The UK is set to see its hottest day on record, with temperatures on Tuesday expected to reach up to 42C (107.6F).
A high of 38.1C was reached in Suffolk on Monday, just short of the UK record of 38.7C set in 2019. Wales recorded its hottest day on record with 37.1C.
The Met Office has issued a red extreme heat warning covering much of central, northern, and south-east England.
Provisional figures showed the UK experienced the warmest night on record from Monday into Tuesday.
Temperatures did not fall below 25C in places, exceeding the previous highest daily minimum record of 23.9C recorded in Brighton on 3 August 1990, the Met Office said.
Check the forecast where you are
Follow live updates as extreme heat grips UK
Emley Moor in west Yorkshire could have broken the record, where 25.9C was recorded overnight, according to the Met Office.
Scotland could see its highest day on record, surpassing the 32.9C set at Greycrook in the Scottish Borders in August 2003.
The hottest places in Scotland yesterday were Aboyne in Aberdeenshire and Leuchars in Fife, both with highs of 31.3C.
As temperatures rapidly rise, already reaching 37C in some areas, emergency responses have been issued across the UK:
A man died after being pulled from the sea on the Isle of Wight
At least four other people are believed to have drowned after attempting to escape the heat in rivers and lakes
Network Rail issued a “do-not-travel” warning for Tuesday, affecting services travelling through the “red zone”
The Supreme Court moved hearings online, while the British Museum confirmed it would shut early at 15:00 BST
The extreme warning, indicating a threat to life, is in place in an area stretching between London, Manchester and York.
Thermometers were reading 37.3C in the village of Charlwood, Surrey, at 11:00 on Tuesday. Kew Gardens soared to 36.9C, with Heathrow Airport rising to 36.6C.
There was a markedly cooler outlook for Penzance, Cornwall, where thundery storms hit the popular holiday destination and were projected to last until midday.
But by 16:00, Lincoln, Cambridge and Huntingdon could see 40C – and areas in the A1/M1 corridor may surpass this.
Commercial drivers who operate ride-hailing services such as Uber and Bolt, have lamented the harsh economic conditions under the Akufo-Addo-led administration.
According to them, the high cost of living has affected them to the point where they can no longer fend for their families as they used to.
“We are now under so much pressure. We have to take care of the bills, rent and moreover, we have to cater for our kids but when you go out to run our service we come home with nothing,” one of the drivers, Joseph Tetteh, who spoke to AdomNews said.
He noted that the situation has become dire to the point where it is threatening to break marriages and relationships. “These days when you have a woman in your life (wife/girlfriend) who doesn’t really love you and understand you to be frank she will break up with you or divorce you due to the harsh economic conditions,” he added.
He made the comment during an interaction on the Adom Krom Aye Hye series where some drivers shared how the current economic conditions is impacting their lives. According to the drivers who were unhappy about the high cost of living, they no longer make enough profit to take care of home.
“People are right to say ‘krom aye hye.’ For us running online businesses, we are crying. Fuel prices have skyrocketed. A litre costs [a little] over GH₵ 11 and a gallon is about GH₵ 54 and even with that, you don’t get anywhere and the fuel is finished,” another driver shared.
He recalled that about a week ago while running his business, he made sales of about GH₵ 350, however, he went home with almost nothing due to the high cost of fuel and commission he had to pay to Uber.
“Out of the GH₵ 350, GH₵ 250 went into fuel. I was left with just little and even with that, I had to pay 20% of my daily sales which was also about GH₵ 63 to Uber. So in the end I was left with nothing,” he said.
The drivers have, therefore, called on government to take immediate steps to avert the harsh economic conditions.
The Circuit Courtin Accra has sentenced two thieves to five years imprisonment each, in hard labour.
Albert Nii Ayi Quaye, 32, and Kelvin Kitorki, 24, denied conspiring to unlawfully enter the homes of their victims to steal cash and items.
However, the court presided over by Mr. Kwabena Koduah Obiri Yeboah acquitted and discharged Gershon Nii Okai Armah, who dishonestly received some of the stolen items.
Their accomplice, only known as Asaawa, is on the run.
Police Chief Inspector George Nana Akomeah told the court that Gladys Osei Owiredu, journalist, and Nana Kojo Dadzie, a lecturer, both complainants, reside at Franco Estates, at Kwabenya, a suburb of Accra.
Quaye and Kitorki are unemployed and lived at Kwabenya, and Armah, an auto mechanic, also stayed at Bubiasbie.
The court heard that on February 23, 2022, Gladys left for work and her daughter also left for school. Whilst at work, she received a call from the police at Franco that her daughter had reported that thieves had broken into their house and stole a USD 500 Television set, among other valuables.
Chief Insp Akomeah said on March 2, 2022, Dadzie also left for lectures whereas his wife and children also left for church.
The court heard that when the wife and children returned from church, they realised that their home had been broken and ransacked.
Prosecution said they discovered that the thieves stole GHc54,000.00 kept in a bag was taken, a Fujitsu laptop, Amazon Tablet, two wrist watches, and one wax print among other valuables had all been stolen from the room.
Chief Insp Akomeah said a complaint was lodged with the Franco Estate Police station and on March 22, 2022, the police had information that Quaye and Kitorki, who were involved in a series of thefts within the Franco Estates, Kwabenya, and its environs were hiding at Pokuase.
He said surveillance was immediately placed on them, leading to the arrest of the accused.
Prosecution said Quaye and Kitorki (the convicts) during interrogation, admitted going on a stealing spree during the day at Kwabenya, Madina, Aburi, Adenta, and its environs when the occupants of the houses were away.
Chief Insp Akomeaah said a search in the rooms of the accused at Kwabenya revealed a 65 inches Samsung television and a Fujitsu laptop, a matched, and a flat screwdriver.
Prosecution said Dadzie on seeing the Fujitsu laptop identified it as one of the items stolen from his house.
The convicts, he said, mentioned Armah and one Asawaa as recipients of their booties.
The city was captured in 2014 by pro-Russian separatists who held it for nearly three months.
Now it is once again set to become a key battleground.
Since Russian troops began their invasion in February, President Vladimir Putin’s original war aims have been drastically curtailed.
The military abandoned its efforts to take the capital, Kyiv, and focused instead on the eastern Donbas region.
In another development, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered generals to focus on destroying Ukraine’s long-range missile and artillery weapons.
The defence ministry said the weapons were being used to shell residential areas of eastern Ukraine under the control of Russian-backed separatists, and to set fire to wheat fields and grain storage silos.
The ministry also said that a Russian missile strike on Sunday on the Donetsk village of Kostiantynivka had killed up to 250 mercenaries fighting on the Ukrainian side, as well as destroying 19 military vehicles.
The claims could not be independently verified.
Â
In recent weeks, the US has supplied Ukraine with long-range missiles, including precision-guided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars), which Kyiv says are beginning to make a difference on the battlefield.
Himars is far more accurate than Russia’s equivalent systems and has been credited with a string of recent attacks deep into Russian-held territory.
In other fighting, Ukraine’s southern command says two Russian missiles have hit a military target outside the southern port of Odesa, while another has struck a bridge across the Dniester estuary.
A fourth was shot down over the Black Sea. Officials say there are no casualties and the fire at the military facility is under control.
They say the bridge has been out of action since Russian forces began targeting it in April.
Meanwhile, British military intelligence has said Russia is using mercenaries from the Wagner group to reinforce front lines in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London said Wagner had been active in recent fighting in the Luhansk region, which had inflicted heavy casualties on the Russian paramilitary organisation.
This was leading to a lowering of recruitment standards, including the hiring of convicts, who were being given little training, the MoD intelligence update said.
The MoD added that Russia was also reinforcing its defensive positions across the occupied areas in southern Ukraine.
A 17-year-old goalkeeper, identified as Yaw Abedi, from Gomoa Nglesi, has been crashed to death during a friendly match at Odumasi.
He was run over by a Sprinter Bus with registration number GW 9836-21, while chasing the ball which was kicked outside the pitch to the highway.
Information gathered indicated that the match was a friendly between Gomoa Odumasi and Gomoa Nglesi football teams.
In an interview with Adom News, Unit Committee Member for Gomoa Odumasi, Ebenezer Abrokwaa, revealed that the goalkeeper was killed barely 15 minutes after the game started.
He revealed the ball went over the pitch after a long shot from one of the players, which ended in a goal.
As the goalkeeper crossed to retrieve the ball, the speeding bus travelling from Kasoa to Cape Coast failed to brake on time and crashed the victim.
He died on the spot, bringing the game to a premature end.
Around 250 people have been living in an old terminal building for much of last week due to the shortage in state-run accommodation.
The Irish Government said Gormanston army camp will house up to 320 people when fully operational.
Close to 42,000 people have arrived in the Republic of Ireland having fled the Russian invasion.
Speaking to broadcaster RTÉ, the Irish minister for integration, Roderic O’Gorman, said the people housed at Gormanston would stay for a maximum of one week.
“We have been focused on trying to reduce the numbers of people staying in City West, that’s why we are looking to bring in additional accommodation,” he said.
“I think it really is an indication of the serious situation that we are in, that we have come to a point where we are accommodating people in tented style accommodation, according to the minister yesterday it will be as many as 16 to a tent,” he told BBC NI’s Good Morning Ulster.
Mr Henderson said it was likely other similar facilities would be opened across Ireland.
Meanwhile, refugees travelling to Ireland from 20 European countries will be required visas from Tuesday.
Mr Henderson believed the Irish government was introducing this measure due to the shortage in accommodation and people from other countries exploiting the system.
“We say that this decision is regrettable, it’s disproportionate and it’s regressive”.
“We would encourage the government to focus on its policies, bring in accommodation in the medium and long term, otherwise we think there will continue to be pitch points over the summer and into the autumn where we are forced to use accommodation of this manner.”
Minister for Agriculture Charle McConalogue told RTÉ the government’s visa plan was “fair and appropriate”.
More than 2,000 tourists have been stranded in a Chinese coastal city after a surge in coronavirus cases.
Officials in Beihai locked down urban areas and ordered the mass testing of its 1.9m residents over the weekend.
It comes as concerns grow about the impact of China’s “zero-Covid” policy on the world’s second largest economy.
Last week, official figures showed the country’s economy shrank in the second quarter of this year as Covid-19 restrictions hit firms and consumers.
Beihai, which is a popular summer destination in China’s southern Guangxi region, recorded more than 450 infections in the five days to 16 July.
While that level of cases may seem low by international standards it is considered high under the Chinese government’s approach to the pandemic.
On Sunday, Beihai’s local government said tourists who had not been in contact with anyone who had contracted the virus, or visited medium or high-risk areas, would be allowed to leave if they showed a negative Covid-19 test.
The rest must stay in the city and be quarantined, officials told a news conference.
One tourist on holiday in Beihai expressed her frustration in a comment on the social media platform Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, which has received more than 2,700 likes.
“I just finished my 3 months lockdown in Shanghai. I just came to Beihai for a breath of fresh air, did I annoy anyone?” she said.
Elsewhere in China authorities are stepping up measures to combat rising Covid cases.
On Monday, Shanghai’s local government said it would require residents in more than half of its 16 districts to be tested for the virus, after holding similar tests last week.
It is one of several large Chinese cities that are tackling new clusters of infections.
The Covid situation in China has “worsened slightly on a national level” over the past week, Japanese banking giant Nomura said in a note on Monday.
“Based on our own survey, 41 cities are currently implementing full or partial lockdowns or some kind of district-based control measures, which involve stringent measures restricting the mobility of local residents,” analysts Ting Lu, Jing Wang and Harrington Zhang said.
“These 41 cities make up 18.7% of China’s population and 22.8% of China’s GDP [Gross Domestic Product],” they added.
On Friday, government data showed the country’s economy contracted sharply in the second quarter of this year as widespread coronavirus lockdowns had a major impact on businesses and consumers.
GDP fell by 2.6% in the three months to the end of June from the previous quarter.
Large cities across China, including Shanghai, were put into full or partial lockdowns during this period as the country continues to pursue its zero-Covid policy.
GDP or Gross Domestic Product is one of the most important ways of showing how well, or badly, an economy is doing.
It’s a measure of all the activity of companies, governments and individuals in an economy.
Award-winning Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi, who was detained in Tehran last week, has been ordered to serve six years in jail, Iran’s judiciary says.
Iranian media said Mr Panahi was held after going to Evin prison to ask about one of two fellow directors arrested for supporting protests.
His wife told BBC Persian he was informed by guards that he had an outstanding prison sentence to serve.
Tahereh Saeedi said his detention amounted to a kidnapping.
“Jafar has some rights as a citizen. There’s due process. To imprison someone, they need to be summoned first. But to imprison someone who is protesting outside the jail raises a lot of questions. This is a kidnapping,” she said.
Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-e Ahmad were arrested over social media posts concerning the collapse of a 10-storey building in the city of Abadan in May that killed more than 40 people.
The two film makers were accused of “inciting unrest and disrupting the psychological security of society“, state news agency Irna reported.
Mr Panahi, 62, has won many awards at international film festivals. They include the Berlin International Film Festival’s top prize, the Golden Bear, for Taxi in 2015, as well as the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes Film Festival for Three Faces in 2018.
In 2010, he was arrested for supporting mass anti-government protests that erupted after the previous year’s disputed presidential election. He was later convicted of “propaganda against the system” and sentenced to six years in prison and banned from making movies or travelling abroad for 20 years. He served two months before being released on conditional bail, AFP news agency reports.
The Cannes festival said in a statement last week that it “strongly condemns these arrests as well as the wave of repression obviously in progress in Iran against its artists”.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, says sixty (60) district courts, sixty (60) bungalows for judges, and three (3) new high courts for three (3) of the six (6) newly created regions will be commissioned before the start of the legal year in October.
According to President Akufo-Addo, Government has taken note of the inadequate numbers of courts in various parts of the country, resulting in citizens travelling long distances to gain access to courts, and has decided to remedy this situation.
Speaking at the swearing-in of ten (10) new High Court Judges, on Monday, 18th July 2022, at Jubilee House, the President stated that Government, through the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund, is constructing one hundred (100) new courts and bungalows for Judges in all sixteen (16) Regions of the country.
They are broken down in the various Regions as follows twenty (20) courts and twenty (20) bungalows in Ashanti; twelve (12) courts and twelve (12) bungalows in Eastern; eight (8) courts and eight (8) bungalows in Greater Accra; eight (8) courts and eight (8) bungalows in Volta; eight (8) courts and eight (8) bungalows in Ahafo; seven (7) courts and seven (7) bungalows in Western; and five (5) courts and five (5) bungalows in Bono East.
The rest are five (5) courts and five (5) bungalows in North East; four (4) courts and four (4) bungalows in Oti; four (4) courts and four (4) bungalows in Western North; four (4) courts and four (4) bungalows in Central; four (4) courts and four (4) bungalows in Bono; three (3) courts and three (3) bungalows in Northern; three (3) courts and three (3) bungalows in Savannah; three (3) courts and three (3) bungalows in Upper East; and two (2) courts and two (2) bungalows in Upper West.
“Sixty percent (60%) of these courts and bungalows have been completed, and will be commissioned before the start of the legal year in October. The remaining forty percent (40%) will be duly completed and commissioned by the end of the first quarter of 2023,†President Akufo-Addo said.
He continued, “Six new Regional High Courts are also being constructed in the newly created regions, i.e., Ahafo, Bono East, North East, Oti, Savannah and Western North. Three of the Courts, that is those in Ahafo, Bono East and Oti Regions, will be completed and ready for commissioning, again, before October. The other three, that is those in North East, Savannah and Western North, which are at eighty percent (80%) completion, will be ready for commissioning by the end of the first quarter of 2023.â€
It will also be recalled in April last year, the President cut the sod for commencement of work on a new, modern Court of Appeal complex in Kumasi, together with twenty (20) townhouses and a guesthouse to serve as permanent residences for Court of Appeal Judges based in Kumasi, who will be mandated to handle appeals from the northern part of the country.
President Akufo-Addo noted that “they will be completed and commissioned in Septemberâ€, adding that “two hundred and ten (210) vehicles were, earlier this year, distributed to all judges in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Courts and Lower Courts.â€
These, the President reiterated, are all initiatives being undertaken by Government to strengthen the capacity of the Judiciary.
Swearing the new High Court Judges in, upon the advice of the Judicial Council, given in accordance with the provisions of article 144 clause 3 of the Constitution, he indicated that they are eminently fit and qualified for the position of Justices of the High Court, and have the impartiality of mind and independence of spirit necessary to hold this high office.
They are Her Honour Mercy Adei Kotei, Mrs. Cynthia Martinson, Dr. Bridget Kafui Antonio-Apedzi, Ms. Nabeela Naeema Wahab, His Honour Ebenezer Osei-Darko, His Honour Bernard Bentil, His Honour Alexander Graham, Mr. George Kwame Gyan-Kontoh, Mr. Richard Apietu and Mr. Eric Ansah Ankomah.
With the High Court described as a superior court of record, with original, general jurisdiction as a tribunal of first instance, President Akufo-Addo told the new Judges to exhibit honesty, integrity and a sound knowledge of the law.
“A corrupt or incompetent judge is a danger to the public interest and judicial administration. The situation, where judges proffer judgements on the basis of decisions from lower courts and cite them as law, is not acceptable, and even less so, when judges cite no authority at all for their rulings, and give orders without reasons,†he added.
The President continued, “You must be learned, know your case law and ensure your decisions and judgements are properly motivated. The principle of stare decisis, the ancient common law doctrine of precedent, has been, and continues to be the time-honored foundation for the coherent development of the law, and should not be lightly discarded.â€
Lu Ke, a Chinese national behind racist videos involving Malawian children has been charged with five counts of child trafficking by a court in the country.
He was extradited over the weekend to Malawi from neighbouring Zambia after he fled in the wake of a BBC documentary that exposed his racist trade.
Lu Ke was a Malawi resident when he was exposed by BBC Africa Eye, which reported he had used local children to film personalised greetings videos, some of which included racist content, the BBC Africa LIVE page reported.
The videos could be bought for up to $70 (£55) on Chinese social media and internet platforms. Mr Ke has denied making derogatory videos, the report added.
The Chinese man has since been denied bail by a judge citing safety concerns and fear that he was a flight risk.
A gunman who killed 17 people at his former high school has gone on trial in Florida, with jurors set to decide whether he faces the death penalty or life in prison.
Nikolas Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty last year to 17 counts of first-degree murder over the 2018 Parkland shooting.
As prosecutors seek the death penalty, defence lawyers are pushing for life in prison without parole.
The trial is expected to last four to six months and will be televised.
It is a rare case of a mass shooter appearing before a jury in the US, as they are frequently killed by police or take their own lives. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018 is also the deadliest to go before a jury in the country.
As prosecutors delivered their opening statement on Monday, many of those gathered in the packed courtroom were visibly emotional. Some families affected by the attack have spoken out publicly in support of a death sentence.
They listened intently, often wiping away tears as lead prosecutor Michael Satz detailed a moment-by-moment account of the shooting. He named each person who was shot and wounded, while one woman exited the courtroom in tears.
Mr Satz said he would show the court the murders had been “cold, calculated and premeditated”. He recounted how the attacker, then 19, had vowed to become the “next school shooter” in a video filmed just days before.
“I’m going to speak to you about the unspeakable, about this defendant’s goal-directed, planned, systematic murder,” he said.
In a rare move, the defence team chose not to deliver an opening statement until they present evidence.
As footage from the incident was played in court for the first time, one aggrieved mother covered her ears while another doubled over in loud sobs.
Somebody in the room screamed “Shut if off!” as another piece of audio was played.
The defendant – who wore a dark jumper and a black face mask – had largely looked down at a notepad, occasionally scribbling in it and turning to his lawyers.
It has been more than four years since he stormed a building of Stoneman Douglas – from which he had been expelled – while carrying more than 300 rounds of ammunition.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Iran on Tuesday in just his second foreign trip since he launched the invasion of Ukraine in February.
Mr Putin will meet Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Grain exports, Syria and Ukraine will be discussed in Tehran, a Turkish official said.
The Russian leader has limited his international visits to former Soviet states since war broke out in Ukraine.
In June, Mr Putin made his first international trip since February when he visited Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, both former members of the USSR now led by authoritarian rulers and Russian allies.
Tuesday’s visit will offer Mr Putin the opportunity to deepen ties with Iran, one of Moscow’s few remaining international allies and a fellow target of Western economic sanctions.
It follows allegations by US officials last week that Tehran was planning to supply Russia with hundreds of drones for its war in Ukraine.
“The contact with Khamenei is very important,” Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin’s top foreign policy adviser, told a media briefing on Monday. “A trusting dialogue has developed between them on the most important issues on the bilateral and international agenda.”
Turkey and Russia have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war and have been searching for ways to reduce the violence in recent months.
Ankara has also refused to impose sanctions on Moscow since Mr Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on 24 February and the meeting could offer an opportunity for the Turkish leader to conclude a tentative agreement struck between Russian and Ukrainian leaders to ensure the export of 22 million tonnes of desperately needed grain.
Â
Last week, Turkey’s defence minister said both sides had agreed on ways to ensure the safety of shipping routes for grain ships.
Russia’s Black Sea fleet is said to be stopping any shipments getting in or out, and the BBC has documented mounting evidence that Moscow’s forces have stolen and exported Ukrainian grain. Other routes have been heavily mined.
“The issue of Ukrainian grain shipment will be discussed with Erdogan,” Mr Ushakov said. “We are ready to continue work on this track.”
But the talks come as local officials and farmers near the front line of the conflict accused Russia of deliberately shelling grain fields.
Oleh Pylypenko, a local politician in southern Ukraine and a former Russian prisoner, told the BBC that farmers in his constituency near the southern city of Mykolaiv were under constant artillery and missile fire.
He said Russian forces had been “shelling the fields, agricultural machinery, and grain sheds” and said that many farmers had “become victims of such attacks and received shrapnel injuries”.
“Professional firefighters from the city of Mykolaiv are afraid to go, because it is very dangerous,” he added. “Many fires are extinguished by our own efforts. But now the shelling has increased.”
And near the eastern front line in Donetsk, farmers told Reuters news agency that they were under intense Russian artillery fire.
“We got used to it, weird is when they do not shoot. When they shoot, it is normal, we are used to it,” one farmer, Andriy, told the agency.
The Member of Parliament for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has assured his constituents that work will soon resume on the Suame-Maakro road.
Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said a bitumen shortage contributed to delays in road works.
“They should exercise a little patience and pretty soon, in the next three days, we will start,†the MP said.
“Even though the road has developed potholes, we have plans to immediately refurbish the place… The situation was worsened by the shortage of bitumen in the system,†he explained.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also assured that it was always the intention of the state to work on the road.
“Before it got scraped, it was dusty. Nobody would go and scrape off the surface of it when the person has no plan to refurbish the road.â€
The state of the road prompted a hostile reception to Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on Monday.
It took police to calm tension and shield the MP from angry residents after he attempted to address them.
Some angry residents threw various items in his direction and hooted at him.
The residents last week organised a demonstration and called on authorities to ensure work resumes on the stretch.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, however, said he understood the anger of his constituents.
“If they are really angry that it has been a while since the scraping of the surface and the dust is killing them, certainly when they see any government official, they will vent their spleen on the person. So I am not worried.â€
Mr. Gabby Ammah, CEO of Urban Sports Champions and a director of Get Vim has sent messages of encouragement and best wishes to Team Ghana preparing for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
He said everything is possible in sports, so the athletes should be focused and go all out to win laurels for themselves and the nation.
According to the keen sports enthusiast, Ghana is a sports nation, with talented and skilful people. “We are a blessed nation with many talents who are capable of doing many things. I am very optimistic that Team Ghana will perform well despite all the challenges. We hope and pray for all the sportsmen and women to be very fit and ready for their assignments†he expressed.
Urban Sports Champions and Get Vim donated cash to the Black Bombers before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan where Ghana won a bronze medal.
He was sure that the Black Bombers will definitely bring home some medals.
Meanwhile, Makqash Abrantie of Get Vim fame who has been in the United States for a while has promised the Black Bombers something special if they win gold at the Commonwealth Games.
Ghana will be taking part in 13 sports disciplines at the Games in Birmingham.
Many more people would have died during a mass shooting in the US state of Indiana on Sunday night if not for the “heroic” actions of a bystander who stopped the gunman, police have said.
The heavily armed suspect killed three people and injured two others at a shopping centre near Indianapolis.
Elisjsha Dicken, 22, who was at the mall with his girlfriend, drew his pistol and fatally shot the gunman.
The incident has reignited America’s debate about gun ownership.
The gunman had two rifles, a handgun and more than 100 rounds of bullets, said police.
He fired 24 rounds from one of the rifles before he was killed about two minutes into the assault.
Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said on Monday that Mr Dicken had engaged the gunman almost from the outset of the attack.
The police chiefsaid that Mr Dicken had shown “proficient” and “sound” tactics in firing at “the gunman with a handgun from quite a distance”, despite having had no law enforcement or military training.
Mr Dicken also gestured for other shoppers to flee behind him “as he engaged and closed in on the suspect”, said the police chief. He fired 10 rounds.
Mr Dicken – who was lawfully carrying a concealed pistol – was at first handcuffed and questioned by police, before his version of events was confirmed by CCTV footage.
“Many more people would’ve died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen that took action very quickly within the first two minutes of the shooting,” Mr Ison said.
“I will say his actions were nothing short of heroic,” the police chief added.
The attacker was identified as a 20-year-old local resident who had recently been evicted and lost his job at a warehouse.
Two of the three people killed were a husband and wife, and the third was a 30-year-old man. A 22-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl were injured.
Gun rights advocates held up the case as an example of why gun ownership by law-abiding citizens is important.
In a tweet on Monday morning, the National Rifle Association, a gun lobby, said: “We will say it again: The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
But such outcomes are unusual. Only two out of 61 such attacks last year ended when armed bystanders engaged the active shooter, according to an FBI report in May.
A series of recent mass shootings – including at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, at a primary school in Uvalde, Texas, and at a parade in Highland Park, Illinois – have recharged America’s debate over gun laws.
Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah, Secretary-General, Trades Union Congress (TUC), has sent out a strong warning to the government amid talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an economic rescue programme due to the economic hardships the country is facing.
According to him, if the bailout programme imposes other challenges on public sector workers, then he will be leading an industrial action against the government.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, July 18, Dr. Yaw Baah said, “the greatest challenge ahead of Ghanaians is the IMF sponsored programme. As we know, the government has started negotiating with IMF and we know very well that IMF programmes and policies are completely devolved from reality, we have already communicated our objection to the decision to seek an IMF bailout for the eighteenth time.”
He added, “We are convinced that an IMF programme will not solve our problems, it will only impose hardships on Ghanaians. Once again, we will like to remind the government that as part of the negotiations for the 2021/2022 base pay, we agree with the government to make 4 per cent and 7 per cent respectively on the condition that government will not declare redundancy and that government will continue to employ young people into the public service, we will hold the government to account.
“Our main challenge with the management of the economy has to do with the corruption and failure on the part of successive governments to transform the structure of the economy of this country so that Ghanaians can produce what we eat and eat what we produce.
“Currently, the profit-making sectors, including mining, petroleum and banking, are all in the hands of foreigners. I always ask my colleagues, why is it that Nigerian banks are all over the country but I cannot hear of any Ghanaian banks in Nigeria? IMF programmes will not deal with these fundamentals. IMF programmes, you know what they do?
“They only prepare the country for another IMF programme, that is why you go for one, two or three, four up to 18. So this 18th programme is going to prepare Ghana for the 19th programme and the 19th one will prepare Ghana for the 20th. You know it is like that? So that IMF will be in business otherwise they have no business.
“We know very well that the 18th programme that is being negotiated will not be different but I want to assure you all Ghanaians that what will be different is that TUC will lead the working people of Ghana to resist any attempts to impose hardships on workers and their families and the Ghanaian people because the IMF, the content of the programme will not be different but the resistance from the people of Ghana will make it different,” Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah stressed.
The Government of Ghana on Friday, July 1 announced that it was seeking support from the IMF.
An IMF team has since held talks with relevant stakeholders during a one-week engagement that ended last week.
President Akufo-Addo on Monday inducted into office ten new Justices of the High Court, charging them to dispense justice without fear or favour, affection or ill will.
The Justices included Ebenezer Osei-Darko, Bernard Bentil, Alexander Graham, and Mercy Adei Kotei, who were all elevated from the Circuit Courts.
The rest are Mr. George Kwame Gyan-Kontoh, Mr. Richard Apietu, Mr. Eric Ansah Ankomah, Mrs. Cynthia Martinson, Dr. Mrs. Bridget Kafui Antonio-Apedzi and Ms. Nabeela Naeema Wahab, all of whom join the bench from private practice.
At a short ceremony at the Jubilee House, Accra, President Akufo-Addo congratulated them on their well-deserved appointment and enforced the need for them to demonstrate honesty, integrity, and sound knowledge of the law to gain the confidence of the people.
He urged them to eschew all forms and temptations of corruption throughout their journey as judges of the Superior Court of Judicature because “a corrupt or incompetent judge is a danger to the public interest and judicial administration.â€
The President reminded the justices that the high court was the focal point for justice delivery in the country, adding that “much of judicial work begins and ends there.â€
“It is therefore critical for the growth of the nation that the High Courtcommands the respect of the people by the quality of its judgements as well as the comportment of its judges,†he stated.
President Akufo-Addo admonished the judges to avoid proffering judgements on the basis of decisions from lower courts and to employ the time-honoured common law tradition of precedence as the foundation for the coherent development of the law.
“You must be learned, know your case law, and ensure your decisions and judgements are properly motivated,†he said.
The President reinforced the fact that the dispensation of justice required that the application of the laws of the land must occur without fear or favour, affection or ill will, and without recourse to political, ethnic or religious affiliations.
“When a citizen falls foul of the law, that citizen, high or low, must be dealt with accordingly, and the law enforcement agencies including you our new judges must ensure this is done…that is the true meaning of the concept of equality before the lawâ€
President Akufo-Addo also encouraged the judges to leverage technology to expedite the conduct of cases that came before them and in the management of the Courts.
He emphasized that the transparent and efficient delivery of justice builds confidence in citizens, businesses and the investor community.
The Government, the President told the Judges, had taken note of the inadequate numbers of courts in various parts of the country, resulting in citizens travelling long distances to gain access to courts, and had decided to remedy this situation.
To that end, 60 district courts, 60 bungalows for judges, and three new high courts for three of the six newly created regions would be commissioned before the start of the legal year in October.
Additionally, Government, through the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund, is constructing 100 new courts and bungalows for Judges in all 16 Regions of the country.
Justice Mercy Adei Kotei who spoke for her colleague justices expressed gratitude to the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged that they would work to justify their elevation.
“We promise to remain true to our oaths and to discharge our duties with diligence,†she said.
Currently, diesel is almost GH¢15 per litre while petrol sells for over GH¢11 per litre at the pumps. Some filling stations over the weekend recorded some marginal price drops.
Speaking to Citi News, the Chief Executive Officer of NPA, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was optimistic that fuel prices will drop.
â€We have enough fuel in the country to meet the demands. There should be no concern regarding the supply of diesel, especially.â€
After a rampant increase in the price of fuel at the pumps, consumers seem pleased with the recent drop in prices at some fuel stations and are hopeful of further reductions in the coming months.
This comes as some Oil Marketing Companies across the country reduced their prices by up to 60p per litre over the weekend.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong says about 400 bags of rice have been supplied to Senior High Schools that are in dire need of foodstuff in the region by the National Food Buffer Stock Company.
This follows threats by the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools CHASS in the Eastern Region to recommend to the Ghana Education Service to shut down the schools over food shortage and the erratic release of funds if nothing was done to salvage the situation by last week Friday.
Speaking to Citi News, the Eastern Regional Minister, assured that academic activities would continue today following the intervention.
â€We have issued about 400 bags to schools that were in dire need of food. We realised some were in extreme need and others were struggling to make ends meet from what they had.â€
â€We are working to top up the supply and hopefully, academic activities can go on smoothly following this intervention.â€
The Eastern Region CHASS earlier complained of the food shortages it had suffered for the past two years, as well as struggles with reduced weight of food items supplied.
It also complained about arrears in schools because of the erratic release of funds meant for perishable foods.
Because of these challenges, the group considered the closure of schools if nothing changed by July 15.
It also considered recommendations that parents “either feed their wards or pick them home until all the situations are normalised.â€
Jamaican reggae icon Eric Donaldson has arrived in Ghana to perform at the “Pre-Emancipation Day” festival scheduled for National Theatre on Saturday, July 23, 2022.
The festival, which is part of the “Hands Across Africa” initiative, is being spearheaded by the TOCO Foundation and partnered by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana Tourism Authority, The Diaspora Affairs, and YOKS Investments.
Numerous artistes, including Okyeame Kwame, MzVee, Blakk Rasta, Kofi Sarpong, Roc Riva, and Brinsley Forde are expected to thrill music lovers with some musical performances.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the concert, Eric Donaldson was elated to be in Ghana for the second time and promised fans some astonishing performances with some of his global hits.
“I am very happy to be working with Hands Across Africa to stage this concert, and I am here to support them truly from my heart. I am to thrill fans with songs of love and praise from the Almighty, and I will perform to the best of my ability, “he said.
Mr. Taj Weekes, a singer, and songwriter who doubles as the founder of TOCO Foundation said the Hands Across Africa initiative was a social agenda to raise funds to help the vulnerable and underprivileged on the continent.
He revealed they had planned a series of concerts with some international reggae artistes and local artistes to raise funds that would go directly to support some of their non-profit programs.
Ghanaian Hiplife star Okyeame Kwame, who was present at the presser, felt honored to perform alongside Eric Donaldson come July 23, 2022.
He urged fans to come in their numbers and support the concert, which was targeted towards a good course of changing lives.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) as part of its routine exercises has clamped down on some fuel stations that have tampered with their fuel pumps in the Western region.
The exercise, which is being spearheaded by the consumer services department at the Head office and the Western regional office of the NPA came in the wake of frequent complaints about some stations adjusting their pumps to cheat their customers to maximize profits.
This necessitated the surprise visits to selected fuel stations to check the accuracy of their pump delivery to petroleum consumers.
At the end of the exercise, the team found some of the stations culpable and as a result, closed them down as they await further punitive measures to be imposed on them by the NPA.
The Head of Consumer Services at the NPA, Mrs. Eunice Budu Nyarko, in an interview said it was an offense for fuel service stations to pump fuel for sale to customers below the required liter.
The team, later on, held a sensitization program for petroleum consumers in the region.
Mrs. Nyarko told traders and commercial drivers to live up to their civic responsibility of immediately reporting fuel stations they suspect of adjusting their pumps to cheat customers.
They were given hotlines which they could call 24/7 to lodge their complaints. She said, “when complaints are made within 48 hours of the purchase of fuel, prompt investigation can be carried out and the truth established before that product is sold out”.
She further advised the public to “buy fuels from functional filling stations since these stations are frequently monitored by the NPA and hence, the quality of their products can be guaranteed”.
The team also sensitized students of the Takoradi Technical University, traders at the Takoradi market circle, Jubilee Park, and No.9 Markets, and commercial drivers at the market circle on how to safely use LPG.
The NPA team highlighted activities of the authority including its mandate and responsibilities to the consuming public.
Cindy Andoh-Davies, a Manager at the Western regional office of NPA entreated consumers to adhere to safety protocols to prevent accidents.
The Consumer Services department regularly visits the regions to sensitize consumers about their rights and channels to send their complaints for prompt redress by the Authority.
More than 30% of emerging and developing countries are at or near debt distress, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has revealed.
For low-income countries that number is 60%.
According to her, the tightening financial conditions and exchange rate depreciations has escalated the debt service burden which she described a harsh and for some countries unbearable burden.
Speaking at the hybrid meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, Madam Georgieva said the outlook of the global economy has darkened significantly, and uncertainty is exceptionally high, adding, “downside risks about which the IMF had previously warned have now materialisedâ€.
She therefore wants a strong global leadership to tackle the scourge of high debt, which has reached multiyear highs.
“The war in Ukraine has intensified, exerting added pressures on commodity and food prices. Global financial conditions are tightening more than previously anticipated. And continuing pandemic-related disruptions and renewed bottlenecks in global supply chains are weighing on economic activity.â€
“As a result, later this month, we will project a further downgrade to global growth for both 2022 and 2023 in our World Economic Outlook Update. Moreover, downside risks will remain and could deepen—especially if inflation is more persistent—requiring even stronger policy interventions which could potentially impact growth and exacerbate spillovers particularly to emerging and developing countries. Countries with high debt levels and limited policy space will face additional strains. Look no further than Sri Lanka as a warning signâ€, she added.
Emerging and developing countries have also been experiencing sustained capital outflows for four months in a row. They now suffer the risk of reversing three decades of catching up with advanced economies and instead falling further behind.
3 priorities to navigate challenging environment
The MD of IMFsaid first countries must do everything in their power to bring inflation down, adding, “failure to do so could risk the recovery and further damage living standards for vulnerable peopleâ€.
She expressed excitement that central banks are stepping up their game.
“Monetary policy is increasingly synchronised: more than three-quarters of central banks have raised interest rates and have done so 3.8 times. Central bank independence is critical for the success of these policy actions, as is clear communication and a data-driven approach.â€
Secondly, she said fiscal policy must help but not hinder central bank efforts to tame inflation.
“With growth slowing down, some people will need more support, not less. So fiscal policy needs to reduce debt while providing targeted measures to support vulnerable households facing renewed shocks, especially from high energy or food pricesâ€.
Thirdly, Kristalina Georgieva said, a fresh impetus for global cooperation will be critical to confront the multiple crises the world is facing. We need G20 leadership particularly to address the risks from food insecurity and high debt.
Ghanaian model and philanthropist, Gifty Boakye, who represented the country at this year’s Miss Supranational beauty pageant, made it to the Top 24, earning Ghana its first placement in the history of the competition.
The 13th edition of Miss Supranational was held in Poland with 69 contestants competing for the ultimate crown.
Gifty, from Akwatia in the Eastern Region of Ghana, delivered an exceptional performance throughout the entire competition, right from the costume round to the swimwear round and the grand coronation ceremony on July 15.
The 29-year-old beauty queen and international model earned the fourth spot in the Top 24 (semi-finals).
Gifty Boakye won the title of Supra Influencer for her active participation in social media challenges among the contestants.
In her appreciation post to Ghanaians for their support, Gifty revealed how proud she was to have made history in the competition.
“Philippians 4:13. My heart is full. Ghana We made history last night, I want to say a big Thank you to @misssupranational @miss.supranationalghana for believing in me and creating a space for me to let my light shine. To my supporters, you’re messages, prayers and encouragement kept me going throughout this journey. I walked with you on that stage last night. Literally, I’m still in Aww at what we accomplished …Top 24 & Ghana’s first placement!!! My ancestors wildest dreams lived. This is for AFRICA. We are just getting started. GHANA Ooseeeee xoxo, Miss Ghana #BigGift,” read the Instagram post sighted by GhanaWeb.
Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane was crowned the winner of Miss Supranatural 2022.
The rest are as follows, 1st runner-up, Praewwanich Ruangthong from Thailand, 2nd runner-up, Nguyen Hyunh Kim Duyen from Vietnam, 3rd runner-up, Adinda Creshella from Indonesia and 4th runner-up, Ismelys Velasque from Venezuela.
Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopezand Ben Affleck have got married in Las Vegas, Ms Lopez has confirmed.
“We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient,” she wrote on her website.
The nuptials come 17 years after they called off their first engagement.
News of the couple getting back together last year sent fans into a spin, as they publicly displayed their rekindled love on social media.
The Clark County Clerk’s Office in Nevada – where Las Vegas is located – shows on its record system that Jennifer Lopez will change her name to Jennifer Affleck.
Writing on her OntheJLo website, she said the couple had flown to Las Vegas on Saturday and queued for a marriage licence alongside four other couples.
“They were right when they said, ‘all you need is love’,” she wrote.
“We are so grateful to have that in abundance, a new wonderful family of five amazing children and a life that we have never had more reason to look forward to.”
Her hairdresser Chris Appleton shared a video of the star in her wedding dress on Instagram as she prepared for the wedding.
The morning after their nuptials, the bride shared a selfie in bed wearing her new wedding ring.
The pair met on the set of the movie Gigli in 2002, and got engaged in 2003, but broke it off the following year, blaming “excessive media attention”.
However since getting back together, they have regularly posted photos and videos online of romantic holidays and moments with their families – prompting fans to reactivate the couple’s former portmanteau nickname Bennifer.
This is Lopez’s fourth marriage. She was married to singer Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2014 and they have twins together.
Affleck was married to actor Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018, and they have three children together.
The couple at the 75th Annual Academy Awards in 2003
The Lead of Financial Crimesand Anti Money Laundering at the e-Crime Bureau, Eric Kwaku Mensah, has mentioned that 5% of revenues generated by organizations are lost through fraud.
According to him, a report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners made this revelation.
“In the recent report, 5% of the revenue of organizations go to fraud, that is very worrying,” he said.
In an interview with GhanaWeb’s Mawuli Ahorlumegah, he noted that institutions would have to look for comprehensive risk management strategies to bring the percentage down.
“We have seen a concerted effort to mitigating the fraud, regulatory institutions like Bank of Ghana, Securities and Exchange Commission and the rest have come out with policies and measures to help, it is left with us as institutions and individuals to also protect our assets so institutionally, you would have to do a risk assessment and find out where the loopholes and vulnerabilities are,” he added.
He also urged institutions to implement recommendations that emerge from conducting risk assessments to help reduce fraud activities.
Meanwhile, a report by the Bank of Ghana revealed that the involvement of staff of banks and other specialized deposit-taking institutions in fraud constituted 53.46% of total fraud cases in 2021.
The New Patriotic Party(NPP) went to the polls on Saturday, July 16, 2022, to elect a new set of national executives ahead of the 2024 general election.
Among the many candidates vying for positions were Asante Kotoko‘s commercial manager, Eric Amoako Twum and former Hearts of Oak management member, Aziz Haruna Futa.
In the elections that came off at the Accra Sports Stadium, while Twum lost by a bigger margin, Futa earned a convincing win.
Here are the results of the two football personalities who were in contention for a position
Eric Twum
The former Parliamentary candidate for Fantekwa South Constituency was competing with Daniel Nii Kwartei, incumbent Henry Nana Boakye, Bright Essilfie Kumi, Seth Adu-Adjei, Eric Amoako, and Nana Owusu Fordjour for the national organiser position.
With 2,870 votes, incumbent Henry Nana Boakye was re-elected as Eric Amoako Twum pulled only 187 votes.
Eric Amoako Twum is the commercial manager of Asante Kotoko. The Nana Yaw Amponsah-led management team appointed him in 2021.
Aziz Haruna Futa
Former Hearts of Oak management member, Aziz Haruna Futa was re-elected as the Nasara Coordinator of the NPP.
He amassed 328 votes, representing 57.8% of valid votes cast to beat competition from Haruna Maiga, Abdul-Muazu Kunata, Awal Mohammed, and Sulemana Alhassan Atakpo.
During the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, he was part of the Black Stars delegation who travelled with the team to Cameroon.
The Ghana Health Servicehas confirmed the presence of two cases of Marburg virus disease in Ghana.
The cases were first identified in the Ashanti Region on July 7, 2022.
A statement signed by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagyesaid the cases were confirmed after testing at the Institute Pasteur in Dakar (IPD), Senegal.
“The test results corroborated the results from Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. The samples were sent to IPD with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) for validation in line with standard practice, this being the first time Ghana has confirmed Marburg Virus Disease.â€
GHS said it has so far traced some 98 contacts, including those from Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district in the Savannah Region.
“The persons are currently under quarantine and being monitored by the Ashanti and Savannah Regional Health Directorates of the Ghana Health Service.â€
It further noted that no new cases of MVD have been identified.
The Health Service says it is continuing with response measures to prevent any further cases, while working with all relevant bodies to ensure that no case is missed by the health sector.
“Community activities are being strengthened with the engagement of community-based surveillance volunteers who serve as eyes on the ground for the health system and who will report any unusual occurrences to the Ghana Health Service for further action.â€
“The necessary additional logistics including Personal Protection Equipment have been sent to the affected districts should the need arise. The Ghana Health Service together with partners remains committed to protecting the health of the population and seeks the cooperation of all to ensure that this outbreak is contained effectively,†it added.
Marburg VirusDisease is a rare but severe haemorrhagic fever that affects both humans and non-human primates.
It is caused by the Marburg virus. It is transmitted by infected persons or animals from direct contact with body fluids, blood, and other discharges from the affected person/animal. The incubation period for the disease is two (2) to twenty-one (21) days. Treatment is symptomatic. There is currently no vaccine available.
Prospective cases may present with fever, bloody diarrhoea, bleeding from gums, bleeding into the skin, bleeding into eyes, and, bloody urine.
In 2021, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) directed all its regional offices to be on high alert for the Marburg virus after an outbreak of the disease was recorded in neighboring West African country, Guinea.
Management of Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) will from today, Monday, July 18, 2022, resume the Tema-Accra passenger train service, which was suspended temporarily for rehabilitation works.
“After successfully addressing some technical challenges, GRCL conducted series of test runs and a final joint inspection was also carried out on July 7, 2022, by GRCL and Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) to ascertain the suitability of the line for passenger service,†a statement from GRCL noted.
The Ghana Railway Company Limitedin the statement said GRDA, which is the industry regulator, has granted it the approval to commence the shuttle service.
“The general public is being advised to bear with us, that as a start, a restricted speed limit of 35km/h has been imposed on the movement of the train to enable our technical team to continue to address any teething problem that may emerge during these early stages of the resumption of the shuttle service.â€
“There would also be other GRCL officials onboard the train to obtain the views and concerns of commuters to enable Management of GRCL to address them to ensure smooth running of the passenger service to the best satisfaction of our clients. The general public is hereby assured of our usual comfortable, safe and punctual shuttle service GRCL provides,†the railway company added in the statement.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has assured the public of a reduction in the prices of fuel in the coming months locally.
This is based on anticipation of the drop in the price of crude oil on the international market.
Already, the Chamber for Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) has hinted of a six percent drop in prices at the pumps in the coming days.
Currently, diesel is almost GH¢15 per litre while petrol sells for over GH¢11 per litre at the pumps. Some filling stations over the weekend recorded some marginal price drops.
Speaking to Citi News, the Chief Executive Officer of NPA, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was optimistic that fuel prices will drop.
â€We have enough fuel in the country to meet the demands. There should be no concern regarding the supply of diesel, especially.â€
After a rampant increase in the price of fuel at the pumps, consumers seem pleased with the recent drop in prices at some fuel stations and are hopeful of further reductions in the coming months.
This comes as some Oil Marketing Companies across the country reduced their prices by up to 60p per litre over the weekend.
The National Teaching Council (NTC) has given all in-service non-qualified teachers up to 2024 to get themselves trained as teachers, else the law will kick them out of the classroom.
“By 2024, if you are not a trained teacher, you cannot be allowed to practise,†the acting Director, Licensing and Registration of Teachers at the NTC, Francis Kwasi Addai, said.
The NTC defines non-qualified in-service teachers as persons who are already in the system as teachers in both the public and the private sectors but do not have teacher education certificates.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday after the launch of the in-service non-qualified teachers licensing sensitisation programme, Mr Addai accordingly advised all in-service non-qualified teachers in both public and private schools to register on the NTC portal so that when the council started the training, they could participate in it to enable them to obtain temporary certificates to practise as teachers.
The sensitisation programme, which has started in the Greater Accra Region and will end on July 21, 2022, will be replicated in the other regions.
“We want all teachers to be trained. Just like other professionals, if you have not been trained, you cannot practise,†he stated.
Temporary certificates
Mr Addai said after the sensitisation, a five-week training programme to be held on weekends would be organised for the non-qualified in-service teachers, after which they would be assessed and then issued with temporary certificates to practise for one year.
Those temporary certificates, he explained, were renewable on a yearly basis for two more years.
He said the expectation was that while having the temporary certificates, the teachers would enrol in teacher education programmes to enable them to get themselves trained to become full qualified teachers to practise.
“So all non-qualified in-service teachers in both private and public schools are supposed to attend this sensitisation programme to listen to what we have. They should also register on our portal, so that we get their data on our system and go for the training when it starts,†he advised.
Licensing of teachers
Giving a background to the sensitisation programme, the Deputy Registrar at the NTC, Lawrence Sarpong, said the NTC, as the body mandated to license all teachers in the country, started the exercise to license teachers in 2018.
Mr Sarpong, who was speaking on behalf of the Registrar of the NTC, Dr Christian Addai-Poku, said so far it had successfully licensed close to 300,000 teachers nationwide, saying the moment had come to turn its attention to non-qualified teachers to issue them with temporary certification in fulfilment of the law.
He said the programme was also meant to collect data on the number of non-qualified teachers in the country.
Mr Sarpong clarified that the licensing of teachers was something that was going on not only in the country but globally.
“Over the years, the International Federation of Teaching Regulatory Forum has been trying its best to ensure that teachers all over the world are licensed.
“In Africa, we have the Africa Federation for Teaching Regulatory Authorities, and at a conference held in Ghana recently, the focus was to license every teacher in Africa, so that when a teacher moves from one country to another, his licence will be valid to enable him to teach there,†he stated
He advised non-qualified in-service teachers to take advantage of the opportunity being given them to get the temporary certificates, so that they could practise without harassment or being in breach of the law.
It identified that the difficulty was more prevalent in the five to 17 years age group as compared to children between two and four years.
The study further identified that the highest proportions of children with functioning difficulties were found in the Volta, Eastern and Upper West regions while the least were reported from Northern and Greater Accra regions.
Functioning difficulty
Children with functioning difficulties are those who are unable to function the way normal children do. In the classroom, such children are not active when a teacher is teaching and so are unable to contribute in class. They include children with speech, hearing and visual impairment.
The revelation were the findings of a desktop review conducted by the IEPA and presented by its Head of Research and Policy, Dr Wisdom K. Agbevanu, at the second Policy Dialogue on the Innovative Pedagogies Project (IPP) held in Accra on July 6.
The first policy dialogue came off in April this year and it was aimed at collecting information from the participants of the inclusive, engaging and adaptive pedagogies project.
The second dialogue, also organised by the IEPA in collaboration with the Education Commission, Ministry of Educationand the Ghana Education Service, was attended by various stakeholders in education.
Findings
Dr Agbevanu explained that the review was done using all the studies that had been done in the country regarding inclusive, engaging and adaptive (IEA) pedagogies and documents from the Ministry of Education on the subject, and the findings further revealed that 16 per cent of schools declared having at least one pupil with a disability.
He said it also revealed that lack of facilities in basic and senior high schools disproportionately affected children with disabilities with almost no regular basic schools having hand-rails and only eight per cent equipped with ramps.
On training, he said, the review showed that 40 per cent of teachers in public basic schools had been trained in effectively teaching learners with special education needs by 2020 and 2021 while 35 per cent of integrated basic schools provided with specialised teaching and learning materials for special education needs learners by 2020 and 2021.
On challenges impeding the implementation of innovative, engaging and adaptive (IEA) pedagogies in the country, Dr Agbevanu said the review identified them to include limited knowledge about childhood disabilities at all levels and inadequate support for children with differential learning needs to participate in general schools.
He added that a significant number of teachers implementing inclusive education policy in inclusive schools and regular classrooms lacked adequate understanding of the content and details of the policy, support to teach and how to attend to children with special education needs.
The Director-General of the IEPA, Dr Michael Boakye-Yiadom, remarked that the findings of the review would go a long way to identify the gaps in innovative, engaging and adaptive pedagogies in the education system of the country and provide solutions on how to deal with them.
“When we talk about inclusive education, it means the transformation must be inclusive, equitable and cover everybody, including children and those with disabilities,†he said.
A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in hard labour for raping and impregnating his 16-year daughter at Doba in the Kassena Nankana Municipality in the Upper West Region.
John Awanako Achaweni, who has two wives, had sex with his daughter on numerous occasions, got pregnant, helped her abort the baby, and got jealous when he found out that she was chatting with another man.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of incest but was found guilty by the Bolgatanga Circuit Courtpresided over by Alexander Graham after a full trial.
Delivering the sentence, Mr Graham said the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt to establish the guilt of Achaweni.
The judge added that the convict must be slapped with a 10-year sentence to serve as a deterrent to others with the intention of engaging in such a despicable criminal act
According to him, the convict and the complainant had five children with the victim being the eldest.
The prosecutor said in July last year, the complainant detected that the victim was pregnant and when she asked her about the person responsible for the pregnancy, she mentioned her father.
Chief Inspector Ndego said when the wife confronted Achaweni, he threatened to kill the wife if she informed anyone about the incident.
He subsequently, gave her an amount of GH 1,000 to aborrt the pregnancy.
“After aborting the pregnancy, Achaweni continued to have sex with his daughter and anytime she refused to have sex with him , he would tie her hands with a rope, gag her and forcibly have sex with her”, the prosecutor explained.
Jealousy
Chief Inspector Ndego said on October 27, last year, at about 8:30 p.m., Achaweni heard the victim speaking to a male friend on the phone and suddenly became angry, asked the girl to pack her belongings from the house so that he woud hand her over to the person she was speaking to.
The daughter, the prosecutor said, obliged and packed and the two left the house to the alleged boyfriend, but upon reaching a section of the road, Achaweni dragged her daughter into a nearby bush and forcibly had sex with her and afterwards took her back to the house.
The prosecutor added that when they got home, Achaweni forced his daughter to swear that she would not speak to any male friend again.
According to the prosecutor, Achaweni also locked the wife (complainant) in their room with a threat to kill her for giving her mobile phone to the victim to call her boyfriend.
He explained that the wife was rescued from her room by a neighbour, and quickly rushed to the police station to report the incident, leading to the arrest of
An Accra Circuit court hearing the case involving six policemen accused of involvement in bullion van in Accra has threatened to strike out the case if the prosecution fails to file its witness statements in compliance with the law.
When the case was called last Wednesday, the substantive prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) Sylvester Asare, was absent because he was bereaved, with Detective Inspector Isaac Baabayi holding brief for him.
The presiding judge, Patricia Amponsah, said the prosecution had failed to file its witness statement since March this year despite repeated directions from the court.
Accordingly, the judge said she would not hesitate to strike out the case at the next adjourned date if the prosecution failed to file the witness statements and serve the persons.
She directed that a copy of the order that the case would be struck out must be submitted to Attorney General’s office before the next adjourned date on August 8, this year.
Delay
Lawyers for the accused persons – Justin Terriwajjah, David Bondorin, Jango Nuhu, Devine Dotse Tettey, Andrews Kudzo Vortia and Emmanuel Larbi – all took turns to pray for bail for their clients.
They argued that the constant delay by prosecution meant their clients were being kept in custody as a form of punishment even before trial begins.
They accused the prosecution of not having any concrete evidence against the accused persons, hence the constant delay in filing the documents.
Again, they accused the prosecution of not promoting justice with their constant delay and inability or refusal to file the witness statements for the trial to commence.
” Their job is to do justice and serve justice with the court, but they have shown no regard for justice. It’s been five months and absolutely nothing has been done”, Counsel for the first accused, Mr Tettey said.
Ms Amponsah, however, denied the accused persons bail due to the severity of the alleged offence, adding that she was not satisfied and not convinced with their bail applications.
Robberies
The facts as narrated by DSP Asare were that last year, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) recorded as a series of street robberies, as well as attacks on bullion vans.
The police service, he said, mounted surveillance on the suspected robbers undertaking the unlawful activities within the capital.
On February 22, this year, the prosecutor said the police received a report of an attack on the bullion van at North Kaneshie in Accra.
He said subsequently, the police launched investigations into the alleged robbery, which led to the arrest of Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansah alias Pablo (deceased), who admitted the offence during interrogation.
DSP Asare added that further enquiries led to the arrest of Lance Corporal Stephen Nyame (also deceased) and the accused persons; Constable Affisu, Yaro Ibrahim, Constable Richard Boadu, Constable Rabiu Jambedu and Constable Albert Ofosu.
Investigations
According to the prosecutor, during investigations, the late L/pl. Nyame and Constable Ansah admitted taking part in the robberies and mentioned two Nigerians, including Omor Naija as accomplices, who were currently on the run, and that some of the weapons used in the robberies were with Nigerian accomplices around Ashaiman.
He added that on March 6, 2022, L/pl. Nyame and Constable Ansah led the police to Ashaiman to apprehend the two Nigerian suspects, which led to the death of L/pl. Nyame and Constable Ansah who sustained gunshot wounds during the operation.
The case has been in court since it was first on March 8, this year.
The body which oversees Ghana School of Law examinations, the Independent Examinations Body, has cancelled the Civil Procedure paper which was expected to be written today, July 15, 2022.
The civil procedure exam was cancelled because the paper was suspected to have leaked hours before the time it was scheduled to be written.
A copy of the exam paper has been widely shared on some social media platforms.
Citi News sources indicate that there is suspicion that another paper, which was written on Thursday 14th July 2022, was also leaked in a similar fashion.
The Independent Examinations Body came under a barrage of criticism some months ago following the failure of 499 students, who were later admitted to the Ghana School of Law.
 The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) will be constructing new water pipelines for residents at Agbogbloshie to provide the community with adequate and safe drinking water.
The GWCL at a public engagement with residents of Agbogbloshie noted that they would remove all old pipelines and reconstruct new ones to improve water supply for them.
The meeting was to offer the company the opportunity to meet residents and know at first-hand their concerns and challenges with water supply.
Mr Emmanuel Johnson, Accra East Regional Manager, GWCL, addressing residents of the area, said this had become necessary since most of the current pipelines were broken and leaking.
He said most of them were laid in gutters, whereas others were illegally connected through unapproved routes making the water that got to households contaminated in the process.
“Some of the pipes were laid in the gutters and with this, any small burst around the pipes could get dirty water into them, which was unsafe for households,†he stressed.
Mr Johnson said this would also help curb the illegal connection in the area as well as help them generate the requisite revenue from the sale of water.
He entreated residents who wanted to connect to the pipelines to do that with the company and not any private provider.
Madam Salomey Tom, Accra Central District Manager, GWCL, said the company was not getting adequate revenue in the enclave.
This, she intimated, was because some of the residents were illegally connected to the main lanes of the company and were not paying bills.
Mrs Tom reiterated that they would intensify bills payments and collection in the enclave and ensure that there was no illegal connection.
Mr Ato Arthur, Chairperson, Public Toilet and Bath Operators at the area, said the water provided to them was not adequate.
He stressed that their numbers had increase over the years, hence the company should increase water supply to the area.
Mr Arthur called on his colleagues to fish out those who were illegally connected and report them to GWCL.
A total of GH¢2,664,789 was spent on subsidised fertiliser and improved seeds under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme between 2017 and 2021.
However, the value of production over the period under review stood at almost GH¢50bn from a total production output of 14,973,000 metric tonnes (MT).
He said it was clear that investing in agriculture could change the fortunes of the country because “if we spent a little over GH¢2.5 million with a return of almost GH¢50bn, surely that is the best investmentâ€.
Dr Akoto said, for instance, that 2021 had the highest production of 4,338,000MT, with a production value of GH¢21,085,179, although the subsidised fertiliser was low, compared to that of 2018 to 2020.
In 2021, a total of 239,096MT of fertiliser and 34,291MT of seeds were distributed to the farmers.
Dr Akoto said the output of the PFJ was a clear indication that agriculture could be the major driver of the national agenda to transform the economy.
Annual breakdown
Giving the annual breakdown, he said when the programme was launched in 2017, only 121,000MT of fertiliser and 4,400MT of seeds were distributed to farmers.
He said with that, the farmers were able to produce 747,000MT of food, with a production value of GH¢1,619,273,000.
“In 2018, we invested 247,039MT of fertiliser and 6,822MT of improved seeds and realised 2,313,000MT of food, with the face value of GH¢5,087,894,000,†the minister said.
He added that for 2019, 331,354MT of fertiliser and 18,204 MT of improved seeds were distributed among the farmers, whose total output stood at 3,4436,000MT, valued at GH¢9,732,277,000.
The year 2020 received the highest subsidised fertiliser of 424,000MT and 29,500MT of improved, yielding 4,139,000MT, valued at GH¢12,125,122,000.
Enthusiasm
Dr Akoto explained that the PFJ generated a lot of enthusiasm among a cross-section of the population, especially the youth, who until then considered farming to be for the aged and the illiterate.
He said not only individual farmers signed onto the programme but that churches and tertiary institutions also joined.
Citing the 2021 investment and the output, the minister said even though the two commodities, fertiliser and the seeds, were the game changers, more improved seeds were need
According to Mr Mpiani, the utterances of the current Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta before the government decided to seek the intervention of the International Monetary Fund make him unfit for the role.
“Honestly, If I were the Finance Minister (Ken Ofori-Atta) this is not a question of the President dropping me, from my utterances and then what is happening, I would just say Mr President, thank you so much, I think it’s time for me to sit back for another person to take over,” Mr Mpiani said in an interview with Joy News.
It will be recalled that in February this year, Mr Ofori-Atta said the government had no intention to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout but will resort to available means within the country to generate revenue.
This u-turn by the government which yesterday concluded preliminary engagements with the IMF on an economic support programme has resulted in critics calling for his resignation over his pronouncements on IMF support.
Reshuffle President’s prerogative
Insisting that reshuffling Ministers was the sole prerogative of the President, Mr Mpiani said like all Ghanaians he was concerned about the performance of some of the President’s appointees.
He said if he had the opportunity to advise President Akufo-Addo, he would urge him to drop some inefficient Ministers.
“It’s the prerogative of the President, if he believes that all these people are working well, fine. But a listening President will try and find out what the people think…,” he said.
“I would advise him to drop some of the Ministers and bring in some [new ones]”.
Stopping short of naming the Ministers who should be dropped by the President, Mr Mpiani stressed that he would have resigned if he was the Finance Minister.
Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson, has responded to the IMF statement advising parliament to approve a $ 1 billion loan to prevent the economy from grinding to a halt.
According to him, parliament does not take instruction from foreign partners but rather considers advice that can either be accepted or rejected depending on the circumstance.
“Parliament does not take instruction from our foreign partners, we take advice, so advice can either be accepted or be rejected depending on the circumstance of the day. Yes, we have the document and we have to do justice with the document,†he said
Speaking in an interview after a committee considered the loan agreement which has been rejected, Ato Forson stated that it was due to the fact that some concerns including defects in the document raised by the minority with regards to the loan have not been addressed.
“…we met as a committee for us to consider and approve two tranches of loans. We have considered them in good fate but we have lingering concerns. First of all, we believe that the document before us has some fundamental defects because what is in the memorandum to parliament and what is in the loan agreement have some difference in the sense that in one breath, we were called upon to approve a loan of 750 million dollars but what is in the agreement has two trenches, tranche A and tranche b, one is in dollars and one in euros. So that will mean that parliament would have to amend what was brought to us.
“A major concern to us is, what is in the budget is significantly different from what they are asking us to do. The budget is saying that in the course of the year they will be taking a term loan of 750million dollars, so why do you ask us to approve 1 billion when your own budget says 750million?
“Parliament does not take instruction from our foreign partners, we take advise, so advise can either be accepted or be rejected depending on the circumstance of the day. Yes, we have the document and we have to do justice with the document. A major concern to us is, what is in the budget is significantly different from what they are asking us to do. The budget is saying that in the course of the year they will be taking a term loan of 750million dollars, so why do you ask us to approve 1 billion when your own budget says 750million?†he said.
The Minority has shot down the approval of a 1 billion dollar syndicated loan at the committee meeting despite IMF advice that it should be approved to prevent the economy from grinding to a halt.
According to the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Ato Forson, their decision was due to the fact that some concerns including defects in the document raised by the minority with regards to the loan have not been addressed.
He insists that until the right things are done, the minority side will not approve the one billion dollar syndicated loan despite the IMF plea.
Speaking in an interview, he said, “…we met as a committee for us to consider and approve two tranches of loans. We have considered them in good fate but we have lingering concerns. First of all, we believe that the document before us has some fundamental defects because what is in the memorandum to parliament and what is in the loan agreement have some difference in the sense that in one breath, we were called upon to approve a loan of 750 million dollars but what is in the agreement has two trenches, tranche A and tranche b, one is in dollars and one in euros. So that will mean that parliament would have to amend what was brought to us.â€
When asked why they ignored the advice of the IMF, he said they only take advice from foreign partners and not instructions.
“Parliament does not take instructions from our foreign partners, we take advice from them, advice can either be accepted or rejected it depends on the circumstances on the day,†Ato Forson added.
In a statement, it said there have been food shortages for the past two years, as well as struggles with reduced weight of food items supplied.
“Suppliers of food items for some time now have been supplying underweight items to the schools. An example is 100 kg of Maize has been reduced to 50 kg or 60 kg,†the group noted in a statement.
It also complained about arrears in schools because of the erratic release of funds meant for perishable foods.
Since 2021, funds meant for recurrent [expenses], have been released once. By extension, recurrent funds are in arrears since 2021 and 6 months into 2022,†the group explained.
Because of these challenges, the group is considering the closure of schools if nothing changes by July 15.
It is also considering recommendations that parents “either feed their wards or pick them home until all the situations are normalised.â€
The Education Ministry gave assurances that by July 12, the challenges would have been addressed
But schools are still complaining about the shortages despite the commitment made by the government.
The mandate of the committees among others is to look into the feasibility and sustainability of the organisations, especially in recent times when there are reports of food shortage in Senior High Schools and the demand from school feeding caterers for an increment in the cost of feeding students.
The Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) has asked members of the public to disregard speculations that transport fares will be increased from July 18, 2022.
The GRTCC said the announcement by “a group of unknown transport operators” that transport fares would go up by 20 per cent beginning July 18, was an illegality that must not be countenanced.
The General Secretary of the GRTCC, Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah, has told Graphic Online that those behind the announcement of the hike in transport fares were not a recognised group with the power to determine transport fares.
Mr Ohene Yeboah told Graphic Online’s Timothy Ngnenbe on Wednesday (July 13) that, it was only the GRTCC and theGhana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) that had the bargaining chip for negotiating transport fares.
“I want to put it on record that the GRTCC and GPRTU do not know those who are parading as transport operators and calling for transport fare increment.
“I am told the group comprise Okada operators and spare part dealers. We do not know them as a splinter group who have the mandate to champion transport fares increment for other operators.
No negotiations
He maintained that the GRTCC and the GPRTU had not started any negotiations on transport fares.
“We have done transport fares increment with successive governments, and there is a laid down procedure for negotiating it,” he observed.
He said negotiations on transport fareswere done by the stakeholders including GRTCC, GPRTU, the Ministry of Transport and the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA).
“We all sit down and weigh the situation by looking at the price of fuel, spare parts and other market factors,” he said.
Mr Yeboah added that although fuel prices was one of the factors that played a role in determining transport fairs, one could not rely on that alone to announce increments.
“Fuel prices constitute just 33 per cent of all factors that are considered in negotiating transport fare increment.
Price harmonisation
Mr Yeboah said the GRTCC and other stakeholders were currently looking at harmonising the transport fares regime to ensure that drivers do not charge exorbitant fares.
“Some people abuse the system anytime fares are announced by charging more than the approved fares.
We call on our leadership at the various terminals to enforce directives on fares such that the same fares are charged based on the distance,” he said.
He also advised the traveling public to insist on paying the right fares.
Organizers of the civil advocacy group, Arise Ghana have accused some government officials of hijacking the country’s resources.
Lead member of the group Bernard Mornah addressing the media on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 said the country is in deep crisis and requires urgent rescue.Â
According to Bernard Mornah,†The country is in deep crisis and requires urgent rescue. Our country and economy is currently at the intensive care unit and on the verge of collapse and will inevitable collapse without immediate drastic steps to salvage itâ€
“Our resources have been hijacked by a few greedy government officials and their cronies while the masses continue to languish in abject poverty†he added.
He described the future of our children and generations unborn as been mortgaged by†current selfish duty bearers of the country, while moral masses look unconcern.â€Â
Bernard Mornah also charged the public to rise and unite to help save Ghana from the Akufo-Addo led government. According to him ,this is not the time for partisan politics.
“This is not the time for partisanship, rather this is the time for us to rise and unite to save Ghana from the clutches of the nation from the Akufo-Addo, Bawumia Government.
Calling out President Akufo-Addo, he accused him and his government of sinking the country low.
“President Akufo-Addo and his team of of incompetent brigands continue to sink Ghana and Ghanaians low low low whiles exhibiting “bugaâ€Â
He finally called on Ghanaians to participate in all upcoming programs by the movement.
Ghana Police Servicehave arrested six people suspected to be involved in the lynching of a 28-year-old mechanic in Aburansa in the Central Region.
According to adomonline.com, the 28-year-old mechanic, Festus Eduafo, was lynched because some residents claimed he looked like a murderer.
The report indicated that the victim was on his way to Aborbeano to visit his son.
In an interview with Adom News, personnel of the Central Region Police Command, who confirmed the arrest, said that the six suspects will assist with the investigation into the matter.
The police source said that it will do all it can to bring all the perpetrators to book.
Also, the Assemblyman for Ekumfi Asaasa Electoral Area, Prince Dankwa, urged the community members to assist the police with the investigation and commended the police for the work they had done so far.
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased, Joseph Amakye, has said that he is utterly dismayed by the death of his son, adding that he is yet to come to terms with it.
Ghanaian Highlife legend, Alfred Benjamin Crentsil, professionally known as AB Crentsil has passed away at the age of 79 years.
The death of the celebrated singer was confirmed by sounds engineer, Fred Kyei Mensah better known as Fredyma on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 in a Facebook post.
“FAREWELL AB CRENSTIL. The original composer and singer of the famous and controversial songs, ‘Moses and Atia’, AB Crenstil, has died! He had a stint with a lot of bands before joining the Sweet Talks Band with Smart Nkansah and then his own band, Ahenfo. His hit songs, ‘Juliana and Obi ba wiase’, cannot be forgotten,” the post read.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, Fredymaintimated that the veteran singer had been sick for some time now.
Tons of tribute have poured in for the late composer.
Alfred Benjamin Crentsil Jrwas born in Prestea, Gold Coast (present-day Ghana), to the late Alfred Benjamin Crentsil Sr and Esi Yaaba in 1943.
He was always known as AB Junior until his father died in 1984 when he assumed the AB Crentsil name without the junior.
His primary and middle school education was the Takoradi Methodist Primary and Rev Cleveland Middle School respectively. After his middle-school examinations, AB worked as an electrical apprentice under his father, who was Works Superintendent of the technical branch of Ghana Railways at Takoradi.
While in middle school, Crentsil was introduced to the guitar by Mr. Thedoh.
A.B. Crentsil became proficient in playing guitar and started singing along when playing it. He was simultaneously working as an electrician and playing with the Strollers Band owned by one Kwesi Donkor.
Crentsil has played with the El Dorados, the Sweet Talks which latter group in the 1970s, under the joint leadership of Crentsil and Smart Nkansah, were the resident band at The Talk Of The Town Hotel in Tema, with Crentsil as lead singer — and then finally the Ahenfo Band.
Crentsil opened a 16-track recording studio in 1990. “Devil†is among his best-known songs. Crentsil continues to release new albums and to win the accolades that are awarded to top musicians in Ghana. As he always says: “When burger highlife came and everybody loved it, we all joined the train because we also wanted to make some money, but one that I realized is that, highlife will always be the original form of music for Ghanaians and we will always come back to it.â€
Seasoned Journalist,Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has empathized with teachers on strike for an increase in their Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).
Four teacher unions commenced a strike action on Monday, July 4 and presently remain on strike demanding a 20 percent increase in their allowances to better their living conditions.
Meanwhile, the government is said to hold talks with them today to reach an amicable end.
Speaking to host Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM’s morning programme “Kokrokoo”, Mr. Pratt bemoaned the treatment meted out to the teachers as he expressed disgust over how much they earn for their services.
Narrating a story about a friend of his who is a University lecturer, Mr. Pratt called on the Akufo-Addo government to streamline the incentive structure for public sector workers with particular emphasis on teachers.
“A friend of mine who lectures at the University showed me his pay slip and I shockingly asked is this the reason why he went to school to do a first degree and did a second degree to the extent of acquiring a PHD? In fact, if you hadn’t even gone to school, you would still make this money. Even a wayside mechanic makes more than the salary you are receiving (as a lecturer)…So, the whole incentive system needs to be restructured” he said.
The Municipal Chief Executive(MCE) for Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Mr. Alfred Amoah and his driver, died in a ghastly road accident on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
According to information available to GhanaWeb, the incident happened at Sefwi Akaasu along the Accra-Kumasi Highway.
An eyewitness who spoke to GhanaWeb said the accident involved a trailer with a registration number AS 4229 X and the Toyota Land cruiser in which the MCE was travelling.
The trailer, coming from Kumasi to Accra is said to have lost control a few meters from the Birim river on the Accra-Kumasi highway after its axle broke in the middle of the road.
It subsequently crashed into the MCE’s car, with registration number GC 2060-18, crashing the engine and the driver’s part along with the seating area of the front passenger.
The MCE was reported to be on his way back to Kumasi from Accra where he and other appointees had met with the President earlier in the day.
The deceased Alfred Amoah and his driver, yet to be identified, died instantly at the time of filing this report. Their bodies were still trapped in the car but the Police and Fire Service were at the scene trying to restore vehicular order and retrieve the remains.
The state-owned Daily Graphic’s account states that the accident said to involve multiple vehicles, reportedly occurred at Apedwa near Tafo in the Eastern Region.
It also quoted the Western North Regional Minister, Richard Rocky Joojo Obeng as having confirmed the incident.
The Supreme Court will on July 27, 2022, deliver what it describes as a “definite ruling†on yet another attempt by restrained Assin North Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson, to temporarily halt proceedings at the Court of Appeal.
The apex court, in a 3-2 majority decision on March 9, dismissed the application for Stay of Proceedings at the Court of Appeal (Cape Coast).
Lawyers, in arguing the application, said the stay of proceedings would allow for a referral of Article 94 (2) (a) of the Constitution to the Supreme Court for Interpretation.
Justices Gertrude Torkornoo, Clemence Honyenuga and Emmanuel Yonni Kulendi however dismissed the application on that occasion, with Justices Gabriel Pwamang and Agnes Dordzie dissenting.
Mr. Gyakye Quaysonis seeking to move an enhanced panel of the apex Court to review this earlier decision.
This anticipated “definite ruling†will be delivered by Justices Gabriel Pwamang as President, Prof. Ashie Kotey, Agnes Dodzie, Clemence Honyenuga, Gertrude Torkornoo, Emmanuel Yoni Kulendi and Prof. Henrietta Mensah Bonsu.
The Supreme Court in April restrained Mr. Quayson from representing the people of Assin North until the final determination of a pending substantive case that avers that he held dual citizenship at the time of filing his nomination forms to contest in the 2020 elections, contrary to law.
This decision was taken in a petition brought before the Supreme Court by Michael Ankomah-Nimfa, a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region.
Mr. Ankomah-Nimfa had earlier secured a judgement at the Cape Coast High Court overturning the election of Mr. Quayson as null and void, but the embattled legislator ran to the Court of Appeal to have the decision set aside.
Ghana Police Servicehave arrested six people suspected to be involved in the lynching of a 28-year-old mechanic in Aburansa in the Central Region.
According to adomonline.com, the 28-year-old mechanic, Festus Eduafo, was lynched because some residents claimed he looked like a murderer.
The report indicated that the victim was on his way to Aborbeano to visit his son.
In an interview with Adom News, personnel of the Central Region Police Command, who confirmed the arrest, said that the six suspects will assist with the investigation into the matter.
The police source said that it will do all it can to bring all the perpetrators to book.
Also, the Assemblyman for Ekumfi Asaasa Electoral Area, Prince Dankwa, urged the community members to assist the police with the investigation and commended the police for the work they had done so far.
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased, Joseph Amakye, has said that he is utterly dismayed by the death of his son, adding that he is yet to come to terms with it.
The Speaker of Parliamenthas constituted an adhoc body of five parliamentary committees to probe the activities of the National Food Buffer Stock Company and the National School Feeding programme.
The mandate of the committees among others is to look into the feasibility and sustainability of the organizations, especially in recent times when there are reports of food shortage in Senior High Schools and the demand from school feeding caterers for an increment in the cost of feeding students.
The Speaker gave these directives in Parliament after visiting the organizations on the 23rd of July 2022.
“Let me once more reiterate that the School Feeding Programme provides great potential. It is therefore critical that we address issues regarding the efficient implementation of the programme, while instituting measures to avert a possible occurrence in the future.â€
The Conference of Heads of Assisted Schools in the Upper West Region last week warned that Senior High Schools in the region may soon shut down if the government fails to supply them with adequate foodstuff to feed students.
“It came out that the food suppliers contracted by Buffer Stock Company and those local suppliers contacted to help out are all refusing to supply due to non-payment of outstanding monies owed for food supplied to the schools. This has led to serious food shortages in all the schools in the region. In fact, an assessment of the situation indicated that most schools cannot go beyond one week if nothing urgent is done about it,†a statement from the Upper West branch of CHASS complained.
The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbornu took on the government regarding the food shortages.
Mr, Carbonu said the current centralized system that authorises only the National Buffer Stock to distribute food to Senior High Schools has largely contributed to food shortages in various schools.
He believes a decentralization of food distribution to Senior High Schools, will address these challenges
Former Deputy Information Minister under the N.D.C in the John Dramani Mahamaadministration, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has alleged that the Electoral Commission is seeking to compile a new voters register for the 2024 elections with the Ghana card as the only source of identification.
According to him, this comes barely two years after the Commission spent over $80 million on a new register for the 2020 elections.
In a Facebook post, he said there must be something really amiss with Jean Mensah and her colleagues in the leadership of the Electoral Commission with regards to this decision.
He alleged that the “object, of course, is to manipulate that register to save the blushes of this hopeless government which is destined to be thrown out by the electorate in 2024.â€
