. It’s the alias of General Thaddeus Ross, who Intelligencia transformed into a massive red monster, capable of generating heat from his skin. Ross is an established character in the MCU, debuting in The Incredible Hulk. His most recent appearance was in Black Widow, which kicked off Phase 4.

    43. Wolverine’s Claws

    Wolverine Snikt

    There’s another reference to Wolverine when Ginger jumps out from behind a wall to surprise Jennifer, holding makeup brushes between her fingers like adamantium claws. She even makes a version of the *SNIKT* sound from the comics whenever Wolverine takes out his claws. Marvel recently announced that Hugh Jackman would reprise his role as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, slated for release in September 2024.

    Complex.com

  • Energy Ministry focused on scaling up clean cooking Mto protect the environment – Dr Opoku Prempeh

    Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has revealed that his outfit remains focused on pursuing policies and programmes that will scale up clean cooking.

    One of the many projects the Energy Ministry is working on to aid in solving the country’s environmental problems is clean cooking technologies, which includes the use of cleaner fuels and energy-efficient modern stoves.

    Participating in the Clean Cooking Forum at the Kempinski Gold Hotel in Accra on October 11, 2022, Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, explained that Ghana needs to turn its attention to the efficient exploitation of natural resources.

    In his remarks, he also noted that local capacity is required to support the growth of the clean cooking industry.

    “We must do this with urgency, and we must do this now. The clean cooking agenda is central in our national objectives. Ghana will continue to be a leading voice in promoting clean cooking technologies,” the Minister added.

    According to Dr Opoku Prempeh, the Energy Ministry and the Energy Commission are collaborating to “provide a platform for second-cycle schools to develop interest in research and development and innovating renewable energy and clean cooking solutions for the Ghanaian market and beyond.”

    On her part, CEO & Founder of Planet Green Africa, Mwayi Kampesi, also emphasised the need to embrace clean cooking now.

    “Take action now. Clean cooking is an urgency that needs to be acted on now,” she said. 

    During the forum, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) launched a partnership to promote financial innovation and investment to deliver greater levels of finance to clean cooking solutions. 

    Both organizations will focus in particular on markets in Africa and Asia, where the need for clean cooking is particularly acute.

    In attendance at the forum were the wife of Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Samira Bawumia, CEO of Mawazo Institute, Fiona Moejes, CEO of Sistema Bio, Alex Eaton, Clean Cooking Alliance’s Gathoni Kimani, among others.

    On September 6, 2022, the Ministry of Energy launched the result-based Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for the development program with funding support from the World Bank. 

    The objective of the programme is to provide government interventions that would accelerate the switch from unclean fuels to LPG. This is to help the government to achieve the goal of 50 per cent access by 2030.

     

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Court sentences trader ten years for possessing narcotics

    An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 39-year-old petty trader to ten years imprisonment in hard labour for unlawful possession of narcotics.

    Samuel Hagan, alias “Tuga,” denied the offence but he was found culpable after trial.

    Police Chief Inspector Benson Benneh told the Court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah that

    complainants, in this case, were Police Officers stationed at Mamprobi and Hagan was a petty trader who lived at Dansoman Beach Road.

    On February 4, 2022, at about 1800 hours, Mamprobi Police command embarked on an operation to arrest suspected drug peddlers and users within its jurisdiction, he told the Court.

    Chief Inspector Benneh said the team, acting on a tip-off, went to a ghetto at Dansoman Beach where undercover men were placed among the people present, adding that whilst there, Hagan, the convict, was spotted with a multi-coloured polythene bag containing wrappers of dried plant materials suspected to be narcotic drugs which he was selling out.

    The prosecution said the team was called in and the convict was arrested with 42 wrappers of dried plant materials suspected to be narcotic drugs.

    He said the convict together with the exhibits were sent to the station for investigation.

    Chief Inspector Benneh said Hagan claimed ownership of the 42 dried plant materials suspected to be narcotic drugs and that he was selling them.

    He said cautioned statement was obtained from the convict and the exhibit was forwarded to Police Forensic Science Laboratory for examination.

    The Court heard that Hagan was charged with the offence and put before the court as the laboratory result came out positive.

    Source:GNA

  • ‘I have accepted’ – Kwasi Kwarteng reacts to sacking

    In a letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss, the now-former UK finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng expressed his acceptance of her decision to relieve him of his duties.

    Kwarteng was fired on Friday, October 14 as a result of fallout from a mini-budget he delivered. Kwarteng was the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom for only six (6) weeks.

    The budget has since prompted market instability and a rebellion among UK Conservative parliamentary members.

    The Ghanaian, who was born in Britain, confessed in a statement made public after his dismissal that he knew even before accepting the position that he could not follow in the footsteps of those who came before him and that he would need to take more extreme measures.

    He also admitted that the UK’s current economic challenges remain a daunting one for all.

    “You have asked me to stand aside as your Chancellor. I have accepted.”

    “When you asked me to serve as your Chancellor, I did so in full knowledge that the situation we faced was incredibly difficult, with rising global interest rates and energy prices. However, your vision of optimism, growth and change was right.

    “As I have said many times in the past weeks, following the status quo was simply not an option,” he wrote in a statement.

    Kwasi Kwarteng also explained that while the challenges exist, he is optimistic in the vision of the Prime Minister, knowing too from many years of friendship with her that she is making the right decision.

    “For too long this country has been dogged by low growth rates and high taxation – that must still change if this country is to succeed.

    “The economic environment has changed rapidly since we set out the Growth Plan on September 23. In response, together with the Bank of England and excellent officials at the Treasury we have responded to those events, and I commend my officials for their dedication.

    “It is important now as we move forward to emphasise your government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The Medium-Term Fiscal Plan is crucial to this end, and I look forward to supporting you and my successor to achieve that from the backbenches.

    “We have been colleagues and friends for many years. In that time, I have seen your dedication and determination. I believe your vision is the right one. It has been an honour to serve as your first Chancellor,” he wrote.

    Kwasi Kwarteng’s six-week tenure as the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK has been dogged with a few major incidences, including the British press calling him out for smiling during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

    British Prime Minister to announce tax cuts:

    Meanwhile, it is expected that Prime Minister, Truss will hold a news conference in due course, as speculation builds that the government could reverse more of the tax cuts announced in its mini-budget.

    Earlier, a No 10 Downing source told the BBC that Truss thought the chancellor was “doing an excellent job”

    The PM faces growing calls from within her party to rethink her economic plans, with one Tory MP telling the BBC: “It’s checkmate, we’re screwed”, the BBC further reported.

    Kwasi Kwarteng became the first black person to become UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) following his appointment by UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, on September 6, 2022.

    Kwarteng was born Akwasi Addo Alfred Kwarteng in Waltham Forest, East London, in May 1975 to Ghanaian parents, Alfred and Charlotte, who had both immigrated to the United Kingdom a decade earlier as students.

    His parents, who went on to become an international economist and a barrister respectively, sent him to an expensive private prep school that produced numerous Cabinet-level politicians. He then attended the famous Eton college — a production line for British leaders including Boris Johnson and David Cameron.

  • Conti-Katanga clash: 4 KNUST culprits granted ¢200,000 bails each

    The Asokore Mampong District Court has granted a ¢200,000 bail each to four accused standing trial in court in connection with the violence at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

    The court ordered the accused persons to present three sureties, with one to be justified by a public officer.

    They were remanded in police custody during the last adjourned date, October 5, 2022, after they were arrested by the police in the search for 62 people linked to the August 18, 2022, clash that broke out between the University Hall, popularly known as Katanga Hall, and the Continental Hall, also referred to

    A shipment of tiles from Ghana I read this morning is going to Rwanda and a shipment of tea is coming from Kenya to Ghana… I mean that’s good news,” he said.

    “We have been advocates of this for so long. We are happy it’s happening now. 11% percent trade amongst ourselves, it’s ridiculous.

    as Conti. On October 13, 2022, the judge, Samuel Buabeng Quansah, rejected the prosecution’s request to hold the suspects in detention.

    Prosecutor ACP Kofi Blagodzi, in response, said he respects the court’s decision.

    What caused the clash?

    On August 18th, 2022, some eyewitnesses revealed that some students from Katanga, as part of a procession, attempted to use the route in front of the Unity Hall, and in the process, a misunderstanding ensued between residents of the two halls.

    The chaos led to some schools and private property being vandalized, particularly in front of the unity hall. It had been barely 2 weeks when Commonwealth and Mensah Sarbah Hall residents at the University of Ghana clashed in the evening and early hours of Friday and Saturday, August 5 and 6, 2022, respectively.

    The clash between the rival halls led to the destruction of several properties, including the burning of a car and the bust of John Mensah Sarbah being taken away.

    Since the clash, management of both schools has banned all student gatherings and processions outside the precincts of all halls until further notice.

    Reacting to the rampant violent activities, the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, condemned the recent clashes recorded in two of the country’s public universities and recommended that “negotiations and dialogue” are the best tools for resolving the grievances of either party.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Government inaugurates third Governing Board of Nuclear Regulatory Authority

    Dr Kwaku Afriyie, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has inaugurated a seven-member Governing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) to initiate policies and actions for effective mandate delivery.

    The Board chaired by Professor Aba A. Bentil Andam, has other members as Colonel Tim Ba-Taa-Banah, Professor Isabella A. Quakyi, Mr Daniel A. N. N. Adumuah, Mr Ebenezer Appah-Sampong, Professor Edward H. K. Akaho and Dr Nii K. Allotey.

    With the declaration by President Akufo-Addo on Ghana’s inclusion of Nuclear Technology in its Power Generation Mix, Dr Afriyie said it behoved the Board to initiate pragmatic policies and actions to best prepare the Authority to effectively deliver on its mandate for Ghana’s nuclear power programme.

    He admonished the Board to ensure that its inputs led to proper management of the Authority’s resources while seeing to it that the Authority was abreast of all emerging new technologies.

    “I urge you to be passionate about this duty, and bring your years of experience, expertise and excellence which all of you are noted for to bear on the task ahead. Above all, take your mandate as a sacred calling for which posterity would applaud your memory,” he said.

    Dr Afriyie told the Board to bear in mind their new role at a time when there were global uncertainties traversing from economic instability, climate uncertainties, energy crisis, and potential food shortage, insecurity as a result of insurrections in the West Africa sub-region and a myriad of other minor issues which in a large measure affected Ghana.

    “Nonetheless, we have confidence in the undaunting/unwavering spirit of the Ghanaian to surmount and overcome challenges no matter how dire they may appear,” he said.

    The Minister said the government had taken due cognisance that Board members possessed excellent academic credentials, pursued successful professional careers and were individuals with unblemished integrity.

    “Undoubtedly, these great heights and feats achieved were gotten through dint of hard work, fortitude and determination,” he added.

    Prof. Andam said the task to make the NRA one of the best, most efficient and most effective regulatory bodies, equipped to deliver in the 21st-century fast-growing technological environment had only just started.

    The challenges, she said, were great but the potential for meeting them existed, hence success was attainable.

    “It is our solemn pledge that we will commit and devote ourselves to the task ahead, initiate policies and see to their quick implementation, and ensure good governance in the NRA for which it is known.

    “I can attest to the fact that Members of this Board are known for their lives of service and commitment to the nation. This gives me the confidence that history will show that in our day(s) we met the demands which our time(s) required of us.” Prof. Andam said.

    Source:GNA

  • Mr Jinapor appointed Co-chair of forests & Climate Leaders’ Partnership

    The United Kingdom has appointed Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, as Co-Chair of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP), the flagship programme on climate change mitigation.

    He will Co-Chair the programme with Mr John Kerry, the United States’ Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and former Secretary of State.

    Ms Harriet Thompson, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, announced this on Thursday when she paid a working visit to the Minister, in Accra, to formally present the letter to him to Co-Chair the programme.

    The FCLP is a new political forum, established by the United Kingdom, to enable governments and partners to work together to implement solutions that would help reduce forest loss and land degradation as well as promote sustainable development.

    It seeks to mobilise high-level political leadership on forests, land-use and climate to increase restoration and ensure accountability for the pledges made by stakeholders.
    She said Mr Jinapor had shown continued support to forests and other nature-based climate actions since his appointment as Minster.

    Ms Thompson acknowledged Ghana’s active involvement in the Forest Agriculture and Climate Trade (FACT) Dialogue at COP 26, noting that the appointment of a Ghanaian Minister provides an opportunity for the country to maintain a high-level recognition on climate action and re-galvanise the international community to scale-up climate action.

    Mr Jinapor accepted the appointment and commended the UK Government through the High Commissioner for the honour and confidence reposed in him, the Ministry, and Ghana as a whole.

    He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was passionate about climate change, which he demonstrated when he joined world leaders to sign the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use on the sidelines of COP26 in Scotland.

    Mr Jinapor said it was in the same spirit that the Ministry had been implementing many initiatives to contribute to nature-based climate action.

    These include the Green Ghana Project, the FACT Dialogue, REDD+ programme, the Cocoa and Forest Initiative, and the Forest Investment Programme.

    He pledged his commitment to the new role by working with Mr Kerry to achieve the programme objectives.

    On June 1, 2022, Mr Jinapor attended the High-level Ministerial meeting on Political Action for Climate, Forests and Land Use in Stockholm, Sweden, where he had side meetings and engagements with John Kerry, the Right Honourable Alok Sharma, 26th President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and Lord Goldsmith, the UK’s Minister for Asia, Energy, Climate and Environment.

    His appointment comes as a follow up to this Ministerial Meeting.

    Mr Jinapor took the opportunity to call for collective action by all countries to provide a unique space for intergovernmental collaboration and coordinated action with partners and stakeholders to contribute towards the global fight against the adverse effects of climate change.

    Source:GNA

  • Africa needs a post slavery Marshall plan like Europe – Mahama

    In order to develop in terms of commerce and economic recovery after years of slavery, former president John Dramani Mahama has urged Africa to have a Marshall Plan.

    The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was a U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe following the devastation of World War II

    The plan had two major aims; to prevent the spread of communism in Western Europe and to stabilise the international order in a way favourable to the development of political democracy and free-market economies.

    Speaking with Hayde Adams on VOA’s Straight Talk Africa programme, Mr John Mahama said slavery has negatively impacted the growth of the African continent.

    “After slavery, I think there should be a Marshall plan. I mean slavery affected the continent very adversely and I do believe that if a Marshall plan was put up and we got the right leadership on the continent and we do the kinds of things we are doing; trading, building the infrastructure on the continent, we can create a decent existence for our people.”

    The former statesman is optimistic that Africa will emerge as the next major centre for commerce and investment, should the necessary measures be put in place.

    In his submission, the former leader also expressed his excitement about the creation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), noting that it was a cause for which he and others had campaigned.

    Mr Mahama called the 11% increase in intra-African trade “crazy” and emphasised that the AfCFTA could act as a catalyst for reaching 50% intra-African commerce in the near future.

    He claims that by doing this, the African continent will be able to completely benefit from commerce.

    “Happily, we have passed the Africa Continental Free Trade Area and as I speak the first commodities are beginning to be exchanged.

    A shipment of tiles from Ghana I read this morning is going to Rwanda and a shipment of tea is coming from Kenya to Ghana… I mean that’s good news,” he said.

    “We have been advocates of this for so long. We are happy it’s happening now. 11% percent trade amongst ourselves, it’s ridiculous.

    We are hoping that this can push trade between ourselves even to 50% so that we are able to multiply the benefits within the continent but also get benefits from outside,” Mahama added.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Montreal Rapper Fouki runs from his demons in “Zayon” music video

    On Fouki’s latest track, “Zayon,” the Montreal rapper won’t stop running toward his idea of paradise.

    The song, mostly sung, is a more serious and introspective affair than his previous releases. The track focuses on Fouki’s rise in the Quebec rap scene, he’s arguably the province’s biggest rapper commercially, and his unrelenting ambition to reach the top.

    The song’s music video, directed by Phil Chagnon, begins with a parody of a James Bond film that sees him tied up and getting questioned by a menacing man wearing a glittery eye-patch. Once the intro fades and Fouki escapes from captivity, the music begins, showing Fouki’s path to his destination.

    The video ends with Fouki and his bride jumping off a cliff into open waters to avoid his enemies capturing him again. Before fading to black, the video teases a sequel.

    The song is produced by Fouki and a who’s who of Quebec rap personalities: Pops and Poolboy, Ruffsound and Quiet Mike.

    Alongside the single’s release, Fouki also announced an album set for release in early 2023 and a show at Place Bell in Laval next Apr. 8, which is a pretty large venue for a local rapper.

    The new album will mark Fouki’s first since Grignotines de Luxe in Nov. 2020.  His collaborative project with Koriass, Génies en herbe, came out several months prior.

    Source: Complex.com

  • 2021 Overall WASSCE best student donates to Akropong School for the Blind

    Mr Kwame Brako Asante, the overall best student in the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and second best in West Africa, has donated some items to the Akropong School of the Blind in the Eastern Region.

    The items, made up of two sound systems, four microphones, five pen drives and geometrical shapes, were to facilitate learning.

    Mr Kwame Brako Asante, speaking at the short ceremony, expressed his excitement seeing the kids appreciate the donated items.

    He expressed happiness about the students commitment to study and give off their best to society.

    “One thing I believe in is if somebody who is disadvantaged is trying his best to achieve something good, that person deserves support, so I believe they have what it takes but they just need the support,” he added.

    The Computer Science Student of Ashesi University further stated that he had plans of helping others through his field of study, as a way of impacting the various societies in Ghana.

    He finally urged various stakeholders to join hands to support young individuals in their education as a way of making them prominent in society.

    Mr Gideon Doyi, the Assistant Headmaster of the school, expressed his delight having received the items and said it had come at the right time to help them with their audio lessons.

    He thanked Mr Brako Asante for choosing no other institution than theirs to donate the items and encouraged him to continue to support the school in years to come.

    “We rely on sound, and these electronic items are going to help us in both teaching and entertainment,” He added.

    The Assistant Headmaster further stated that the visit would serve as a motivation to the students to also achieve greater heights in society.

    He appealed to individuals, organisations and corporate bodies to emulate the kind gesture by Mr Asante Brako.

    Some students also shared their excitement as the items donated were going to make learning easier and better.

    Source:GNA

  • ECOWAS court President, Vice President re-elected for initial two years

    The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, was on Thursday, 13th October 2022 re-elected by his peers for an initial two years following an election by the Court’s five-member college of judges.

    The election, which followed the assumption of duty of the two new judges of the Court who were sworn in last week in Bissau, Justices Claudio Monteiro Goncalves from Cape Verde and Sengu Mohammed Koroma from Sierra Leone, also saw the re-election of Justice Gberi be-Ouattara as the Vice President of the Court.

    The two new Justices of the Court were sworn in on Thursday 6th October 2022 for the ECOWAS Court of Justice by the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Community, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau.

    Justice Asante, who was among three judges of the Court whose tenure were extended by the Heads of State and Government of the Community,  said his re-election showed the confidence his colleagues reposed in him.

    He added that the re-election will afford him the opportunity to improve on the performance of the previous college in order to strengthen the court’s role in the delivery of justice and deepen its enviable jurisprudence which has made it a global brand, particularly in the areas of human rights that has become its signature mandate.

    He welcomed the two new judges to the Court’s family and expressed confidence that with their pedigree, they would contribute immensely to furthering the work of the Court and assured them of the Court’s determination to provide the necessary tools to ensure that they functioned optimally.

    Justice Asante also praised the outgoing judges of the Court- Justices Keikura Bangura from Sierra Leone and Januaria Tavares Silva Moreira Costa from Cape Verde- who just completed their tenure and assured them that they will continue to be a valuable resource for the Court.

    The new judges, who were appointed for a four –year term, were later taken through some administrative issues related to their tenure as statutory appointees of the Community.

    They were later introduced to the staff during a meeting attended by the new college of judges and their outgoing colleagues.

    Among the three judges whose tenure was renewed by the Heads of State and Government of the Community, was Justice Dupe Atoki from Nigeria.

    Source:GNA

  • Celtic belong in Champions League – Postecoglou

    Celtic have two Champions League games left to secure a Europa League berth

    Ange Postecoglou says Celtic have earned the right to play in the Champions League and proved they belong at that level.

    After another chastening week of three defeats in Europe for Scottish teams, the Celtic manager has defended his side, who have one point from four games in Group F.

    “If anyone can tell me in the four games we’ve played that we don’t deserve to be there, or that we’ve been outplayed, I reckon they’re talking from an agenda,” he said.

    “The only questions I’ve had from each of our games is about opportunities missed. Now opportunities missed suggests to me that we’ve got to improve some areas for sure, but it doesn’t say that we somehow should think that we don’t belong in a competition we’ve earned the right to be in.”

      VAR to start in Scottish Premiership next week Celtic’s Euro improvement ‘can’t be fast-tracked’

    Asked whether Maccabi Haifa beating Juventus, or Club Brugge topping their group shows smaller clubs can punch above their weight, he said: “Look at those clubs historically. Have they always had those results? They haven’t, I’ll tell you.

    “What it means is, the longer you’re in this competition, the more opportunities you have to grow and make an impact, but you’re not going to go in there for the first time and expect you’re going to dominate the most prestigious club competition in the world.

    “From our perspective, we felt we’ve earned the right to be in this competition, we know the areas we’ve come up short in, but at no stage do I, or any objective observer, believe we’ve looked out of place.”

    Celtic nee to be ‘consistent qualifiers’

    RB Leipzig’s 2-0 win at Celtic Park on Tuesday left Postecoglou’s team bottom of their group, four points below Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian side are well placed to take third place and enter the Europa League in the new year.

    Postecoglou said he could not put a timeframe on his side being successful at the elite level, adding: “It’s about being at that level and having the chance to play at that level on a consistent basis. That means having to qualify for it and every year you want to grow.

    “That’s what our objective needs to be, like most clubs our size. If you take away the big five leagues, the clubs that have made an impact at Champions League level are the ones that are consistent qualifiers for it.

    “If this was our fifth or sixth year of being in the competition, I’d be having a different discussion.

    “It’s all about perspective, what you’re trying to achieve. This is our first year back in for five years. I’m not going to accept people suggesting that somehow we haven’t earned our place or let the game in this country down.”

    • Source: bbc.com

  • I will ensure Hearts of Oak replicate St Georges heroics against AS Bamako – Don Bortey

    Hearts of Oak legend Don Bortey is undoubtedly confident the club will defeat AS Real Bamako on Sunday in the CAF Confederations Cup second leg.

    The Phobians suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to the Malian side in the first leg of the second preliminary round.

    The reigning FA Cup champions will be looking to overturn the tie when they host AS Real Bamako in the return fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday

     

    .

    In an interview with Asempa FM, the former Hearts of Oak star said he will ensure the side repeat the St Georges heroics against the Malian club.

    “I am not giving up because this is Hearts of Oak. I know these players don’t have the spirit to play Hearts of Oak but I am pleading with the management to give me the access to speak to the players”

    “We did it against St. Georges in Obuasi and I will ensure we repeat that on Sunday against ASR Bamako”

    Source:  Footballghana

  • Ghanaian Christopher Antwi-Adjei boost World Cup chances after strong injury return at Bochum

    Ghana international Christopher Antwi-Adjei has boosted his World Cup chances after making a strong return from injury.

    Antwi-Adjei has played in Vfl Bochum’s last three league games since recovering from an injury problem.

    Since his recovery, the enterprising winger has been instrumental for the German outfit.

    According to reports in Germany media outlet, the 28-year-old could make Ghana’s World Cup squad due to his recent performances.

    Due to the injury, he was unable to participate in the final pre-World Cup friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua.

    Otto Addo, the Black Stars technical team’s head, likes Antwi-Adjei and has given the winger who can also play forward more opportunities.

    Antwi-Adjei has played 100 minutes for the Black Stars since Otto Addo took over, which is more than he has since his debut in 2019.

    Otto Addo is expected to announce his squad early next month and Antwi-Adjei is hoping to make the cut.

    Ghana will play Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay at the World Cup.

  • About 10 million Ghanaians without any form of health insurance – NHIA CEO

    Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Chief Executive Bernard Okoe Boye has said, 10 million out of the over 30 million people in Ghana are without any form of health insurance.

    According to him, “most of these people are in the middle and upper class,” because such individuals hold the assumption that “they can afford healthcare any time they are sick.” He made this revelation at the 14th Global Health Insurance Conference, which was held in Praque, Czech Republic.

    Speaking as Africa’s exclusive representative at the 14th Global Health Insurance Conference, the NHIA Chief Executive gave an overview of Ghana’s Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the African health insurance space, intimating that the Ghanaian National Health Insurance Scheme remains the primary vehicle for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

    In his speech on the theme “Ghana’s National Health Insurance, the journey so far,” Mr Okoe Boye called for foreign direct investment in the medical insurance sector.

    He said available records indicated that a little over 500,000 residents were registered by Ghana’s private health insurance companies and underscored the need for more investors.

    “The National Health Insurance Authority, as the regulator of the private health insurance space, is more than willing to facilitate the participation of private partners.” Mr Okoe Boye went on to explain that the provision of capital in the private health insurance industry will “also create jobs for the youth.”

    “We at the National Health Insurance Authority are not in competition with the private insurers. Our objective is to ensure that every Ghanaian is on health insurance, be it private or public. “ He said the NHIS remained Ghana’s leading vehicle to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030.

    The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was established by the government of Ghana under the leadership of John Agyekum Kufuor in 2003.

    The program was a form of national health insurance established to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to Ghanaian citizens. The system has been found to have made Ghana’s rate of health insurance one of the highest in Africa, through funding Kufuor in 2003.

    The program was a form of national health insurance established to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to Ghanaian citizens. The system has been found to have made Ghana’s rate of health insurance one of the highest in Africa, though funding may complicate its problems future. 

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • ICU commends GHABA for creating jobs

    The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) has commended Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association (GHABA) for complementing the government’s efforts at job creation and impacting positively on the unemployment statistics in the country.

    “GHABA, being part of the informal sector of Ghana’s economy has lived up to expectation of generating self-employment for women who constitute a larger proportion of Ghana’s population and who play pivotal roles in supporting Ghana’s informal economy towards its formalisation,” Mr Morgan Ayawine, General Secretary of the ICU, made the observation at the climax of the GHABA’s 50th anniversary celebration in Kumasi on Wednesday.

    The participants in the programme

    It was under the theme, “Accelerating the adoption of digital solutions in the hair and beauty industry: the role of GHABA.”

    The celebration of the 50th anniversary, he noted “is a fitting tribute to the invaluable contributions GHABA has made to the socio-economic growth and development of Ghana since its inception 50 years ago by imparting employable skills to young women and creating job opportunities for the youth making them responsible for their families and the society in general.”

    Mr Ayawine congratulated the founding members of the Association for their vision, foresight and initiative that brought it into being and weathering the stormy challenges that confronted them through five decades and successive generations of their executives, trainers, apprentices and graduates that had transformed it into an admirable institution for practical experiential learning in cosmetology in Ghana.

    “No wonder GHABA, today, is recognized internationally and there is an affinity between GHABA and some international cosmetology organizations for exchange of ideas to promote their profession,” he indicated.

    Realising that the fourth industrial revolution was being driven by Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology which has been the mantra in Ghana, and also the vehicle for execution of every progressive business in the world of work today, Mr Ayawine urged the Association to see that as very indispensable to all fields of their endeavour.

    The General Secretary praised them for taking education as a key component of their operations which “affords GHABA graduates the opportunity to be examined and awarded Certificates and Diplomas in Cosmetology, an indicative of GHABA’s relevance and inclusion in the nation’s educational scheme.”

    Mr Ayawine recalled that ICU-Ghana was quite instrumental and played pioneering role in the mobilisation of the informal sector workers/operatives in the country into the fold of trade unions for effective co-ordination, supervision and direction to make the sector more viable.

    Ms Tina Offei Yerenkyi, the National President of the Association, explained that, the Association was formed in 1972 by the founding members as a non-political, religious and ideological to promote businesses of the membership.

    She urged the members to be tolerant with one another to help make the Association attractive to reduce youth unemployment, as the government alone could not absorb all the teeming unemployed in the public sector.

    Source:ghanaiantimes

  • BECE commences for both private and public schools on October 17

    The Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) has been slated for October 17, 2022, for both public and private schools.

    This was announced by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in a statement.

    The BECE is a mandatory examination for students in the ninth year of their basic education class and third year of the Junior High School (J.H.S).

    It is administered by the West African Education Council (WAEC) in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES).

    B.E.C.E is also for certification and selection into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutes in Ghana. The 2022 edition is the first both the private and public are taking the exam simultaneously, according to WAEC.

    Number of candidates

    This year, a total of 552,276 candidates from 18,501 schools across the country are expected to partake in the exams. The exam is expected to take place at 2,023 centres across the country.

    Out of the total number of prospective candidates, a total of 1,132 private candidates have registered for the exams and will take the papers at 15 selected centres. Out of the number of school candidates, 276,988 are males, with 275,288 females. The private candidates are made up of 634 males and 498 females.

    WAEC further indicated that there has been a 3.48% drop in the total number of candidates who will participate in the exam, compared to last year’s figures.

    Speaking on the readiness of the Council to ensure a successful examination, WAEC noted that all appropriate measures have been put in place to ensure a successful examination.

    “The Council is advising candidates to be focused and be on the alert for the activities of “examination social media racketeers” whose primary aim is to make money through deception,” WAEC said in a statement on Thursday.

    The Council, however, warned candidates against any malpractice, insisting that candidates found engaging in any illegal act during the exam, will not be let off the hook.

    “Candidates are reminded that collusion can be detected in their scripts during marking and that the penalties for examination malpractice include cancellation of Subject/Entire Results.”

    While wishing candidates success in the exam, WAEC reminded examination officials, including Supervisors, Invigilators, Distributors, to comply with the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the examination and refrain from being facilitators of malpractice.

    Meanwhile, the exam is expected to end on October 21, 2022.

    Source: The Independent Ghana|

  • Ghana reaffirms commitment to promoting global peace

    Ghana will reaffirms its commitment to promoting international cooperation, global peace and security as it marks the 77th anniversary of the United Nations(UN) on October 25.

    Ghana will use the platform to highlight the need for evidence-based solutions that are rooted in science for decision making to promote sustainable development.

    At the sideline, will be the signing of the New Cooperation Framework between Ghana and the UN for the period 2023-2025.

    The new framework is developed by the UN to support Ghana’s development agenda and aims to ensure that women, youth and persons with disability and those furthest behind will enjoy an inclusive and transformed economy that creates decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods, reducing inequalities.

    Ghana will mark the UN Day on the theme: “Building on the 3Ss- Solidarity, Sustainable and Science –towards a more resilient Ghana” in line with the 77Th session of the UN General Assembly theme: “Solutions Through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science.”

    The UN has put the spotlight on science, given the fact that science played a pivotal role in finding solutions to the global COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc on humanity.

    October 24 is marked every year as UN Day in commemoration of the adoption of the UN Charter that came into force on October 24, 1945.

    But, Ghana, as a member of the 193 member states, will observe the day on October 25 with a solemn flag-raising at the forecourt of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integrity (MFA&RI), to be addressed by the sector Minister, Shirley AyorkorBotchwey, and UN Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani.

    As part of the preparation, the Inter-Ministerial Ad-Hoc Planning Committee, chaired by Mrs. Joyce Asamoah –Koranteng, Director II of the Multilateral Relations Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Wednesday held its fourth meeting at the MFA&RI to deliberate on the number of activities to commemorate the event.

    They include health walk, media engagement and Model UN conference by LifeLink Friendship Schools.

    Source:ghanaiantimes

  • Former Kotoko midfielder Daniel Nii Adjei explains why Ghanaian clubs struggle in Africa

    Former Asante Kotoko midfielder Daniel Nii Adjei has opened up on why Ghanaian clubs struggle in Africa inter club competitions.

    Ghanaian clubs, particularly Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko have struggled to make a meaningful impact in both the CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup in recent times.

    Asante Kotoko have been eliminated from the CAF Champions League whilst Hearts of Oak are on the brink of elimination after losing 3-0 to Malian side Bamako in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup.

    “The CAF competitions are not like the normal league. I know on our local scene we take everything as a joke even when we have not finished, we start celebrating that we’ve won”, he said on Radio Gold.

    Nii Adjei spoke on Asante Kotoko’s elimination by Burkinabe side RC Kadiogo.

    “Me I knew it will happen because going away to win 1-0 and when you come home you don’t prepare well and you start to jubilate, the one coming is serious because he is already down. And then CAF [competitions] we don’t win by saying I’ve won away, no, you have to finish it.

    “I will say in Ghana we are always jubilating without playing the game. We always use our mouth to beat people but football is not like that so me I wasn’t surprised Kotoko were eliminated.”, he added.

    Nii Adjei won the Champions League title with TP Mazembe.

    He previously played for Asante Kotoko, TP Mazembe, King Faisal and Elmina Sharks and has now ventured into coaching.

  • Ghanaian forward Dauda Mohammed makes injury return for Tenerife in stalemate against CF Cartagena in Spain

    Ghanaian forward Mohammed Dauda made his return from injury for CD Tenerife in their stalemate against CF Cartagena in the Spanish Segunda Division.

    The 24-year-old who has been sidelined for almost a month made a cameo appearance against his former outfit.

    The former Asante Kotoko star spent 2021/22 season on loan at Cartagena and had an impressive spell.

    Dauda suffered an hailrine crack in lumbar vertebrae during a matchday five encounter against UD Ibiza on September 11, 2022.

    He played only seven minutes against Ibiza before getting injured and has since missed games against Malaga, Ponferradina, Sporting Gijon and Albacete.

    Dauda who is on loan from Belgian club RSC Anderlecht was introduced in the game in the 63rd minute of the match.

    He was a replacement to England-born Ghanaian forward Arvin Appiah in the match that ended 0-0 at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez in Tenerife.

    Dauda has played six matches and has scored once in the process.

    Source: Footballghana

  • Ghanaian winger Callum Hudson-Odoi could leave Chelsea on permanent basis next summer

    English-born Ghanaian Callum Hudson-Odoi could leave Chelsea on a permanent deal at the end of the season, according to reporter Iomie Stanley.

    Odoi, who is being chased by Ghana FA over nationality switch is currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen in search of playing time.

    Since joining the club in the summer, he has made seven starts for the Bundesliga side and is looking like he in enjoying his time away from Stamford Bridge.

    Despite reports that Chelsea are keen to keep Callum Hudson-Odoi for the foreseeable future, Stanley claims that the winger may seek a permanent move away from the club.

    He told IcFootballnews: “From what I hear, because of his age and the fact that he can play in more than one position, Chelsea really don’t want to let Hudson-Odoi go anywhere.”

    “However – the winger knows that he may struggle for game time if he goes back to Stamford Bridge given all the players that Graham Potter will be looking to sign in the coming windows.”

    “He has no intention of sitting on the bench – watching his career pass him by and he knows that an impressive season in the Bundesliga will alert a number of clubs to a possible deal at the end of the season.”

    “Part of him may feel like he can win back his place in that Chelsea side – could be a massive part of the plans under Potter – but part of him knows that he would get better opportunities if he left Chelsea.”

    “So if the opportunity arises – then I can easily see Hudson-Odoi leaving the club on a more permanent basis.”

    Source: Footballghana

  • Ghana, 142 others vote to reject Russia’s attempted annexation of four Ukrainian regions

    Ghana was one of more than 100 nations that voted against Russia’s attempt to annex four regions of Ukraine.

    The vote was carried out on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held on Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

    The recent annexation by Russia of partially occupied Ukrainian territory, including the regions of Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, served as the impetus for the vote. However, the UN General Assembly demanded that Russia reverse the land grab.

    Out of the total number of nations present at the UN General Assembly meeting, 143 voted in favour of the resolution informing Russia that its annexation of four Ukrainian regions is illegal and invalid. Five countries, on the other hand, voted against the resolution, one of which was Russia itself, while 35 abstained from the exercise.

    The 193-member body issued its most staunch support for Ukraine yet during Wednesday’s vote, which saw 143 nations condemn Russia’s actions and 35 countries abstain from voting. Following the vote, the Ukraine President thanked the member states that voted to defend the territory and sovereignty of Ukraine.

    In a tweet, he noted that [he was] “grateful to 143 states that supported historic #UNGA resolution “Territorial integrity of Ukraine: defending the principles of the UN Charter”. The world had its say – RF’s attempt at annexation is worthless & will never be recognized by free nations,” he said.

    The Russia-Ukraine crisis however, persists.Bloomberg reported on October 10, 2022, that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened more strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure after his country’s missiles hit cities across Ukraine. In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President Joe Biden pledged to “continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems.” Zelenskiy called that “the number 1 priority in our defence cooperation.”

    Infrastructure facilities in eight regions were hit in the Russian missile strikes, the most intense since the first days of the invasion. European leaders said the Russian attacks amounted to “war crimes.”

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • PCG inaugurates psychiatric hospital in Bolga

    The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), has inaugurated a 43,000 euros psychiatric hospital in Bolgatanga, capital of the Upper East Region to provide mental health care for patients in the 15 municipalities and districts.

    It is the first of its kind in the region.

    The facility which has come as a saviour to the region would help curtail the inconvenience and financial burden families of mental health patients bore in transporting patients to the southern parts of the country to seek treatment.

    Speaking at the inaugural ceremony in Bolgatanga on Monday, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCG, Rt Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, explained that the facility was in response to government’s call to complement its effort in expanding health delivery services in the country.

    He stated that the PCG has been the third major contributor to the development in health delivery, aside government and the Catholic Church.

    “The dedication of this mental health facility is in line with the church’s readiness to support government expand and improve service deliveries in all parts of the country and this time mental health services,” the moderator stressed.

    Rt Rev. Prof. Mante indicated that the county’s mental health policy made it clear that good mental health contributes positively to physical health, family life, education, social participation and economic development.

    The moderator said the church had built over 59 health services registered under the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) in the 16 regions of the country.

    He indicated that the PCG established the first mission healthcentre in the then Gold Coast, in 1885 at Aburi in the Eastern Region, stressing that, “since then the church has expanded to other countries including Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria”

    “While establishing hospitals, the church saw the need to also deliver Primary Healthcare Services (PHC) in rural areas. In collaboration with government, the first PHC programme was started at Asante Akyem and later on extended to Dormaa, Bolgatanga, Bawku, Salaga, Afram Plains, Sandema, Tamale and Enchi,” he stressed.

    The Moderator noted that the PCG has also contributed to education by providing over 2,500 basic schools, 34 senior high schools, five colleges of education, two private chartered universities.

    It also includes several community based rehabilitation centres, seven  agricultural stations, relief services, four vocational schools, five lay training centres and water projects.

    He stated that the Upper East, North East and Upper West regions are hosts to the largest number of these social intervention programmes.

    He added that the church would monitor the growth of the mental health facility in region.

    The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Bolgatanga, Mr Rex Asanga, who represented the Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu lauded the efforts of the PCG for initiating considerable number of social intervention programmes and projects in the region which, he noted, had contributed significantly to improving the lives of the people in the area.

    Source:ghanaiantimes.com

  • Don’t politicise demolition of unauthorised structures – NADMO Boss advises

    The Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, has called on the public to desist from politicising moves to demolish unauthorised structures along waterways.

    According to him, the country was sitting on a time bomb with the continuous encroachment and illegal activities around ecological sites and the worst could happen if ‘harsh’ decisions were not taken.

    Speaking to journalists at an event to commemorate this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Accra yesterday, Mr Agyeman-Prempeh said a case in point was the recent flooding of communities in the Weija-Gbawe and Ga South constituencies due to the Weija Dam spillage.

    “Had it not been for the level of encroachment around the dam and its passageway we wouldn’t have seen this extent of damage. A lot of the buildings there do not have permit yet you go in to demolish and it turns into NPP, NDC.

    “Ghana will move forward, we will reduce the flooding’s if we stop politicising everything and allow the District Assemblies to do their work and go all out to demolish all unauthorised structures in our waterways causing floods.”

    Touching on the local theme for the commemoration; “Earthquake disaster risk reduction through effective early warning,” the Director-General although Ghana was far away from major earthquake zones in the world, it was prone to earthquake and earth tremor disasters.

    He recalled incidences as far back as 1981 and recent earth tremor in 2019 prompting the establishment of a technical committee to propose interventions that would improve Ghana’s earthquake preparedness and response.

    Following the adoption of the committee’s report, Mr Agyeman-Prempeh said, eight earthquakes early warning equipment has been installed at vantage locations within the capital including the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly, NADMO Headquarters, Parliament and the Jubilee House.

    “The government considers earthquake to be a most serious occurrence that can set us back on our development journey and more importantly militate against safety of our citizens and we are committed to taking all needed measures to avert future disasters,” he said.

    The Chief Director of the Ministry for the Interior, Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi, delivering a speech on behalf of the sector minister, underscored the importance of early warning systems to reducing disasters significantly.

    While expressing sympathy to recently affected persons of the Weija Dam spillage, Mrs Anno-Kumi stressed the need for the populace to be well-informed on evacuation and disaster management methods to reduce extent of destruction.

    The Country Director of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, gave highlights of a newly produced documentary and educational materials to sensitise the public particularly students, on disasters.

    “There is still a lot more that we need to do collectively to ensure that Ghana gets the holistic capacity development that it needs to prepare adequately for an earthquake disaster or any other disaster.”

    He thus invited all key stakeholders to explore additional ideas that “can be brought on board to design effective interventions towards disaster risk reduction.”

    Source:ghanaiantimes

  • Don’t interfere with military work at galamsey sites – Samuel Jinapor tells politicians

    Minister for lands and natural resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has issued a warning to political figures and other influential people in the nation to refrain from interfering with the work of the military task force sent in to stop illegal mining operations.

    Mr Abu Jinapor, speaking to the media on Thursday, October 13, 2022, asserted that the military taskforce has eluded that powerful individuals in the country intervene on behalf of illegal miners, when accosted.

    Describing the act as unethical, he stated that such interferences hinder the government’s fight against illegal mining and hence must cease.

    He noted that, “ [no] politician, nobody is allowed to intervene. So I, as a minister, am not allowed to intervene, I am not allowed to call the military high command to say please don’t go to this concession. That discretion is not given to anybody. They are to use their own professional security expert judgment and they will be responsible and accountable to the minister for defence, the president and ultimately the Ghanaian people.”

    He further added that “if things go wrong the minister for land and natural resources to a large extent will not be held accountable, it is the military high command which will be held accountable because nobody, not a politician, not a religious leader, not a chief is allowed to call the commanders to say do this or do that, that would be unwelcome, unethical, interference, I certainly will not do that and I want to believe that all actors in the body politics of our country will desist from that.”

    Mr Jinapor’s comment comes on the back of recent allegations levelled against some political leaders for being involved in illegal mining activities.

    The sub-chief of Dompim-Pepesa in Tarkwa in the Western Region, Nana Nyonwah Panyin IV, accused the MP for Tarkwa- Nsuaem, Mireku Duker of being an active participant of illegal mining.

    According to Nana Nyonwah Panyin IV, Mr Duker owns a galamsey concession in the area.

    In the same vein, investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI released a video showing the former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, allegedly taking bribes to sidestep the laid down procedures for the procurement of mining licences.

    However, both political actors have denied every allegation mounted against them.

    Nonetheless, Mr Jinapor stated that despite the numerous challenges confronting the fight

    against galamsey, the government will go for the long haul in ending illegal mining in Ghana.

    Mr Abdulai Jinapor said the government will not shield any “big man or woman” in the galamsey fight if found culpable.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Aisha Huang trial: I’ll be hurt if Akufo-Addo asks me to withdraw from defending accomplices – Freddie Blay

    Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, remains firm in his resolve to defend the three accomplices of Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.

    Madam Huang, together with her three accomplices, are currently on trial over their alleged involvement in illegal mining activities.

    Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM, Mr Blay noted that his firm has pledged to defend people “who have wrongly been accused of engaging in galamsey,” and hence does not understand the fuss about his decision to represent the accused illegal miners.

    “Irrespective of the fact that we support the fight against galamsey, we can’t allow innocent people to go to jail over galamsey, hence, our decision to defend them,” he said. Additionally, he noted that he would be very hurt should President Akufo-Addo ask him to withdraw from defending the three accomplices in Aisha Huang’s case.

    “In my law chambers, we have said to ourselves that we will defend those that will be accused wrongfully of doing galamsey,” he stressed.

    Asked the Oyerepa FM journalist, Parker-Wilson, if he will be willing to recuse himself from the case should President Akufo-Addo ask him to do so on grounds that defending the accused persons is a compromise on the fight against galamsey, Mr Freddie Blay maintained that his clients were innocent.

    He further noted that President Akufo-Addo, as an astute lawyer who is well vexed in the law, will not make such a request, knowing very well that the accused are innocent.

    “I’ll be very disturbed (if the President asks me to withdraw from the case). Honestly, I wouldn’t be happy to hear that from the President because of the factors involved.

    “He [President Akufo-Addo] respects people’s rights. Nana Addo is a champion of Human Rights at the same time that he is championing galamsey. It doesn’t mean that those who are not even involved should be arrested and looked up in jail,” he said.

    “If the fact is that the accused persons are innocent, I don’t believe he will say I shouldn’t defend them.”

    Meanwhile, Aisha Huang and her accomplices are still standing trial. They are in police custody, following various failed attempts of their lawyers to secure bail for them.’

    While Aisha Huang is being defended in court by Lawyer Effah Dartey, her accomplices are being defended by lawyers from Mr Freddie Blay’s Law firm, including his very own daughter, Lucy Ekeleba Blay.

    Opening up about how his firm, Blay and Associates, met his clients, he noted that “these three Chinese came to my office to seek my defence, so I appointed my daughter to handle their case.”

    He further defended the decision of his law firm to represent the three accused in court, stressing that “I have committed no wrong by defending the four accomplices of Aisha Huang.”

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • GSS launches 7th round of GDHC at Winneba

    The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) yesterday launched the 7th round of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) at Winneba.

    The launch paves way for field officers to begin data collection for the 2022 GDHS, (7th round) estimated to cost $4.2 million.

    This followed five weeks (32 days) of training for about 220 field officers recruited for the exercise.

    Data collection for the field exercise would begin on October 17, 2022 and end on January 20, 2023.

    The GDHS which is a population-based survey to collect demographic, health and socio-economic data for planning and monitoring of policies, started in 1988.

    The exercise is done at least every five years and the last one was done in 2014.

    Speaking at the launch here, the Government Statistician, Professor Samuel K. Annim, said the GDHS is an international exercise, which Ghana uses to collect demographic, socio-economic and health data for national planning.

    He said the survey, which would take 90 days to complete would collect data on issues including fertility rate, contraceptive use, child and maternal mortality, nutritional status of women and children, child marriage, toilet facilities, water and breastfeeding.

    “The survey exercise will also create awareness on HIV/AIDS, malaria and incidence of malaria in the country,” Prof. Annim, stated.

    He said the survey would cover 18,540 households across the country and about 23,577 women between the ages of 15 and 49; and 5,812 men between 15 and 59 would be interviewed.

    He said the data collected would be analysed in comparison with the data on the Population and Housing Census and the Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

    The government statistician said the data collected would help the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service in their policy planning, formulation and monitoring.

    Prof. Annim said the objective of the exercise was to update the data of the previous GDHS.

    He said for the first time GSS did district analysis of the data to help provide interventions for the local people “to leave no one behind.”

    Prof. Annim said the analysis and dissemination of the GDHS would be done in real time as GSS had deployed electronic data collection tools for that.

    He commended the government, its donors and development partners for sponsoring the programme.

    The Director of Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Kofi Issah, who chaired the programme, said the exercise was an important one.

    He said the data that would be collected would help in policy planning and monitoring.

    Dr Issah commended the GSS for its continuous development of the GDHS.

    The Programme Director, Dr Kerzia Malm, for her part, said she was excited malaria was one of the component of the 2022 GDHS.

    Dr  Peter Takyi Peprah, the Project Coordinator the 2022 GDHS, said the survey would help to collate up-to-date data on  health and socio-economic data, stressing GDHS was a powerful tool to measure so many health indicators.

    Source:ghaniantimes.com

  • Royal Mail to axe up to 10,000 jobs as losses rise

    Royal Mail has stated that it will eliminate 10,000 jobs by the end of next August due to continuous strike activity and growing company losses.

    The postal service announced that it will start informing employees of its proposal, which might result in up to 6,000 layoffs.

    In addition to the redundancies, the company will eliminate positions through natural attrition, such as by not hiring replacements for departing employees.

    Royal Mail added that it anticipates losing £350 million for the entire year.

    It said this included “the direct impact of eight days of industrial action” as well as lower volumes of parcels being posted.

    But the firm warned that losses could reach as much as £450m “if customers move volume away for longer periods” following strike action.

    Royal Mail’s chief executive Simon Thompson said: “This is a very sad day. I regret that we are announcing these job losses. We will do all we can to avoid compulsory redundancies and support everyone affected.”

    Royal Mail workers, who are members of the Communication Workers Union, this week began a fresh round of strikes over pay and conditions which will include 19 days of industrial action, including Black Friday.

    The next strike date is scheduled for 20 October followed by a further walk-out on 25 October.

    The CWU’s general secretary, Dave Ward, said Royal Mail’s announcement “is the result of gross mismanagement and a failed business agenda of ending daily deliveries, a wholesale levelling-down of the terms, pay and conditions of postal workers, and turning Royal Mail into a gig economy style parcel courier”.

    But Mr Thompson said on Friday: “Each strike day weakens our financial situation.

    “The CWU’s decision to choose damaging strike action over resolution regrettably increases the risk of further headcount reductions.”

    Royal Mail said that if workers go ahead with further walk-outs “the loss for the full year would increase materially and may necessitate further operational restructuring and headcount reduction”.

    During the first half of its financial year, Royal Mail said strike action cost the business £70m, leading to an operating loss of £219m compared to a £235m profit last year.

    But Mr Ward responded: “This announcement is holding postal workers to ransom for taking legal industrial action against a business approach that is not in the interests of workers, customers or the future of Royal Mail. This is no way to build a company.”

    Royal Mail also revealed that it will have to enter talks with the union because, it said its legacy voluntary redundancy scheme, which offers up to two years’ of pay, “is now unaffordable”.

    International Distributions Services, which is the parent company of Royal Mail, saw its share price tumble by 11% to 187p on Friday following the announcement.

    Royal Mail workers on strikeEPA
    Royal Mail workers have staged a number of one-day strikes this year

    The company currently employs 140,000 people. It plans to cut between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs through redundancies. Headcount will be scaled back by a further 4,000 through not replacing people when they leave, cutting temporary staff and reducing overtime.

    CWU members are striking over a pay deal Royal Mail offered earlier this year. This is made up of a 2% wage rise. as well as an additional 3.5% increase dependent on workers agreeing to certain conditions such as mandatory working on Sunday to deliver parcels.

    At the moment, Sunday working is voluntary. Royal Mail also wants employees to start later and finish later to accommodate online shopping habits, where people tend to order goods in the evening or late at night and want next-day delivery.

    The CWU has rejected the offer, saying it failed to match rising inflation, which is currently running at a 40-year high of nearly 10%.

    Royal Mail has been attempting to make the company a “parcels-led” business as the number of letters being sent through the post declines and more people shop online.

    Source: BBC

  • Creating A World Of Good Through Women’s Football: The Malta Guinness Way

    The 2022/2023 Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League (WPL) was launched at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on Wednesday night in the presence of distinguished personalities including the Chairperson of the Women’s League Board Madam Hillary Boateng.

    President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr. Kurt S. E. Okraku, Managing Director of Guinness Ghana Breweries, Madam Helene Weesie, and Mr. Fadi Fattal, Group Director at Imax Media.

    The 20 participants of the 20 WPL were fully represented by their captains and executive officers and coaches. Also present were the Die-Hard Supporters and the media.

    The Managing Director of Guinness Ghana Breweries, the main headline sponsor of the WPL said her company believes in creating a Can-Do World for everyone, and that desire led to the launch of the campaign dubbed ‘Enjoy a World of Good’.

    Madam Helene Weesie emphasized on contributing to a world where people feel energized, revitalized, and have a can-do spirit to achieve all their dreams and aspirations.

    She said everyone knows football is a passion of the nation, and the games unite as well as ignite.

    “The game is enjoyed and played by both men and women, we believe women deserve the needed support to enhance their potential in this sport and Malta Guinness is happy to help provide this support by sponsoring the Women’s Premier League,” she said.

    She noted that it is in line with their brand promise to create a can-do world, empowering and energizing the extraordinary ladies to do exploits in the world of football.

    According to Madam Weesie, they have launched a plastic recycling campaign to help fight the problem of plastic waste which is growing in Ghana, and the WPL will be another platform to impact the world positively.

    She was certain the partnership with the GFA will help break the bias in the nation’s football space.

    “We want to create a world of good for these wonderful female players and other young ladies across the country” she added.

    She urged Ghanaians to support the WPL, share the stories, cheer the girls and give them the support they need, to take the Malta Guinness Premier League to the next level.

    She also counted on the media partners to support giving the league the coverage it deserves across the country.

    022/2023 Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League kicks off this weekend

    The new look 2022/2023 Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League kicked off last weekend.

    The clubs competing are Berry Ladies Football Club. Hasaacas Ladies, Faith Ladies, Soccer Intellectuals, Lady Strikers, Army Ladies, Thunder Queens, Police Ladies, Ridge City, Essiam Socrates Ladies, Pearlpia Ladies, Prisons Ladies, Tamale Super Ladies, Ashtown Ladies FC, Ampem Darkoa Ladies, Northern Ladies FC, Supreme Ladies FC, Candy Soccer Academy, Fabulous Ladies, and Dreamz Ladies FC.

    Source: Footballghana

  • Chadian PM resigns to pave way for new government

    Chad’s Prime Minister, Albert Pahimi Padacke, has resigned to pave way for a new government after the Central African country pushed back elections by two years.

    His resignation was announced by the presidency on Tuesday.

    Padacke, a civilian politician, was named prime minister of a transitional military government last year after President Mahamat Idriss Deby seized power following his father’s death.

    The military council, led by President Deby, was originally meant to rule for 18 months, but this month the country announced it would push back democratic elections until around October 2024.

    President Deby was sworn in on Monday as president and is expected to appoint a new Prime Minister.

    Padacke also served as Prime Minister from 2016 to 2018, and was seen as an ally of former President, Idriss Deby, who ruled Chad for 30 years until his death in 2021.

    The elder Deby’s death paved the way for talks between rebel groups, some headed by relatives of the former president, and the military council.

    Hundreds of rebel groups met in Doha for talks this year at the request of the Qatari government. The talks dragged on for months due to bickering between the groups who at some point accused the government of insincerity, but they paved the way for negotiations to be held in Chad next year.

    Source:ghanaiantimes.com

  • I can’t confirm or deny if I’d contest for NDC flagbearership – Mahama

    Ex-President John Dramani Mahama has said he is yet to decide whether he will run on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2024 general elections.

    The former statesman made the disclosure during an interview with the Voice of America (VOA).

    When asked if he had made plans to run in the next general elections, John Mahama responded in the negative. “No, I haven’t.”

    He explained that he will remain silent to keep the opponents guessing, “so even if I’m not running, I’m not going to say I’m not running.” According to him, information on whether he will be leading the opposition party in the December polls will be announced in the first quarter of 2023.

    Providing rationale behind the aforementioned date, he said, “that’s when we hold our party’s primaries for the presidential candidacy.”

    It has been reported that former Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, is interested in representing the party in the 2024 elections. However, comments from Dr Duffuor indicate that he is concerned about presenting a formidable NDC to go up against the ruling party, New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    In November 2021, while speaking to the media, he said “The NDC has not opened any nomination for Presidency. All that we are doing now is to build a very strong party. So when we get there, we will know.”

    “Let’s get to the river before we cross. We are not there yet, when we get there, we will cross and then we will know. But right now the focus is on the party and not on any individual. Soon, the party will elect its leaders but for now, we are not there yet,” he continued.

    In subsequent interviews, Dr Duffuor also shied away from rating the performance of the erstwhile Mahama administration.

    “I come from an area where when you inherit your brother or uncle, you don’t go in there to talk about the bad things he did. It is a taboo. You only go there to correct what he did quietly and build on that. It is a tradition.

    Have you ever witnessed the swearing-in of a chief? What does he say? ‘What my brother or uncle came to do, is what I’m coming to continue. Not to come and erase what my brother or uncle did and then start all over.’ It has never happened in our tradition and should not happen in politics,” he stated.

    On April 13, 2022, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in a report stated that it expects the opposition NDC to try to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate although “the former president, John Mahama, is reportedly considering running again.”

    In response, the party’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, said John Mahama is the NDC’s best bet if they are to win the 2024 election.

    “John Mahama, in my opinion, is our surest bet to win 2024. This is because we got 1.5 million more votes in 2020 than in 2016. Therefore it cannot be true with Mahama; the NDC will be disadvantaged,” he said.

    Currently, the two major political parties, NPP and NDC are yet to determine who would be leading the parties to the polls in 2024.

    The ruling party is hoping to break the eight-year governance system. According to the NDC, this would not be possible following the track record of the government in the running of the country.

    While the former statesman contemplates on his future political plans, he has called on the Presidency to cut down on its budgetary allocations as the country engages the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an economic bailout.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Kanye West: JP Morgan Chase cuts ties with rapper

    US banking giant JP Morgan Chase is ending its relationship with the rapper and designer Kanye West, who now goes by the name Ye, and his Yeezy brand.

    A letter from the bank informing Mr West of the decision was posted on Twitter by a conservative commentator.

    At the weekend, his Twitter and Instagram accounts were suspended after he posted anti-Semitic messages.

    The BBC understands the letter from JP Morgan pre-dated recent controversies, as it was sent on 20 September.

    In the letter the bank gave Mr West until 21 November to transfer his business. JP Morgan Chase declined to comment.

    Mr West had previously taken to social media to criticise JP Morgan’s leadership and said they would not give him access to the bank’s chief executive Jamie Dimon.

    He told Bloomberg in September that he was severing ties with his corporate partners and that “it’s time for me to go it alone”.

    Representatives for Mr West did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

    The move by JP Morgan comes as Mr West’s business partnerships have come under increased scrutiny.

    Last week, sportswear firm Adidas said it was reviewing its deal with him days after he showed a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt design at Paris Fashion Week.

    The company did not mention the controversy but said “successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values”.

    Mr West responded on Instagram, claiming the firm “stole” his designs. That post now appears to have been deleted.

    Adidas told the BBC it had made the decision to put the partnership under review after “repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation.”

    A spokesperson for the German sportswear company also said that the “Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry’s history.”

    Last month, Mr West said he was ending his partnership with the retailer Gap.

    He accused the firm of failing to honour terms of the deal, including by failing to open standalone stores for his Yeezy fashion label.

    Source: BBC

  • Japanese yen touches 32-year low against US dollar

    The Japanese yen touched a 32-year low against the US dollar after official figures showed that prices had risen faster than expected in America.

    The yen fell to 147.66 against the US dollar before regaining some ground.

    Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said the government will take “appropriate action” against the currency’s volatility.

    In a rare move last month, Japan spent almost $20bn (£17.6bn) to prop up the country’s struggling currency.

    “We cannot tolerate excessive volatility in the currency market driven by speculative moves. We’re watching currency moves with a strong sense of urgency,” Mr Suzuki told reporters after attending a G7 finance meeting in Washington, DC.

    Last month, Japan intervened in the global currency market to help support the weakening yen.

    That move came after the yen hit a fresh 24-year low against the dollar, marking the first time that Japanese authorities had intervened in the currency market since 1998.

    However, analysts have warned that interventions like this would have little effect as long as Japan’s interest rates remain far lower than those in the US.

    The Japanese currency has come under increasing pressure in recent months, mainly due to the very different approach taken by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) in comparison with the US Federal Reserve.

    On Thursday, official figures showed that consumer prices in the US rose more than expected last month in a sign that the inflation fight in the world’s largest economy is far from over.

    Inflation, the rate at which prices rise, was 8.2% in the 12 months to September, down from 8.3% in August.

    Rising consumer prices in the US are being closely watched as the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool inflation push up the value of the dollar as well as global borrowing costs.

    America’s central bank has been aggressively raising its interest rates to combat soaring prices, which has made the dollar more attractive to investors. In contrast, the BOJ kept rates very low.

    The dollar’s strength on the global financial markets is also having an impact on other major currencies around the world, including the pound and the euro.

     

    Source: BBC

  • DKB defends Shatta Wale over a feature with DJ Khaled

    Ghanaian comedian, Derrick Kobina Bonney, popularly known as DKB, has disagreed with Bulldog for asserting that all of Shatta Wale’s money could not even afford him a feature with DJ Khaled.

    Earlier, when videos of DJ Khaled’s hangout with Burna Boy went viral, Bulldog took to social media with statements that suggested that the Nigerian singer is living Shatta Wale’s dream.

    “Shatta Wale, all your money cannot buy this right here… I know your time will come, but until then, honour those who honour you. It brings more blessings and supernatural growth. Stop being bitter… be happy for everyone,” Bulldog’s post read

    Bulldog’s comments have sparked divided opinions among netizens, with some criticizing him for chastising his artiste in that manner.

    DKB, who also waded into the conversation, believes that favour is the driving force for uplifting human beings and not money.

    “Ah its favour, it finds you with time. Wale’s money couldn’t buy a collabo with Beyoncé but he got it,” he wrote beneath popular blogger Nkonkonsa’s post.

    Read the post below:

    E-Forum: Unpacking Black Sherif’s ‘The Villain I Never Was’ album

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • Cedi hits ¢12.10 to a dollar

    The Ghana cedi has breached the ¢12 mark within just a week, selling at ¢12.10 at most forex bureaus or the retail market.

    A visit by Joy Business to some forex bureaus indicates that most of the operators are selling the dollar for more than ¢12. They claim supply of dollars has reduced significantly.

    Again, the cedi is losing grounds quickly against the pound and euro. Whilst a pound is going for about ¢12.70, one euro is selling at ¢11.10.

    Within a week (October 10-October 14), the local currency has lost more than 6% value to the dollar. This means the year-to-date depreciation of the cedi is hovering around 46%.

    By this rate of depreciation, the working capital of businesses, particularly manufacturers that depend on raw materials from overseas, have gone down by about 46% since January 1, 2022.

    Joy Business understands that some banks are even struggling to get dollars to undertake transfer transactions for their clients.

    For now, it’s unclear when the rapid depreciation of the cedi will cease. But, the inflows of the expected first tranche of the $1.13 billion Cocoa Syndicated Loan may help slow down the free fall of the cedi in the interim.

    However, the finalisation of the ongoing negotiations between the government and the International Monetary Fund for an economic programme will bring a huge relief to managers of the economy.

    This will not only give the country policy credibility, but will reassure investors of macroeconomic stability going forward.

    1$ equals ¢11.62 as cedi depreciation pressures rise

    The cedi sold for ¢11.62 to the US dollar yesterday October 13, 2022 in the forex market, as the depreciation pressures continued unabated.

    Source: My joyonline

  • NLC directs public university staff to return to negotiation table with GTEC, FWSC

    The National Labour Commission (NLC) has directed public university employees to go back to the negotiating table with the Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC) and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to address their concerns.

    The NLC’s directive aims to prevent the staff of public universities from going on strike in the near future.

    Four worker unions, namely; University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU), Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana and the Ghana Association of University Administrators, threatened to embark on an indefinite strike effective October 13, 2022.

    This strike is being held in retaliation for the government’s failure to address problems with their working conditions.

    Declaring their intention, the teacher unions noted that in a statement dated October 5, 2022 that “following the Press Conference by UTAG, GAUA, SSA- UoG, and TEWU-GH with FUSSAG in attendance on Wednesday, 28th September 2022 at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, the National Leadership of the four Labour Unions have had a series of engagements between some stakeholders of tertiary education in Ghana, including Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG).

    “Upon further deliberations among the National Leaders, we write to communicate that the intended strike action of all labourunions in the public universities in Ghana takes effect from Thursday, 13th October 2022.

    “This gives the employer and all stakeholdersoftertiaryeducation in Ghana one crucial week to reverse the directive that seeks to negatively compromise the Conditions of Service of University Workers,” the statement added.”

    However, after a meeting between the NLC and four worker unions, the University teachers have been directed to hold on with their decision until their engagement with the GTEC and the FWSC.

    The NLC is also expecting all factions (i.e GTEC, FWSC and the teacher unions) to report to it with a resolution by next week.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Abandoned AngloGold Ashanti pit kills 10 people – Okyerekrom Chief alleges

    The chief of Okyerekrom in the Akrofuom district, Nana Adyei Amoako Gyampa II, has alleged that an AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) abandoned mine pit has killed 10 members of his community.

    In a press conference, Nana Adyei Amoako Gyampa II bemoaned the unfortunate incident and noted that the abandoned pit not only threatened his community but also flagrantly flouted national mining laws.

    According to him, mining companies are required by the Minerals and Mining Law (Act 703 of 2006) to refill the pits they dig during mining operations in their concessions.

    “I thought it was only galamsey miners who leave behind mining pits after [their] operations, but AGA has dug a huge pit and since I was enstooled as a chief, about 10 residents of this community have gone missing in that enclave and have since not been found. Is AGA doing galamsey or legal mining?” he quizzed.

    Residents of Okyerekrom have been agitated by the situation on numerous occasions.

    The residents, who regularly take to the streets to demonstrate against the negative effects that such mining practices have on their neighbourhood, requested that the mining company fill the abandoned pit.

    A bereaved young man mentioned that his younger brother, on his way to the farm, fell into the pit and died.

    “Our farm is closer to one of the pits and my younger brother went to the farm and has since not returned back home, the chief deployed a search team but came back without him, I believe my brother might have fallen in the pit,” he narrated.

    The abandoned pit is not the only issue the community is battling with. According to them, the chemicals used by the mining company have destroyed their farmlands and water bodies.

    Without access to potable water, the resident of Okyerekom claim they are force to drink bottled water.

    As such, Nana Adyei Amoako Gyampa II, has issued a 14-day ultimatum to AngloGold Ashanti to rewrite their wrongs.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Ken Ofori-Atta meets UK counterpart Kwasi Kwarteng in US

    Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is in the United States of America, USA, attending the Group of Seven (G7) meeting with Finance Ministers from some African countries which is part of the IMF and World Bank Annual meetings.

    Ofori-Atta described the meeting as “quite historic because for the first time, the G7 has called African Finance Ministers to deliberate on the crisis that they see.

    “…these are exogenous factors that have really (impacted), even their own economies (and) put it under serious stress and are, therefore, looking for ways in which they can add to the capital needs to make sure that things do not deteriorate. So countries such as Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, and Morocco were there,” he said as quoted by 3news.

    This is not the only historic moment of the ongoing meeting in Washington DC as Ken Ofori-Atta also met for the first time, Kwasi Kwarteng, the British-born Ghanaian who is the current the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that is the UK’s Finance Minister.

    In some of the photos circulating on social media, Ofori-Atta is seen sitting next to Kwarteng and having a tête-à-tête.

    Kwasi Kwarteng’s appointment made him the first Black to ascend to such a position regarded as only second to the Prime Minister’s office in UK political circles.

    Before his new role as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Conservative MP for Spelthorne was the Business secretary under Boris Johnson’s government.

    As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the British of Ghanaian descent is responsible for raising revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling public spending. He has overall responsibility for the work of the treasury.

    The G7 is made of an informal grouping of seven of the world’s advanced economies; namely: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America and European Union.


    This group invited finance ministers from South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Zambia, Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda, Chad, Tunisia and Morocco for the all-important meeting.

    The meeting with the African Financial Ministers brings together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness.

    Source: Ghanaweb.com

  • SSNIT to begin mass enrollment of informal sector onto pension scheme by January 2023

    By January 2023, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) plans to start enrolling large numbers of people from the informal economy in its pension program.

    This statement was made during the Accra SSNIT Employers’ Breakfast meeting.

    The process has taken longer than anticipated, according to the Director General, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, due to lengthy talks with stakeholders in the informal sector and the need to make sure that systems that will improve the sector’s enrollment into the plan are fully operational.

    “The people in the informal sector form the majority of workers in the country and we need to reach out to them”.

    “In order to reach out to them, we had to do stakeholder engagements to get them to understand their needs and whether they will embrace our products. Thankfully, they expressed interest in signing onto the scheme. The way the self-employed sector is, they operate in groups and we needed to get to them through their groups”, he explained.

    The Director General also stated that the Trust is awaiting the operationalisation of a new system before the big launch

    “What we were waiting to do before we do a big launch was that we were waiting to operationalize a new system which allows people to onboard with a Ghana Card, and allows mobile money and other digital payment systems”.

    On the operationalisation of the platform, Dr. Tenkorang said the platform is now active and everyone can make their SSNIT contributions through direct debit, Mobile Money and other digital payment platforms. “Thank God that platforms went live on the 10th of October so it has become easy for people in that sector to pay their contributions”, he stressed.

    He further stated that, by January 2023, we should expect the mass enrollment of people in the informal sector onto the scheme.

    “Now that we have done that, very soon, you will see staff of SSNIT going into the markets to sign them on with the use of the Ghana card. At the beginning of January [2023], we should be able to get this fully running”.

     

  • 5 Ghanaian artistes who can win Grammy according to Grammy CEO

    Ever since the Ghanaian music scene began many years ago, a musician from the Ghanaian industry has never won a Grammy.

    The Grammy Award, or just Grammy, is an award presented by the Recording Academy to recognize “Outstanding Achievement in the music industry” of the United States. The trophy depicts a gilded gramophone.

    The Grammys are the first of the Big Three networks’ major music awards held annually. The least that a Ghanaian artiste has gotten from the world’s most prestigious music award scheme is bagging numerous nominations.

    Two years ago, Burna Boy from neighbouring Nigeria won the Grammy award. The Nigerian powerhouse took home the ‘Best Global Music Album at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony with his ‘Twice As Tall’ album.

    However, Ghana’s failure to win a single Grammy award has created elephantine controversy within the showbiz fraternity. The question that keeps emanating from the mouths of music lovers is: Why has Ghana won the Grammy before?

    Well, the answer to this question was finally answered by the CEO Harvey Mason Jr. of the award scheme. During an exclusive dinner meeting with Ghanaian artists, Harvey Mason gave the artists the inside scope of how one can win a GRAMMY.

    According to the Grammy boss, one needs to live in the United States of America and be a part of the GRAMMY Academy to win a Grammy.

    To the chagrin of the musicians who were present, another significant point he raised was that winning the most prestigious music award is not about the number of streams, getting a record label, or sales but the quality of the song – the song must be well-produced.

    In this light, per the definition from Harvey Mason on how a Ghanaian artist can win a Grammy, hotfmghana.com has identified five Ghanaian artists who per the kind of songs they do can easily win the most prestigious music award.

    1.BLACK SHERIF

    Black Sherif Mohammed Ismail Sharrif popularly known as Black Sherif is a Ghanaian musician and performer from Konongo. Currently, he is the Ghanaian artist making huge waves internationally.

    Apparently, his team has master-minded a palatial promotional strategy that has really helped him achieve such a feat. He gained mainstream acclaim with his street anthem “Second Sermon” released in July 2021.

    Black Sherif, whose music is a blend of Ghanaian Highlife with reggae, hip hop, and other genres, is currently out with his new and first album ‘The Villain I Never Was.

    2. JOSEPH MATTHEW(JM)

    Though he lives in the UK, Joseph Matthew’s works per what Harvey Mason said can easily win him a Grammy. The UK-based Ghanaian artist has released stunningly produced songs.

    All his songs were produced live by award-winning sound engineer, Francis Osei.

    The Afro gospel in Ghana has finally gained prominence in the music scene, thanks to Joseph Matthew. His type of Christian music expresses everything about the gospel of Christ like any other gospel song, but it has got rap and pop culture added to it.

    3. WIYAALA

    Noella Wiyaala is an Afro-pop singer-songwriter who sings in her native language Sissala and Waala dialects and English, often combining all three languages within her songs. Wiyaala means “the doer” in the Sissala dialect.

    After making her name in reality shows in Accra she established a solo career in 2013 with the hit single “Rock My Body”, she has elevated to becoming the Most Promising Female Artiste in Africa and a Revelation of The African Continent.

    She won two awards at the 2014 first edition of the All Africa Music Awards and headlined the 15th London African Music Festival in London in March 2021.

    4.WORLASI

    Worlasi stands tall as a Ghanaian rapper, singer, music producer, and songwriter with near-excellent vocal ability. His versatility enables him to switch from singing to rapping in English, Ewe, Fante, Ga, and Pidgin.

    His musical career can be traced back to his first breakthrough single, Ay3 Adz3, which saw him rise to fame. Because of his ability in churning out good music, a lecturer at the English department of the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Opoku-Agyemang lauded him. He termed his music as ‘generation-defining’.

    5. CAMIDOH

    Raphael Camidoh Kofi Attachie is a 21-year-old fast-rising Ghanaian Afropop, R&B, and Afrobeats songwriter and musician known by the stage name Camidoh. His song ‘Sugarcane,’ a favourite of many music fans brought him to the limelight and trended in 8 nations on the Spotify ecosystem, including Norway and France.

    With lyrics that jump between English and Ewe, he is the shining example of Ghana’s emerging Afropop movement. He entered music in late 2018 with his debut track, ‘For My Lover,’ which featured Darko Vibes.

    Source:ghanaweb.com