The project, started in 2018 by the Government of Ghana under the leadership of President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, costs 124.9 million euros.
Being executed by Contracta Construction UK Limited, phase two of the Kumasi International Airport project will see the extension of the runway from the current 1,981 meters to 2,300 meters.
A new road network and external works with security fence and substations are among the scope of work on the airport.
The project also involves airfield works, new Air Traffic Control (ATC) building, a new fire station building, and the construction of a new terminal building with the capacity to accommodate one million passengers a year.
However, aspects of the projects that have been completed include the construction of the terminal, installation of escalators, the baggage carousel, check-in points, and passenger boarding bridges.
According to Mr. Yaw Appiah Dankwa, Director of Planning and Project of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, the project is expected to be ready for operationalization by October 2022
The Mobile Money Agents Associationhas said the two months extension announced by the government is not enough time to guarantee that all Ghanaians would re-register their SIM cards.
According to the association, the challenge for many registrants is their inability to access their Ghana Cards.
In an interview with Citi News, the Secretary of the Mobile Money Agents Association, Evans Otumfuor, said until problems facing the National Identification Authority are dealt with, the extension would have little impact.
“Looking at the exigencies that government wants us to regularise our credentials with the Ghana Card, we were thinking that at least, within a space of six months, it should be enough for us to get quite a good number of people.â€
The government had initially set July 31 as the deadline for all persons to re-register their SIM cards with their Ghana Cards.
Persons who had failed to comply with the directive would have had their SIM cards deactivated.
The regulations are to help law enforcement agencies to identify SIM card owners, track criminals who use phones for illegal activities, curb phone theft, hate text messaging, mobile fraud activities, and SIM Box fraud.
Statistics from the National Communication Authority (NCA) show that as of Thursday, July 21, 2022, 16,969,034 individuals had registered for the Ghana Card, with about 16,535,623 cards printed, while 15,395,607 had linked their Ghana Card to their SIM cards.
To boost the registration process, the government has put in place a self-service registration application, which will be made available on both Android and IOS platforms this week.
Police have arrested five people in connection with the attack on the Bono East National Democratic Congress party office at Techiman on July 28.
The five were identified as Kojo Agyei alias Kojo Cocaine, Illiasu Sulemana aka Oboot, Andrew Kemire, Fatau Abdallah and Alhaji Nuhu.
“During the attacks, one person sustained multiple knife wounds and is currently on admission at the Techiman Government Hospital,†police noted in a statement.
The sliding windows of the party office and a vehicle which was parked at the office were also vandalised.
All the suspects will be put before court later today.
“We wish to take the opportunity to urge individuals and groups to choose dialogue rather than violence to resolve their differences, since the Police will not hesitate to apply the law,†police concluded.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has revealed that over GH¢400 million has been lost by the state due to ghost names on the Social Security and National Insurance Trust SSNIT pension scheme and the National Service Scheme.
Speaking at the 2021 Civil Service Awards Night in Accra, Dr Bawumia, noted that the use of Ghana’s unique identification system helped government in identifying about 27,000 to 14,000 ghost names registered on SSNIT and NSS respectively.
“14,000 ghost names were recently found at the National Service because there was no unique identity. Just a couple of days ago, SSNIT found 27,000 ghost names, and they were being paid GH¢327 million. Just these two institutions have cost us over GH¢400 million,†Dr. Bawumia said while speaking at the 2021 Civil Service Awards Night in Accra.
The head of the economic management team noted that the unique identification system introduced by the Akufo-Addo government would deal with ghost names on the government’s payroll.
Highlighting the relevance of the Ghana Card, Dr Bawumia asserted that the growing menace especially in public institutions will be nipped in the bud.
For him, the National Identification Card is more beneficial than 1,000 interchanges.
“Today, we have 16 million Ghanaians with unique identities, and that is a major transformation. A lot of people sometimes do not appreciate its impact. If you gave me 1000 interchanges and the Ghana Card, I would choose the Ghana Card because it has more impact,†Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said.
Justifying his stand to choose the Ghana card over 1000 interchanges, Dr Bawumia stated that with the unique identification system, individuals who do not qualify to benefit from the scheme will be exposed.
“It seems my Ghana card statement was misinterpreted. I want people to think about it critically. For the first time in our history, we have a unique identity system which is biometric, and so we can identify individuals. With this, the case of ghost names on our public sector system will become a thing of the past,” he explained.
The Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has disclosed that government will on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 launch a SIM card registration app as part of effort to address the challenges bedeviling the exercise.
The self-serve SIM card registration, according to the sector minister will come at a cost of GH5.
Speaking at a Press conference on Sunday, 31 August 2022, Madam Owusu-Ekuful stated that “the SIM card registration app will be ready for commercial launch on Tuesday 2nd August which will enable you to register yourself at the privacy of your home without having to queue or go to any network operator. Each registration via the app will be subject to a fine of GH5 surcharge, you will pay GH5 to register yourself on the SIM registration appâ€.
The introduction of the online registration exercise, she says, follows a consultation with various stakeholders for a smooth registration process.
The SIM card registration exercise which commenced on October 1, 2021 has been marred with several challenges including long queues at network providing centers, preventing a great number of citizens from partaking in the exercise.
With the Ghana cardbeing the sole identification document used for the SIM card registration exercise nationwide, some Ghanaians have not been able to register their cards due to the non-issuance of cards and card collection.
The Minister for Communication also ascribed the security situation in Bawku as another challenge bedeviling the exercise.
Meanwhile, the deadline for SIM cardsregistration have been extended to September 30, 2022.
“I have very reluctantly decided to grant a final conditional extension. The programme will be extended to 30th September to end on the anniversary of its commencement. That will give us one full year of SIM registration.â€
The Ministry of information has called on relevant stakeholders to support the National Media Commission (NMC) with funding so that it can adequately regulate the interests of journalists in the country.
According to the ministry, the commission lacks funding to enable it carry out its regulatory role as it should hence the call for support to enable NMC give more protection to the media.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of a forum organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa on Media professionalism and safety of journalists in Ghana, the Deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar asked all stakeholders to commit to supporting the cause.
“We are willing to offer some level of support to the office and keep it running, but I would like to use this opportunity to reach out to stakeholders in the country and outside Ghana who have the capacity to assist the NMC with funding to run the office [to help] because perhaps if they had more resources, they would be more inquisitorial in their approach,†she said.
She further urged journalists to speak up when their security is being threatened in the course of their duties.
According to her, although the Commission was put in place as part of efforts by the government to protect journalists in the country, journalists fail to report cases of violations to the commission for legal actions to be taken against culprits.
“For the past one year, we have been able to set up an office for the coordinated mechanism on the safety of journalists. As you heard from the National Media Commission, journalists do not even come there to find out processes of what is happening there so that in line of their duty, when there is such violation, they will go there for redress,†she said.
The forum was attended by relevant stakeholders such as the Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, Ghana Institute of Journalism, among others.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has refuted the Ghana Police Service’s claim that their recent study on corruption in Ghana is flawed.
The study dubbed “Corruption in Ghana, People’s Experiences and View†conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), found the Service to be the most corrupt public institution in the country.
The report disclosed that out of the GHC17.4 million bribes paid to public institutions in 2021 the Ghana Police officers topped the list of officials who take bribes with 53.2%.
But the Ghana Police Service, not pleased with the research conducted, questioned the methodology used to conduct the survey.
In a five-page reply to the three institutions, Inspector-General of the Ghana Police Service, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare stated that the study’s conclusions were severely contested and tainted from both an intellectual and practical standpoint.
“Our discomfort, therefore, is the use of selective ranking methodology to project the outcomes in a manner that puts an unfair focus on the Police Service, with all the others in your corruption index escaping public scrutiny.â€
“The Service has almost now become the default institution of choice for such research and has therefore encouraged a deep-seated public stereotype over the years. This stereotype may easily influence respondent choices, and it is, therefore, fair to expect that you factor it in assessing the validity of your findings,†Dr. George Akuffo Dampare noted in his statement.
Responding to the reservation by the Police Service, GSS defended its corruption report stating that the methodology employed to sample the respondents was robust and devoid of errors.
The Director of Social and Demographic Statistics at the GSS, Anthony Amuzu Pharin Anthony, stated that “our methodology and all our issues were subjected to very high scrutiny. There was a steering committee on this made up of institutions including the police to approve our methodology.
He revealed that the research was solely based on the experiences of the public.
Mr Amuzu explained that “we randomly selected 15,000 households and within the households, we randomly selected one adult.
The information we collected suggested this. We are not dealing with perceptions. We are dealing with actual experience. Initially, when we published the story, some people were asking us what the way forward is. The way forward is to sit with CHRAJ and come up with recommendations for the specific institutions based on the report we have come out with.â€
Meanwhile, the Ghana Statistical Service has revealed that it spent GH¢6 million in conducting its corruption perception report recently released.
According to the GSS, a component of the expenditure was from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
“In total, we spent about ¢6 million on this survey, but obviously this had a component of the expenditure from UNODC side because of the technical support they provided, but once we are doing this by ourselves, we think something around ¢5 million will suffice,†he said.
Prof. Annim also said they will engage with the Finance Minister to see how often this research can be done.
“We have already started conversations on that unfortunately the conversations are from our development partners but what we are going to do together with CHRAJ is to approach the Minister for Finance to see what the government can do in terms of whether every year or every two years.â€
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has referred four Supreme Court Justice nominees to the Appointments Committee for consideration.
Interested persons and organisations have been asked to submit their memoranda in respect of the nominations to the clerk of the Appointments Committee for consideration.
The move is in accordance with Article 144 (3) of the 1992 Constitution.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo nominated the four: three justices of the Court of Appeal and a Justice of the High Court.
The nominees from the Court of Appeal are Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu, Justice George Kingsley Koomson, and Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu.
Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu is the only nominee from the High Court.
Their appointments are subject to vetting and subsequent approval or rejection by Parliament.
The President made these nominations to fill up expected vacancies at the apex court.
A Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boamah Otokunor, has successfully obtained a doctorate degree in Agric Economics and Policy from the University of Ghana.
The Deputy NDC scribe in a post on June 21 celebrated the successful defense of his PhD thesis.
The subject of his thesis was centered on “Technical efficiency and competitiveness of irrigated and rain-fed production technologies in Ghana.â€
A video on his Facebook page showed him interacting with his supervisors for the oral defense of his thesis.
The accompanying caption of the post read: “Romans 8:28 All things work together for good to those who love God …We made it. I came, I saw and conquered! PhD Agric Economics and Policy bagged successfully.â€
On June 22, he posted another video of the moment the examination panel declared his results.
“The declaration of my results by the examination panel Chaired by Prof. Irene Egyir after the presentation of my viva at the University of Ghana yesterday. An exciting moment it was, the emotions were overwhelming. Glory be to God!†the caption of the video read.
“I thank God Almighty for the support, the protection, the courage, the assistance in making this dream come true and I consider it as one of the biggest dreams of my life,†he said.
The founder of the defunct Capital Bank, William Ato Essien and two others who are standing trial over the misappropriation of some GH¢130 million liquidity support to the bank leading to its collapse will face judgement on November 17.
This was after the third accused person Rev. Fitzgerald Odonkor, the former Managing Director (MD) of the bank had closed his defence.
William Ato Essien, the first accused person and Tettey Nettey, the second accused person had both closed their cases earlier in the trial that started about two years ago.
“As the third accused has closed his case there is no further evidence to lead. This criminal trial has closed,†Justice Eric Kyei Baffour stated.
“I order the prosecution and defence lawyers to file their respective written submissions in support of their case by the 17th October 2022,†the court added.
“The court will adjourn for its judgement to 17 November 2022 at 11 am,†the Judge stated.
The prosecution has closed its case after calling 17 witnesses in the matter.
Charges
Essien is standing trial with the Managing Director (MD) of the defunct bank, Fitzgerald Odonkor, and the MD of MC Management Services, Tettey Nettey.
MC Management Services is said to be owned by Essien.
The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to a combined 23 charges of stealing, abetment to stealing, conspiracy to steal and money laundering. They are on bail.
They have been accused of engaging in various illegal acts that led to the dissipation of the GH¢620-million liquidity support given to Capital Bank by the BoG between June 2015 and November 2016.
The 26-year-old signed a deal that will see him spend the 2022/23 campaign in Syria after leaving Saudi Arabian club Al Diriyah, where he spent the last six months on loan.
Al Ahli announced the arrival of the Ghanaian on their official Facebook page, and expects the defender to join his teammate next week.
“Aleppo’s Ahli finished the procedures of the signing of Ghanaian defender, Joseph Adjei. This is to strengthen the ranks of Al Ahli next season. The player is expected to arrive in Aleppo next week,” wrote the club.
Al Ahli are six times champions of Syria, and have won the Syrian Cup nine times. Continentally, they have won the AFC Cup once.
Joseph Adjei previously played for Wa All Stars, Cape Town FC, Al Orouba, Legon Cities and Malkiya.
Vodafone Plc, the parent company of Vodafone Ghana, in a bid to focus on key markets has agreed on a sale of its operations in Ghana to Telecel Group.
A spokesperson for Vodafone Ghana said the majority stake will be sold to Africa-focused Telecel, subject to certain conditions.
According to a Bloomberg report, confidential sources say Telecel plans to help fund the acquisition of the company by offloading the its mobile towers.
Vodafone paid $900 million to the government of Ghana for a 70% stake in the company while the government maintains a 30% stake.
Telecel currently operates in more than 30 countries and employs over 700 staff, according to its website.
It has struck deals in Gibraltar, Liberia, and Mauritania in recent years.
The Ghanaian, who was well-liked at Chelsea during his time there, was buried in Ghana.
Chelsea U-18s paid tribute to the ever-smiling Eric Asiedu during their pre-season friendly against Coventry at Cobham on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.
The first team, on the other hand, paid their respects during a training session on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
His passing brought great grief among the Chelsea Academy graduates as well as the current and former staff who worked with Asiedu at the club. They took to social media to bid farewell to the Ghanaian.
He joined Chelsea in 2013, serving the Blue family, mostly at the Academy level until his passing.
According to Asiedu Mends, his nephew and social media influencer, the kit man came to Ghana for a two-week vacation. Unfortunately, he died on June 7, 2022.
For the first time in nearly two months, crude oil prices have fallen below $100 a barrel, reflecting investors’ growing concerns about a US recession that could crimp demand for oil.
The price of West Texas Intermediate crude tumbled as much as 10% Tuesday, to hit a low of $97.43 before closing at $99.50, down 8% on the day. Brent crude oil was down by more than 10% when it hit a low for the day of $101.10 a barrel, before settling at $102.77 at the close.
It’s the first time that WTI has been below $100 since May 11. That was also the last time Brent, which typically trades a bit higher, was below $102 a barrel. Brent has not been below $100 since April 25.
Wholesale gas futures fell as well, down almost 10% for the day at the close, or 36 cents a gallon.
The national average cost of a gallon of gas at the pump is now $4.80, according to the latest AAA reading, down one penny from Monday and 8 cents from a week ago. Gas prices crossed the $5 mark for the first time on June 11 and hit a peak of $5.02 a gallon on June 14.
Until fairly recently, oil and gasoline investors had believed that there was little in the way of market forces to keep prices in check in the near term. “There is now a perceived huge downward risk tied to recession risk,” he said.
There have been mounting fears of a recession in recent weeks, which has helped take oil prices sharply lower. Brent was at $123.58 a barrel on June 8, while WTI was at $122.11. But since that peak, the Consumer Price Index showed consumer prices hit a 40-year high, one of the key metrics that prompted the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point as a way of combating those price pressures. That has raised expectations that the central bank’s aggressive moves to cool the economy could cause job losses and a recession.
Oil and gas prices surged earlier this year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted the United States and its European allies to sanction Russian energy exports, effectively choking off one of the world’s largest producers.
But the supply of oil is only part of the equation traders consider when bidding on oil futures. Demand is the other part. And nothing kills demand like a recession, which reduces economic activity overall. When people get laid off, there are fewer people driving to work or to the store or other destinations.
The previous time gas hit a record high was during the Great Recession, when the national average reached $4.11 a gallon in July 2008. But by the end of that year, it had fallen 60%, to $1.62 a gallon, as demand plunged. But cheap gas was of little consolation to the nearly 3 million people who lost their jobs during those five months.
So far, drivers have seen relatively little relief at the gas pump from the recent fall in oil and gasoline futures. The national average price of gas has fallen only 4%, or 22 cents, since the June 14 record, while wholesale gas futures have dropped 22% since topping out at $4.28 a gallon on June 9.
US gasoline retailers have little incentive to cut prices more deeply with strong demand for gasoline with the summer driving season in full swing.
“There’s no compelling reason for retailers to lower their price more with this strong demand,” said Kloza.
There could be more price drops at the pump in the near term — a decline of another 10 cents a gallon in the next week or so wouldn’t be a surprise, Kloza said. Station owners who are paying less for wholesale gas will be watching to how much of the savings their competitors are passing on to customers before they set their own prices. But the expression that gas prices go up like a rocket and come down like a feather is likely to play out once again, Kloza said.
There likely won’t be any big declines until schools reopen and the summer driving season ends this fall, he predicted. There are also risks that further developments in Russian oil exports tied to the war in Ukraine or hurricanes hitting US oil infrastructure along the Gulf Coast could send prices climbing up rapidly once again.
“I wouldn’t put away the fives used in gas price signs quite yet,” he said.
After slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, Will Smith claims he “reached out” to him, but the comic has stated he is “not ready to chat.”
After the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife at the Academy Awards in March, the actor smacked Rock on stage.
Smith renewed his apology in a video that he published on Friday in which he reflected on the slap. This was the first time Smith had been seen talking about the incident.
“I apologize to Chris. My actions were unacceptable “said he. I’m available whenever you want to talk.
Smith has previously only issued written statements about the altercation. In the video, on his own YouTube channel, he answers questions that appear to be written by fans.
He reads out out the questions himself, addressing the camera directly.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Smith smacked Rock after the comic made a joke about the actor’s wife Jada
“I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment,” the actor said.
“I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment… There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment.”
Smith explained: “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.”
Figure caption, He also said his wife Jada Pinkett Smith did not ask him to do something to defend her after Rock made the joke. “Jada had nothing to do with it,” Smith said.
“I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.”
Rock had taken aim at Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, a result of the hair-loss condition alopecia.
Pinkett Smithspoke last month saying it was her “deepest hope” that her husband and Rock could “reconcile” after the incident.
She had previously posted on her social media after the slap that it was a “season for healing”.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smithat the Vanity Fair Oscars party
Smith also apologised to his fellow nominees at the Oscars ceremony.
“Knowing that this is a community, it’s almost as though your votes helped me win.
I feel so terrible for having taken advantage of you and marred your moment.”
Smith earned his first Oscar for his performance in King Richard, a movie about the father of Serena and Venus Williams, after the incident on stage.
Smith has been prohibited from attending Academy functions for the next 10 years as a result of what the Oscars have called his “unacceptable and damaging behavior” on stage.
It was stated that following the slap, Smith was asked to leave the award ceremony, but he refused. A producer later clarified that Rock himself had not intended for Smith to be expelled violently or taken into custody by the police.
The couple, who tied the knot in 2008 after dating since 2000, welcomed their first child, daughter Blue Ivy, in January 2012. In 2017, they were joined by twins Rumi and Sir.
Credit: Kevin Winter/MTV1415/Getty
In a rare appearance on an episode of Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart series on Peacock, JAY-Z spoke candidly about how much he tries to prioritize taking time away from music to be with his three kids: “Time is all you have. That’s the only thing we control. It’s how you spend your time. You’re reckless with your time before, you’re just all over the place and then you have to … What are you leaving your house for?”
He continued, “Every second that you spend, you’re spending away from the development of these people that you brought here, that you love more than anything in the world. So what are you going to spend that time on? So that changed a lot. That changed practically everything for me.”
“I think the most stressful thing for me is balancing work and life,” the musician shared with Elle in 2019. “Making sure I am present for my kids — dropping Blue off at school, taking Rumi and Sir to their activities, making time for date nights with my husband, and being home in time to have dinner with my family — all while running a company can be challenging.”
The first-time parents welcomed their daughter Blue Ivy in New York City on Jan. 7, 2012. They formally introduced her to the world with a series of photos the following month.
The former Destiny’s Child member first revealed her pregnancy on August 28, 2011, at the MTV VMAs in Los Angeles while cradling a bump on the red carpet. During her “Love on Top” performance, she told the audience, “I want you to stand up on your feet. I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside me.”
Blue has already started following in the footsteps of her musical parents. When she was only two days old, her vocals were featured on her father’s song “Glory,” which earned her the title of a Guinness World Record holder for being the youngest person to have a song appear on a Billboard chart.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
In 2020, she was featured in her mother’s song “Brown Skin Girl.” Blue brought home a BET Her Award, NAACP Image Award and a Grammy Award for best music video for her feature. She is the second youngest individually credited winner of a Grammy Award.
Aside from her musical accomplishments, Blue has helped induct her dad into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, provided narration for a book and even assists with taking care of her younger siblings.
Credit: David Dow/NBAE
Blue is also taking notes on self-care from her busy mom. The “Formation” singer told Harper’s Bazaar that Blue is already adopting her go-to rituals, saying, “One of my most satisfying moments as a mom is when I found Blue one day soaking in the bath with her eyes closed, using blends I created and taking time for herself to decompress and be at peace I have so much to share … and there’s more to come soon!”
“Rumi is our favorite poet, so it was for our daughter,” JAY-Z explained in August 2017. “Sir was like, man, come out the gate. He carries himself like that. He just came out, like, Sir.”
The singer shared that the inspiration for the children’s line stemmed from wanting to match with her three kids.
“On our family vacations, we love to coordinate our outfits. My kids are usually on set with me for shoots, and we’d find ourselves putting them in extra-extra-smalls so we could match. So it is a natural progression for IVY PARK to introduce a selection of key silhouettes in children’s sizing,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
Knowles-Lawson also shared that on a recent trip to Disneyland, 5-year-old Rumi defended her outfit choice when her older sister offered her opinion on it.
“We recently went to Disneyland, and she put on her Mickey Mouse shorts. Then she wanted to put on a sparkly printed top, which had the same colors. It actually looked really cute,” she explained. “But her sister came in and Blue was like, ‘My mom would be mad because she’s doing too much.’ And Rumi said, ‘This is my style.’ She’s 5. I was impressed.”
During the club’s first training session at Cobham since their training tour in the United States, the players, led by the manager, observed a minute of silence in memory of the Ghanaian.
The Chelsea U-18 initially paid a tribute to the ‘ever-smiling’ ‘Uncle Eric’ during their pre-season friendly against Coventry City at Cobham on July 27, 2022.
Chelsea FC officially announced the passing of their all-loving and ever-smiling kit man, Eric Aseidu On June 8, 2022.
Eric Asiedu joined Chelsea in 2013, serving the Blue family, mostly at the Academy level until his passing.
To the academy players, Asiedu was a father figure and a role model. The players drew inspiration from his positivity and his loving character. He was loved by all at Cobham and had three nicknames, “Boss”, “Bossman” or “Uncle E”.
According to Asiedu Mends, a social media influencer who claims to be Eric Asiedu’s nephew, the kit man came to Ghana for a two-week vacation in June. Unfortunately, he died on June 7, 2022.
Staff and players at Cobham observed a minute’s silence and applause for much-loved Academy kitman Eric Asiedu ahead of his funeral tomorrow. 💙 pic.twitter.com/yUMYo29biC
Friends of actress Tracey Boakye have filled social media with images and videos from her wedding to Ghanaian actor Frank Badu Ntiamoah, who is stationed in Germany, which took place on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
The hashtag #Francey22was trending on social media as well-wishers and congratulations were sent to the couple by fans of the actress.
To commemorate becoming a Mrs., Tracey and her bridesmaids hosted a bridal shower before the big celebration on Thursday.
The black-themed bachelorette party ignited social media and convinced everyone who had any lingering doubts that she was actually getting married to the man she had kept a secret all these time.
The interest payments represent 4.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), higher than the targeted amount of GH¢19.05 billion.
However, GH¢17.120 billion which forms 3.4 percent of GDP was for compensation of employees which followed suit.
The Wage Bill amounted to GH¢15.168 billion making up 88.6 percent of the total compensation.
Capital Expenditure also totaled GH¢7.108 billion representing 1.4 percent of GDP.
Meanwhile, government has reviewed its total expenditure downwards to GH¢135.74 billion (22.9% of GDP), from the original budget projection of GH¢137.52 billion (27.4% of GDP).
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed the September 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying doubleheader between Ghana and Angola.
The matches will now be played in March 2023.
“The postponement of the Cup of Nations offered an opportunity to reschedule the remaining qualifying matches,” a document addressed to the members of the executive committee of the CAF read.
“It also makes it possible to open the dates in September to international friendly matches for preparation for the World Cup.â€
CAF has already postponed the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to January 2024.
The decision was made by the CAF due to unfavourable weather conditions in Cote d’Ivoire during the summer.
The biennial competition was originally set to take place in June 2023.
The latest decision means Black Stars will now use the September international window to engage in friendlies ahead of the 2022 World Cup to be staged in Qatar from November 21-December 18.
Ghana have already scheduled a friendly against Switzerland seven days before their first match in Qatar.
Black Stars will play Portugal, and South Korea and then wrap up their group stage campaign against Uruguay in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup quarter-final clash.
For the AFCON qualifiers, Ghana lead their group with four points after beating Madagascar 3-0 and sharing the spoils 1-1 with the Central African Republic, both games taking place in June.
Among other things, the minister outlined government’s efforts toward building a resilient and vibrant economy amid the current challenges.
Ofori-Atta also updated the House Government’s revision of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate from 5.8 percent to 3.7 percent for 2022.
He added that apart from the revised overall GDP target, almost all other macroeconomic variables have been revised downward.
The Finance Minister during the presentation also told lawmakers government is not seeking additional funds in the 2022 budget and was committed to staying within its appropriation for the 2022 financial year.
However, the Minority side of Parliament believes Ken Ofori-Atta has failed woefully in discharging his duties as the driver economic growth even as the country engages the International Monetary Fund for a support programme.
This week’s edition of BizTech includes highlights of what transpired in parliament. The show will also bring divergent views from both the minority and majority side of parliament on the budget presentation.
Watch the video below:
BizTech: Highlights of 2022 mid-year budget presentation by Finance Minister
The Finance Minster, Ken Ofori-Atta, presented the mid-year budget review before Parliament on Monday, July 25, 2022. Among other things, the minister outlined government’s efforts toward building a resilient and vibrant economy amid the current challenges. This week’s edition of BizTech includes highlights of what transpired in parliament. The show will also bring divergent views from both the minority and majority side of parliament on the budget presentation.
Angel Broadcasting Network journalist, Nana Yaa Brefo has scolded Arsenal midfielder, Thomas Partey after a social media user made allegations against him.
In the late hours of Thursday, July 28, 2022, the social media user with the handle @deffonotchaur made serious allegations against the Black Stars midfielder.
During a discussion of the issue on their morning show, the popular broadcaster chastised Partey for choosing a White lady over a Black lady.
“Does she look like a black girl? As for white girls, even a look could land you assault accusations. They should be careful. We are here but they will never take us to five-star hotels. The girl is beautiful.”
Thomas Partey is currently with Arsenal as they continue their preparation ahead of the 2023/2022 English Premier League.
Accra Hearts of Oak who signed Sulley Muntari on a short-time deal before the second round in the just-ended 2021/2022 Ghana Premier League are yet to announce a contract extension for the 37-year-old midfielder.
However, Sulley Muntari showed up for preseason together with his teammates and was taken through the compulsory medication examination before the registration of players begins.
Sulley Muntari won the President’s Cup and the MTN FA Cup in his first season with Accra Hearts of Oak and will be looking forward to playing in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Below are the full list of players who are currently in the camp of Accra Hearts of Oak for pre-season training.
1. RICHARD ATTAH 2. RICHMOND AYI 3. RICHARD BAIDOO
4. BENJAMIN NANA YEBOAH 5. FATAWU MOHAMMED 6. SAMUEL INKOOM 7. RASHID OKAI 8. KWABENA ADJEI 9. MOHAMMED ALHASSAN 10. ROBERT ADDO SOWAH 11. JAMES SEWORNU 12. CALEB AMANKWAH.
13. KUDOS MOHAMMED 14. SALIFU IBRAHIM 15. MICHELLE SARPONG 16. GLADSON AWAKO 17. SULLEY MUNTRRI 18. SEIDU SURAJ 19. DANIEL AFRIYIE 20. ISAAC MENSAH.
21. KOJO OBENG JUNIOR 22. BENJAMIN YORK 23.KONADU YIADOM 24.ARAFAT MOHAMMED 25.LAWALI MAMANE 26.AMANKWAH BAAFI 27.YASSIN OUATCHING 28.DANIEL KORDIE 29.DENNIS KORSAH.
30.ENOCK ASUBONTENG 31.USHAU ABU 32.RUDOLF BLAGOGEE 33.WILLIAM OPOKU 34.BEN MENSAH.
FIFA said on Thursday that the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be going ahead as scheduled after a European report floated the possibility of postponement.
French publication L’Equipe wrote on Thursday that FIFA had been in contact with several leading European footballing bodies to discuss the merits of postponing the 2023 Women’s World Cup for a number of months.
Similar to the 2022 Men’s World Cup set to be staged in Qatar from November to December, this would result in the WWC taking place in the European winter and Australian summer.
However, though a FIFA spokesperson wouldn’t comment on the L’Equipe story when contacted, they told ESPN that the dates for the 2023 WWC remained unchanged.
“After a successful ‘One Year to Go’ event, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is scheduled to kick off on 20 July 2023,” a FIFA spokesperson told ESPN. “No changes to the dates of the competition are foreseen.”
The 2023 tournament is scheduled to commence on July 20 at Auckland’s Eden Park and the final is set to be played on Aug. 20 at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, with tickets set to go on sale this October. The draw for the tournament will also take place this October in Auckland.
Any change in dates, according to L’Equipe, would allow more favourable conditions such as extra daylight during the staging of the tournament.
Such a move would also help create more favourable conditions for broadcasters, with the report claiming that FIFA had received bids significantly below the €20 million it had collected for the 2019 tournament when taking the rights to market in France.
Last week, tournament organisers staged a series of events marking one year to go until the tournament’s commencement, including a cultural lighting ceremony in the New Zealand city of Hamilton and the unveiling of a “Unity Pitch” gifted to Sydney in Australia.
“Today is a great day in the build-up to the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said at the events.
A Football Australia spokesperson, meanwhile, told ESPN that they had no knowledge of any talks surrounding the possible postponement of next year’s tournament.
It said: “Following recent ‘One Year To Go’ celebrations across Australia and New Zealand, Football Australia continues to plan towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 kicking off in July next year as scheduled.”
July is nearing its end. The temperature for most of this month are hot, and so are some of our celebrities in their most fashionable clothes.
From glamorous wear like mini skirts to chic sunglasses and iconic heels, there’s plenty of shopping inspiration to take from the celebrity set when it comes to planning what to wear out on a date or with friends.
Whether you feel like you always look the part or not, there is still something within your budget for you.
It doesn’t hurt to check out the following celebrities for some inspiration.
From lessons on how to dress up the wardrobe classics to ideas for your next wedding or concert, date, club, and many more, these are our favourite looks from July so far.
Scroll below to check your favourite celebrity and what they wore:
Liverpool will play a friendly one day after their Premier League opener at Fulham next weekend, manager Jurgen Klopp said, adding that his players need more match practice to cope with a packed schedule in the 2022-23 season.
Liverpool, who have played Manchester United, Crystal Palace, RB Leipzig and Salzburg during preseason, clash with Manchester City in the Community Shield at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on Saturday.
They will host Ligue 1 side Strasbourg in a friendly at Anfield on Sunday and begin their league campaign at Fulham on Aug. 6
Klopp said Liverpool will play another friendly the following day against as-yet unnamed opponents to get players up to speed for the new season, which begins earlier than usual because of the World Cup in Qatar in November and December.
“The situation is that [Saturday] is a very important game but we still have to prepare [for] a season, so we cannot ignore that,” Klopp told reporters on Thursday.
“We played last night against Salzburg, we lost 1-0. We trained the day before twice, so pretty intense… I cannot ignore the fact that after this important [Community Shield] game there is a season coming up. So we have to extend our preseason into the season.
“From mid-August on, I think we play every three days, so there is no time for training any more. So we try to do the right things and the schedule is always a challenge, that’s how it is.”
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and forward Diogo Jota will miss Saturday’s game against City as they continue to recover from injuries.
Justin Bieberand Hailey Bieber’s relationship stretches back more than a decade, to a backstage introduction at one of the pop star’s Today show appearances in 2009.
The pair later sparked romance rumors — which they repeatedly denied — after reconnecting at church in 2014. They went on to date, with Justin telling GQ in 2016 that he was hesitant to commit to an exclusive relationship for fear of hurting Hailey in case they ended up together. “What if Hailey ends up being the girl I’m gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it’s always gonna be damaged,” he said at the time.
While the two ultimately had a “very dramatic” split in 2016, they reunited in June 2018 and embarked on a whirlwind month-long romance that culminated in a Bahamas engagement and subsequent courthouse marriage.
Now a few years into married life, the Biebers are more candid than ever about the struggles they faced early on in their relationship and how they’ve worked to overcome them. Here’s everything you need to know about Justin and Hailey Bieber’s lasting love story.
The pair were initially introduced over a decade ago, in a brief meet-and-greet captured on camera backstage at a Today show appearance for the “Baby” singer, according to Vogue. Hailey, then 12 years old, shyly shook the pop star’s hand at the behest of her dad, actor Stephen Baldwin, whose friendship with Justin’s mother, Pattie Mallette, had prompted the meeting.
February 2, 2011: Hailey Bieber poses with Justin Bieber at his Never Say Never premiere in New York City
Two years after their initial meeting, the pair were photographed again — along with Hailey’s dad — at the 2011 premiere of Justin’s Never Say Never documentary in New York City.
Hailey later clarified to Vogue that while she found Justin “cute,” she was never a Belieber. She told the outlet, “I was never a superfan, of him or of anyone. It was never that crazed, screaming thing. I didn’t think about it in any kind of way except for the fact that he was cute. Everybody had a crush on him. But for the first few years we had a weird age gap.”
2011: Hailey Bieber tweets about her support for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s relationship
In both May and September 2011, Hailey expressed her support for the romance between Justin and Selena Gomez, which would continue on and off until just a few months before she and Justin got engaged in 2018.
“I don’t care what anyone says but Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez together is the definition of a teenage dream! #word,” Hailey said in a since-deleted tweet in May 2011. A few months later, she doubled down on her stance, tweeting, “I’m for sure 100% team #Jelena.”
Hailey tweeted at the singer a number of times over the years, including a January 2012 compliment on his hairdo at the time.
“Can we just talk about your dark hair for a second…” Hailey tweeted, adding the hashtag “#itlooksreallygood.”
November 10, 2014: Justin and Hailey Bieber are seen at Hillsong Church together
Credit: James Devaney/GC Images
The model and musician were seen standing next to each other — as well as pal Kendall Jenner — at a service at the New York outpost of the Australian megachurch.
Hailey later told Vogue that the pair’s friendship blossomed after reconnecting at church. “One day Justin walked into Hillsong and was like, ‘Hey, you got older.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, what’s up?’ Over time he became my best guy friend. I was running around with him as his homie, but we weren’t hanging out [romantically].”
December 15, 2014: Justin and Hailey Bieber deny dating rumorsÂ
The pair insisted that they were just “good friends” and that there was “nothing more to it,” according to an interview Hailey did with E! News following an uptick in their Instagram photos together. “I’ve known him since I was so young — since I was like 13 — and we’ve just been good friends over the years,” she told the outlet, adding, “We have just stayed close and there’s nothing more to it than that.”
Justin appeared to be on the same page, posting a photo of him and Hailey on Instagram later that month with the caption, “People are crazy. I’m super single and this is my good friend u would know otherwise.”
December 31, 2014: Justin and Hailey Bieber ring in the New Year together
The pair celebrated their first New Year’s Eve together, as seen in a clip Justin posted to Instagram of the duo taking in the fireworks alongside a friend.
December 2015: Justin and Hailey Bieber vacation in Mexico together
Hailey joined the “Boyfriend” singer and his family — including his father and siblings — on a highly-publicized vacation in Tulum, Mexico over the December holidays in 2015 — just a few weeks after Justin was spotted serenading on-and-off love Gomez at a hotel in Beverly Hills. Justin documented the trip with a number of photos and videos of himself and Hailey on Instagram.
December 31, 2015: Justin and Hailey Bieber share a New Year’s kiss
Credit: Mark R. Milan/GC Images
The pair rang in the New Year together for the second year in a row, this time locking lips at Leonardo DiCaprio’s New Year’s Eve party in St. Barts, where Justin performed for the A-list crowd. The pop star didn’t seem shy about showing off his new love — he even shared a photo of the pair’s sultry smooch on Instagram.
February 11, 2016: Justin and Hailey Bieber publicly acknowledge their relationship but deny exclusivityÂ
In GQ’s March 2016 cover story, Justin addressed his relationship with Hailey, describing her as “someone I really love. We spend a lot of time together.” He explained that there was already “a lot that [he had] to commit to” and that adding a girlfriend to the mix felt like a recipe for disaster. “I know that in the past I’ve hurt people and said things that I didn’t mean to make them happy in the moment. So now I’m just more so looking at the future, making sure I’m not damaging them,” he said, before noting that he was making decisions with his and Hailey’s potential future union in mind. “What if Hailey ends up being the girl I’m gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it’s always gonna be damaged. It’s really hard to fix wounds like that. It’s so hard … I just don’t want to hurt her.”
For her part, Hailey confirmed to E! News that the duo were “not an exclusive couple. He’s about to go on tour,” she said. “Relationships at this age are already complicated, but I don’t really like to talk about it because it’s between me and him.”
2016: Justin and Hailey Bieber split up in a “very dramatic” fashion
The two went their separate ways some time after the GQ story was published in February — and before Justin was linked to Sofia Richie in August of that year (a brief romance that lasted just six weeks).
“Negative things happened that we still need to talk about and work through,” Hailey later told Vogue of their split.
“‘Fizzled’ would not be the right word — it was more like a very dramatic excommunication,” she explained. “There was a period where if I walked into a room, he would walk out.”
In May 2018, she also told The Times U.K. that the pair “went through a long period of time when we weren’t friends,” adding that “there was a lot of weirdness that went on.”
June 2018: Justin and Hailey Bieber get back together
Credit: Hailey Bieber Instagram
Following Justin’s months-long reunion with Gomez — which spanned from October 2017 until March 2018 — and Hailey’s Met Gala appearance with Shawn Mendes (whom she denied a romantic relationship with), the pair reunited at a church conference in Miami, followed by festivities at LIV nightclub.
“The common denominator, I promise you, is always church,” Hailey told Vogue the following year of their reconciliation. “By then we were past the drama. I just gave him a hug. By the end of the conference, he was like, ‘We’re not going to be friends.’ I was like, ‘We’re not?’ ”
The pair’s rekindled romance soared to new heights over the rest of the month, with a number of PDA-fueled public appearances, from toweling each other off in Miami to canoodling in Brooklyn and The Hamptons and attending a church service together in Washington.
July 7, 2018: Justin and Hailey Bieber get engaged
The pair shocked fans when news broke that the singer had popped the question to Hailey during a romantic dinner at a local restaurant while on vacation in the Bahamas.
RELATED: Justin Bieber Shares Sweet Selfie with His ‘Favorite Girls’ — His Wife and Sisters! — from Seaside Location
“It’s kind of a surprise, but kind of not. Justin has been extremely happy these past few weeks,” a source told PEOPLE. “He has known Hailey for a long time. This might seem sudden, but they know each other very well.”
July 9, 2018: Justin Bieber confirms his engagement on Instagram
Credit: Justin Bieber Instagram
Justin was quick to confirm the pair’s happy news on Instagram, addressing his bride-to-be: “Hailey I am soooo in love with everything about you! So committed to spending my life getting to know every single part of you loving you patiently and kindLY,” he wrote. “I promise to lead our family with honor and integrity letting Jesus through his Holy Spirit guide us in everything we do and every decision we make. My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first! You are the love of my life Hailey Baldwin and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anybody else.”
September 2018: Justin and Hailey Bieber move in together
Credit: Pierre Suu/GC Images
The pair moved into Justin’s home outside of Toronto together shortly after getting engaged, they revealed to Vogue the following February. The outlet reported that the pair were in couple’s therapy while adjusting to living together.
September 13, 2018: Justin and Hailey Bieber get married in a civil ceremony in New York City
The musician and model were seen at a courthouse in lower Manhattan where they issue marriage licenses, with Hailey in an all-white ensemble for the occasion.
November 16, 2018: Hailey Bieber officially changes her last name on social media
February 7, 2019: Justin and Hailey Bieber pose for Vogue‘s cover story
Marking their first photoshoot together, the newlyweds posed for a series of adorable photos for Vogue’s cover story in early 2019. In a wide-ranging interview, the newlyweds covered everything from their 2016 split to Justin’s year of self-imposed celibacy which preceded their union to the ups and downs of navigating marriage in your early 20s.
“I’m not going to sit here and lie and say it’s all a magical fantasy,” said Hailey. “It’s always going to be hard. It’s a choice. You don’t feel it every single day. You don’t wake up every day saying, ‘I’m absolutely so in love and you are perfect.’ That’s not what being married is. But there’s something beautiful about it anyway—about wanting to fight for something, commit to building with someone.”
September 30, 2019: Justin and Hailey Bieber tie the knot in South Carolina
Over a year after initially saying “I do,” the pair celebrated with a larger ceremony in front of over 150 family and friends at the Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina, PEOPLE confirmed.
February 5, 2020: Justin and Hailey Bieber open up about their marriage
Credit: Hailey Bieber Instagram
In an episode of Justin’s Seasons docu-series, he shared that getting “to share my life with [Hailey] just makes it so much more rewarding.”
“He was the first person I ever had real feelings for,” Hailey added. “When things kind of went south for a little bit and we went our separate ways, I just knew that no matter what the outcome was going to be, he was going to be somebody that I loved for the rest of my life. No matter what, he was always going to hold a special place in my heart.”
March 29, 2021: Justin and Hailey Bieber get matching peach tattoos
The pair got matching tattoos in March 2021, celebrating Bieber’s chart-topping single “Peaches.”
One day after Bieber debuted his new ink — a small peach, located on his neck — his wife showed off her identical tat on the inner part of her left arm. Both of the tiny tattoos were done by celebrity-loved tattoo artist Doctor Woo.
February 2022: Hailey Bieber says she “definitely” isn’t ready for kids yet
 “I think ideally in the next couple of years we would try,” the model told WSJ Magazine about her and Justin’s timeline for expanding their family. “But there’s a reason they call it try, right? You don’t know how long that process is ever going to take. Definitely no kids this year; that would be a little bit hectic, I think.”
March 10, 2022: Hailey Bieber is hospitalized for a mini-stroke, Justin Bieber tells fans “it’s been really scary”Â
Justin and Hailey Bieber
| Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
The model revealed on her Instagram Story that she had been hospitalized for a mini-stroke on March 10, explaining that she “was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital.”
Describing the event as “one of the scariest moments I’ve ever been through,” Hailey later detailed the experience on her YouTube channel, revealing that she was ultimately diagnosed with a PFO — a small opening in the heart that usually closes after birth.
She then underwent a procedure to close the PFO, which she shared went “very smoothly.”
Justin spoke out about the harrowing event during a concert in Denver a few days later. “Obviously you guys know, most of you probably know or seen the news about my wife,” he began. “She’s okay, she’s good. It’s been scary, you know, it’s been really scary but I know for a fact that God has her in the palm of his hands.
April 3, 2022: Justin and Hailey Bieber pack on the PDA at the Grammys
Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty
Marking their first joint red carpet appearance since the model’s health scare, the pair stole the spotlight at the Grammys — where Bieber was up for eight nominations — and showed some sweet PDA on the carpet.
After the couple’s red-hot red carpet appearance, fans began speculating that the model’s flowing gown was covering up a baby bump — a rumor she was quick to shut down. “I’m not pregnant leave me alone,” she wrote on Instagram.
May 2, 2022: Justin Bieber says he went through an “emotional breakdown” early on in his marriageÂ
During an interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden shared exclusively with PEOPLE, the Drew House founder opened up about his mental health journey and some of the harder truths his marriage has helped him to face.
“It’s a journey. I remember when I first got married, I hit a little bit of an emotional breakdown because I thought marriage was going to fix all my problems and it didn’t,” Justin said. “It just kind of was a reflection of like, man, you’re a bit of a hypocrite man.”
“You want your wife to do something that you’re not doing and it’s like, it’s hard sometimes to look in the mirror and really have to realize, man, maybe you’re not the person that you necessarily thought that you were,” he continued. “And that’s just a result of trauma and life circumstances.”
June 10, 2022: Justin Bieber is diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome
After postponing a few dates on his Justice tour, Justin revealed on Instagram that he was diagnosed with Ramsay hunt syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that caused paralysis on the right side of his face.
Later that month, a source close to the couple opened up to PEOPLE about how Justin and Hailey were handling their health scares. “Hailey has been so supportive of Justin, just like he supported her with her health issues,” the friend said. “They’re unbreakable.”
Hailey also reassured fans that Justin was going to be okay during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan. “He’s going to be totally fine,” she said. “This is just a really out-of-nowhere, weird situation,” adding that she and her husband are now “closer than ever.”
Laporta told ESPN last week that Messi’s story with Barca “is not over.” Coach Xavi Hernandez has said a return this summer is “impossible” but there is a window next year when the Argentine forward’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire.
“It is an aspiration that I have as president and I would like it to happen,” Laporta told reporters at an event in New York when asked about Messi retiring at Barca.
“I was co-responsible for an ending that I consider provisional. Messi’s story at Barca did not end as we all wanted, it ended conditioned by financial reasons and we have a moral debt to him.
“In that sense, we would like the end of his career to be with the Barca shirt on, applauded at every stadium he plays at.”
Messi, 35, was forced to leave for PSG last August because Barcelona could not afford to renew his contract due to financial problems.
However, the sale of 25% of their domestic television rights for the next 25 years, worth over €600m according to Laporta, has allowed Barca to heavily invest this summer, with Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde all joining the club.
Barca’s spending has raised eyebrows across the world of football, with the club’s latest accounts showing gross debt of over €1 billion, but Laporta called on others to keep their noses out of the club’s business.
“I will give [the critics] the benefit of the doubt because maybe they thought we couldn’t do it, but they had not considered the strength of Barca and the drive of the new board,” he said.
“It’s down to a lack of knowledge and information about our club. To those that are surprised, I would say we are very much alive and back on the market — and there may be more surprises.
“The [sale of TV rights] has really strengthened the club. For 25 years, we have raised €667m. I would have preferred not [to have sold them], but I did what was necessary and the football [world] didn’t expect it.
“Everyone knows what they have to do and if I don’t get involved with others, I would ask that they don’t interfere with us. We’re going to compete on the pitch and we will see who’s done the best work. I don’t say that with a desire to argue, but people should worry about themselves.”
Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann is one of the people who have raised doubts about Barca’s spending, labelling them the “only club in the world that have no money, but then buy all the players they want.”
Laporta responded: “I would ask him to focus on [Bayern’s] accounts, which have received a significant amount of money for the transfer of Lewandowski. I respect everyone and won’t talk about other teams’ finances.”
Kessie and Christensen arrived for free, but Barca have spent over €150m on the signings of Raphinha, Lewandowski and Kounde, with Chelsea duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso still targets as well.
However, despite raising cash to complete the transfers, Barca still have work to do to be able to register all their new signings, as well as the new contracts signed by Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele.
The Blaugrana still need to move on other players and reduce their wage bill to fit all the new arrivals within their LaLiga-imposed spending cap by the time they kick off the new campaign against Rayo Vallecano on Aug. 13.
Their limit stood at -€144m at the end of last season — the only negative cap in the Spanish league — but will increase significantly on the back of the capital raised this summer.
This season, Arsenal will play in pink for the first time with the launch of their brand new third kit for the 2022-23 campaign.
While pink has been chosen for both goalkeeper strips and as decorative trim before, the Gunners have never used the rosy hue as a main colour for an outfield jersey until now.
Along with the westward facing cannon and the Latin motto “Victoria Concordia Crescit” (Victory grows out of harmony), the ermine pattern was originally revealed as part of the Gunners’ new badge when it debuted in the first matchday programme of 1949-50 season. It was then discarded in 2002 when the club presented their new, streamlined crest — that is still found on their shirts to this day.
As well as the handsome pink shirt, the 2022-23 third kit is completed by contrasting navy trim, plus navy shorts and matching pink socks.
Available now at Arsenal Direct, https://t.co/OblCU7YfdX and selected retailers 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 29, 2022
As with this season’s home and away kits, Arsenal are continuing to celebrate their local community through the launch of the third strip. The pink and navy ensemble serves as a visual salute to the passionate support base they have in north west London and in particular the more creative members of the district.
From musicians to DJs and producers, to skaters and even aspirating young urban gardeners, Arsenal are celebrating the passions of their supporters.
The 2022-23 home kit was launched as part of a project that saw £5 from every club shop sale donated straight to the Arsenal Foundation (which supports a plethora of local community-focused initiatives.)
Meanwhile, the corresponding away kit, which was launched while the Gunners were on tour in the U.S. in July, featured a film starring fan Aston Mack, who founded the Orlando Freedom Fighters organisation after first coming to prominence while wearing an Arsenal replica shirt during a Black Lives Matter protest in Orlando in the summer of 2020.
R. Kelly, 55, a discredited musician who was convicted earlier this week to 30 years in jail on counts of racketeering and sex trafficking, has been placed on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he is being housed.
According to a statement to ET from his attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, “Mr. Kelly was placed on suicide watch for purely punitive reasons in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights.”
“MDC has a policy of putting high-profile people on suicide watch, regardless of whether they are suicidal or not” (this was done recently with Ghislaine Maxwell). MDC Brooklyn is managed in a gulag-like manner.
When Mr. Kelly and I spoke with him after his sentencing, he claimed to be mentally sound and only voiced worry that MDC may put him on suicide watch despite the fact that he wasn’t suicidal (as they did following the guilty verdict). We are currently arguing our case in court regarding his placement in prison.
ET has reached out to prosecutors and prison officials for comment.
On June 29, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in jail, five years of supervised release and a $100,000 fine, nine months after he was found guilty on one count of racketeering and eight violations of the Mann Act by a federal jury.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to send Kelly to prison “in excess of 25 years,” while Bonjean asked for the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“This is the sentence I was expecting for R. Kelly and I think a lot of people were expecting,” legal expert Jesse Weber told ET after Kelly’s sentencing. “When you get convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering, you expect a large prison sentence and this is exactly what we saw here.”
“A stiff prison sentence sends the message to the world that no one is above the law, one, that the seriousness of these offenses cannot be taken lightly, and two, and this is probably the most important one, the words of these victims and the words of these survivors really played a factor in this sentencing decision,” he continued.
“I believe that R. Kelly will serve the remainder of his time on Earth in prison. This is essentially a life sentence for him.”
Since 2019, Kelly has been detained in a jail without a bond. Kelly is facing a number of allegations outside of New York, including aggravated sexual assault, child pornography, enticement of a minor, obstruction of justice, prostitution, and solicitation of a minor in Illinois and Minnesota.
Chicago, he’s going to spend the rest of his time on Earth behind bars.”
A former President of the Scout and Guide Fellowship of Ghana, Dr. Edward Mettle-Nunoo has stressed the need to intensify the establishment of Scout and Guide in Ghanaian schools to help reduce indiscipline activities in the country.
He was of the view that scouting was one institution of human life that “does not only model character into fine and disciplined responsible citizens, but it is also a lifetime commitment to the service of God, nation and humankind.”
“We are seriously challenged and compelled by circumstances of our time to wake up and put our houses in order,†he said, adding “Our schools have neglected Scouting and Guiding and our communities have become a den of hooligans and indisciplined youth.â€
Dr Mettle-Nunoo made the remarks at the 2022 Annual General Meeting of Scout and Guide Fellowship of Ghana which was held in Accra on Saturday, July 23, 2022.
For him, the establishments of Scouting, in the wisdom of its Founder, Leut. Gen. Lord Baiden Powell among other things, was to create a world of peace and friendship using the Scouting methods.
“This Scouting and Guiding Method is to groom the youth from early childhood, and inculcate into them positive attitudes of discipline, law abiding, honesty, loyalty, patriotism and the spirit of volunteerism,†he explained, adding “To this end, Scouts all over the world have been trained along these core values, and in addition, the laws of Scouting and Guiding.â€
Tribute
The President of Scout and Guide Fellowship of Ghana, Mr Prosper Bani paid a glowing tribute to the past and present leadership of Scout and Guide for their various roles in sustaining the fellowship in the country.
“I would like on this occasion to pay special tribute to all the former Presidents and executives who worked so hard to make it possible and still continue to show interest and provide guidance to the organization,†he said.
For him, the Fellowship “has survived because of the commitment of some older scouts to ensure that as we grow out of the youthful exuberance of young scouts and guides, we exhibit the same energy in the fellowship.â€
He explained that the coming together of Scout and Guide “provides us the opportunity to continue engaging the young scouts and to make a difference in our communities.â€
Mr Bani said while the Fellowship is making efforts to build stronger relations with the Boys Scouts and Girls Guides of Ghana, there are still some more work to be done to reach the desired objective of strengthening scouting in Ghana.
He expressed the commitment of the fellowship to ensuring that the desired objective of increasing the principles of scouting “in our children and young people are achieved sooner than later.â€
Former Swansea City player Yan Dhanda (right) takes a knee before a game against Reading in 2021
Swansea City’s players will no longer take the knee before games this season, the club has confirmed.
The practice of taking the knee before matches became widespread in 2020 as a statement against racism following the murder of George Floyd in the US.
Swansea have taken the knee before every game since and said the decision to stop was “not taken lightly.”
The club said “discrimination of any nature is abhorrent and has no place in football or society. “
“We remain firmly in support of what taking the knee stands for and represents,” a statement said.
Where does ‘taking a knee’ come from?
“Taking the knee has undoubtedly helped to raise awareness and encourage conversations about how to remove racism from the game we all love.
“But we feel we want to take responsibility as a group and find alternative ways to show our commitment to inclusion and diversity, and we feel that needs to run deeper than taking the knee each time we play.”
The club added that it was committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and would continue to work alongside the Swansea City AFC Foundation in promoting the message “that football, and sport in general, is for everyone.”
Swansea said it had “first-hand experience of the devastating impact discriminatory abuse” can have with several of their players being targeted for racial abuse on social media.
Ben Cabango as well as former Swansea players Jamal Lowe and Yan Dhanda were racially abused on social media.
In April 2021 the club announced a week-long social media boycott on all platforms to combat abuse and discrimination, which was followed by a number of other clubs and organizations.
The 16-song track list received a four-star rating from The Guardian, who called it “unapologetically escapist” and said the vocalist “unleashes everything from disco bangers to global house hedonism.”
It serves as a reminder of how uncommon it is to see this highly disciplined artist simply having fun on her own terms. It’s a celebration of living abundantly and outside the bounds of others’ expectations.
“It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving”.
Rolling Stone’s critic Mosi Reeves notes “every song is an uptempo track that has the potential to joyously redefine dance floors, living rooms, and car singalongs in 2022 and beyond”.
According to Will Hodgkinson in The Times, the superstar “appears to have discovered the sweaty, dirty world of club culture” for the first time, and “this album is about letting go and having a good time.”
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced that three confirmed cases of the Marburg Virus Disease have been recorded in the country with two persons dying from the illness.
All three cases are related; a father, mother and son.
The GHS release comes a day after the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a tweet said Ghana had recorded four cases and three deaths.
Two more people with #Marburg identified in #Ghana, family of the first case. One has unfortunately died. Outbreak total now 4 cases and 3 deaths. Extensive field investigation underway, @WHO is on the ground supporting health authorities. More on Marburg: https://t.co/qezGYUqeIP
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 27, 2022
However, the GHSsaid repeat test results received from Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) on one of the suspected cases had confirmed that it was a false positive.
“The Ghana Health Service on Sunday, 24 July, 2022 reported four cases of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) following test results from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR),” the release said.
“The second case, a 51-year-old male with a known chronic disease and not linked to the first case was, however, awaiting re-testing. Repeat test results received from NMIMR on 28 July 2022 were negative for MVD, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to three (3)”.
Cases
The Ghana Health Service in a press release issued on July 28, 2022, said the father, a 26-year-old male, got ill on June 22, 2022, and later bled from the nose and moth and was admitted to a hospital in the Ashanti Region on June 26, 2022 and died 28 hours after admission.
Similarly, the son, a one-year two-month-old got ill and was admitted on July 17, 2022. He died on the third day of admission.
The mother, a 24-year-old female is alive and well and has since Tuesday, July 26, 2022, been in a government-designated isolation centre, and is being managed with full implementation of strict infection prevention and control measures.
The GHS said initially 118 contacts were identified and followed up including the two who later tested positive (Case 2 and Case 3).
The statement added that the remaining 116 contacts have completed the mandatory 21-day follow-up and are all well.
“Sixteen (16) contacts, including healthcare workers, have been randomly tested and are all negative. A new set of 81 contacts for Case 2 and Case 3 are currently under follow up. Efforts are ongoing to identify additional contacts if any,” the statement said.
“It is noteworthy that Ghana, in collaboration with Partners, has demonstrated capacity to respond to public health emergencies. Our resilient health system has been responsible for the early detection of and prompt response to outbreaks including the current MVD. A number of healthcare workers were recently trained on the management of viral haemorrhagic fevers across the country even before the first MVD was detected”.
She expressed her gratitude in particular to Rumi, Sir, and Blue for giving her the freedom to express herself creatively.
“And a special thanks to my wonderful husband and muse, who held me down during those late nights in the studio,” she wrote in a heartfelt tribute to her husband Jay-Z.
This was taken from Twitter. At their website, you might be able to discover the same material in a different format or more details.
“A big thank you to my Uncle Jonny. He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album,” she wrote. “Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you.”
She ended the note, “To all of my fans: I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”
Dedicated to her children, her husband, her family, her Godmother Uncle Johnny, and to the LGBTQ+ community and all of the pioneers who originated the culture and the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized. pic.twitter.com/hm6Om9fi52
“After the loneliness and injustice of the previous year, I believe we are all ready to run away, go places, fall in love, and laugh once again.
I sense a renaissance beginning, and I want to do everything I can to help this escape flourish, she stated at the time.
“I’ve spent a year and a half in the studio.
Finding the ideal kick or snare often requires me to personally sift through thousands of sounds over the course of an entire year.
There can be 200 stacked harmonies in one chorus.
There is nothing, however, that compares to the depth of love, passion, and healing that I experience in the recording studio.
It still feels as exhilarating as it did when I was nine years old, even after 31 years.
Yes,the music is coming
Chelsey Sanchez Digital Associate Editor Chelsey Sanchez is an Associate Editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers pop culture, politics, and social movements.
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Even the world’s most valuable tech company isn’t immune to the more challenging global economic climate.
Apple (AAPL) on Thursday reported its profits declined by nearly 11% in the three months ending in June from the same period a year ago as the company works through an economic downturn and supply chain disruptions in China due to the country’s zero-Covid policy.
The iPhone giant reported revenue of $83 billion, up 2% from the same period in the prior year. Although it was the highest revenue figure the company has posted during its fiscal third quarter, it marked a significant slowdown in growth from its 36% year-over-year revenue increase in the year prior.
Sales in Greater China, once one of the company’s most promising regions, dipped by about 1% during the quarter.
Still, Apple exceeded Wall Street’s expectations for both its sales and profits. Shares of Apple rose nearly 4% in after-hours trading Thursday following the results.
The company says its installed base of active devices hit all-time highs in each product category during the quarter. Quarterly sales from Apple’s services, a crucial element of the company’s strategy for future growth, grew 12% to $19.6 billion, slightly below the $19.7 billion analysts had expected.
The company now has more than 860 million paid subscriptions across its various services, an increase of 160 million since last year, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said on a conference call with analysts Thursday.
“Our June quarter results continued to demonstrate our ability to manage our business effectively despite the challenging operating environment,” Maestri said in a statement with the results.
Apple’s results come as a number of tech companies have struggled to maintain strong growth in the face of rising inflation and interest rates, fears of a looming recession and the fallout from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The company declined to share revenue guidance for the current quarter because of the economic uncertainty. However, Maestri said Apple expects its year-over-year revenue growth to accelerate in the September quarter compared to the June quarter, assuming that the macroeconomic situation and Covid-related impacts on its business do not worsen. He added that supply constraints are also expected to be lower than they were in the June quarter.
Maestri also noted the company’s efforts to make it easier for customers to purchase its products, including expanding installment plan payment and trade-in programs around the world.
In response to the economic uncertainty, CEO Tim Cook said Apple itself plans to “continue to hire people and invest in certain areas” but would be “more deliberate” in doing so.
During a break in training at Loyola Marymount, Danilo took time out to speak about the Juventus tour and Saturday’s match against Real Madrid, and the defender also took stock of his and the team’s expectations for the upcoming season.
“It will be an exciting match against Real, especially for, having spent two years in Madrid. We are working well these days, experimenting with new game situations. For example, we are working on what the match must be like, in a positive sense, on our “arrogance”, in always being proactive and in wanting to take command of the game.”
This is because in the season that is about to begin Juve must maintain a precise focus: “Returning to winning ways, and this can only be achieved by working, on the physical, athletic, technical but also mental aspects, keeping our feet firmly planted on the ground and facing each match with the same mentality.”
The match against Real brings a wonderful American tour to an end for the Bianconeri: “We have put in some great work over these days. Here in the States it has been wonderful, we have to thank the fans for the wonderful welcome they have given us.”
Theo Corbeanu helped MK Dons to the League One play-offs during his time on loan with the club last season
Blackpool have signed forward Theo Corbeanu from Premier League side Wolves on a season-long loan.
The 20-year-old Canada international has also signed a new deal with Wolves, keeping him with the Molineux club for a further four years.
Corbeanu, who has played once for Wolves, spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons last season.
He joins Blackpool hoping to make Canada’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar in November.
“It’s a big year coming up for Theo. He’s obviously got World Cup ambitions with Canada, so it would be brilliant if he could force his way into the squad and progress to that stage,” Wolves’ strategic player marketing manager Matt Jackson said.
“He’s been with [Wolves boss] Bruno Lage and the first-team throughout the whole of this pre-season and it’s the first time the coaches have seen him.
“They’ve had a long time to assess him and the contribution that he can make, but they just feel that he needs the challenge of Championship football – the same way that so many have done over recent years.”
Mohammed Haruna believes that an alternative livelihood opportunity to charcoal sellers will reduce the impact of climate change as well as sustain the green Ghana initiative in the northern regions.
He made the revelation after a sensitization program for over 300 hundred charcoal producers in the Yapai-Kusawgu constituency in the Central Gonja district.
Speaking at the programme, Mohammed Haruna, called on the producers to opt for a sustainable alternative livelihood support to limit charcoal production in the district.
Mohammed Haruna believes sustainable climate change intervention is needed to halt or minimise the activities of charcoal production in the Savannah region.
He added that the sensitization initiative will be rolled out in seven regions where the production is common in the Savannah ecological zone.
Speaking to Atinka News, Abiba Mahamadu, a charcoal producer who participated in the program revealed that she had to travel several kilometres to cut down ten trees daily for each bag of charcoal to be produced, a situation she described as difficult.
“I cut down ten trees on the average in a day. Sometimes getting buyers for the bags of charcoal I have produced becomes very difficult. Despite all the challenges associated with the business and the fact that I have to travel miles in search for trees for my business, I cannot quit as it is my only source of incomeâ€, Abiba Mahamadu told Atinka News.
A total of 76 hospitality facilities operating in Bono and Ahafo regions have been closed down by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).
These facilities, according to GTA, either defaulted in securing valid licenses to operate, failed to register or renew their licenses.
According to the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Director of GTA, Joseph Appiagyei, the exercise took place in the Bono and Ahafo regions with the help from the Ghana Police Service.
The closed down facilities had their main entrances locked with the Ghana Tourism Authority’s closure stickers pasted on them.
Mr Appiagyei explained that the exercise was necessary because government was losing huge sums of revenue from the hospitality industry due to the illegalities and non-adherence of GTA regulations.
He noted that operators who fail to comply with the GTA regulations would be arraigned before court.
He noted that hospitality operators were mandated by GTA to register and license their businesses under the Tourism Act 817 of 2011.
She urged palm oil producers to desist from using the dye to mix palm oil before selling them on the market.
She noted that palm oil producers who fail to comply with this directive will be sanctioned when apprehended.
“Sudan IV dye is not approved for use in food products, Sudan dyes are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as Group 3 carcinogens and are banned as food additives worldwide (IARC, 1987),†the FDA boss said.
“The Food and Drugs Authority has the mandate to ensure the sale of safe foods on our markets and we took several initiatives to reduce the incidence of food adulteration which includes palm oil,†she added.
Delese Mimi Darko made this at the launch of the Artisanal Palm Oil Millers and Outgrowers Association app in Accra on Wednesday, July 28.
Sudan IV dye is also used for the processing of non-food products such as textiles, leather, cosmetics, hair, mineral oils and so on.
Sudan IV dye is naturally reddish due to the high beta-carotene content it contains.
Actress cum movie producer, Habiba Sinare has called on Muslim parents to allow their female wards to unearth their talents in Zongo communities across the country.
“Haram in the Moslem circles is an abomination and many parents see acting by Moslem girls as such,†she said.
This she noted is killing the talents of many young girls who are anxious to enter the entertainment world.
According to her, many Moslem parents see the field of entertainment differently.
She said they see entertainment, for that matter acting, as just going on the screen to show nudity, kiss among others.
She explained that Moslem parents are a bit extreme when it comes to their female children venturing into showbiz.
The actress with her own production house by name Yaseen which has produced three movies namely 18, Kadar and yet to be released one on August 6, 2022, Hankure, said these in an interview with Nana Romeo on the Ayekoo, Ayekoo mid-morning show on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, July 28, 2022.
“I’m trying to use my success in the entertainment world to correct some of these perceptions that some parents in the Moslem world hold about entertainment,†she said.
She explained it is the reason she does movies that portray the principles of Islam and promote the culture of the people from the Northern part of the country.
The one-time cup game, which was started by King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II of the Ga Mantse, is intended to bring the Ga people together via football and is a component of the Homowo festival celebrations.
Hearts of Oak will be seeking retribution against Great Olympics following two losses in the recently concluded Ghana Premier League with a title on the line.
Speaking to Citi Sports, the CEO of Primeval Media, Larry Opare-Otoo, talked about the significance of the game.
The motive behind the cup is to bring the Ga Adangbe community together through football,†he said.
“The Ga Mantse Cup used to be played some years back but it has not been played for some time, so the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, decided that it was time to bring it back.
“He wants to use the Ga Mantse Cup to help the juvenile teams in the Ga Adangbe community and the juvenile coaches. He also wants to have a juvenile team.â€
Fans who purchase tickets to the game will also have the opportunity to see Ghana at the Qatar World Cup in 2022, according to Opare-Otto.
“The tickets will give you the opportunity to go to Qatar to watch the World Cup, and this is coming from the Ga Mantse as a homowo bonanza he wants to give to the fans,†he added.
Dancehall artiste, Ridwan Abdul Rafiu popularly known as Larruso has disclosed that the English language is the best and perfect language one can use to sell his music to the world.
According to Larruso, English as a globally-accepted language is an easier route to rich worldwide stardom than the Twi language which is only recognized in Ghana.
Whiles appreciating the works of artistes who sing mainly in Twi, Larrusoexpressed the view that singing in English will propel the careers of musicians to another level.
He made the observation that with the English language, it is easier to penetrate markets than in the Twi language.
He urged Ghanaian musicians to fuse English and Twi so as to appeal to both markets.
“English sells faster. Blend it with the Twi if you want to cross boundaries because everybody understands it but if you use only the Twi you will face challenges of hitting the global market â€he said..
He made this statement in an interaction with MultiCDB.
Parliament on Wednesday (July 27, 2022) approved a loan agreement for the construction of a 4-tier interchange at Suame roundabout in Kumasi.
The agreement is between the Government of Ghana (GoG) and Deutsche Bank S.A.E.
It is to finance the design and construction of the Phase One of the Suame Interchange and Ancillary Works Project in Kumasi.
The project is to convert the Suame roundaboutinto a four tier interchange to ensure the free flow of traffic within the area and help reduce travelling time.
The total amount of of the loan approved is €156.4million.
The loan agreement between the Government of Ghana (GoG) and the Deutche Bank S.A.E was in two folds.
One was for an amount of €135,396,518.38 and the other for €21million bringing the total to €156.4million.
It is expected to be completed within a period of 36 months from the commencement date in September 2022.
Yapei, Buipe and Daboya bridges in the northern Ghana
The House also approved two loan agreements totaling €102,248,679.45 to finance the design and construction of the Yapei, Buipe and Daboya bridges in northern Ghana.
It involves an amount of €97, 721,615.91 and €4,527,063.54 respectively, totaling €102,248,679.45 for the design and construction of the three bridges.
The loan agreement is between the GoG and the Standard Chartered Bank, London.
The Buipe and the Yapei bridges over the Black and White Volta respectively span a distance of 240 metres each while the Daboya bridge also over the White Volta covers a distance of 300 metres.
The overall objective of the project is to develop an efficient and integrated transport network for the safe movement of people and goods.
The specific objectives are to connect southern and northern Ghana, facilitate trade, transit and transport between Ghana and its neighbouring countries, remove traffic bottlenecks at River crossing and improve the movement of goods and people.
Motion
The motion for the adoption of the committee reports on the loan agreements was moved by the chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament and NPP Member of Parliament (NPP) for Obuasi West, Kwaku Kwarteng.
He said the Suame interchange project would improve travel time and reduce waiting times within Kumasi metropolis with consequent reduction in poverty and enhanced development in the country.
Contributing to the motion for the approval of the loans, the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu said he and his colleagues on the Minority side whole heartedly support it.
“I know the leader of government business himself has some background when it comes to road construction and therefore he should religiously police the project so that the work is executed”, he said.
He stressed that the road was important and he also used it when travelling to his hometown and constituency in Tamale, adding that it would reduce the travelling time between Kumasi, Offinso and Techiman when travelling to Tamale.
Mr Iddrisu said their leader was subjected to an embarrassment when he visited his constituency to interact with his constituents on the road project but expressed the hope that he has taken it in good faith.
On his part, the Majority Leader and NPP MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu in whose constituency the road project is to be undertaken said the construction of the interchange was very necessary because of the traffic situation at the Suame roundabout.
He said roundabout is the convergence of five major roads hence the congestion.
He said the roundabout also leads to the Suame Magazine, the largest congregation of mechanics in the West African sub-region.
For his part, a Deputy Minister of Health and MP for Daboya/Mankarigu, Asei Mahama Seini said the construction of the Daboya bridge would bring enormous benefit to the Savannah Region and the entire country and link the Savannah Region to the Northern and the North East Regions.
Background
The Suame roundabout is a five-legged intersection. It linked the P. V Obeng road, Mampong road, Offinso Road, Western By-Pass and Kejetia road. The roundabout has a central green area with a statue in honour of the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II.
The Suame roundabout has been identified as a major bottleneck in the road transportation system in Kumasi.
The government has made a part payment of GH¢50 million to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for the money it owes the council for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.
With the payment, it is now left with about GH¢46.7 million, which is the outstanding arrears to be cleared by the government.
The Head of Public Affairs of the WAEC,Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic.
Ranking
The Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe, had warned that WAEC might be forced to postpone the 2022 School Candidates WASSCE, if government failed to release an amount of GH¢96,694,432.40 to enable it to engage in a number of pre-examination activities, including the payment of transportation and allowances for examiners, supervisors, invigilators and depot-keepers.
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe, who is also the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Akatsi North, said information available to the Minority in Parliament indicated that to date, the Ministry of Education had not released any money to WAEC for the conduct of the 2022 WASSCE, which was expected to commence from August 1, 2022.
He said four other countries that constituted WAEC — Nigeria, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Liberia — had all conducted their 2022 WASSCE already leaving out only Ghana and so, any further delay of the release of funds to WAEC could lead to the postponement of the examination.
Assurance
But Mrs Teye-Cudjoe gave an assurance that the WASSCE for school candidates would come off, adding that the examination was not in limbo as was being speculated.
“We have always been sure that the examination would be written. The examination is not in limbo,†she emphasised.
Mrs Teye-Cudjoe indicated that the council was very prepared for the examination, adding that it was starting with the project work for Visual Arts from August 1, 2022 to August 19, 2022 to end the practical works.
The written aspect would then commence on August 24, 2022.
Parallel exam
The Head of Public Affairs of WAEC explained that candidates in Ghana were going to have parallel examination questions with the same difficulty levels like the ones the candidates wrote in the other four member countries.
“The questions would have the same difficulty levels and would not be the same questions that the candidates in the other countries wrote, because the past questions are already out there and we cannot write the same thing,†she emphasised.
Mrs Teye-Cudjoe advised candidates who would be writing in Ghana to be on the look-out for persons who would lie to them that they had the questions and that they should part with some money, if they wanted them.
Astray
The candidates, she said, should, therefore, stick to their books and not allow themselves to be misled by some persons.
Regarding security, she said all the requisite and enhanced security measures had been put in place for a smooth conduct of the examination.
“We have put in place enhanced security measures with the collaboration of the external security agencies. We have also done a few other things that we would like to keep to ourselves, so we are ready for the examination,†she said.
One person has been shot dead in a clash between the youths of Ofoase Zongo and Brenase in the Eastern Region.
Four others have also sustained gun shot wounds from the incident.
According to sources, the clash was a result of growing tension between residents of the two towns. The tension developed after some youth of Ofoase Zongo reportedly brutalised a young man from Brenase. The young man is alleged to have beaten a member of the Zongo community and caused damage to his motorbike.
The father of the victim and one other who went to the community upon hearing the incident were also attacked and handed over to the Police.
The series of events agitated the Brenase youth, however, their attempt to retaliate was foiled by the intervention of the Police.
On Wednesday, Brenase youth reportedly ambushed the Ofoase Zongo youth and allegedly opened fire on them leading to the casualty.
A resident who narrated the incident to Starr News said the youth of Brenase received intelligence that the Zongo youth of Ofoase have mobilised themselves in trucks and vehicles with weapons in an attempt to invade Brenase community.
Thus, they also mobilised and armed themselves on the streets to ambush their attackers.
A joint security team of armed Police and Military has since been deployed to the two communities.
According to the Akyemansa District Police Commander, Superintendent George Bawah the “situation is currently under control.â€
He also revealed that four injured persons are responding to treatment.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Unit Committee, Yaw Akowia says despite the heavy presence of security personnel, the simmering feud is still palpable between the communities.
The Minority in Parliament has said that the Bulk Oil and Transportation Company (BOST) under the leadership of its former Managing Director, Mr. Kwame Awuah Darko commenced the process of constructing an ultra-modern twin tower office in the year 2015 to serve as office accommodation and to enhance internally generated funds to augment the cash flow of the BOST.
However, the Minority said, the newly-constituted management of BOSTunder the Akufo-Addo administration that assumed office, falsely accused Mr. Awuah Darko of inflating and padding the contract and as a result the suspended the project.
At a press conference in Accra on Thursday July 28, Yapei Kusawgu lawmaker, John Jinapor said characteristic of the government, Mr. Awuah Darko and several government appointees of the erstwhile Mahama administration were subjected to thorough and detailed investigations by the Economic and Organized Crime Unit (EOCO), which of cause is nothing but witch-hunting and whitewashing.
“It is worthy of mention that not only was Mr. Awuah Darko exonerated of any wrongdoing by the EOCO investigations, but it was also established that the contract met all the necessary ingredients of value for money.
“We have however noted from recent developments based on documents available to us that the original contact which was valued at $39,000,000.00 (Thirty-Nine Million Dollars) ballooned to a whopping $78,000,000.00, if the two-tower building is accounted for based on the current cost of the single unit valued at $39,000,000.00 (Thirty-Nine Million Dollars). This means the building has been inflated by 100% over the original contract.
“We say so because we have noted that the current Management of BOST decided to acquire only one of the twin unit building due to the precarious financial position of the company, however it applied to the Public Procurement Authority for approval to vary the original contract for the single unit from the original price of $19,500,000.00 per unit to a new cost of $24,000,000.00.â€
He added “Members of the press, fellow Ghanaians, to our utmost shock and dismay, but of cause as usual of this government, the PPA without any reasonable justification in granting the approval hiked the contract sum to an inflated figure of $39,000,000.00 (Thirty-Nine Million United Sates Dollars) for a single unit when BOST could have originally constructed the twin-tower office at the original price of $39,000,000.00.
“We are firm in our conviction that this is a classic case of causing financial loss to the state. This is another PDS, Ameri and Movinpinnna scandal in the making. The Energy sector under the current NPP administration has become a Pollution Haven for regularized corruption, inflated favouritism, and rusted nepotism.
“How come a twin-tower office complex originally awarded at a cost of $39,000,000.00 has now metamorphosed into a colossal figure of $78,000,000.00 based on the current cost of the single unit is mind boggling. Why would the PPA vary the request for approval from BOST for the purchase of the single unit building from $24,000,000.00 to an inflated figure of $39,000,000.00? Who are the people behind this outrageous deal?
“From the foregoing, it is obvious some officials are culpable and neck deep in this huge scandal. We do not have any confidence in the Akufo-Addo led Government as far as resolving this conundrum is concerned. Officialdom has demonstrated a lack of professionalism and competence in this whole debacle, as BOST has been converted into one of the milking cows.
“It is our hope that for the first time, the President will gather courage to cause and independent investigation into this scandal which is of monumental proportion and punish his officials whose negligence, recklessness and complicity has led us into this huge mess.
“We, the Minority in Parliament, hereby serve notice that anything short of an independent investigation shall be rejected and denounced by the NDC and the good people of Ghana. We shall remain vigilant and resolute in our quest to ensure that the continuous looting and plundering of the resources of BOST which is our collective strategic national asset is brought to an immediate halt.â€
This is according to the Director General of the Trust, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang who explained the amount, which has been withheld since 2018, covers the category of deceased pensioners whose guarantee pensions entitlement has been exhausted.
“For persons who are on PNDC Law 247, that is the age of 72 and persons on Act 766, that is the age of 75…but at the moment, no pensioner who is on Act 766 is that old because they recently just started going on pension,†he told journalists outside parliament on July 27.
“Every year, we to have to ensure that pensioners reach out to the Trust and undertake their biometric registration…however we know that this can come at an inconvenience for pensioners who may bedridden or incapacitated and cannot come to the SSNIT,†he added.
Meanwhile, the SSNIT Director General during his response to the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday provided further clarity on the matter and actions taken by the Trust.
“To ensure that payment of funds to deceased pensioners aged 72 years and above, under PNDCL 247 and those aged 75 years and above under Act 766 ceases, all pensioners within the stated age categories are required by policy to complete a Pensioner Certificate once every year to confirm they are alive.
“Those who do not complete the certificates are deemed not to be alive and have their names deleted from the Pensions Payroll,†he told the Committee.
He also revealed that in 2018, the Trust changed the Pensioner Certificate renewal frequency from once every three years to once a year in a move to promptly identify and delete deceased pensioners aged 72 years and above.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang said SSNIT has since implemented a number of measures to tackle issues concerning deceased pensioners.
These include; Electronic tracking of the one-year Pensioner Certificate renewal policy; and Automatic deactivation of names of Pensioners due for annual Pensioner Certificates Renewal in the new Operational System.
The rulingNew Patriotic Party (NPP) has launched its 30th anniversary celebrations with a call on party members to unite to propel the party to victory in 2024.
The General Secretary of the party, Justin Frimpong Kodua, said as the party prepared to select parliamentary candidates and a flagbearer, it was important for the party members not to be at each others throat.
“We must stop the character assassination. When you undermine a party member, think of what happened to us in 1979 and 2008 when we lost the elections,†he said.
He pledged that the current national executives will act as impartial arbiters in the upcoming flagbearership race and primaries to elect parliamentary candidates.
The NPP was officially formed on July 28, 1992.
As part of activities marking the 30th anniversary, the party will hold a thanksgiving Islamic prayer at the National Mosque tomorrow, Friday, July 29, 2022, and a Christian thanksgiving service on Sunday, July 30, 2022.
“We are willing to offer some level of support to the office and keep it running, but I would like to use this opportunity to reach out to stakeholders in the country and outside Ghana who have the capacity to assist the NMC with funding to run the office [to help] because perhaps if they had more resources, they would be more inquisitorial in their approach,†she said.
![Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber attend the premiere of YouTube Original's "Justin Bieber: Seasons" at the Regency Bruin Theatre on January 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California](https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2022%2F06%2F15%2Fjustin-hailey-bieber-8.jpg&q=60 "Premiere Of YouTube Original's "Justin Bieber: Seasons" - Red Carpet")
