TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Ghana to decide on COVID-19 vaccines soon

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed that the Committee set up to recommend the appropriate decision on the deployment of a safe Covid-19 vaccine in Ghana has concluded its work enabling the government to begin discussions with vaccine manufacturing companies.

    The President made this known Tuesday in an address at the 72nd Annual New Year School and Conference in Accra.

    He said the goal of the discussion was to order the most suitable vaccine for Ghana.

    He said: “Through the advances of science we now have vaccines that are already being administered in some countries that could help control and eventually end the pandemic.  The Committee formed by government to recommend the appropriate decision on COVID-19 vaccines has completed its work, enabling government to begin discussions with vaccine-manufacturing companies with the goal of ordering the suitable doses of the vaccine for use in Ghana. Details of this will be announced very soon”.

    COVID-19 vaccine approval

    Ghana’s FDA has not yet approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use in the country and last week issued a Public Health Alert against the patronage of any vaccine.

    However, the United States (US) FDA has approved two vaccines; Moderna’s vaccine on December 18, 2020, and the Pfizer vaccine on December 11. The vaccines are currently being distributed across the US to battle the pandemic.

    The United Kingdom (UK) has also approved three vaccines; the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.

    The Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines each require two doses and you are not fully vaccinated until a week after your second shot.

    Meanwhile, Guinea late last year began vaccinating against COVID-19 with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on an experimental basis, starting with government officials. It ordered only 55 doses of the Russian vaccine.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Japan finds COVID-19 variant in three people with no record of travel to UK

    Japanese doctors have detected a fast-spreading variant of the new coronavirus first discovered in Britain in three people who had not travelled there, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

    The three, aged from their 20s to their 60s and living in Shizuoka prefecture, about 200 km (125 miles) west of Tokyo, first had symptoms in early January, the ministry said.

    A health ministry official said that the authorities are looking into how the three became infected but that there was no proof yet that the variant first detected in Britain was spreading in Shizuoka now.

    Japan has so far detected 45 cases of new variants of the virus that were first spotted in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, he said.

    Japan earlier this month expanded a state of emergency declared in the Tokyo area to seven more prefectures to curb COVID-19 cases.

    The country has recorded about 335,000 cases of infection so far, including 4,500 deaths, public broadcaster NHK said.

    Source: reuters.com

  • Coronavirus: Kigali put under 15-day lockdown

    Rwanda has put Kigali under a 15-day lockdown to tame the spread of COVID-19. The capital city has seen a second wave after authorities relaxed some restrictions.

    The move comes after a virtual meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on Monday.

    In a statement, the government called on Rwandans to heighten vigilance in observing the Covid-19 health guidelines to slow down the spread of the virus.

    The citizens have also been asked to reduce social interactions and limit movement only to essential services.

    The government has banned unnecessary movements including visits outside homes except for essential services including medical/healthcare, food shopping, and banking.

    The government has said that all movements will require a permit from Rwanda National Police.

    Travel between Kigali and other provinces and districts of the country has been banned except for essential services and tourism. Tourists, however, must have Covid-19 negative certificates.

    Also suspended is public transport. All employees in the public and private sectors have been instructed to work from home except for those providing essential services.

    Source: nation.africa

  • Africa’s Coronavirus cases surpass 3.2m – Africa CDC

    COVID-19 cases in Africa have reached 3.26 million as of January 18, 2021, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

    According to the continental disease control and prevention agency’s Africa Covid-19 dashboard, the death toll from the pandemic stood at 78,911 on Monday, with 2.6 million recoveries.

    The southern African region is the hardest-hit area in Africa in terms of the number of cases, followed by northern African, according to the Africa CDC.

    The five highly-affected African countries include South Africa with 1,337,926 cases, Morocco with 459,671 cases, Tunisia with 180,090 cases, Egypt with 156,397 cases and Ethiopia with 131,195 cases, according to the latest figures from the Africa CDC.

    Most fatalities

    South Africa is also the most affected African country in terms of Covid-19-related deaths at 37,105 fatalities.

    According to the African Union (AU) Commission’s specialised healthcare agency, the five highly-affected African countries presently account for about 69 per cent of the total in Africa.

    Amid the recent spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases, the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (Avatt) recently announced that a provisional 270 million vaccine doses had been secured for AU member states.

    At least 50 million doses from this tranche will be available during the crucial period of April through June of this year, according to the statement issued by the South African president’s office last week.

    Source: Xinhua

  • Scientists see new evidence South African variant binds more readily to human cells

    Scientists have new biological evidence that the so-called South African coronavirus variant binds more readily and strongly to human cells, making it more infectious, top local epidemiologist Salim Abdool Karim said on Monday.

    He was speaking at a presentation of research into the variant, known as 501Y.V2, by a team of scientists. The variant was identified by South African genomics experts late last year.

    It drove local COVID-19 infections to a new daily peak above 21,000 cases earlier this month.

    British scientists and politicians have expressed concern that vaccines currently being deployed or in development could be less effective against the South African variant. It has more than 20 mutations including several in the spike protein the virus uses to infect human cells.

    But Abdool Karim said there was as yet no answer to that question, although scientists around the world were working on it.

    South African experts have said that since vaccines induce a broad immune response it is unlikely that the mutations in the spike protein would completely negate the effect.

    Source: reuters.com

  • Duke Micah returns to coach Carl Lokkos Bronx Gym

    World rated bantamweight boxer, Duke Micah who lost the opportunity to become a world champion when he was knocked out by Philippine, Reid John Casimero last year has returned to the James Town-based Bronx Gym, managed by Coach Carl Lokko.

    In an exclusive chat with Micah, he said boxing has taught him many things in life, and he regrets making some decisions in the past which did not help him.

    He advised young boxers not to rush into big fights, but train well and prepare adequately before engaging in championships.

    He also appealed to the government to invest in boxing by supporting amateur boxing because they fight for the nation and represent Ghana at international games like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

    He said he has apologized to his best trainer, Carl Lokko over whatever occurred in the past and they are now together hoping for a better future.

    Micah who has lost only once in his career promised to come back, and go for another shot at the world title.

    “I am quite young, I know I can make it better and bigger in the future, I hope to make amends and train harder to become a world champion,” he told Yours Truly.

    He also said the Bronx Gym is capable of producing more champions for Ghana, as they possess some rising stars like. He commended the two national champions, Felix Ajom (super featherweight) and John Laryea (featherweight) and urged them to be focused and obey the instructions of the coaches always.

    Source: Sammy Heywood Okine, Contributor

  • Trabzonspor manager backs Caleb Ekuban after penalty miss against Antalyaspor

    Trabzonspor manager Abdallah Avci has given his support to Ghanaian forward Caleb Ekuban after his penalty miss against Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Saturday.

    The 26-year-old was left crestfallen after missing from the spot as the Black Sea Storms had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Antalya Stadyumu.

    Despite the miss, his teammates and manager Avci have backed their star player to recover from the disappointment ahead of the game against Konyaspor.

    “Do not disturb your morale. You are the star of this team. You won a lot of matches. There are such things in football,” said Abdallah Avci.

    The Ghana international has been on a run of good form for Trabzonspor, snatching match-winners in games against Fatih Karagumruk and Goztepe.

    Brazilian Amilton opened the scoring in the 25th minute and Trabzonspor needed an injury-time equalizer from Benik Afobe.

    Ekuban has scored five times in 12 league games this season.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • WAFA striker Daniel Lomotey arrives in Tunisia to sign for AS Soliman

    WAFA SC striker Daniel Lomotey has arrived safely in Tunisia ahead his move to AS Soliman, GHANAsoccernet.com can confirm.

    Lomotey left Ghana for Tunisia on Monday night and arrived on Tuesday morning upon the invitation from Soliman.

    The 21-year-old proven forward is expected to undergo his medical on Wednesday before signing his contract.

    The former Ghana U20 striker will a two-and-a-half years contract with Soliman after completing all other formalities of his transfer.

    Lomotey’s contract with WAFA would expire in June 2021.

    Lomotey currently leads the top scoring chart of the Ghana Premier League where he has scored 8 goals in 9 matches with the last coming against Asante Kotoko SC last Sunday.

    He is joining compatriot Elvis Kyei Baffour who joined the Tunisian top-flight side in October 2020 from Liberty Professionals.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Newly-signed Cagliari midfielder Alfred Duncan handed debut start against AC Milan

    Ghana midfielder Alfred Duncan has been named in Cagliari starting line-up on his debut against AC Milan.

    Duncan joined the Islanders on a loan deal from Fiorentina over the weekend.

    The 27-year-old was named in the matchday squad for the crucial clash against high-flying Milan on Monday.

    Coach Eusebio Francesco has however handed a starting berth to the Ghana intentional, pairing him with Razvan Marin and Gaston Pereiro in a three-man midfield.

    Cagliari are aiming to a ten-match winless streak at the expense of the Rossoneri at the Sardegna Arena.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Mother, 4 children killed in home fire

    A mother and her four children died in a house fire suspected to be an act of arson in Katooke Village, Nansana Municipality in Wakiso District on Saturday.

    Police identified the deceased as Darren Namutebi, 30, Aisha Birungi, 13, Jennifer Nanyonjo, 8, Mugenyi Seguya, 7, and Israel Ntulume, 6.

    Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said they suspect an electric short circuit to have caused the fire.

    He, however, said the residents including the only survivor, Mr Moses Bogere, the husband and father of the deceased, say it was a petrol bomb.

    “Mr Bogere said he heard something hitting the window in the sitting room and it was followed by a loud bang and a bright light,” Mr Owoyesigyire said. He added: “The person that the residents suspect to have been behind the case appeared at police, but he denied the allegations. We are holding him to help investigations and also protect him from angry residents.”

    According to a police report, the fire started at 1 am in the living room where the four children were sleeping and later spread to the bedroom where the parents were.

    Mr Bogere and Namutebi were rescued by the residents who dug a hole in the wall, according to police.

    However, Namutebi re-entered the house after realising that her children were still inside to rescue them, Mr Owoyesigyire said.

    “The residents say efforts to restrain her from risking her life failed. She was trapped by the fire and also died inside the house before she could save anyone,” he said.

    He said forensic experts have taken samples from the scene to establish the cause of death.

    “All the bodies will also be examined to establish whether petrol or any other inflammable liquid was used or not,” he said.

    Source: monitor.co.ug

  • Violent clashes continue in Tunisia for fourth night

    Clashes erupted in Tunisia for a fourth consecutive evening on Sunday.

    In Ettadhamen, a neighbourhood close to the capital Tunis, the youth hurled rocks at riot police, who responded with teargas

    Dozens in the capital and other cities have been arrested during the nationwide violent demonstrations which has seen shops and cars smashed and looted.

    The protests began during the start of a coronavirus lockdown on January 14, which was 10 years to the day since the autocratic leader Ben Ali fled from power.

    But in this working-class neighbourhood, no political slogans were heard and it is unclear what the young want.

    “These aren’t protests, it’s young people who are coming from nearby neighbourhoods to rob and entertain themselves,” said 26-year-old resident Oussama.

    “A protest would be during the day, faces visible”.

    Abdelmoneim, a waiter at a nearby cafe, said those in the street were “bored adolescents”, but blamed the violence on the country’s post-revolution political class.

    “These delinquents are the result of their failure,” the 28-year-old said.

    Despite the revolution a decade ago, many Tunisians are increasingly angered by poor public services and the political class, with high consumer prices, shrinking GDP and about a third of young people unemployed.

    The health crisis and ensuing economic misery have pushed growing numbers of Tunisians to seek to leave the country.

    Interior ministry spokesman Khaled Hayouni said earlier Sunday that dozens of young people, mostly aged between 14 and 17, had been arrested after they took to the streets during previous evenings, to loot and vandalise shopfronts and cars.

    Videos circulating on social media showed young people burning tyres, insulting the police and looting shops.

    Sousse, usually a magnet for foreign holidaymakers but hit hard by the pandemic, also saw rioting.

    Tunisia had been under a night-time curfew even before the recent lockdown, a four-day measure meant to expire on Sunday at midnight.

    Source: africanews.com/afp

  • Suspend reopening of basic schools if PPE are not ready IFEST

    The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) is calling on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to suspend the reopening of basic schools till all relevant Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are distributed to all schools in the country.

    IFEST described as “completely unacceptable” that, most of the basic schools are yet to receive any form of PPE as promised by the relevant authorities.

    “It is even more shocking because the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have had the privilege of experiencing the challenges that bedevilled the sharing of this PPE during the partial reopening, last year and should have started the distribution long ago before the reopening date.

    “Unfortunately, pupils have had to report to school today without the needed PPE at a time when Covid-19 is in the ascendency in the country,” the group alleged in a statement.

    The statement comes as schools resumed today, Monday, 18 January 2021 with a call on students and teachers to obey the COVID-19 safety protocols.

    IFEST noted that without PPE both teachers and students are at risk of Covid infection.

    “We are, therefore, calling on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to suspend the reopening till all schools have received the needed PPE,” the statement said.

    It also called on parents and guardians to provide their wards with at least a nose mask and hand sanitiser to enable them to stick to the protocols.

    “We believe that the words of those in authority are supposed to be backed by concrete actions and that the practice of having a discrepancy between what a policy directive is and practical happenings on the ground should come to a halt,” the statement added.

    Source: Class FM

  • COVID-19: Do not panic – Former Education Minister to parents

    A former deputy Minister of Education under the John Mahama administration, Alex Kyeremeh, has added his voice to the many assurances by authorities that children returning to school amidst the rising numbers of coronavirus cases should not be entirely worried.

    He said that although cases have been on the ascendency lately, concerns by parents, alike students as they return to school, the fact that only last year, final year students returned to school to write their West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) without any major fallouts, should put them at rest.

    “If we consider how things turned out when our children who went back to school last year to write their WASSCE, parents had the same doubts and fears but by the grace of God, everything went well and they returned home safe,” he explained.

    He stressed that while the situation in Ghana is taking a spike, it is not the only country being affected by the virus across the world. He, therefore, allayed fears of the parents, calling on all to be extra vigilant in their dealings.

    “It is unclear exactly what measures have been put in place for the students but parents should not panic because I believe that whatever measures they are, and with the supervision of their teachers, the children will be safe,” he said.

    He said that parents should exercise patience until perhaps a few days after the children are in school so that they can give a good assessment of how things are being handled in the schools, and for their children.

    Besides, he said, the children cannot continue to stay at home indefinitely and the only way out is to mount pressure on authorities to put in the right interventions to ensure that everybody within the brackets of academia is protected.

    Alex Kyeremeh was speaking on Ade Akye Abia on Okay FM in Accra.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Man drowns in uncompleted Nsukwao basin drainage project

    A man believed to be in his 40s has allegedly drowned in the uncompleted Nsukwao Basin drainage project President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut the sod for in August 2020.

    The man only identified by some residents as Kofi was a Mason. His body has been retrieved by the Police and deposited at the morgue.

    The incident occurred around 3:00 pm Sunday, January 17, 2020.

    It is not clear how he fell into the stagnant water in the Nsukwao drainage facility under construction.

    Some residents conjectured that he might have slipped while walking along the slope of the excavated drainage facility.

    It was observed that the contractor has not cordoned off the project site, neither erected warning signs exposing residents particularly children in the area to danger.

    Residents fear if the construction site is not cordoned off with adequate warning signs, many fatalities may be recorded.

    They also called on the contractor to speed up work for the project to be completed before the rainy season.

    The GH¢15.81million Nsukwao Basin drainage project, which is under the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP), and is funded by the World Bank was expected to be completed within six months however this seems unrealistic considering the slow paste of work.

    The project also involves the installation of four stormwater surface retention ponds distributed along the Nsukwao River, flow facilities, channelization, and streambank stabilization; concrete pipes and culverts, with two access roads

    The project when completed would end the perennial flood in the New Juaben North and South Municipalities.

    Source: Kasapa FM

  • Coronavirus: Government to provide 10 million hand sanitisers to students GES

    The spokesperson for the Ghana Education Service (GES), Cassandra Twum-Ampofo has said that the government is set to provide 10 million hand sanitisers to students in various schools as part of measures to fight the spread of COVID-19.

    Delivering his 21st address on the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, January 3, 2021, President Akufo-Addo officially announced the reopening of schools, expressing the conviction that the circumstances are rife for such a move.

    President Akufo-Addo mentioned January 15, 2021, as the reopening date for basic schools.

    “We are satisfied that in the current circumstances the reopening of our schools is safe. So, from 15th January our children in Kindergarten, Primary and Junior High in both private and public schools will be back in schools.

    “All SHS 1 students will start class from 10th March and all the students embarking on the single track academic calendar , their seniors in SHS 2 and SHS 3 will however, return to school from 18th January.”

    President Akufo-Addo further stated that students in the first year of second cycle institutions will no longer experience double track

    “I must stress that SHS 3 students like SHS 1 students will no longer run the double track system,” he said.

    He added “The expansion of infrastructure at the various senior high schools over the last three years has brought us this favorable position. However the double track system will still be applicable to SHS 2 students that are in it. Students in the universities and other tertiary institutions are to be in school from Saturday 9th of January.”

    And ahead of the re-opening, the spokesperson for GES said the government has put in place several measures to ensure that the disease does not spread in schools.

    “Several arrangements put in place, we provided PPEs most of which are still available…government will provide masks and sanitisers, the schools have also been mapped to certain health facilities. All schools have been told to have holding rooms where they will take suspected cases…,” she said on Anopa Bofo.

    She further stated that the government is preparing to dispatch up to 10 million hand sanitisers and hence called on all school directors to stop charging students for the provision of PPEs.

    “We will be distributing 10 million hand sanitisers so stop charging students fees for PPEs…the government will provide each student including those hand sanitisers and nose masks, at least each student will get three…,” she said.

    Source: angelonline.com.gh

  • UPSA students long queue causes stir

    A video report by a citizen captures students of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, in an unusually long at the entrance of the university as it begins lectures Monday morning.

    Tweeps have taken to the internet to create a buzz around the situation, some describing the students as being too serious.

    It is yet unclear why the students are held up in such long queues.

    Management of the University says they are committed to ensuring that all COVID-19 safety protocols are respected.

    See the video below:

    Source: 3 News

  • GMA calls on health workers to volunteer at COVID-19 treatment centres

    The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called on health workers to volunteer to work in COVID-19 treatment centres across the country to ensure that COVID-19 situations at these centres are brought under control.

    In an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, President of the Association, Frank Ankobea, sent a message to all health workers when he said: “We will appeal to the health workers that they should volunteer so that we can continue to work at the treatment centres”.

    He noted that, thankfully, the Government had ensured that all existing centres have been activated and as such the COVID-19 cases at these centres will not be overwhelming as earlier on anticipated.

    Meanwhile, Frank Ankobea has appealed to the Government to provide more PPEs for health workers to ensure their safety.

    “Some of the PPEs are available to start with, but as the numbers increase, PPEs are consumables and we consume more. So as Oliver Twist, we can only ask for more so that when the cases come up, we are not overwhelmed. We are only asking Government that it provides more of the PPEs”, he added.

    In his 22nd address to the nation on measures against COVID-19, President Nana Akufo-Addo disclosed that “Government is reactivating available treatment and isolation facilities across the country in anticipation of any further increase in infections”.

    “The provision of adequate medicines, equipment, and personal protective equipment to enable health workers attend to homebased patients is bein effected”, the President added.

    Source: Happy 98.9FM

  • My condition is worsening, help save my life – Kidney patient begs Ghanaians

    The health condition of 26-year-old William Bortey is worsening each passing day as he is unable to raise funds to undergo a kidney transplant.

    William, who is sitting on a time bomb, has been battling the last stage of a chronic kidney failure disease and has now been diagnosed with damage of his liver.

    The severe kidney and liver damage is causing a constant bulge in his stomach. At the moment, William’s life is solely dependent on dialysis and a kidney transplant.

    The dialysis treatment is also very expensive for this sick man and his family, who are farmers. They spend almost GHC600 every week on this treatment.

    “We spend almost GH¢600 only on dialysis every week, which he has to go twice every week,” William’s mother told GhanaWeb in an interview.

    GhanaWeb was able to raise an amount of GH¢6,340 out of the GHC160,000 needed for the transplant, in July 2020 when we first broke his story. Click here for his story.

    The monies from generous Ghanaians is what enabled the 26-year-old patient receive his dialysis treatment to this point. He is therefore appealing to Ghanaians to help save him from dying as his condition keeps deteriorating.

    To help save William, kindly donate any amount through the MOMO details below:

    Account Name: Bortey William

    Account: MTN

    MOMO Number: 0242746115

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Brighton boss excited with Tariq Lampteys new long-term deal

    Brighton manager Graham Potter has expressed his delight after Tariq Lamptey put pen to paper on a new contract. 

    Lamptey has been a revelation since joining the Seagulls, with his electric pace reportedly putting him on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

    But Brighton have moved to end speculation of a transfer away by handing Lamptey a new deal, one year after his arrival from Chelsea.

    The 20-year-old committed his future to Brighton by signing a new long-term contract that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2024/25 season

    He said: “We are delighted to see Tariq commit his long-term future here.”

    “We knew his potential when we signed him a year ago, and hoped he would have a really positive impact on the club, and that has proved to be the case with his performances since June.”

    “He has been the model professional, he works exceptionally hard, is a humble lad and is a team player. He fits in with everything we would want from a player, now it’s about helping him reach his potential.”

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Wayne Rooney announces retirement from football

    Wayne Rooney the football player is now a football manager after being hired by Derby County on a permanent basis.

    The 35-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half year deal to take charge of the Rams until the summer of 2023. They are currently in the Championship relegation zone.

    And as a direct result of the appointment, Rooney has announced his decision to retire from playing with immediate effect to concentrate solely on the role.

    Rooney’s retirement from playing brings down the curtain on an illustrious career in which he became record goalscorer for the England national team and won every conceivable honour with Manchester United.

    Emerging as a precocious 17-year-old at boyhood club Everton, Rooney quickly became one of the finest players of his generation for club and country.

    Shouldering an intense burden of expectation, he shone for England at Euro 2004 – his first international tournament – and then signed for Manchester United in a transfer worth £25million at the age of 18.

    Rooney went on to become United’s all-time record goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 games over 13 largely successful seasons in which he won five Premier League titles, the FA Cup, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League. 

    He scored 53 goals in 120 games for England but was sadly not able to deliver the Three Lions long-awaited success at a tournament.  

    Rooney only joined Derby a year ago – joining on an 18-month contract as a player-coach from MLS side DC United.

    However, his role changed in November when Phillip Cocu was sacked as Derby manager. As a result, Rooney became caretaker manager.

    And after going unbeaten in seven of his nine matches during that spell, the Derby board have decided to appoint Rooney – signalling an end to his illustrious playing career. 

    Speaking on Friday shortly after confirmation of his permanent appointment, Rooney said: ‘My whole life has been playing football, so I’m fortunate that I’m still part of it. It’s a new chapter for me. Will I miss playing? Of course. 

    ‘But, time doesn’t stop. I’ve had my time, it’s time for the younger generation to have their time and for me to guide them.

    ‘My future is in management. I’ve had a great career with a few ups and a few downs, but I wouldn’t change anything.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Robbery cases in Aflao decline

    The Aflao Police Command said robbery cases in Aflao, in the Volta Region, has declined.

    According to Superintendent of Police Bempah Sarpong, the Aflao Police Commander, at the beginning of the New Year, the police had recorded petty crimes such as assault, threat of causing harm and serious robbery in the border town.

    He said data available at the Aflao Police Command showed 26 cases of robbery in 2016, 12 in 2017, 19 each in 2018 and 2019 and seven in 2020.

    Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Supt Sarpong said the decline in robbery case was due to dedication of personnel to fight crime, which led to the arrest and incarceration of criminals who engaged in armed robberies in Aflao area.

    He noted, for instance, court rulings on December 17 and 24, 2020, at Keta Circuit Court, which imprisoned six persons for robbery.

    Source: Ghanaian Times

  • I am still edgy even though Fomena MP has given me assurance – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

    MP for Suame and Leader of the NPP caucus in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has indicated that until the final verdict of the Speaker of Parliament on the decision on who is Majority and Minority, not even the Fomena MPs assurances to him will put him at ease.

    He said that although Andrew Asiamah, the only independent Member of Parliament in the House, and whose choice on where to caucus with is likely to determine the Majority side, he remains edgy.

    “I want to believe that he has committed to what he has said to do but until it comes from his own mouth, we are not sure of what he may want to do,” he said.

    Building on precedence, he referred to instances in the past when persons who were once members of either the National Democratic Congress or the New Patriotic Party but went independent and won their bids, came into Parliament but elected to do business with the other side.

    “Boniface Abubakar Saddique, Rashid Bawa, Alhaji Saani Iddi, Victor Gbeho are all names of people who turned independent but when they came to Parliament, they did not always elect to do business with the party they were once a part of. So, there are conflicting positions taken by independent members which is why even though we have this solemn commitment, for now, I am still edgy,” he explained.

    He, however, disclosed details of conversations he had had with Andrew Asiamah where he poured out his disappointments in the NPP party for not supporting him when he went independent as well as the few times he was attacked by members of the party.

    Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was on the GHOne TV GH Today show on Thursday, January 14, 2021.

    The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, is expected to announce the decisions on which of the two major parties in the House is Majority and which is Minority, as well as who sits on which side.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Are you now willing to work with Fomena MP? – Haruna Iddrisu asks Akufo-Addo

    Leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu has questioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo if he is now willing to work with Lawyer Andrew Amoako Asiamah.

    The President before 2020, December 7 election stated that any New Patriotic Party member who challenges the party in the Parliamentary elections as an Independent Candidate will be axed from his next government.

    “I am your President and the leader of the party. I cannot work with any independent candidate. I can only work with Patricia Adjei, the elected candidate,” the President said on one of his campaign tours.

    In the case of Lawyer Andrew Amoako Asiamah, the leadership of the New Patriotic Party got the Speaker of the 7th Parliament Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye to sack the latter from Parliament for deciding to go Independent in the Fomena Constituency.

    However, according to Haruna Iddrisu, he is surprised that the NPP is now making a U-turn on the lawmaker to find shelter as both parties are struggling to secure a majority in the 8th Parliament.

    “I have always said that consistency is important in our political discourse. Is Nana Addo Dankwa now willing to work with Independent MP?

    “What is the position of the NPP General Secretary [John Boadu] now? So corporation and collaboration,” Haruna Iddrisu questioned.

    He further advised the NPP to settle their differences with the Second Deputy Speaker of the 8th Parliament.

    “I will therefore call on the NPP to reconcile their conflicting positions. On just one person today, they found him a necessary ally and friend of a golden friend of one,” the Tamale South MP said.

    Meanwhile, Parliament resumes today after the chaotic inauguration day.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Dilapidated school building affecting academic works at Kwasikrom

    Staff and students of Kwasikrom Basic School in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region have passionately appealed to government and non-governmental organizations for basic educational infrastructure.

    Since the establishment of Kwasikrom Basic School in 1976, students have been sitting in muddy structures to learn.

    Several teachers have been refusing postings to the area due to the poor nature of the classroom blocks and lack of other basic educational infrastructure.

    Students have to go home whenever the rain falls.

    This was disclosed to GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent, Daniel Kaku during, a visit to the school.

    In an interview with GhanaWeb, the Assistant Headmaster of Kwasikrom Basic School, Richard Amponsah described the situation as unfortunate.

    “For the Children, they are doing their best and the teachers are doing all that we can. Unfortunately, the buildings are not good; the structure of the school is not good. But yet still when we come, we do whatever we can do. It is because of the Children that we are here so we are doing our best. The children also do come to school, all the masters come but we are only suffering with our classrooms”, he told our correspondent.

    He lamented that “even a lot of teachers have been posted but when they come to see the situation of the school, then they go because the school has been here for a long time since 1976… There has not been any new structure. At times the teachers and the children have to go to the bush to cut sticks to do some patches. So we are appealing to the DCE, the MP, and any other organizations in the country to come to our aid to assist us”.

    It was revealed to GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent that the school which is up to the Junior High School level, has only five teachers.

    “The office is in a very horrible state because at times, people from the community come and break in and take something that they need from the School. Also, snakes have been attacking us here. Look at the structure, you can’t even keep certain things which are so essential for the school here so at times you could see that some important things would be given to some of the teachers in the community to keep in their houses, so for the office, we need assistance”, he stressed.

    The Assistant Headmaster took the opportunity to disclose to the world that the school doesn’t have bungalows for teachers and headmasters.

    He, therefore, appealed to government to as a matter of urgency, construct bungalows for the teaching staff.

    He said when school is officially re-opened, the school will face furniture challenges; adding that school children at the Primary level mostly sit on blocks.

    “Students sit on blocks to study in the classrooms, so we are appealing to the government to come to our aid,” he added.

    Our Regional Correspondent observed that the community doesn’t have a stable communication network and this is affecting teachers who use the communication network to research on the internet.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Price of eggs goes up following rising cost of feed

    The price of eggs in the Bono Region, considered to be one of the hubs for the production of the commodity, has risen by about 50 per cent within the last two months, causing concerns among poultry industry players.

    The price of a crate of egg, which was between GH¢13 and GH¢18 in November last year, depending on the size of the eggs, is now between GH¢20 and GH¢25.

    Wholesalers in the region have expressed concern about the situation, especially the decision by customers in Accra and Tamale not to allow them to deliver their weekly consignments due to the high price of the product, which includes transportation, handling and other associated costs.

    Apart from the wholesalers, boiled and fried egg vendors on the streets, markets and lorry stations are also complaining about low patronage.

    Madam Grace Osei Tutu, a wholesaler at the Sunyani Market, told the Daily Graphic that “many of us are not able to sell to our customers in the other regions as it used to be”.

    She explained that the price was increased due to the high cost of maize, soybeans and other ingredients used in the production of poultry feed.

    Another dealer at the Chiraa Station in Sunyani, Ms Felicia Biyaa, suggested to the government to subsidise the price of maize and soybeans.

    “Egg is not only a delicacy; it is also a source of protein for the poor, children, the youth and the aged,” she said, adding that the escalating price of the commodity was gradually making it a preserve for the rich.

    For her part, the Sunyani Market Egg Queen, Madam Deborah Gyamfi, urged the government to reduce the exportation of maize to neighbouring countries.

    “In the past, I was able to sell about six crates of boiled eggs a day, but patronage is very slow now, making it very difficult for me to sell even two crates a day,” a vendor, Ama, said.

    She said before November last year, a boiled egg was sold at 60Gp or 70Gp and a crate about GH¢15, but “now a boiled egg is GH¢1 and a crate GH¢23”.

    When contacted, an executive member of the Dormaa Poultry Farmers Association, Nana Afosi Ababio, said a 130-kilogramme bag of maize, which used to sell at GH¢150 before November last year, was currently being sold at GH¢250.

    Besides, he said, a 50-kilogramme bag of soybeans, which sold at GH¢150, now went for GH¢210, and attributed the rise in price to low yield by farmers during the dry season last year.

    Nana Ababio explained that between 55 and 60 per cent of poultry feed (concentrate) was maize, compelling farmers to increase the price of eggs to cover the cost.

    On the way forward, he called on the government to either scrap or reduce import duties on maize and soybeans to encourage importers to bring in more of the staples into the country.

    “We are now in January; we have a long way to go before the harvest of maize in the main season in 2021. If nothing is done about the situation, we will be compelled to further increase the current price of eggs and other poultry products,” he said.

    Nana Ababio further called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to put in measures to mitigate the situation, saying “the poultry industry will be doomed if the prices of maize and soybeans continue to rise”.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • NPP MPs troop to Parliament at 4am ahead of first sitting

    To avoid losing their seat at the right side of the Speaker, some New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislators were seated in the House by 4 am.

    This is approximately six hours before the regular sitting of the House.

    The action by the NPP MPs follows the take over of their seat by the NDC on the eve of January 7 ahead of the inauguration of the 8th Parliament.

    Clad in white, the then Minority had arrived in Parliament hours before sitting to take over the right hand side of Parliament.

    The situation had left the members of the governing party in shock when they arrived in the House.https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/Vi33ZYaE-bOZsmy48.html

    For about 20 minutes, Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T. Hammond, and former Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery along with former Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul tried, though unsuccessfully to convince the minority to move back to their seats.

    The situation had subsequently led to insults being hurled at each other and near brawls.

    The question of who occupies the Majority side of the House has been a big issue since both the NPP and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have 137 members each.

    Since the inauguration of the House, members of the two caucuses in Parliament have taken to social media and other news outlets to insist on their claims of who has a right to be called the majority.

    Leading the argument for the NPP, the leader of its caucus, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the decision by the only independent candidate in the House to join the NPP, is a clear indication that they are in the majority.

    But the NDC MPs have rubbished this argument. The leader of their caucus, Haruna Iddrisu says the Fomena MP choosing to join the NPP does not influence the numbers.

    He explained that his caucus will only agree to sit at the left-hand side of the Speaker if the NPP agrees to respect their number and influence.

    Meanwhile, Speaker Alban Bagbin who is himself a member of the NDC is expected to put the case to rest during the first sitting of the House today.

    Source: myjoyonline

  • Policeman, 2 others arrested for scamming an American with fake gold

    A policeman stationed at the Israel Police Station under Achimota Mile 7 district of the Greater Accra Region, Constable Bernard Nubin and two of his accomplices have been arrested for engaging in gold fraud.

    The suspects who are in police detention were reported to have scammed an American national with fake gold valued at $20,000.00 but luck runs out of them.

    Police investigators who confirmed the arrest to MyNewsGh.com indicate that the victim met a local miner from Akwatia in the Eastern Region at Palace Chinese Restaurant located at Dzorwulu on Thursday to buy gold from him.

    Whilst having discussions with suspect Kueey, another person came with one kilo of yellowish metal suspected to be gold and showed to the complainant and he deposited a cash sum of US$20,000 for the suspected kilo of gold.

    The complainant then sent pictures of the metal suspected to be gold to someone who told him that it was fake but suspects on seeing that the complainant had detected that the gold was fake, rushed to a waiting Toyota corolla saloon car with registration number GW 3441 15 parked in front of the restaurant and sped off with the $ 20,000.00 USD.

    The complainant shouted for help and a driver in charge a Pontiac Vibe saloon car assisted the complainant and chased the suspects leading to the arrest of the three including Constable Bernard Nubin, Kwabena Ofori and Joshua Boateng.

    One other managed to escape but the police retrieved a small bag containing two suspected fake gold bars and the cash while suspects have been detained to assist in investigations.

    Source: My News GH

  • Four arrested for stealing church instruments

    Police at Akyem Ofoase in the Eastern Region have arrested four persons suspected of stealing church instruments.

    The suspects are; Kofi Adu a 30-year-old driver, Stephen Frimpong a 27-year-old farmer, Anane Blabo a 25-year-old illegal miner and Bismarck Adu a 25-year-old unemployed.

    Police say the suspects broke into the Assemblies of God Church and Open Bible Church, both in Akyem Ofoase, and stole the instruments including a keyboard and amplifiers.

    The suspects, according to an Adom News report, after their successful act of burglary, took the instruments to Akyem Oda where they were caught by some residents as they tried to sell the items.

    Akyemansa District Police Commander, DSP Ransford Nsiah told Adom News that the four will be arraigned before the court on Friday, January 15, 2021.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Parliament petitioned to probe unruly conduct of Ken Agyapong, Hawa Koomson

    A Ghanaian citizen, Kwesi Dawood has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to institute a probe into the alleged criminal conduct of the Members of Parliament for Assin Central and Awutu Senya East, Kennedy Agyapong and Mavis Hawa Koomson respectively.

    Mr. Dawood in his petition accused both MPs of “showing specific unruly actions” which are “unparliamentary, inimical to democracy and pose grave danger to life and property of citizens of Ghana.”

    The petition said Mr Agyapong had accused flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama and other members of the party -Joshua Akamba, Johnson Aseidu Nketia, among others of “burning fourteen market stalls.”

    It said Mr. Agyapong had threatened to “burn down the house of former President John Dramani Mahama.”

    The petition also cited Ms Koomson for physically assaulting some persons at a polling station in the Awutu Senya East Constituency during the voter registration exercise.

    “Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson and her thugs burnt down a motorbike belonging to one of those who had shown up to be registered,” it said.

    Mr. Dawood demanded that the two MPs should “suffer the necessary punishment” should they be found liable for the alleged wrongdoings.

    Source: citinewsroom

  • Ghana Highway Authority warns against fraudulent recruitment

    The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has warned the public about the activities of fraudulent recruitment agencies who are using various online portals and the promise of well-placed jobs at the Authority to scam jobseekers.

    The GHA in a press release dated January 14, 2021, said the fraudulent recruitment agencies are asking applicants to deposit and pay fees with the promise of securing well-placed jobs in breach of the formal recruitment processes of the Human Resource Division of the GHA.

    The release signed by the Acting Chief Executive of the GHA, A.B.K. Nuhu also stressed that the “GHA does not ask for any deposit or fees, (Refundable or Non- Refundable) at any stage of the recruitment process, as advertised on the numerous online portals”.

    “Regarding Quantity Surveyors interview and Orientation at Ghana Highway Authority, starting Thursday 14th January 2021 in all the Regions of the country, the release said.

    “It has been brought to our attention that a group of people/scammers are using various online portals to lure potential Job seekers with Job Offers as Quantity Surveys with the Ghana Highway Authority.

    “These individuals/Recruitment Agencies are misguiding these Jobseekers and promising them well-placed jobs with the Authority”.

    Scam

    The release said the scammers ask job applicants to purchase an “inspection voucher PIN at Ghana Jobs Head Office, East Legon, American House” to enable them to attend upcoming interviews slated for January 14, 2021.

    GHA recruitment process

    Detailing the recruitment process of the GHA, the release said the Authority follows a formal recruitment process through its own HR Division and does not outsource the selection of prospective employees to any individual or agency.

    The release also warned jobseekers against engaging the services of these fraudulent recruitment agencies.

    “Please be advised that any potential Jobseeker who willingly corresponds with such faceless individual crooks or recruitment Agencies, does so at their own risk,” the release said.

    “The Ghana Highway Authority will not accept any liability for any loss or damage that may be suffered or incurred directly or indirectly through correspondence with such fraudulent individuals or recruitment agencies and such communication should not be treated as an offer or representation from GHA.

    “The public may contact the Public Affairs Division of the Authority for any further

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Gunmen attack Water Company at Anlo-Afiadenyigba Junction

    “Yra Dziakpe,” a water producing Company belonging to Reverend D.W.K Deynu, the Southern Presbytery Moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P) Church in the Volta region have been attacked.

    The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered the suspected robbers numbering about eight made away with undisclosed amounts of money and other unspecified valuables running into thousands of cedis.

    Mr Kofi Deynu, an eyewitness disclosed to the GNA that the robbers managed to enter the premises of the company, which is attached to the residency of Rev Deynu on Wednesday dawn at about 0200 hours.

    He said the robbers fired gunshots upon arrival, which scared residents in the area from moving to the scene.

    “They carried guns and some strong metal bars, which they used in breaking the doors,” he alleged.

    He explained that further attempts by the unknown men took away a box containing jewelleries amounting to thousands of cedis belonging to his mother.

    Mr Agbesi Gakpey, a resident of the area said their lives were in danger since robbery operations had become rampant in the area.

    “The police arrived later but the men had left the scene before their presence,” he said.

    No injury was, however, recorded.

    The Police are yet to comment on the matter.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • John Mahama speaks after Day 1 of Election Petition hearing

    Former President John Dramani Mahama has told Ghanaians that the Supreme Court has granted him the motion to correct the errors in his election petition filed at the apex court challenging the presidential results of last year elections.

    The Supreme Court started hearing the case on Thursday, January 14, 2020.

    In a tweet after the first day of the hearing, the Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said “The Supreme Court this morning granted the motion for amendment of my petition challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election declared by the Electoral Commission.

    This was after the court granted a motion by the petitioner to correct some errors in his petition.

    One of the errors the petitioner sought to correct is the relief seeking the court to order a rerun of the presidential election between the petitioner John Mahama and the 2nd Respondent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who the petition initially captured as the “1st Respondent”.

    Earlier the court also granted the petitioners request to broadcast live the proceedings of the hearing. This action in accordance with Rule 69C (4) of C.I. 99, where provision is made for the proceedings of the court to be transmitted live if the court so determines.

    It is the second time an election petition will be broadcast live, the first being in 2012 when the Fourth Republic experience its first election petition.

    The Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 7, 2020, Presidential Election, John Dramani Mahama sued the EC as 1st Respondent and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as 2nd Respondent, seeking the Supreme Court to grant him the following reliefs:

    A declaration that Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of 1st Respondent and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7th December 2020 was in breach of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution in the declaration she made on 9th December 2020 in respect of the Presidential Election that was held on 7th December 2020;

    (b) A declaration that, based on the data contained in the declaration made by Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of 1st Respondent and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7th December 2020, no candidate satisfied the requirement of Article 63(3) of the 1992 Constitution to be declared President-elect;

    (c) A declaration that the purported declaration made on 9th December 2020 of the results of the Presidential Election by Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of 1st Respondent and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held on 7th December 2020 is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever;

    (d) An order annulling the Declaration of President-Elect Instrument, 2020 (C.I. 135) dated 9th December 2020, issued under the hand of Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, Chairperson of 1st Respondent and the Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections held 7th December 2020 and gazetted on 10th December 2020;

    (e) An order of injunction restraining the 2nd Respondent from holding himself out as President-elect;

    (f) An order of mandatory injunction directing the 1st Respondent to proceed to conduct a second election with Petitioner and 1st Respondent [2nd Respondent as amended] as the candidates as required under Articles 63(4) and (5) of the 1992 Constitution.

    Source: 3 News

  • Injunction presented on Assin North MP was fraudulent Keta MP

    Member of Parliament (MP) for the Keta Constituency, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey says the injunction presented on colleague MP for Assin North Constituency during the swearing-in of Parliamentarians for the 8th Parliament was questionable.

    He described the injunction as having discrepancies pointing to the fact that, the injunction was not from a Cape Coast High Court.

    Giving an account of what transpired in Parliament on 6th and 7th January, he said, “To be truthful to you, when the Clerk of Parliament came in, he was going straight to the election of the Speaker until the NPP raised an objection to the presence of the Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson”.

    A Cape Coast High Court judge granted an injunction restraining the Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Quayson, from being sworn-in into the 8th Parliament.

    The injunction was granted in a case filed by one Michael Ankomah-Nimfa of Assin Bereku who claims Mr Quayson holds dual citizenship of Ghana and Canada.

    However, the Clerk of Parliament gave the Assin North MP-elect, James Gyakye Quayson the go-ahead to participate in the election of a Speaker for the 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic and was later sworn in as MP regardless of the injunction.

    The MP for Keta, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey in an interview with Samuel Eshun, host of the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy 98.9 FM disclosed, “The file from the Clerk was fraudulent. Even the bailiff listed on the injunction was from Kumasi. How could this be?”

    On his authority, it was impossible for an injunction which was issued by the court at 4:35 pm to reach Parliament at 4:50pm.

    “How can one drive from Cape Coast to Accra in 15 minutes to serve an injunction?” he asked.

    Kwame Dzudzorli added that the Assin North MP was not even in court when the ruling was made and he had not even received notice of the injunction by 7th January 2021.

    He believes the MP for Assin North committed no offense and was rightfully sworn in as an honourable member of the chamber.

    Source: e.TV Ghana

  • Mahamas ‘moot’ application for live telecast of petition dismissed

    The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by Former President John Dramani Mahama for the court to telecast the election petition live.

    A seven-member panel of the court held that the court had already decided to telecast the petition live and therefore the request by the former President was “moot”.

    As at the time lawyer for the Former President, Tsatsu Tsikata, raised to make the application, there were crew from Ghana Television already telecasting the petition live.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Fomena MPs decision does not make NPP majority Haruna Iddrisu

    The leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu says the formal declaration of the only independent candidate in Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoah to do business with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side does not make that side the majority in the House.

    According to him, the choice of words of Mr. Amoah does not increase the number of seats the NPP occupy in Parliament.

    He said any claim that Andrew Asiamah Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Fomena has joined the NPP will mean that he has to vacate his seat in Parliament and a by-election held in that constituency.

    Andrew Asiamah Amoah in a letter addressed to the Speaker of Parliament said, “I Andrew Asiamah Amoako, an Independent Member for Fomena constituency and now the 2nd Deputy Speaker for the same Parliament do hereby declare that, I shall for the purposes of transacting business in the house associate with the NPP in the Eighth Parliament.”

    “For the avoidance of doubt, I do hereby affirm that I shall cooperate and collaborate with the NPP Caucus in the Eighth Parliament.”

    This declaration by the MP has been received with appreciation especially from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side with many making the claim that the letter confirms the NPP in Parliament has majority seats in Parliament.

    “It [the letter] did not state, and it did not say that I will join or that I am part of the NPP,” Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference.https://www.youtube.com/embed/jkiwaNPMyqw

    He said official records of Parliament remains as 137 seats for both NDC and NPP and one seat for an independent candidate.

    “Advisedly and wisely, he is not seeking to join a political party and therefore nobody should do an easy mathematics of a 137 plus one. I will cooperate, or I will collaborate does not mean I am joining, or I am crossing over because it has its own constitutional implications which probably will require that a by-election be conducted if he was to join a political party,” Haruna Iddrisu indicated.

    Mr. Iddrisu said this when he addressed the press in Parliament on Thursday, January 14, 2021.

    Source: citinewsroom

  • These 10 House Republicans voted to impeach Trump on Wednesday

    The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon charging him with “incitement of insurrection.”

    Among the vote were 10 House Republicans. That includes:

    1. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

    2. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming

    3. Rep. John Katko of New York

    4. Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan

    5. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington

    6. Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington

    7. Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan

    8. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio

    9. Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina

    10. Rep. David Valadao of California

    Source: cnn.com

  • Suspected armed robbers kill General Overseer in Delta

    The General Overseer of Kingdom Advancement Christian Centre in Warri, Delta State, Kelvin Orumor, has been reportedly shot dead by a suspected gang of armed robbers.

    Orumor was killed at Edjeba area of Warri South Local Government Area on Tuesday.

    According to a source, the cleric was hit by a bullet during an operation by the gang at a shopping complex in a neighbourhood where he was.

    He was confirmed dead at a government hospital he was rushed.

    “We heard he walked into them when they were robbing a plaza. They shot him. He died before he got to the hospital,” the source disclosed.

    Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, proved abortive as she could not be reached at the time of filing this report.

    Source: punchng.com

  • Daniel Opare’s injury scuppers his transfer to Turkish side Erzurumspor

    Daniel Opare’s latest injury at Zulte Waregem has scuttled his move to Turkish Super Lig side Erzurumspor, GHANAsoccernet.com understands.

    The 30-year-old was on the verge of sealing a move to the newly-promoted side following his impressive outing in the Belgian Pro League.

    But a latest hamstring problem appears to have scampered the deal after he picked up the setback during the side’s 1-0 win over Mouscron.

    The Ghanaian is now set for two weeks on the sidelines due to the setback.

    The former Ghana Under-20 star had a successful six-month loan spell at Be?ikta? in the 2014-2015 season.

    He scored one goal in six league appearances.

    Opare, who can play as left-back, has been in top form in Belgium where he has played 17 matches in the league for Zulte Waregem.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Medical and Emergency Unit of 37 Military Hospital to shutdown for fumigation exercise GAF

    The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) says the 37 Military Hospital will next week close down its Medical and Emergency Unit to the public in order to undergo a fumigation exercise.

    According to a statement signed and issued by the Director of Public Relations for the GAF, Col. E Aggrey-Quashie, the closure of the unit will take effect from Thursday, January 14 to Thursday February 4, 2021, to allow the exercise to take place.

    The GAF explained, “the closure has become necessary to enable the authorities undertake fumigation as a remedy to any infestation of the Unit. It is worth mentioning that measures have been put in place to ensure patients already on admission are not negatively affected.”

    “However, the general public is advised to redirect all medical and emergency cases to other health facilities during the period. This is for the guidance and information of the general public,” the statement added.

    The GAF however said any inconvenience the closure of the unit might cause to the general public is regrettable.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Students who disregard COVID-19 protocols could be expelled UG

    The University of Ghana says it will sanction students who fail to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols while on campus.

    Authorities say they will see such offences as a serious one as it has the tendency of putting other students of the university at risk.

    In an interview with Citi News, the Chairman of the Heads of Halls at the University of Ghana, Dr. Wiafe Akenten indicated that students can be rusticated or expelled if COVID-19 guidelines are not respected.

    “There is a generic rule that the halls go by so anytime you break a university regulation, depending on the magnitude, you can either be rusticated or suspended because this is not a sickness that affects only one person, so we do not want the situation where the recalcitrance of one person will affect everyone.”

    More than ten thousand freshmen have been admitted to the University of Ghana this academic year.

    About 20,000 have also been admitted at the University of Education, Winneba.

    With the admissions come concerns of possible spread of COVID-19 given the challenge of social distancing particularly in academic and residential facilities.

    The tertiary institutions have however assured parents and wards of its dedication to making the campus safe for teaching and learning while sticking to COVID-19 protocol

    The government closed down schools on March 15, 2020 as part of measures to curtail the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

    President Nana Akufo-Addo in his 21st COVID-19 update, however, announced the reopening of schools.

    He said the academic year will commence for new and continuing university students in January 2021.

    Source: citinewsroom

  • Parliament to drag police, military to privileges committee for contempt Haruna Iddrisu

    Tamale Central lawmaker, Haruna Iddrisu has revealed that the military and Police who stormed the chamber of Parliament on January 7 during the election of a speaker for the 8th Parliament, will have to answer for their action.

    He said they will need to explain to the House why they should not be charged with contempt of parliament following their invasion.

    Military men stormed the chamber following a stalemate between MPs-elect for the NDC and NPP sides while they were electing a new Speaker of the House.

    Mr. Iddrisu told Journalists in parliament on Wednesday, January 13 that “We are law-abiding citizens, we proceeded on a precession in accordance with Article 21 of the constitution. What I also do know is that ACP Ofori, I also saw him in the Chamber on the night of 7th January.

    “He probably will have to come and explain to parliament what he and his men were doing in the chamber and on the floor of parliament at that material moment because that is also in contempt of parliament.

    “He has to demonstrate that he was invited into the chamber by the Marshal of Parliament and as I indicated to you earlier, we are law-abiding citizens, we embarked on a lawful procession and he has to explain the circumstances in which he got into the chamber of parliament.

    “The armed military officers will have to explain how they got to the Chamber of Parliament and why they should also not be hauled before Privileges and committee for contempt of parliament.”

    Some Ghanaians including former President John Dramani Mahama condemned the intervention of the military and called for a thorough investigation into the matter.

    “The recent use of the military in civil democratic processes has become a major worry and gives the impression that this administration is continually seeking to resurrect the exorcised ghosts of our military past. Parliament must conduct an investigation into the two incidents and exact appropriate sanctions,” the President Candidate of the NDC in the last elections said in a tweet.

    Meanwhile, the founding Director of the University of Ghana Centre for Asian Studies Dr. Lloyd Amoah has said the presence of the military in the chamber of Parliament during the election of a Speaker for the 8th Parliament did not pose any danger.

    Dr. Lloyd Amoah in a Facebook post said “The mere use of soldiers on the floor of parliament does not by itself pose an existential danger. The army is part of the civil order. Pay attention.”

    Source: 3 News

  • Policeman guarding polio vaccine workers killed in Pakistan

    Gunmen shot and killed a police officer guarding a team of polio vaccine handlers in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday, in the latest attack against health workers part of a campaign to eradicate the disease, officials said.

    The gun attack occurred in a remote village of Karak district in the conservative and volatile province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, police official Lal Rahman told dpa.

    The incident occurred a day after authorities launched a week-long vaccination drive under the UN-funded campaign aimed at eradicating polio, which is still prevalent in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    The health workers escaped the attack unhurt, Rahman said.

    The health workers, mostly young women, and police guards go door-to-door all across the country to give vaccinate children up to the age of five, multiple times a year.

    Militants linked with al-Qaeda often attack health workers. Dozens of vaccine handlers and security officials have been killed by Taliban militants in the past.

    The militants accuse the health workers of acting as spies and claim the polio vaccine is intended to make Muslim children sterile.

    Polio is a disease that especially affects children, and can cripple people for life.

    Source: GNA

  • Trump’s turbulent and lawless presidency will end with historic second impeachment

    The fateful moment when the House of Representatives on Wednesday impeaches President Donald Trump for a second time will rank among the defining moments of America’s story long after the citizens enduring these harrowing, tragic days are gone.

    A cascade of bewildering episodes starting with Trump’s refusal to accept his election defeat and encompassing his incitement of a mob assault on Congress has shattered long-held assumptions of the unassailability of government by the people, for the people. Save for the fracturing of the union before the Civil War, this country’s system of political checks and balances has never before been under the kind of strain imposed by an autocratic President desperate to cling to power.

    A sense of unfolding history is magnified by growing evidence that America is fighting for democracy itself in a struggle that will endure after Trump leaves office next week at the latest. New warnings of violence by pro-Trump extremists in 50 states and militias on the march toward Washington are instigating the most oppressive sense since 9/11 that the homeland is under threat. But this time the danger to US freedom comes not from a foreign terrorist group but radicalized Americans.

    In a break with the political alignments of the entire Trump term, several Republicans, meanwhile, say they will join House Democrats in impeaching Trump. There are also the first signs that Trump’s power base in the Senate, represented by Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is fraying, leaving the President as vulnerable as he has ever been on Tuesday night.

    The sole article of impeachment that the House is expected to pass Wednesday charging Trump with high crimes and misdemeanours is damning. Its simple clarity explains why this impeachment is no mere futile partisan ritual in the waning days of the most aberrant presidency in history.

    “Donald John Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law,” the article reads.

    It is an extraordinary mark of turbulent times and a lawless term that Trump will become the first president to be impeached twice only 13 months after the House first resolved that his abuses of power merited removal from office.

    In a poetic twist, the vote will take place in the very same chamber that lawmakers fled a week ago in fear of their lives from an invading mob seeking to harm Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and to thwart the transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden.

    In time, the events of this disorienting week will take their place alongside milestones — including the Declaration of Independence, the abolition of slavery, Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President John Kennedy that make up America’s sweeping narrative. But history is experienced in retrospect. Current events are lived forward in all their alarming intensity and are frightening because no one knows how they will end. And the country’s nerves were already at breaking point nearly a year into a once-in-a-century pandemic that has brought death and sickness and further deepened stark political divides.

    ‘Armed combat’ in the Capitol

    The formal impeachment vote in the House is far from the only barely believable twist leading up to Biden’s inauguration in seven days.

    The horror of last week’s events and their grave implications are becoming even clearer as more details emerge about the day when a sitting President incited partisans to assault another branch of government in the act of finalizing his election defeat.

    The idea that the rampage in which five people died was just a political outburst that got out of control was debunked Tuesday by the serious tone of a news conference held by the acting district attorney in Washington.

    “I think people are going to be shocked with some of the egregious contact that happened within the Capitol,” Michael Sherwin said, referencing “mind-blowing” cases and charges including sedition and conspiracy. He said that some of those charged had military backgrounds.

    One federal law enforcement official said the videos and other information viewed by investigators paint a scary picture of events inside the Capitol as police and federal agents battled to save lawmakers and staff.

    “It was armed combat in that building,” the official said.

    Some of the hardening of opinion among lawmakers against Trump may be attributed to briefings on those events and the pending threats to the inauguration.

    After emerging from an all-senators briefing on inauguration security, Sen. Chris Van Hollen raised the specter of a “million militia march” on Washington.

    “We have no idea how many will come. We need to be prepared,” the Maryland Democrat said.

    A warning to the troops

    In another unfathomable moment on Tuesday, America’s most senior military leaders warned there was no place for extremism in the ranks and that the troops must support and defend the Constitution. The statement was remarkable in itself. But that the Joint Chiefs decided it needed to be issued in the first place was one of the more frightening events of recent days.

    In a simultaneous political earthquake, McConnell, who tethered his now-destroyed Republican majority to the bucking bronco of Trump’s presidency, made it known he was glad the President would be impeached.

    McConnell’s unexpected move, first reported by The New York Times, came amid his disgust at the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters and in the belief that another impeachment would help Republicans purge the stain of this presidency from the party.

    McConnell didn’t say how he would vote in a Senate trial. But his shift keeps open the long-shot chance that sufficient Republicans could join a two-thirds majority to secure the first-ever conviction in a presidential impeachment.

    In the House, Wyoming’s Rep. Liz Cheney, a staunch conservative, announced that she would vote for Trump’s impeachment, enshrining the split with her fellow members of the GOP House leadership.

    “There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” Cheney said.

    Two other Republicans, Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and John Katko of New York, also said they would vote to impeach, with a number of their GOP colleagues expected to follow suit in a vote that will echo through history, sources told CNN.

    In another development that exacerbated the feeling of history unspooling at a breakneck pace, Pence wrote to the House to formally refuse to join the Cabinet in invoking the 25th Amendment to declare Trump no longer able to fulfill the duties of his office.

    “I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution,” Pence wrote, after Democratic leaders had warned that an intervention by the vice president would be the only step that could hold off Wednesday’s impeachment vote.

    Trump delivers an ominous warning

    Action inside the Capitol came as security forces poured into Washington to secure Biden’s inauguration and Trump noticeably dodged an opportunity to cool tensions.

    While he said he never wants violence, the President used a trip to his border wall in Texas on Tuesday to reinforce the falsehoods and inflammatory language that ultimately led to his second impeachment.

    He branded the process “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics” and warned it was “causing tremendous anger” and was “dangerous” for America at a “very tender time.”

    In more ominous comments, Trump said talk of using the 25th Amendment to oust him from office bore no peril for him but could come back to haunt Biden.

    “Be careful what you wish for,” the President warned.

    Trump also defended his remarks last week at a rally close to the White House that ended with his crowd marching on the Capitol.

    With only seven days left in office, the President’s mind is also turning again to a controversial raft of pardons that would constitute yet another abuse of power.

    CNN’s Jamie Gangel, Pamela Brown and Kara Scannell reported Tuesday that the President is continuing to discuss pardons for himself and his adult children. One source said such a move was considered even more likely since last week’s events, although there was concern among some aides and allies about the public perception of pardons after the deaths of five people in the riot.

    Such a move by the President would be seen in the United States and around the world as yet another insult to democracy. The historic damage that Trump has already inflicted upon America’s reputation in this regard is incalculable.

    But the stakes surrounding Wednesday’s vote and what will be a prolonged struggle during the Biden administration to bolster US political institutions can be seen in remarks coming out of authoritarian Russia the American adversary that interfered in the 2016 election in a bid to help Trump.

    “Following the events that unfolded after the presidential elections, it is meaningless to refer to America as the example of democracy,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the lower house of the Russian Parliament and a supporter of President Vladimir Putin.

    “We are on the verge of reevaluating the standards that are being promoted by the United States of America, that is exporting its vision of democracy and political systems around the world. Those in our country who love to cite their example as leading will also have to reconsider their views.”

    Source: edition.cnn.com

  • Bobi Wine, the ‘ghetto president’ rattling Uganda’s Museveni

    Ten years ago, ragga singer Bobi Wine, sporting dreadlocks and oversized black sunglasses, regularly appeared in music videos surrounded by women, driving a Cadillac with a joint hanging out of his mouth.

    Today the star, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is an MP dressed in dark, tailored suits who is fighting to become president of Uganda in Thursday’s election.

    The 38-year-old former pop star has become the main challenger to President Yoweri Museveni, 76, who came to power in 1986 and is the only president that many in Uganda have ever known.

    Arrests

    While Wine has been arrested numerous times since 2018, and says he was sometimes tortured, he has accused the regime of going to extremes to crack down on his campaign in recent weeks.

    He has taken to wearing a bulletproof vest and combat helmet on the campaign trail, where his meetings have often ended in a cloud of teargas and with live rounds fired.

    The hashtag #WeAreRemovingADictator has spread on social media among the supporters of his National Unity Platform (NUP).

    Fight against injustice

    Wine grew up in one of Kampala’s biggest slums, Kamwokya, where thousands of Ugandans struggle to get by and feel forgotten by Museveni’s government.

    While he went on to study music and drama at university and now lives in a better neighbourhood, he still sees himself as the “ghetto president”, a nickname he earned through his songs denouncing social and economic injustice.

    His modest origins and youth are key to his popularity in a poor country where 40 per cent of voters are under 30 years old and have known no president but Museveni.

    As an MP, Wine notably fought against a tax on social media, widely seen as unfair and limiting freedom of speech.

    “Having lived in the ghetto he appreciates how the poor like us live,” said supporter and businessman Charles Mbagga, 37, who lives in the Gayaza slum, 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of the capital.

    “Bobi Wine is popular because of his message for change, fight against injustice, corruption and unemployment among the poor and the youths.”

    Buganda kingdom

    He originally hails from the dominant Buganda kingdom — one of several traditional kingdoms which were forced together under colonialism — and is popular there.

    “(The) Buganda kingdom is an important factor in the political context of Uganda. Bobi Wine has always been very careful with Buganda, making sure he has them on his side,” said Kristof Titeca, a researcher at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.

    But analysts are sceptical over Wine’s capacity to pull off an election win. The country is still traumatised by the tyranny of brutal dictator Idi Amin, who Museveni helped oust, ushering in peace and stability.

    Rural areas and some groups like the military remain firmly behind the president.

    ‘Dictatorship in panic’

    Nevertheless, the regime has shown in recent weeks, a certain anxiety towards the young upstart who Museveni has in the past referred to as “our grandson, the undisciplined Bobi Wine”.

    In mid-November, at least 54 people were killed in clashes with police which were sparked by Wine’s umpteenth arrest. In December a member of the singer’s security team was killed by the army, according to his National Unity Platform (NUP).

    At the end of December, election rallies — already restricted to a quick address from the roof of a car — were banned in Kampala and 10 other key districts.

    Officially, this was due to Covid-19, but Wine and observers have seen this as a deliberate bid to frustrate his campaign.

    “The dictatorship is in panic. They’ve been surprised by the massive enthusiasm and support we’ve been received within all parts of the country,” Wine wrote on Twitter.

    Titeca argues the regime may have shot itself in the foot by cracking down on him, and the repression may help Wine win even more votes.

    “The fact he has been able to face that crackdown, people getting killed around him, him not backing down on everything that is happening, it has made him a martyr in a way, somebody who dares to stand up to the current system,” said the analyst.

    Source: theeastafrican.co.ke/afp

  • Celta Vigo defender Joseph Aidoo not worried by lack of playing time

    Celta Vigo defender Joseph Aidoo is refusing to press the panic button after being restricted to the substitute bench in recent months.

    The 25-year-old, who was a regular starter under former coach Oscar Garcia, has been left in the cooler under the new boss.

    Since the arrival of Argentine Eduardo Coudet, the Ghana international has not featured regularly and sometimes left out of the matchday squad.

    But the powerful centre-back is refusing to cave in, urging patience amid a torrid time at the Spanish side.

    “Patience is a virtue. Never let yourself fall in your fight, keep pressing and you will find him right next to you. Always look at the brighter side of life.”

    Aidoo has played just one full game against Cadiz since Coudet replaced Garcia with the Argentine gaffer preferring Araujo and Murillo.

    He has also featured in just two Copa Del Rey matches against Llanera and UD Ibiza.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • President has power to appoint acting ministers Martin Kpebu

    A private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, says it is legal for a newly-sworn in president to appoint interim ministers until substantive ones are duly nominated, vetted, and approved by Parliament.

    His comment follows the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu saying that President Akufo-Addo is acting unlawfully for allowing some of his first term Ministers hold onto their ministerial positions without following the legal process.

    Mr Iddrisu cited the Supreme Court Ruling of the J. H Mensah versus Attorney General 1997 and argued that there is nothing like holding or acting ministers unless they have been nominated by President, and the legislature has vetted and approved them.

    However, citing the same Supreme Court Ruling of the J. H Mensah versus Attorney General 1997, Lawyer Kpebu said, the NDC MP got it wrong.

    He stressed that to avoid the situation of a vacuum in governance the apex court has granted the power to the executive to appoint holding ministers.

    “The clear provision of the law, per the interpretation of the Supreme Court is that the President has power to appoint some persons to act as acting ministers pending nomination vetting and approval of substantive ministers.

    “But it makes sense that naturally, the President should be given sometime to organise a new government, so in the interim some people should be giving the power to act,” he stated.

    The legal practitioner further noted that until someone challenges the ruling of the Supreme Court in the 1997 case, the citizenry is bound to heed to it.

    President Akufo-Addo in a letter on Monday, charged some former ministers to maintain their respective positions pending the appointment and subsequent approval of new ministers for his second term in office.

    These former ministers include Ken Ofori Atta, the former Finance Minister; Alan Kyerematen, who was the Trade Minister; Alima Mahama, the former Local Government Minister and Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, former Information Minister.

    Source: myjoyonline

  • Accident deaths decrease in Upper West Region

    The total number of persons killed through various road crashes in the Upper West Region has decreased from 58 in 2019 to 54 in 2020 despite an increase in the total number of fatal cases from 43 to 49 respectively.

    The road crash statistics from the Upper West Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service also indicated a decrease in the total number of persons injured from 287 in 2019 to 240 in 2020.

    A total number of serious cases has also scaled up from 80 in 2019 to 89 cases in 2020 whilst the total number of minor cases also witnessed a jump from 31 to 48 respectively.

    Pedestrian knockdown almost doubled from 17 in 2019 to 32 in 2020.

    Meanwhile, there has also been a leap in the total number of cases from 154 in 2019 to 186 cases in 2020.

    Again, the number of vehicles involved also galloped from 229 in 2019 to 295 in 2020, whilst the number of commercial vehicles saw a marginal increase respectively from 44 to 46 cases.

    There is also a marginal increase in the number of private vehicles involved from 61 to 62 in 2019 and 2020 respectively whereas a total number of motorcycles involved correspondingly took a long jump from 124 to 187 cases.

    Chief Inspector Gideon Ohene Boateng, the Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) identified human error as the major contributory factor to most of the accidents that occurred.

    “If drivers will obey simple road traffic regulations, most of the accidents will be avoided and there will not be needless loss of lives and property,” he said.

    Chief Inspector Boateng said as the police and other road safety agencies continue to sensitise the public on road traffic regulations, it also behoved on the public to learn to obey these regulations so that together they could reduce road crashes to the barest minimum, thereby protecting lives and property.

    Source: GNA

  • COVID-19 vaccine not yet approved for use in Ghana – FDA

    Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued a Public Health Alert warning the general public against the patronage and use of any COVID-19 vaccine.

    The FDA in a press release issued today said it had come to its attention that “some unscrupulous members of the business community are peddling information on the sale of COVID-19 vaccines to hospitals and other health facilities”.

    The release said the “peddling of such information contravenes Section 118 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 and constitutes a very serious offence”.

    “It has come to the attention of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), that some unscrupulous members of the business community are peddling information on the sale of COVI D-19 vaccines to hospitals and other health facilities. The information is ostensibly to inform the general public of the availability of these vaccines from well known pharmaceutical brands indicating their price ranges,” the release said.

    “The general public is hereby cautioned against the patronage of such vaccines since the FDA has not yet approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use in Ghana.

    In view of the above, the FDA wishes to inform all health facilities and the general public that, peddling of such information contravenes Section 118 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 and constitutes a very serious offence”.

    The release further stressed that when the COVID-19 vaccine is approved by the FDA for use in Ghana, the Ministry of Health will issue a national policy on the use of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the health sector.

    COVID-19 vaccine approvals

    Currently, the United States (US) FDA has approved two vaccines; Moderna’s vaccine on December 18, 2020, and the Pfizer vaccine on December 11. The vaccines are currently being distributed across the US to battle the pandemic.

    The United Kingdom (UK) has also approved three vaccines; the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.

    The Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines each require two doses and you are not fully vaccinated until a week after your second shot.

    Meanwhile, Guinea late last year began vaccinating against COVID-19 with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on an experimental basis, starting with government officials. It ordered only 55 doses of the Russian vaccine.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • I wont go back to school again because I am pregnant – Free SHS Beneficiary

    A beneficiary of the free Senior School in the Western Region has refused to go back to school.

    The 15-year-old girl (name withheld) says her reason is that she is pregnant and due to give birth in two months.

    She was in form one and was preparing to go to form two when the Coronavirus outbreak hit Ghana and schools were closed.

    The young lady disclosed on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that, she got pregnant because the young man responsible for her pregnancy was supporting her financially and so she had no option other than to have a relationship with him.

    According to her, her parents could not take care of her needs, and when she even needed new clothes and food, they were unable to provide that for her.

    Following this, she decided to date a galamsey operator who was giving her GH¢50 every day.

    She has also refused to go back to school even if the parents decide to care for the baby.

    She disclosed she would not be able to concentrate on her studies because her attention would be on her baby.

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • Defeated NDC candidate, 4 others petition court to annul Amewus victory

    The 2020 NDC parliamentary candidate for Hohoe constituency, Prof. Margaret Kweku and four others have written to the Ho High Court to annul the election results of the current Hohoe Member of Parliament (MP), John Peter Amewu.

    The other petitioners include Simon Alan Opoku Mintah, John Kwame Obimpeh, Godfred Koku Kofie, and Felix Quarshie, all residents of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi (SALL).

    The petitioners argue that the failure of the Electoral Commission to allow them to vote in the parliamentary elections breached their rights guaranteed under the constitution.

    They want the EC to conduct fresh elections that include them.

    The EC and the former Energy Minister have been named as defendants.

    Source: Class FM