In a unanimous vote in parliament on Wednesday morning, all 113 ruling MPs voted in favour of President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s proposal to dismiss Mr Bunyoni.
The government’s decision to give the event the go-ahead has angered some MPs.
One lawmaker questioned whether the government had taken into consideration its capacity to handle emerging health concerns like a global outbreak of monkeypox which mostly affects men who have sex with men.
Nyege Nyege has been a big draw for music fans in the region and beyond and showcases artists from across the continent, along with those in the diaspora.
Football fans have been shocked to learn that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been fired.
Football fans including Chelsea fans have been hit with shock after the club announced that they had parted ways with Tuchel after nearly three years with the club.
The German’s dismissal comes after a string of inconsistencies in results since the start of the season, culminating in a humiliating 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb on the opening day of the UEFA Champions League.
Although the majority are stunned, some believe firing a coach after a short run of poor results is a Chelsea trait, a precedent set by a former owner, Roman Abramovich, and now followed by a new owner, Todd Boehly.
Thomas Tuchel managed his 100th game as Chelsea manager in the defeat to Zagreb and was hoping to do so again, but it all appears to be a pipe dream.
“It’s nice, 100 is very nice. I hope there will be another 100 then another 100 coming,” he said as quoted by the club’s website.
He recorded 62 wins, 19 draws, and 18 losses within his period as Chelsea manager. He won three major titles, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Omo that Thomas Tuchel news shock me tbvh i got no idea seeing this happening NGL💔
Thank you Thomas Tuchel, what a shock, such a class individual and coach that open my eyes to what was possible once again at Chelsea Football Club 💙
Karen Khachanov reached a grand slam semi-final for the first time as he ended Nick Kyrgios’ US Open run in a five-set three-and-a-half-hour epic on Tuesday evening.
The 27th-seeded Russian, who had fallen in the quarters at the 2019 French Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships, prevailed 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 over the Australian 23rd seed to set up a semi-final date with fifth seed Casper Ruud.
The result ended the run of Kyrgios who had won the most matches on the ATP Tour since losing July’s Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios had taken out reigning champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.
The 26-year-old Russian broke Kyrgios’ serve in the 12th game of the first set with an exquisite lob clinching the frame where the Australian’s second serve let him down.
Kyrgios responded to win the second set, despite a medical timeout for treatment on his left leg after exclaiming “I can’t walk”, breaking the Russian early and hitting 12-5 winners.
Khachanov claimed the third set in similar circumstances to the first, with Kyrgios failing to hold his serve in the 12th game, this time producing unforced errors in the key moments.
The two players traded breaks early in the fourth set but Kyrgios would force a fifth set after a dominant tie-break where he converted his second set point.
The Russian got an early break in the fifth set, while Kyrgios failed to convert break points in Khachanov’s next two service games and he would not recover.
Data Slam: Khachanov cool under pressure
Little split these two players in an extremely tight quarter-final, with 31-30 aces edged by Kyrgios, but many of Khachanov’s came at crucial moments under pressure.
Kyrgios’ flamboyance and shot-making ability was on show, but his inability to convert break points, along with 58 unforced errors, ultimately proved the difference, taking two of nine.
Vladimir Putin has said he trusted the report from the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but criticised the agency for not saying Ukraine was to blame for shelling the area.
Shelling continued while the 14-strong IAEA team visited the site and its head, Rafael Grossi, warned of a very real risk of nuclear disaster. Although most of the team left the plant after two days, it said two of its officials would remain there on a permanent basis.
In an emergency session of the Security Council, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres set out steps for the creation of a demilitarised zone around the plant.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed calls by the IAEA for a safety protection zone at Zaporizhzhia.
On Wednesday Petro Kotyn, who runs Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom, suggested a UN peacekeeping contingent could set up a security zone at Zaporizhzhia and Russian troops withdraw.
However, the IAEA was careful not to apportion blame to either side.
The IAEA’s report says that there were Russian military vehicles stationed in two turbine halls and under the overpass connecting the reactor units and includes a photo showing Russian-flagged military trucks with the Z insignia parked inside a large building.
However, on Wednesday Mr Putin denied that there was any Russian military equipment on-site at Zaporizhzhia.
The IAEA detailed the damage to the plant and said that while continued shelling had not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it did present a constant threat to safety that “may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance”.
There was an urgent need for “interim measures” to prevent a nuclear accident caused by military action, it added, saying all relevant parties would have to agree to a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” being set up to avoid further damage.
The plant lies on the southern bank of the River Dnieper, across the water from Ukrainian-held towns and military positions.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Ministry of Defence says fighting has continued in Ukraine on three fronts over the past 24 hours: in the east, in Donbas; in the north around Kharkiv, and in the south around Kherson.
The redeployment of Russian forces to southern Ukraine around Kherson has enabled Ukrainian forces to make progress in the Kharkiv region. according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War. The institute suggests Ukrainian forces may have taken a town near Balaklia as Russian troops retreated, blowing up bridges.
Nick Kyrgios claims all tournaments other than grand slams are a “waste of time” following his US Open quarter-final exit to Karen Khachanov on Tuesday.
The in-form 2022 Wimbledon runner-up’s run at Flushing Meadows, which included knocking out defending champion Daniil Medvedev, was ended by Khachanov 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-4.
Kyrgios had been in career-best form, winning more matches than any other player on the ATP Tour since his Wimbledon final defeat to Novak Djokovic, but will need to wait until January for another crack at a major, at his home Australian Open.
The 27-year-old has spoken about his renewed level of focus since reaching the Wimbledon final and said he was “devastated” by his US Open loss, smashing a racquet after the match.
“I honestly feel like s***,” he said. “I feel like I’ve let so many people down.
“I feel like these four tournaments are the only ones that are ever going to matter. It’s just like you got to start it all again. I have to wait until the Australian Open. It’s just devastating. It’s heart-breaking.
“I don’t even really care about any other tournament. I feel like at the grand slams, now having success at a grand slam, it’s just like no other tournament really matters.
“It’s like you get better, you get worse, then at a grand slam none of it matters. You either win or lose. People don’t really care if you got better on the day or you lost 6-4 in the fifth or played one of the best matches of the tournament. You lost.
“That’s all people remember at a grand slam, whether you win or you lose. I think pretty much every other tournament during the year is a waste of time really. You should just run up and show up at a grand slam. That’s what you’re remembered by.”
Kyrgios allayed concerns over a knee injury at the end of the first set that he said settled, stating that he started “flat” and felt Khachanov’s serve was too good, particularly in key moments.
“All credit to Karen, he’s a fighter. He’s a warrior,” he said.
“I thought he served really good today. Honestly probably the best server I played this tournament, to be honest, the way he was hitting his spots under pressure.”
The triumph marks 29th seed Khachanov’s first major semi-final having fallen in the quarter-finals at majors twice previously.
“It’s like one more step forward,” the Russian said. “I’m really, really happy I could do it.
“I had to face and to beat Nick, who is playing some of the best tennis again. It obviously was a tough match to approach. I made my first semi-final, so it’s pretty simple in my head. I’m just really happy.”
“We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil – we will not supply anything,” he said, if it went against Russia’s interests.
European leaders have accused Moscow of “weaponising” its gas exports in response to Western sanctions on Russian individuals and businesses.
While the Kremlin denies that is the case, the big Nord Stream 1 pipeline into northern Germany has been shut indefinitely, with Moscow directly blaming sanctions.
Last week, the G7 group of nations – announced a price cap for Russian oil – a move it said would reduce both Moscow’s revenue for its Ukraine invasion, and inflation in the West.
Speaking to an economics forum in the far eastern city of Vladivostok on Wednesday, Russia’s leader condemned sanctions as economic aggression, and a “fever” posing a threat to the entire world.
The quality of life for Europeans was being sacrificed while poorer countries were losing access to food, he argued: “Now we are seeing how production and jobs in Europe are closing one after another.”
Although he acknowledged inflation in Russia was rising, he minimised the effect that sanctions were having on Russian companies: “I am sure that we have not lost anything and we will not lose anything.”
Russian companies have struggled to source much-needed imported parts. But Mr Putin asserted that confidence in the dollar, euro and pound was being lost before people’s eyes – while Russia was emerging from the war with its sovereignty strengthened.
Image source, Tass via ReutersImage caption, The Russian leader said Western currencies were falling while Russia was not losing anything
Russia launched its invasion on 24 February and now occupies around a fifth of Ukrainian territory. Six months on, it has been pushed back from areas around Kyiv and the north and now faces a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south and east.
Western nations responded to the war with several rounds of sanctions. The European Union has attempted to cut its reliance on Russian gas and oil and Moscow – and on Friday EU energy ministers will try to decide how to protect consumers and businesses from the threat of enormous bills over the winter.
Ahead of the meeting, Ursula von der Leyen said Europe had weakened Russia’s grip on its gas requirements. Gas storage was already up to 82% and supplies had increased from the US, Norway, Algeria and other countries.
Before the invasion, Russia accounted for 40% of the EU’s imported gas, but today that proportion was now down to only 9%, she said.
As well as a price cap on Russian gas, EU ministers have been looking at how to separate the cost of gas from the price of electricity, which are linked in Europe’s market. The Commission president outlined several other plans:
A mandatory target for reducing electricity use at peak hours
A cap on revenues for companies making unexpected profits from low-cost electricity such as renewable energy
A “solidarity contribution” from fossil fuel companies
Helping struggling energy companies cope with the volatile energy market with “liquidity” support
The plans will go before energy ministers on Friday, and one diplomat told the BBC he was sceptical: “Good luck getting that through council complete and intact.”
EU member states have already responded to the crisis with a series of packages to help consumers. At the weekend Sweden and Finland announced liquidity guarantees for power companies, while Germany said it would spend €65bn (£56.2bn) with help for the vulnerable as well as tax breaks for energy-intensive businesses.
In Vladivostok, Mr Putin went on to accuse Europe of cheating the developing world out of Ukrainian grain exports in the wake of a UN-led deal to lift Russia’s naval blockade.
For months ships were unable to leave Ukraine’s three Black Sea ports but shipments resumed last month. Mr Putin told his audience that only two grain ships had since gone to Africa – which is not the case. He said he wanted to discuss revisiting the deal, in remarks rejected by Ukraine as groundless.
Other ships have left for Yemen and Sudan while several vessels have gone to ports in Egypt.
A UN-chartered ship carrying 23,000 tonnes arrived in Djibouti last week. The grain has now reached Ethiopia in 60 lorries, with the aim of feeding more than one and a half million people in a country blighted by drought and civil war.
Under the agreement all cargoes are approved by a joint centre in Turkey. The centre says 2m tonnes have been authorised so far, including to Turkey and the Middle East as well as ports in the EU.
Both Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia have made further history with their advancement to the US Open women’s semi-finals on Tuesday.
The Tunisian overcame Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium, before the Frenchwoman swept aside home favourite Coco Gauff 6-3 6-4.
In doing so, both have reached their first last-four appearance at the final grand slam of the year, and set themselves new benchmarks in the process.
Jabeur is the first Arab or African woman in the Open Era to make the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows.
India’s Asia Cup defence is in ruins after a thrilling six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Tuesday left the reigning champions needing a miracle to reach the final.
Defeat to Pakistan last time out left India essentially requiring a victory here, and they fell short as Sri Lanka ultimately held their nerve.
While Rohit Sharma top-scored with 72, India rarely looked in control, with Suryakumar Yadav (34) the only other to go over 17 runs.
With the impressive Dilshan Madushanka (3-24) helping to reduce India to 173-8, Sri Lanka will have been confident going into bat and an opening stand of 97 from Pathum Nissanka (52) and Kusal Mendis (57) had victory looking almost certain.
But Yuzvendra Chahal (3-34) sowed the seed of doubt as he took both openers and Charith Asalanka (0), while Ravichandran Ashwin (1-32) claimed the scalp of Danushka Gunathilaka (1).
Sri Lanka’s momentum had dissipated, but Dasun Shanaka (33 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (25 not out) got them back on track, their two boundaries in each of the 18th and 19th overs proving crucial as they reached 174-4 with a single ball remaining.
Shanaka turns up the heat
Sri Lanka’s chase appeared to be petering out there was a moment when they required a rate of more than 12 runs per over but were averaging just over eight.
Shanaka’s haul of 33 may have been outscored by four other players on the day, but his knock came from just 18 balls at a strike rate of 183.3, the highest of anyone to record more than 15 runs, and it was crucial to Sri Lanka claiming victory.
Deadly Dilshan
This was a tremendous bowling display by the 21-year-old, with his dismissal of Virat Kohli for a duck particularly satisfying.
From his four overs with the ball, India hit just one boundary every other Sri Lankan bowler had at least two against them.
Heads have begun to roll just after Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League matchday one with two managers being shown the exit.
After the games on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, RB Leipzig and Chelsea, who recorded shocking defeats on opening day, have let go of their managers.
The dismissed managers were already walking on eggshells following poor starts to the new season and the shells got smashed after a disappointing turn of results on matchday one.
RB Leipzig – Domenico Tedesco
RB Leipzig had a nightmarish start in the Champions League as they were thrashed 4-1 at home by Shakhtar Donetsk.
The German club bid farewell to the 36-year-old Italian manager the morning after the defeat, ending his 9 months stay at the club.
He won the German Cup and led Leipzig to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season.
The defeat on Tuesday night was his fourth of the new season in matches in all competitions. He won only two of those.
The club sits 11th on the Bundesliga table with 5 points.
Chelsea – THomas Tuchel
Chelsea had an unwanted start to their Champions League campaign following their 1-0 away loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
The big news the morning after the defeat was the surprise sacking of Thomas Tuchel as manager of the club.
Tuchel managed his 100th game as Chelsea manager in the defeat to Zagreb and was hoping to do so again, but it all appears to be a pipe dream.
He recorded 62 wins, 19 draws, and 19 losses within his period as Chelsea manager. He won three major titles, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
After six games, Thomas Tuchel leaves the club in sixth place with 10 points, a win and two draws behind leaders Arsenal.
The two have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties; a relative and a government worker not earning less than a net salary of GH¢1,000 a month.
Since the Asokore Mampong District Court lacks jurisdiction in granting bail on the matter, the lawyers for the two accused persons applied for bail at the High Court and has been granted.
The substantive matter which is being heard at the Asokore Mampong District Court has been adjourned to 19th September 2022.
Alex Hales has earned a recall for England’s T20 World Cup squad, three years after his last international appearance.
The explosive batsman was dropped from England’s Cricket World Cup-winningsquad in 2019 after testing positive for recreational drugs prior to the tournament.
Then white-ball captain Eoin Morgan cited a “complete breakdown in trust” for Hales’ continued exile.
However, Jonny Bairstow will miss the tournament in Australia having suffered a “freak” injury while playing golf, and Jason Roy remains badly out of form.
Those events have led to a surprise return for 33-year-old Hales, who will also be part of England’s touring party for the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan, which starts on September 20. His last appearance was in a T20I fixture against West Indies in March 2019.
An ECB statement read: “Nottinghamshire batter Alex Hales has been called up to England’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad as a replacement for Yorkshire’s Jonathan Bairstow after a left-ankle injury sustained last week ended his chances of playing in the tournament.
Alex Hales has also been added to our squads for the #T20WorldCup and IT20 tour of Pakistan ðŸ
“Hales, 33, who last represented England in March 2019, has also been added to the IT20 squad for the tour of Pakistan.”
Speaking to Sky Sports on Tuesday, Morgan said of Hales: “There’s one thing about Alex, his quality has never been a question.
“It’s whether the team would like him in the side, or captains can trust him, or the coach, or the selectors.
“[England’s men’s managing director] Rob Key said he is available for selection, so that means he goes into a pool of players with the likes of Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Will Smeed, that sort of calibre of player.
“But there’s no doubt he’s extremely destructive and a match-winner.”
Former world number one Jon Rahm has hit out at the prospect of LIV Golf players featuring at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth later this week.
The field for the DP World Tour event, which begins on Thursday, includes 17 players who have made an appearance on the controversial Saudi-backed circuit.
The likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garciaare all among that group, as the bitter divide between the LIV series and the PGA and European Tours shows no sign of healing.
Quizzed on their presence at the event, former U.S. Open champion Rahm expressed his frustration at big-name LIV golfers taking the places of those who have stayed loyal to the European Tour, claiming they are only appearing to pick up world ranking points.
“What I don’t understand is some players that have never shown any interest in the European Tour, that have never shown any interest in playing this event, are being given an opportunity, just because they can get world ranking points, and hopefully make majors next year,” the Spaniard said.
Citing the case of close friend Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, who has missed out on the field, Rahm added: “It doesn’t hurt me, but it does bug me that somebody who has played over  I looked it up  20 DP World events this year cannot be given the opportunity to play a flagship event.
“Because some people that earned it, to an extent, are being given an opportunity when they couldn’t care any less about the event.
“They don’t know. They don’t care. They don’t know the history of this event.
“They are only here because they are trying to get world ranking points and trying to finish in the top 50, and that’s clear as day.”
But Rahm believes there could yet be a way back for those who have signed for the breakaway tour, adding: “There’s only one problem in life that doesn’t have a solution, and that’s death.
“Everything else has a solution. If the European Tour really want them to play and as a team we [Ryder Cup Europe] want them to play, I think a solution can be reached.”
Defending BMW PGA Championship champion Billy Horschel was similarly scathing of the LIV rebels, declaring: “Even though Westwood and Poulter have been stalwarts for the European Tour, I don’t think those guys really should be here.”
Taking aim at those who have missed the event in the past, he added: “You’ve never played this tournament, you’ve never supported the DP World Tour.
“Why are you here? You are here for one reason only, and that’s to try to get world ranking points because you don’t have it [on the LIV Tour].
“It’s hypocritical because some of these guys said they wanted to play less golf. It’s pretty hypocritical to come over here and play outside LIV when your big thing was to spend more time with family and want to play less golf.”
But as summer temperatures soared, there was little talk of greater ambition from the Tory contenders, and plenty about how environmental policies might be watered down or changed.
In its latest progress report on net zero the government’s advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said that “tangible progress is lagging the policy ambition”.
So is the new Truss government going to close the “policy gaps” identified by the CCC, or widen them?
Don’t expect the new business secretary to be making many friends within the environmental lobby, or the “green blob” as he has called them.
Mr Rees-Mogg has spoken in the past of extracting “every last drop” of North Sea oil, and licenses could be approved rapidly for new oil and gas exploration. That’s a complete no-no for almost all climate scientists, who say there can be no more fossil fuel projects if we are going to retain any hope of keeping global temperature rises under 1.5 degrees. Climate scientists say missing that target would accelerate the risks of climate change like extreme weather.
“It doesn’t have a knock on effect on net zero.” Mr Rees Mogg said when talking about new North Sea oil and gas on his podcast earlier this year.
“It’s more environmentally friendly to use gas that you’ve got at hand than to import liquefied gas from the rest of the world.”
A small group of Conservatives have also been demanding that the new PM take a fresh look at fracking and Ms Truss has given them some encouragement.
On the campaign trail she said that what she called the “effective ban” on fracking would be lifted but it would only take place where local communities supported it (which may well stop it happening).
Mr Rees-Mogg has called shale gas “very clean” and said that the threat of drilling causing earthquakes was overstated with “some the equivalent of a bus passing by your house.”
Renewables
The cold, hard capitalist truth is that new renewables are currently a much cheaper source of new power generation than any of the fossil fuel or nuclear alternatives. So shifting towards wind and solar makes not just environmental, but economic sense, while at the same time giving us more energy security.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption, New environment secretary Ranil Jayawardena has talked about “protecting our countryside from solar farms”
Britain is a world leader in offshore wind and in the next few years the building of ever larger wind-farms – mainly in the North Sea – looks set to continue. Huge projects are already under way and will come on stream in the next couple of years.
There’s unlikely to be shift in policy towards two Tory renewable bugbears with comparable price tags – onshore wind and solar.
Ms Truss has already said she wants new solar panels to be limited to the roofs of buildings and not put on agricultural land, and her environment minister appears to have even stronger views.
“I don’t think there’s any need for solar power given the huge potential for wind,” Ranil Jayawardena said in a social media video posted in November 2021.
“If you feel strongly about protecting our countryside from solar farms write to your local councillor and give them the support they need to take action quickly to protect our countryside from them.”
Wind farms on land have a much shorter development timeline, but new projects have effectively been halted since 2014 when local communities were given greater powers to object. Despite the attraction of quicker cheap energy, neither Ms Truss, Mr Rees-Mogg or Mr Jayawardena have shown any enthusiasm for making onshore any easier.
On one of his podcasts, Mr Rees-Mogg talks about “hairshirt greenery”, the idea that environmental problems can be addressed by limiting our consumption of resources.
“If you are too aggressive, too “hairshirty” people won’t vote for it.” he says.
“So you’ve got to go with the grain of public opinion with what people are willing to accept. And that means raising living standards through efficient use of technology”.
In that light, latest polling on renewables conducted by Mr Rees-Mogg’s new department makes interesting reading. It shows that 7% of people would be unhappy (compared to 54% who would be happy) about a solar farm being built in their local area and 12% unhappy (with 43% happy) about an on-shore wind-farm.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah says the security agencies in the Ashanti Region needs commendation for being able to smoke out and arrest “galamsey queen” En ‘Aisha’ Huang, two days after she sneaked into the region.
To him, the security agencies in the region deserves commendation because, they were able to arrest her after she beat all other regions on the border with neighbouring countries.
The Chinese national, En Huang, popularly referred to as Aisha Huang was earlier arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities and was arraigned.
However, the state showed disinterest in the case, filed a nolle prosequi and deported her to China, her home country in December 2018.
Surprisingly, at an Accra Circuit Court last Friday, [September 2, 2022] she was arraigned for engaging in illegal mining activities again in the Ashanti Region.
She was charged with three others for allegedly engaging in illegal mining in Ghana.
The accused persons were charged for engaging in sale and purchase of minerals without a licence. The other three are Jong Li Hua; Huang Jei and Huiad Hiahu, all Chinese nationals.
Prosecutors told the court she had acquired a Togolese visa with a different Chinese passport and different name, Ruixia Huang, flew into Togo and sneaked into Ghana.
The prosecutor did not give much detail on when she sneaked into the country and when she was arrested.
Huang is facing an additional charge of engaging in mining without a licence.
Her plea to the charges are yet to be taken by the court presided over by Bright Acquah since the court had no Chinese interpreter at the time.
Aisha Huang sneaks into Ghana, arrested again for illegal mining
Ashanti Regional Minister’s explanation on when she was arrested and when she returned to Ghana to engage in illegal mining again
“I think first of all the Security Agencies in Ashanti must be commended because Ashanti Region is not a border region, we don’t share boundary with any country. So how she got here to the [Ashanti] region, that one I cannot tell, investigations will definitely reveal that.
“What I know for now is that she claims she got here on 31st [August] and that is what we also know, that, she got into the region on 31st and we have to do some investigations to find out the reality that she was in town,” Mr Simon Osei Mensah said in a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Tuesday evening on Accra based Citi FM.
The radio station had called the regional minister, who heads the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) for a brief on when she was arrested and how they were able to do that considering that she had earlier been deported out of Ghana to her home country in China in December 2018.
And the fact that it had emerged that, she had sneaked into Ghana, renewed her NON CITIZEN IDENTITY Ghana card in Tamale on August 25, 2022, according to the National Identification Authority.
“When we got the truth [that she was in town] 6:50am on the 2nd of September [2022], she was arrested in her residence at Ahodwo [Kumasi].
“It was an inter-agency operation, among three agencies – that is the intel unit of the Ghana Immigration Service, together with the Defence Intelligence of 4BN and then NIB [National Intelligence Bureau]. These three agencies worked together to arrest Aisha Huang.”
Asked for a clarity on how long she has been in Ghana, Mr Osei Mensah said: “no what I’m saying is that, unless maybe further interrogation reveals otherwise, for now, we know she came to Ashanti Region or the country on 31st [August], she was arrested on 2nd of September in Kumasi.
She was arraigned at an Accra Circuit Court same day, the Regional Minister said she was arrested, September 2.
On whether, she was in Kumasi engaging in a business in the sale of minerals and the same activities relating to galamsey, the regional minister said, “for now I don’t have that information. I take my briefing from the security heads. So what they’ve not informed me I cannot talk to that.”
He said further investigations will bring these things out.
He, however, added that En Huang had several businesses before she was even deported.
He said the business were there but “we didn’t know they belong to her.”
“Some are shops and she has a building property at Ahodwo…, now all of them are locked up. We are yet to ascertain whether they all indeed belong to her,” the minister added.
He said he would be surprised to know she had gone into the hinterlands to engage in galamsey activities if she arrived on 31st.
London-based journalist, Ben Jacobs has broken down the events that led to Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel’s shocking dismissal on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
Jacobs explained on Twitter that, one of the main reasons for Tuchel’s dismissal was the manager’s decision to abandon his new role of getting involved in the club’s transfers in order to focus on fieldwork, which resulted in the club missing out on their key targets, Raphinha and Jules Kounde during the summer window.
One of the major decisions Todd Boehly made after taking over from Roman Abramovic as Chelsea owner was axing sporting director, Marina Granovskaia and assuming the role temporarily to work alongside Tuchel on the club’s transfers.
According to Jacobs, Tuchel’s cold reaction to the club’s transfer business prompted Boehly to step up and do things on his own, which resulted in the club renewing the contracts of Reece James and Azpilicueta as well as making some signings.
Jacobs continued that Boehly after carrying out all the duties by himself had a feeling of a new era, hence, Tuchel’s sacking was on the horizon.
Therefore, the firing of Tuchel on Wednesday was not solely based on Chelsea’s poor run or the disappointing 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. But, Boehly is in search of a manager who is willing to assume the authority of being influential on and off the pitch.
Thomas Tuchel managed his 100th game as Chelsea manager in the defeat to Zagreb and was hoping to do so again, but it all appears to be a pipe dream.
He recorded 62 wins, 19 draws, and 19 losses within his period as Chelsea manager. He won three major titles, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
After six games, Thomas Tuchel leaves the club in sixth place with 10 points, a win and two draws behind leaders Arsenal.
There has been a surge in SIM card re-registrationfollowing the implementation of punitive measures meant to force unregistered subscribers to comply with the directive to re-register all SIM cards by September 30.
The National Communications Authority (NCA)says after the announcement of plans to re-route outgoing calls for special messages to be played and temporarily block calls and data of unregistered numbers last Sunday, registration on the self-service App had risen by more than 1,200 as of midday last Monday.
The authority said by the end of last Sunday, the recorded 5,500 successful registrations on the app had risen to 6,700 by midday the following day.
The Deputy Corporate Affairs Director at the NCA, Kwame Gyan, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said barely a day into the implementation of the punitive measures, the NCA had seen an increase in the number of subscribers using the self-service App to register their SIM cards.
He maintained that people started rushing to register their SIM cards when the telcos started implementing the measures.
The punitive measures
A press release issued by the NCA in Accra last Sunday read: “A set of punitive measures designed to culminate the year-long nationwide SIM registration exercise will kick in from Monday, September 5, 2022.
“From Monday, September 5, 2022, subscribers who have not started their registration will have all outgoing calls re-routed to an interactive voice recording (IVR) for a SIM registration sensitisation message to be played before all calls are connected.
“Subscribers with uncompleted registration; that is, those who linked their Ghana cards to their SIM cards via *404# but have not proceeded to have their biodata captured, will also face similar disruption in service from Wednesday, September 7, 2022.â€
It also said the punitive measures for data services for uncompleted SIM card registrants would kick in from September 12.
The release said outgoing calls and data services would be blocked for affected subscribers for 48 hours once a week once the punitive measures kicked in from September 2022.
Also, subscribers who had neither begun stage one nor completed stage two of the SIM registration process would be allowed to reconnect their SIMs after duly completing the two stages of the registration process, it said.
“After September 30, 2022, these SIMs as described above will not have access to any service, as their SIMs will be deactivated.
Subscribers will have a period of six months to register to redeem their SIMs, failing which their numbers will be churned – that is, re-assigned to the pool to be sold to potential new subscribers.
“The NCA encourages subscribers to register their SIMs to avoid the associated inconvenience and potential disruption in service after September 30,†the release added.
Data from the NCA say so far 17 million SIM cards have successfully gone through the complete registration since the exercise began in September 2021.
This is out of the about 42 million subscribers currently in the system
The SIM card re-registration, according to the NCA, would help curb fraudulent and criminal activities, secure SIM card-based transactions, as well as help determine at every point in time the accurate number of valid and accurate SIMs on the networks.
For the telcos, the exercise will enable them to build better demographics of their customer base and help them to develop products and services to suit the various groupings.
Unregistered subscribers
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, confirmed that implementation of the punitive measures by the telcos had already kicked off.
“The point is that implementation has started, but whether it has resulted in an increase in registrations I cannot tell for now, “ he told the Daily Graphic.
“By July 28, we were registering more than 250,000 a day. On the day the minister was announcing the extension, the registration centres were full of people eager to register. But after the announcement, the people left without registering.
“We have also monitored that after August 18, the numbers dwindled totally to 5,000 per day,†he said.
Mobile money agents
The General Secretary of Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG), Evans Otumfuo, said the association was against the punitive measures in principle because it would impact many of its members and customers who, through no fault of theirs, did not have access to the Ghana cards.
He underlined the need for the government to reconsider extending the deadline for the registration of SIM cards in the interest of the gains made in the communications industry.
“The association has since endorsed this policy to re-register SIMs due to its positive impact on our businesses by helping to curb fraud.
“As business people in the industry, it will be very detrimental to our businesses and the industry in general should the deadline be pursued, since many Ghanaians, running into millions, are yet to be registered and issued with the Ghana cards,†he said.
“Do they think this is a joke? Do they not realise how much anger there is about their profiteering and pollution?” he said.
In parliament, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas urged the government to “cut the crap” and return the “failing” water industry to public hands.
Over the last 24 hours, one company – Southern Water (SW) – has discharged untreated sewage into almost 30 bathing sites, including the popular resorts of Bognor Regis, Hastings and Cowes.
SW’s data also show it has released untreated water on 95 occasions since the beginning of September. Two storm discharge pipes, at Southsea East and Stokes Bay, were discharging for more than 24 hours.
By law, these kinds of sewage discharges are legal only in “exceptional” circumstances.
In a statement Southern Water said: “Rain can overwhelm the combined sewer and drainage system which exists in many parts of our region. To protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding, storm overflows act as a release valve and release excess water into the sea. These discharges are heavily diluted, typically being 95% rainwater. There are around 15,000 storm overflows in England and approximately 1,000 in our region.”
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency is warning people not to swim at more than 50 bathing water sites across England, because of the poor water quality.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency currently has poor water quality warnings at 18 of its designated bathing waters, while Natural Resources Wales has three water quality warnings in place.
During an urgent question in the Commons on Tuesday, Environment Secretary George Eustice said discharges of raw sewage into waterways would be cut by a quarter by 2025.
“This is the first government to set a clear requirement on water companies to reduce the harm caused by sewage discharges and we’ve set this in law through the Environment Act,” he said.
Caroline Lucas accused ministers of “going backwards” on the issue.
“We have a so-called plan that allows water companies to continue polluting until 2035 in areas with significant importance to human and ecological health and until 2050 elsewhere, that’s sanctioning almost 30 years more of pollution,” she said.
The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is expected to open the Regional Meeting of African National Commissions for UNESCO on UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa Programme in Accra on Monday, September 12, 2022.
The conference is on the theme “Mobilizing Partnership for the Global Priority Africa Programme.”
The UNESCO Priority Africa Programme is an initiative by UNESCO to provide solutions to the continent’s developmental challenges concerning youth unemployment, education, climate change, Africa’s cultural renaissance, heritage, history, democracy and peace.
The project aims to achieve its main objectives by 2063 through ‘The Africa We Want, Vision 2063. As such, key stakeholders of the Global Priority Africa Programme will deliberate on Africa’s collective actions toward a renewed implementation agenda.
Objectives of the meeting
The three-day meeting which climaxes on September 14 seeks to raise awareness of the five flagships for National Commissions to be able to prioritize, participate in the Global Priority Africa flagships and effectively implement them.
It also seeks to engage National Commissions and experts to share experiences on best practices and to share ideas on the implementation process.
Dr Catherine Hobaiter from the University of St Andrews explained that the wild apes use huge tree roots as a large wooden surface to drum on with their hands and feet.
“If you hit the roots really hard, it resonates and makes this big deep, booming sound that travels through the forest,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science programme.
Each male chimpanzee, the scientists found, uses a distinct pattern of beats. They combine it with with long-distance vocalisations, called pant-hoots. And different animals drum at different points in their call.
Lead researcher on this study, PhD student Vesta Eleuteri from the University of Vienna, described how some individuals have a more regular rhythm, like rock and blues drummers, while some have more variable rhythms, like jazz.
“I was surprised that I was able to recognise who was drumming after just a few weeks in the forest,” she said. “But their drumming rhythms are so distinctive that it’s easy to pick up on them.”
Media caption, Watch: Footage of chimpanzees drumming trees
Ms Eleuteri described one young male chimp, that researchers have named Tristan, as “the John Bonham (late Led Zeppelin drummer) of the forest”.
“He makes these very long drumming bouts with lots of beats and you can tell them from far away, so you can just tell it’s Tristan drumming.”
The animals also appeared only to use their signature rhythm when they were travelling. The researchers speculate that a chimp chooses whether or not to give his identity away.
“If you’re showing off to a group around you – if you’re displaying – you might not necessarily want the big alpha male who’s around the corner to know who you are,” said Dr Hobaiter. “You don’t want to give the game away.”
She added that understanding chimps’ drumming in this way could solve a longstanding communication puzzle: wild chimpanzees greet each other when they meet, but they do not seem to “say goodbye” when they split off in the forest.
“The chimps might not need to say goodbye, because they’re effectively able to keep in touch while they’re away,” Dr Hobaiter explained.
“These long distance signals give the chimps a way to check in with one another. That might help us to understand one of these things that we thought was a real difference between chimps and humans, and help us to understand why that difference might have come about.”
Some reportedly upgraded to business accounts to access analytics tools such as profile visits, without realising this made more of their data public.
Instagram’s owner, Meta, said it planned to appeal against the decision. It is the third fine handed to the company by the regulator.
“We adopted our final decision last Friday and it does contain a fine of €405m [£349m],” Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) said.
‘Engaged fully’
A Meta official told BBC News: “This inquiry focused on old settings that we updated over a year ago and we’ve since released many new features to help keep teens safe and their information private.
“Anyone under 18 automatically has their account set to private when they join Instagram, so only people they know can see what they post and adults can’t message teens who don’t follow them.
“While we’ve engaged fully with the DPC throughout their inquiry, we disagree with how this fine was calculated and intend to appeal it.
“We’re continuing to carefully review the rest of the decision.”
‘Major breach’
The DPC regulates large technology companies with European headquarters in the Republic of Ireland.
It has never given such a large fine for a breach of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
But last year, it fined WhatsApp €225m, while Luxembourg’s data authority fined Amazon a record €746m.
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) child-safety-online policy head Andy Burrows said of Instagram’s fine: “This was a major breach that had significant safeguarding implications and the potential to cause real harm to children using Instagram.
“The ruling demonstrates how effective enforcement can protect children on social media and underlines how regulation is already making children safer online.
“It’s now over to the new prime minister to keep the promise to give children the strongest possible protections by delivering the Online Safety Bill in full and without delay.”
IHG, which has some of the world’s largest hotel chains, issued a statement saying it was investigating “unauthorised access” to a number of its technology systems.
It manages the Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Regent hotels.
“IHG is working to fully restore all systems as soon as possible,” the company said.
IHG confirmed it was assessing the nature, extent and impact of the incident and had implemented its response plans, including appointing external specialists to investigate the breach.
The company is also in the process of notifying regulatory authorities.
In a statement, the company said: “We will be supporting hotel owners and operators as part of our response to the ongoing service disruption. IHG’s hotels are still able to operate and to take reservations directly.”
But many people trying to book accommodation have been complaining.
What is going on with your system? For at least 19hrs. Phones and apps not working- afraid to book anything. No customer service at all
— Kim Sweat (@rsweatark) September 6, 2022
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter
IHG did not say there had been any loss of customer data.
It also did not specifically say it was a ransomware attack, but most of the speculation points in that direction.
Last month, a Holiday Inn in Istanbul was breached by LockBit, which released data stolen from the company.
It is not known if there is a connection between the attacks.
The hotel chain was also the target of a three-month security breach in 2017 when more than 1,200 of its franchised hotels in the US were affected.
The hack comes amid increased scrutiny on appropriate defences against cyber-attacks, particularly on Western financial institutions, in the wake of heightened geopolitical tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early this year.
In a tweet on September 6, Dafeamekpor premised his argument on the fact that the purported Ghana Card of Aisha Huang which has surfaced online was issued to her on Sunday, February 27, 2022.
“Evidence is that on Sunday, 27th February, 2022, Aisha Huan a.k.a Aisha En got her NIA Card issued to her by Govt. Same Govt said she had long been deported to China. Look, this woman was never deported that’s how come her biometric details could be captured for this weekend job,†Dafeamekpor tweeted.
Background
Chinese national and galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang evaded immigration authorities and re-entered Ghana to conduct illegal business despite her controversial deportation in 2018.
Whilst the report is silent on when she first reentered and how many times she has been in and out of the jurisdiction, it turned out that she also used a different name on her return.
This was established with evidence that upon her return, Huang applied for and obtained the Ghana Card in February 2022 using the name “Huang En.”
The year of issuance of the non-citizen Ghana Card has however been dismissed by NIA.
The Citi News report added that she always sneaked out of Ghana when she got intelligence about the possibility of an arrest.
Despite coming in through Aflao, Aisha made the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi her base from where she engaged in the business of selling mining materials. She was arrested with other accomplices at Ahodwo in Kumasi.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
We are aware of the unfortunate event that led to the death of Mr. Michael Yaw Twum Ampofo at Ashaley Botwe, Greater Accra, on 19th February 2021. We are saddened by the incident and have extended our heartfelt condolences to the family.
We have cooperated fully and transparently with all the relevant agencies throughout the investigation process.
On 22nd October 2021, the authorised representative of the deceased initiated legal action against Vodafone Ghana. The matter is currently in court and we are accordingly unable to make any further comment at this time.
Vodafone Ghana will continue to deploy our infrastructure under strict safety procedures and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Ghanaians resident in South Africa have been advised to be vigilant and restrict their movements to safe areas as a result of potential danger arising from imminent protests against foreigners in the country.
The Ghana High Commission in a Travel Advisory to the Ghanaian community said “In the last month, individuals claiming to represent various groups against the presence of foreigners have announced or broadcast plans to attack, rusticate or remove foreigners from their jobs or workplaces and even out of the country from the beginning of September 2022”.
The advisory noted that whilst the move was not a government or state policy of South Africa, “such activities by individuals or groups could degenerate into violence aimed at foreigners or threaten their lives, safety and livelihood”.
“The Mission would thus, like to advise members of the Ghanaian community to be vigilant to any such incidents, restrict their movements to safe areas, avoid mass gatherings and refrain from engaging in activities that could result in conflict, brawls or deterioration in their safety,” the advisory reads.
Birthdays are filled with so many gifts and surprises, but this year, Hassan Ayariga, the head of the All People’s Congress (APC), received a gift he will never forget.
The politician had a lavish celebration at his home on September 6, 2022, to commemorate turning 50. Family and friends were present.
Everyone was talking about the eye-catching gift that was the talk of the party: a 1948 convertible black Cadillac.
The politician revealed to GhanaWeb that his antique Cadillac, which was wearing a yellow bow tie, was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The unique design and model got guests to take a closer look at the ride, which became more or less the side attraction for people who attended the event.
The likes of Kafui Dey, Giovanni Caleb, the birthday man, Hassan Ayariga, and some public figures took turns taking pictures in front of or beside the whip while they enjoyed their time with the APC leader.
Real Warri Pikin, a well-known Nigerian comedian, arrived in Ghana ahead of her performance, but she was completely taken aback by the country’s exorbitant cost of living.
On Tuesday, September 6, Warri Pikin posted a video to her Instagram page in which she bemoaned the amount of money she had wasted on goods and services since arriving in Ghana less than 48 hours earlier.
The comedian and actress from Nigeria has determined that the cost of living in Ghana is higher than it is in her native nation.
“Jesus! Ghana too cost (the country is expensive). I entered this country and you people want me to leave as a debtor right? I just came here to plan for my show which is happening on October 16 and in less than 48 hours the debit alert has been crazy.
“You people are calling dollars in your country. Ghana cost ooo, in less than 48 hours my bank account is echoing,” she stated.
Warri Pikin, using the Nigerian Pidgin term‘Sapa’ which describes a state of being extremely broke or poor, argued that Ghana is a land of the rich due to the high cost of living.
My husband of almost six years is 25 years my senior.
Our age difference might influence our choice in music but in no way does it affect our arguments, personal goals, admiration for one another, or our love.
A marriage is a relationship built on love and I can’t imagine sharing my life (I’m 28) with anyone other than my 53-year-old husband — who has been told on numerous occasions he looks like Billy Joel. Go figure.
In celebration of large age-gap relationships, here are five ways my marriage to an older man has made me a better person:
1. I listen more.
My husband Tom has had years of crazy life before me (like when he was eight and his house blew up; his time in a band; the tragic death of his four-year-old daughter in a fire), so I’ve learned to become a dynamite listener. Knowing about his life experiences — positive and negative — has been helpful in my own decision-making.
2. I’m more open-minded.
Yes, relationships like mine are more common than the reverse, but that doesn’t make it any less taboo. When Tom and I first met, I was only 18 — I certainly didn’t want my peers judging me, thinking my being with a partner older than some of their parents was “weird” or “disgusting;” or by older women who thought he was only with me for my youth or that I was one manifestation aspect of a mid-life crisis. The old saying “treat others as you would like to be treated” really comes into play here.
3. He knows what he’s doing.Â
Self-consciousness aside, our relationship slowly progressed from sideward glances and intellectual conversation over lunch to long kisses and passionate embraces during afternoons spent in bed. Unlike younger guys, the experience with Tom was more about the two of us than just him and his desires. Maybe like a fine wine, men too, improve with age.
4. He helps me relish today.
Tom has taught me to appreciate the moment I’m in and not live for the future — as we young people will do, particularly in today’s society of acquisition and titles. He reminds me not to wish my life away because, in the blink of an eye, I’ll be his age
5. I’ve learned to follow my heart.
Despite being told our age difference would tear us apart, Tom and I have both learned that those 25 years had brought us closer together than anyone could have imagined—including us. We knew our love was real and didn’t let the naysayers influence our romance.
Understanding that you have to live your life for yourself is such an important realization and one that many of us forget when it comes to everything from what type of career to pursue to whom we fall in love with.
Exclusive images made available to GhanaWeb show the 50-year-old political candidate for the All People’s Congress (APC) attending to his visitors while donning a gold and white kaftan.
He was accompanied by his wife, Anita Ayariga, and kids, who were all dressed in similar white and gold attire.
The lavish birthday celebration for the APC leader was jam-packed with live acts, music, food, and joyful smiles.
He was stopped at nothing when he was spotted sharing a dance with the famed catering service, Mencook, who joined him to thrill guests.
This was after a black and gold cake almost the height of a 12-year-old was cut and a birthday song sang for the celebrant.
The likes of Inspector of Ghana Police, Dampare, Despite, Ofori Sarpong, Edem, A Plus, Member of Parliament, Xavier Francis Sosu, and media personality, Kafui Dey, among other public figures, were present to celebrate the politician.
After the arrest of Chinese galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, on Monday, September 5, 2022, it emerged that she is a Ghana Card holder, having acquired the ID from the National Identification Authority in February 2022.
Media reports suggested that Ms Huang despite last leaving by air, returned to Ghana via the eastern land border i.e. Togo.
Whilst the report is silent on when she first reentered and how many times she has been in and out of the jurisdiction, it turned out that she also used a different name on her return.
But NIA has denied registering any applicant by the name of Aisha Huang. According to the NIA, its National Identity Register (NIR) does not contain any record of a person named AISHA HUANG.
“Put differently, the name AISHA HUANG does not exist in the National Identification System (NIS) databaseâ€, the NIA said in a statement dated September 6, 2022.
Explaining the viral Ghana Card suggesting that the galamsey kingpin has been given the Ghana card, the authority said that the particular registration was done in 2014 with the name Huang En and was renewed in 2016 and 2018 in Kumasi.
It said a Chinese national tried to register a new non-resident Ghana Card in August 2022 with the name Ruixia Huang, but its system flagged it because the biometric details matched that of Huang En.
Since she could not provide proper details to authenticate her new identity, NIA in the statement said:
“Huang En opted to renew with the old details and then go through the affidavit and gazette process later, after which she would then provide the documents for the update to be done. Her renewed Non-Citizen Ghana Card was then issued to her on 25th August 2022, bearing the old name. This card is what is now impugned and trending on social media.â€
Political Analyst Kweku Adu-Gyamfi has accused Senior Advisor to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, of being a very selfish politician.
According to Adu-Gyamfi, Osafo-Maafo, in all the positions he has held in government throughout his political career, has been engaging in deals that benefit him at the state’s expense.
Adu-Gyamfi, who was berating Osafo Maafo for his alleged involvement in the deportation of illegal mining (‘galamsey’) ‘queen’, Aisha Huang, alleged that the advisor to the president supported the move because he had something to gain.
“Has he (Osafo-Maafo) taught of Ghana’s interest before? Have you heard Osafo Maafo ever speaking in Ghana’s interest? He always speaks of what will benefit him.
“This (galamsey) is a very serious matter, and the senior minister was defending someone who has been engaging in this canker that is destroying the country in the name of diplomacy. You can not defend crime in the name of diplomacy,” he said in Twi in an XYZ interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
The political analyst also said that the right processes were not followed before the deportation of Aisha Huang.
Justifying why the state had to deport the Chinese national, the former Senior Minister, Nana Yaw Osafo-Maafo, addressing some concerns of Ghanaians in the diaspora at a town hall meeting on April 18, 2019, revealed that, “Putting [Aisha Huang] in jail in Ghana is not going to solve your money problem. It is not going to make you happy or me happy.”
“We have a very good relationship with China. The main company that is helping develop the infrastructure system in Ghana is Sinohydro; it is a Chinese Company. It is the one that is going to help process our bauxite and provide about $2 billion to us. So, when there are these kinds of arrangements, there are other things behind the scenes. There are many other things beyond what we see in these matters, and everybody is wide awake. The most important thing is that we established regulations and we are protecting our environment. That is far more important than one Chinese woman who has been deported back to her country,” he explained further.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9, presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
How she re-entered the country without detection till her recent arrest has been the major question on the minds of many Ghanaians.
During a recent trip to Rwanda, KalyJay, a well-known Ghanaian social media influencer, had the opportunity to meet Didier Drogba, his idol.
The teenage social media celebrity was thrilled to meet the famous person and have a brief conversation with him. KalyJay is a huge supporter of the football team Chelsea.
So it makes sense that he would look up to Didier, one of Chelsea’s all-time great players. Following their conversation, KalyJay took pictures with the football legend and gave him his business card.
People who watched the video were surprised by Kaly’s confidence because they had anticipated him to request Didier’s card. Others, however, had differing views on Kaly granting Didier his card.
KalyJay keeps growing as a brand and is widely respected by many important people. He has had the privilege to meet a lot of dignitaries and well-revered people in society.
Political analyst Kweku Adu-Gyamfi has raised questions about the procedure followed by the government for the deportation of illegal mining (‘galamsey’) queen Aisha Huang in 2018.
Adu-Gyamfi, speaking in an XYZ interview monitored by GhanaWeb, berated the government for extraditing Aisha Huang even though she was not found guilty of any crime in Ghana.
“What should have happened was that the courts in Ghana should have Aisha Huang found guilty, but the government will negotiate with the Chinese government so that she will serve her sentence there.
“Who authorized the deportation of Aisha Huang while her case was still in court? If someone is being prosecuted for a crime, is it right to deport her? Where in this world do we do that kind of thing?
“*How is in charge* of our airports? We have National Security at our airport. So, who authorized the deportation of Aisha Huang out of the country?” he said in Twi.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9, presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, who was deported from Ghana in 2018, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
How she re-entered the country without detection till her recent arrest has been the major question on the minds of many Ghanaians.
Ama Nsowaa, 59, was one among the explosion’s hardest-hit casualties.
She struggled with a left leg injury up until August 29 when the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital amputated that leg.
Thywill Quarshie, the Appiatse Disaster Relief Committee’s public relations officer, told Ghanaweb that the deceased, a diabetic patient, was scheduled for a review at the Wassa Akropong Government Hospital but was instead sent for additional care to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where the leg was amputated on Monday, August 29, 2022.
“What is so devasting is that the daughter of the deceased also lost her husband during the explosion, and so the mother (Ama Nsowaa) was her only hope, and now she is gone†he added.
Another victim, Paul Asare 38 who had his belly opened by the explosion also died at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi on Monday, June 6, 2022.
According to family members, he fell unconscious after he complained of stomach upset and was rushed to KATH for medical attention where he died.
Thywill Quashie on behalf of the relief committee expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.
More in critical condition
According to Thywill Quarshie “six more people are in critical conditions that need urgent attention. One of such victims; John Christmas Opare had his spinal cord broken, paralyzing him. He had to sleep on his back for many months which made his buttocks develop “pilonidal cystâ€; a medical term to describe a big sore buttocksâ€.
“He had to change his sleeping position to his side and that has also developed a sore at one of his hips up to the bone level.
He has been rushed to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital on Monday September 5, 2022, where doctors say he needs six pints of blood for survival†he explained.
He called for more support; cash or kind from companies, groups, organisations and individuals to help take care of the people.
13 people were confirmed dead in the Appiatse explosion on January 20, 2022 rendering over 500 people homeless after a truck carrying explosives belonging to MAXAM Ghana exploded after it was involved in an accident at Appiate, near Bogoso. The whole community was razed down as a result of the explosion.
“Euphoria” star Maude Apatow has shared her thoughts on suggestions her career success is a product of industry nepotism, being dubbed a “nepotism baby.”
Apatow, the eldest daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, plays high schooler Lexi Howard in the HBO series. (HBO and CNN are both part of Warner Bros. Discovery.)
She’s been cast in numerous other projects in recent years, after appearing alongside her mom in her father’s films, “Knocked Up” and “This is 40.”
“I try not to let it get to me because I obviously understand that I’m in such a lucky position,” Apatow told Net–Porter. “A lot of people [in a similar position] have proven themselves over the years, so I’ve got to keep going and make good work.”
She continued: “It’s so early in my career, I don’t have much to show yet, but hopefully one day I’ll be really proud of the stuff I’ve done by myself.”
“Dad always reads what I write, but I have to be at a certain point. I’ll wait until I’m almost done and then get notes from him. I get annoyed because he’ll come up with a better idea, but he’s super helpful. So is my mom,” she said.
The third season of “Euphoria” is currently in the works.
Apatow’s Lexi and her relationship with Fezco [Angus Cloud] became a main storyline last season, which ended in a cliffhanger finale.
“I’m so scared for them!” Apatow told the publication. “I know nothing yet, but I can’t wait to see how it all goes down.”
Some technicians will be deplored to various homes to fix meters with abnormalities after the implementation of the PURC-approved tariffs on September 1 2022, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced.
The power distribution company added that these technicians will also reprogramme the meters of customers to restore their power supply.
This move comes after ECG identified a technical challenge with the purchase of power by customers from vendors.
In a press statement sighted by GhanaWeb, the power distribution company said, “The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) wishes to inform our customers and all stakeholders that following the implementation of the PURC-approved tariff effective September 1, 2022, we noticed that some of our prepaid meters (BOT, ALPHA, ECASH) are not responding accurately to power purchased by customers.”
“However, customers whose prepaid meters run into negative balances after purchasing electricity should please note that our technicians are making frantic efforts to visit your premises to remedy the situation by reprogramming the meters to ensure the refund of your credits and restore power supply,†it added.
It would be recalled that the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) on Monday, August 15, 2022, announced an increment in electricity and water tariffs.
Electricity tariff was increased by 27.15% whiles water tariff was pegged at 21.55%.
He told the gathering that as their MP, it was incumbent on him to assist his constituents when they are in need.
The MP, after the presentation of building materials, further went ahead to fix some streetlights at vantage points in the area to enhance security in the community.
Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies lost 3-0 to Bayelsa Queens as the Nigerian club clinched the WAFU B title of the zonal qualifiers for TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League on Saturday.
Bayelsa Queens won the trophy thanks to three first-half goals at the Yamoussoukro Stadium in Cote d’Ivoire to secure the rights to represent Wafu B at the top-flight women’s continental club competition to be played later this year
Goals by Miracle Joseph, Flourish Sabatine Choma and Chinyere Igbomalu before the break sealed the emphatic victory and secure their place at the tournament in Morocco.
Bayelsa Queens succeed Ghanaian side Hasaacas Ladies who won the title last year by defeating Rivers Angels of Nigeria 3 -1 in the final of the zonal competition.
The Nigerian side will be seeking to improve on the performance of their predecessors Hasaacas Ladies who reached the final of the previous edition of CAF Women’s Champions League but lost 2-0 in final against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
The renovation of the Royal Reception at the Emintsimadze Palace is anticipated to be finished before the following Oguaa Fetu Afahye, according to Mr. Perry Mensah, chair of the planning committee for the 2022 Oguaa Fetu Afahye.
Speaking on the Atlantic Wave, he stated that the project would be funded by donations from benefactors and earnings from the 2022 Oguaa Fetu Afahye.
Mr. Mensah however revealed that not all those who pledged to support the project financially have fulfilled their promise but he believes his outfit will be able to gather enough funds for the project.
In an interview with ATL FM News, Mr. Mensah mentioned that the renovation works at the Emintismadze Palace came to a halt in 2019 due to the lack of funds but he is hoping to raise funds this year to ensure its continuation.
He thus noted that “hopefully before the next Afahye, I am sure the Royal reception area where we started will be completed, and then it will be commissioned.â€
He further indicated that since prices of goods and services have increased, the new cost of the project will be put out soon so that all those who would like to support it to fruition can come on board.
The Palace is the seat of traditional Authority in the Oguaa Traditional Area and its refurbishment has remained the special focus of the Fetu festival since 2018.
Asante Kotoko attacker, Georges Rodriguez Mfegue Omgba has been declared fit ahead of their CAF Champions League preliminary round games against RC Kadiogo.
The Cameroonian star-man returned to Ghana in early August 2022 to join the team ahead of the new football season.
The bulky forward had been on the medical table throughout the teams period in Sudan where they engaged Al Hilal Omdurman, Simba SC, and Al Ahli Khartoum in friendly games.
Mfegue Omgba will join the team training and start preparing for their first leg CAF Champions League encounter against RC Kadiogo after going through recovery work last week.
Mfegue gave Asante Kotoko double figures in goals and assists last season which were crucial in the team’s ability to win the Ghana Premier League after eight years.
He is expected to be in Coach Seidu Zerbo’s squad for the game in Cote D’Ivoire on Friday.
Asante Kotoko will leave for Cote D’Ivoire on Wednesday, 7th September 2022 for the game on Friday 9th September 2022.
The second leg will come off on the 18th of September, 2022 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
“There are some people who haven’t received their Ghana cards, which are the main registration documents, and there are others who say that physically disabled persons who couldn’t have their biometrics taken as a result haven’t received the cards at all and haven’t registered.”
He told the show’s host Dr. Cash, “We have records of others who have sought to register on multiple occasions but were unsuccessful, which is not their fault.
However, Mr. Ashibey urged the National Identification Authority, the National Communications Authority, and the telecom carriers to collect data on these 250,000 people right away and exempt them from the sanctions.
NCA directed all Mobile Network Operators to barred persons who have not registered their SIM cards from receiving certain services.
The punitive measures which began on Monday, September 5, 2022, affected all outgoing voice calls for unregistered sim cards.
This decision according to NCA was necessitated by some sim card users’ failure to register their sims after the deadline for the registration was extended.
The Authority in a statement explained the move forms part of punitive actions ahead of the SIM re-registration deadline which takes effect on September 30, 2022.
The NCA however reiterated that persons who fail to register their SIM cards before the September 30 deadline will have their numbers blocked permanently.
Police officials in Ellembelle, in the Western Region, have located and retrieved one of the missing excavatorsin a mining forest.
A press statement by the police stated that the excavator was foundon Tuesday after days of intelligence operations.
“A team of operations and intelligence officers working day and night discovered the missing excavator several kilometers into a forest within the Ellembelle District.â€
Police claim Kwasi Bonzoh “organised and led some thugs to attack the police and obstruct the operation.â€
The Ellembelle Police officers have assured to continue with their investigation to recover the other excavator and arrest all those behind it to face justice.
Due to the infamous Chinese national who was expelled from Ghana in 2018 being’successfully’ re-entered into Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must revoke the appointments of several officials.
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the Accra Circuit Court 9 presided by Samuel Bright Acquah, remanded Aisha Huang, into custody.
This was after Miss Huang, together with three other Chinese nationals, were brought before the court on charges including engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals without a license and mining without a license.
The court could not take into record the pleas of the four suspects because there was no interpreter to help translate proceedings for the Chinese nationals.
The accused persons were not represented by a lawyer. The court adjourned sitting on the case to Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
How she re-entered the country without detection till her recent arrest has been the major question on the minds of many Ghanaians.
Aisha Huang arrested in deported from Ghana in 2018
Ms. Huang, who was described as “untouchable” on some media platforms, was in 2017 charged with undertaking small-scale mining operations contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
She was also charged with providing mine support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to Section 59 and 99 (2) of the Minerals and Mining Act; and also charged with illegal employment of foreign nationals (in breach of section 24 of the Immigration Act and regulation 18 of the Immigration Regulations).
Her deportation meant the state discontinued the trial against her.
A Ghanian supporter cheers on January 20, 2013 before the start of a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations football match between Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Qatar will permit ticketed fans to buy alcoholic beer at World Cup soccer matches starting three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match, a source with knowledge of plans for the tournament said.
Budweiser, a major World Cup sponsor with exclusive rights to sell beer at the tournament, will serve beer within the ticketed perimeter surrounding each stadium, but not in the stadium stands or concourse, the source said.
This year’s World Cup is the first to be held in a Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, presenting unique challenges for organizers of an event sponsored by a major beer brand and often associated with beer-drinking fans.
“Beer will be available when gates open, which is three hours before kick-off. Whoever wants to have a beer will be able to. And then when they leave the stadium as well for one hour after the final whistle,” the source said.
Additionally, Budweiser will be permitted to serve beer in part of the main FIFA fan zone in central Doha from 6:30 pm to 1:00 am every day of the 29-day tournament, which kicks off on November 20, the source said.
At previous World Cup tournaments, beer was served in fan zones all day long.
The decision about where and when the beer will be sold to fans is now finalized, but the price fans will be charged for a beer is still under discussion, the source said.
“We are working closely with FIFA, which is managing the relationship with the Qatari authorities, to ensure our activations for the tournament are executed respectfully and in compliance with local rules and regulations,” a spokesperson for Budweiser brewer AB InBev said in an emailed statement.
Qatar’s World Cup organizers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, did not respond to requests for comment about the World Cup controls on alcohol. Qatar’s government media office directed requests to the Supreme Committee.
There are four matches scheduled on most days of the tournament’s group stage, with the earliest match kicking off at 1 p.m.
It was not immediately clear how Qatar will handle beer sales ahead of the 1 p.m. Wales and Iran game on Friday, November 25, when most Muslims in Qatar will be gathering at mosques for the weekly congregational prayer.
Qatar currently requires most shops and restaurants in the country to close during Friday prayers.
Questions have swirled around the role alcohol would play at this year’s World Cup since Qatarwon hosting rights in 2010. While not a “dry” state like neighboring Saudi Arabia, consuming alcohol in public places is illegal in Qatar.
Visitors cannot bring alcohol into Qatar, even from an airport duty-free, and they cannot buy alcohol at the country’s only liquor store, on the outskirts of Doha. Only foreign residents with permits can shop there for home consumption.
Visitors can drink at a few dozen licensed hotels and clubs, where a pint of beer can cost $18.
Budweiser will sell its non-alcoholic beer, Budweiser Zero, in stadium concourses and stands during games and at other fan sites, the source said.
“We always respect the local customs and culture in the markets in which we operate or host events,” a spokesperson for AB InBev told Reuters in an emailed statement.
“Our promotion and activation of Budweiser Zero during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will target the international guests coming to enjoy and celebrate football at the fan sites.”
According to the statement, “in the past month, individuals claiming to represent various groups against the presence of foreigners have announced or aired plans to attack, rusticate, or remove foreigners from their employment or workplaces and even out of the nation beginning in September 2022.”
It cautioned that “such activities by individuals or groups could degenerate into violence aimed at foreigners, or threaten their lives, safety and livelihood.â€
It therefore advised Ghanaians resident in the country “to be vigilant to any such incidents, restrict their movement to safe areas, avoid mass gatherings and refrain from engaging in activities that could result in conflict, brawls or deterioration in their safety.â€
The High Commission also urged members of the Ghanaian community to contact the mission “in case of emergency or any attacks†via telephone.
Medeama top officialspaid a working visit to the T and A stadium to ascertain the extent of work on the ongoing redevelopment of the facility.
Club President Moses Armah, Board Chairman Dr. Tonight Aubynn, and Board Secretary, Emmanuel Larbi Amoah, visited the facility on Monday in the mining town of Tarkwa.
The three top officials have been briefed on the extent of work of the little over 10,000-seater stadium.
The modern stadium is taking shape with work expected to be completed early next year.
The move comes on the back of a successful Board meeting held in Cape Coast on Sunday.
Officials of Gold Fields are pumping in an increased $16.3 million for the reconstruction of the Tarkwa NA Aboso Park.
The 10,000 seater capacity, which is fully fans covered, is estimated to cost $16.3 million and is being funded by Gold Fields Ghana Limited.
The stadium will act as an economic invigorator and will contribute to strengthening the image of the mining town.
The revamped venue will also feature a complete seating capacity and involves redesigning the pitch, VIP, media stands, tickets boot, and drainage amongst others.
The edifice will also boast an electronic scoreboard running around its perimeter.
The host of Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Media General Ghana Limited and its broadcaster, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, also known as Captain Smart, and his media house, Media General Ghana Limited
Adom-Otchere is seeking, among other things, GH10 million in restitution for the harm done to his reputation as a result of remarks made against him by Captain Smarton Onua FM/TV.
On August 26, 2022, the anchor of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV alleges that the plaintiff made defamatory remarks about him and claimed that he was a corrupt journalist on the “Onua Maakye” show on Onua FM/TV.
The comments by Captian Smart, according to Mr Adom-Otchere have left him at the mercy of public ridicule.
In his writ filed at the High Court, is seeking compensatory damages “for the damage done to his reputation and aggravated damages for the reckless and malicious publication of the defamatory words.â€
He is also seeking an order from the court directing the defendants to retract and apologize for the comments “on all media platforms operated by the 2nd defendant†as well as an “injunction restraining the defendants from further publishing and causing to be published the said similar words defamatory of the plaintiff.â€
