TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • 6,000 acres of state lands at Adenta Katamanso encroached – Lands Minister

    The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Kweku Asomah-Cheremeh, has stated that the government is working around the clock to reclaim state lands encroached by individuals and groups.

    He made this known on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 when he inspected some state lands at Adenta and Atomic Energy in the greater Accra region.

    According to him out of 7,000 acres of state lands at Adenta Katamanso only 1000 acres have not been encroached.

    “All lands belonging to the state have been properly acquired under the executive instrument of which private developers ignore what the law states”, he said.

    Government would protect the interest of the citizenry at all times but would not countenance any act to compromise the security of the state”, he cautioned.

    “Anyone who wishes to acquire a land should contact the Lands Commission secretariat for the needed guidance and assistance “, he stated.

    The Minister was accompanied by his Deputy, Benito Owusu-Bio and the Technical Director of Lands, James Dadson.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • US offers $10 million reward against election interference

    US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday offered a $10 million reward aimed at preventing foreign interference in the November election, as the State Department accused Russia of waging an increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaign.
    The reward marks one of the most public signs that members of President Donald Trump’s administration are taking election meddling seriously, despite anger by Trump himself over findings that Russia has assisted him.

    Pompeo pointed to efforts by “Russia and other malign actors” as he announced the effort to stop election interference.

    The United States “is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, interferes with US elections by engaging in certain criminal cyber activities,” Pompeo told reporters.

    US intelligence concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to support Trump, especially through manipulation of social media, although it did not find that his campaign colluded with Moscow.

    Trump has been outraged by the “Russia hoax” and in February removed the director of national intelligence over a briefing to lawmakers that found that Russia appeared to want Trump to win a new term on November 3.

    Last month four top Democratic lawmakers with access to intelligence said they were “gravely concerned” about a new “foreign interference campaign,” but their joint statement was notably not signed by members of Trump’s Republican Party.

    Trump at a notorious 2018 joint press conference appeared to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials of meddling. Trump’s former national security advisor, John Bolton, in an explosive memoir wrote that the mogul believed that any talk of interference discredited his victory.

    US officials have also warned less specifically about election efforts by China.

    Network of ‘proxy’ sites
    The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which is in charge of studying and countering foreign propaganda, warned in a report Wednesday that Russia has invested “massively” in disinformation efforts on the internet.

    “The Kremlin bears direct responsibility for cultivating these tactics and platforms as part of its approach to using information as a weapon,” it said.

    The report, which did not focus specifically on election meddling, said that Russia has relied on proxy voices to amplify messages that boost propaganda goals such as stirring up opposition to the United States.

    One favorite topic was the coronavirus pandemic, with Russian sites active in promoting unfounded narratives that COVID-19 was planted by the CIA or Microsoft billionaire turned philanthropist Bill Gates, the study said.

    In one example, the study pointed to the Strategic Culture Foundation, an online journal that it said promoted “obscure Western fringe thinkers and conspiracy theorists” and formed foreign partnerships.

    “When one of these proxy sites is publishing information, it’s murky as to where it’s actually coming from,” said Lea Gabrielle, head of the Global Engagement Center.

    “Russia tries to hide its affiliation with these different proxy sites and that’s what makes them effective,” she told reporters.

    “It’s difficult for just the average person who is online to look at these sites and know that it’s actually Russian disinformation.”

    On Twitter, material of the Strategic Culture Foundation and six similar sites was tweeted or retweeted 173,000 times from April through June, the study said.

    Britain, not Russia, appeared to be the top source of Twitter activity involving the suspicious material, it said.

    Russia has denied allegations of election meddling as well as charges led by Britain that Moscow is hacking coronavirus vaccine research.

    Pompeo, for his part, has promoted a theory discounted by mainstream scientists that the new coronavirus came out of a Chinese laboratory.

    Source: AFP

  • Hearts of Oak settle two month arrears to players and staff

    Accra Hearts of Oak have settled their indebtedness to players and staff of the club of their two month salary arrears.Players and members of the technical staff have been owed two months salary arrears for the month of June and July but that ha now been settled.

    Football the world over has suffered greatly from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and Ghana is no different.

    There has been no football in Ghana since the middle of March with most clubs depending on gate proceeds to survive.

    Hearts of Oak have have as of today paid players salary arrears for the last two months and players and members of staff will be greatly relieved.

    With some clubs employing salary cuts in order to mitigate the dire financial strains of the coronavirus pandemic, it is believed the phobians are paying their players and technical staff in full.

    Hearts of Oak like most other clubs in Ghana cannot wait for football to bounce back so as to generate revenue from the gates and sponsorship monies from the league.

    Source: Ghana Guardian

  • Danish Club Fremad Amager signs Cheetah FCs David Anane Martin

    Cheetah FC winger David Anane Martin joins former team mate Emmanul Bio at BK Fremad Amager.

    The 18yr old speedster has signed a 4-year deal with the danish division 1 league side for an undisclosed fee.

    Martin was spotted by the club while on a training tour with FC Vista in Turkey of which they played a game against Fremad.

    The former GIHOC Babies player was a member of the Cheetah FC U15 side, rising through the ranks to become a member of the main team.

    Martin plays traditionally on the left-hand side, cutting in before playing a pass or scoring. He can also play on the right flank. Looking to beat the full-back with combination play, a run behind, or even on the dribble before delivering the ball.

    He is a winger that would get the crowd excited and those wingers who take on players, whip in crosses and score themselves

    Source: Ghana Guardian

  • Ex-Ghana striker Joetex Frimpong’s father dies, aged 71

    Ex-Ghana and Enyimba FC striker Joe Frimpong is mourning the death of his father, GHANASoccernet.com can confirm.

    Opanin Abraham Yaw Nti Frimpong died in his hometown Nsuta Asuafu, near Mampong in the Ashanti Region on 3 August, 2020.

    The 71-year-old is former headmaster of Wasika Primary School in Minna, Niger State  Nigeria.

    Joextex will miss the One-Week Observation next Monday, 10 August, 2020.

    He is currently in Bern, Switzerland where is as coach and scout for FC Aarwangen.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Mozambique declares second virus emergency

    Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has announced another 30 days of emergency from Friday midnight in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus.

    This is the second time the country has declared a health emergency since March when it confirmed its first case.

    In a televised address on Wednesday night, President Nyusi outlined a phased easing of restrictions.

    Phase one starts on 18 August with the resumption of classes at higher education institutions, military academies and technical training institutes. Religious gatherings will be allowed but limited to 50 people.

    The number of people at funerals will be raised to 50 from 20, except if the deceased died of COVID-19, in which case the number of attendants remains at 10.

    In phase two starting September, cinemas, casinos and gyms may reopen.

    The third phase starting in October will see final year students in secondary schools resuming classes.

    Bars will remain closed indefinitely.

    The country has so far confirmed 2,079 cases of coronavirus with 15 deaths.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Botswana bans alcohol sales

    Botswana’s government has banned the sale of alcohol and suspended all liquor licences.

    A gazette notice said the suspension was until further notice. All alcohol selling stores will remain closed.

    The reason given for the ban was that alcohol had “negative effects on adherence to Covid-19 protocols”.

    Last week, the government reinstated a strict lockdown in the capital, Gaborone, for two weeks to curb rising cases.

    The country has to date confirmed 804 coronavirus cases and two deaths.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Gambian leader declares state of emergency

    Gambian President Adama Barrow has declared a state of emergency and introduced nationwide night curfew for 21 days as coronavirus cases keep rising.

    The president said the borders and airspace will remain closed except for cargo, diplomats and those seeking treatment abroad.

    He said the rising cases were “worrisome”, Anadolu news agency reports.

    The country has recorded nearly 700 cases including 16 deaths.

    The vice-president and three ministers are among those infected by the virus, but the president tested negative on Monday.

    Worship places remain closed in the country and schools will only allow final year students to sit for exit examinations from 17 August.

    All markets and shopping areas will close every Sunday for cleaning and fumigation.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Islamists becoming ‘more aggressive’ in Mozambique

    The US has warned that Islamist militants are getting more aggressive in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado with support from the Islamic State.

    The militants, known locally as al-Shabab – although it has no known links to the Somali jihadi group of the same name, have been attacking remote villages across the province over the past two years.

    Head of US special operations in Africa, Maj-Gen Dagvin Anderson, told journalists that the group is receiving external support that is making it more dangerous.

    “We have seen them over the last 12 to 18 months develop in their capabilities, become more aggressive, and use techniques and procedures that are common in other parts of the world in the Middle East that are associated with Islamic State,” Gen Anderson told avirtual media briefing.

    “We do believe there are external actors that are influencing that and making that more virulent and more dangerous up in the Cabo Delgado region.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • DIONS Entrepreneurship Ecosystem begins registration for free training on E-Commerce entrepreneurship

    DIONS Entrepreneurship Ecosystem has commenced enrollment to groom and empower 1,600 young E-E-Commerce entrepreneurs across the 16 regions of Ghana for its 2020/2021 cohort.

    Hundred qualified individuals will be selected each month for the next 16 months starting from September 1, 2020 to December 2021.

    The fellowship will offer practical support including equity funding to equip trainees to develop, start, and grow their own startup businesses.

    Selected fellows will also have the opportunity to secure start-up capital support of $1000, a business support funding which will be available to all qualified and selected individuals, who will sign-up as active members of the entrepreneurship ecosystem after its official launch on August 31, 2020.

    DIONS Entrepreneurship Ecosystem will bring together owners of established startups as well as aspiring entrepreneurs to share ideas and experiences during the programme.

    The programme will also exempt trainees from all subscription and membership fees till they start earning their first four figure income ($1,000 and above) from their newly-established e-commerce businesses.

    Interested individuals can register by clicking here

    Source: citibusinessnews.com

  • Egypt investigates alleged gang rape at luxury hotel

    Egypt’s public prosecutor said Wednesday it has ordered an investigation into a gang rape allegation at a luxury hotel in Cairo in 2014 that surfaced on social media last month. “The Public Prosecution received a letter from the National Council for Women, accompanied by a complaint filed by one of the women who endured sexual abuse by several people at the Fairmont Nile City Hotel in Cairo in 2014,” the public prosecutor said in Wednesday’s statement.

    Attached to the complaint lodged Tuesday “were testimonies from people with knowledge about the incident,” the prosecutor added.

    Results of the investigations will be announced “in due time,” the statement said.

    The alleged assault, which took place at a five-star Cairo hotel, involved a group of six men said to have drugged and raped a young woman, according to social media accounts

    Names and pictures of the accused, who hail from wealthy families, have circulated widely online but AFP has been unable to verify their authenticity.

    Egypt’s National Council for Women condemned retaliatory threats made against women exposing sexual misconduct last week.

    The council “stands by every woman and girl exposed to any… threat by providing all necessary support”, it said.

    In a statement last week, the Fairmont Hotel said it had conducted an internal investigation but found “that at no time were any reports of the incident filed to the hotel, nor to the hotel’s tourism police”.

    The allegations come as part of a resurgent #Metoo wave in the deeply conservative country, seeking to hold sexual predators accountable for their actions.

    A 2013 study by UN Women found that 99 percent of women in Egypt had at some point in their lives been sexually harassed, either verbally or physically.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Ghana records 567 new COVID-19 cases; clinical recoveries now 36,384

    Ghana has recorded 567 new COVID-19 cases. This pushes the case count to 39,642.

    Meanwhile, the active case count has dropped from 3,313 to 3,059 per the latest update.

    According to the Ghana Health Service, the cases were reported in the lab on August 3, 2020.

    However, clinical recoveries have also risen to 36,384.

    Out of this number, eight are in a critical condition, four on ventilators, and 22 in severe condition.

    A total of 407,588 tests have been conducted in the country since March 2020.

    Current regional breakdown

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Chicken meat has made me big – Danlad Ibrahim responds to age cheating claims

    Age cheating in Ghana football is nothing new as it’s an open secret that most footballers are not using their real ages and use what is termed ‘football age’, as If football is distinctly different from everyday life.

    Kumasi Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Danlad Ibrahim has been ridiculed in the past for reducing his age to play for the Ghana U-17 National team, the Black Starlets during the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.

    At the time of the tournament the plump -looking goalkeeper was ridiculed by many Ghanaians for being too old for a 14-year-old.

    The Kotoko goalie who went on loan at Berekum Chelsea last season has constantly been questioned about his age as physically he looks way older than his age.

    But in an interview with Kumasi based Ashh FM, the goalkeeper responded to claims that he is more than 17 years by saying that he is from a rich home and eats a lot of chicken.

    “I will be 18 years next three months.”

    “Chicken meat has made me like this because I was born into a rich family,” he said.

    Source: Ghana Guardian

  • Nkawkaw Park set to undergo renovation works

    It appears hope will soon arrive for the neglected Nkawkaw football stadium that has been left to its fate for years now.

    The Nkawkaw Park is a sight to behold overlooking the gigantic Odweanoma mountains but with years of neglect and lack of maintains it looks a pale shadow of its former self.

    It is home to former Ghana Premier League side Okwahu United but its now in a deplorable state with a grass-less pitch, rusting poles leaving a lot to be desired.

    The Director-General of the National Sports Authority, Prof. Peter Twumasi earlier within the week held meetings with the Middle Belt Development Authority in Kumasi.

    Among the issues discussed was ways of upgrading the picturesque Nkawkaw Park into a state of the art facility as the park also serves as the landing site for the annual Kwahu Easter paragliding event that takes place on the Odweanoma mountains.

    There will be further consultations between the three bodies that is National Sports Authority, Middle Belt Development Authority and the Sports Ministry to upgrade the edifice.

    Source: Ghana Guardian

  • Charles Kraikue takes over as Director-General of GCAA

    The Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Ing. Simon Allotey, has handed over leadership of the Authority to Ing. Charles Kraikue, who, until his appointment was a Deputy Director-General for Technical Services at GCAA.

    The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister for Aviation, Joseph Kofi Kowe Adda, who congratulated Ing. Kraikue on his appointment.

    Presenting plaques to Ing. Allotey and Alhassan Abdulai, a Deputy Director-General for Finance and Administration who joins Ing. Allotey in retirement, Mr. Adda commended their exemplary leadership.

    Ing. Allotey and Mr. Abdulai thanked the Aviation Minister, the Governing Board, management and staff of GCAA for their support over the years, and wished the incoming director-general well.

    Ing. Kraikue recognized the contributions of his outgoing colleagues, noting that the many lessons he learnt while working with both leaders would be immensely helpful as he assumes leadership of the Authority.

    In attendance were the Governing Board, management and staff of GCAA; the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, Mr. Yaw Kwakwa; the Chief of Air Staff, AVM Frank Hanson; and the Director -General of the Ghana Meteorological Agency, Dr. Michael Tanu.

    Created in 1986, GCAA is the regulatory agency for air transport in Ghana. It licenses air transport operations, maintains oversight of aviation safety and security, as well as provides air navigation services within the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR), which comprises the airspace of Ghana and a large area over the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea.

    It is also responsible for consumer protection and the promotion of the development of Ghana’s air transport sector.

    Source: The Herald

  • Todays newspapers front pages

  • Ashantigold medical chief denies report of four players testing positive for coronavirus

    Medical Chief of Ashantigold S.C, Dr. Goerge Chidi has rubbished reports that four players of the club have tested positive for the Coronavirus.

    According to Dr. Chidi, the club is yet to undertake a Coronavirus test denying claims of any positive test.

    “That’s not true,because we have not started testing them of COVID-19, we are yet to start the covid test, all things being equal on Saturday we should start,” he told Oyerepa FM.

    “It’s no big deal anyone testing positive but we are yet to do the COVID-19 test, KCCR is ready to come pick the samples but we are trying to put our logistics together. We need to put in place the protocols.”

    The Miners are rolling out plans to begin preparations ahead of next season’s CAF Confederation Cup.

    Part of plans to start training including undergoing Coronavirus test and subsequently gaining government’s approval to begin training.

    The Obuasi based club were given the nod to represent Ghana in the Confederation Cup following the cancellation of the 2019/20 season by the Ghana Football Association.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Jane Opoku-Agyemang ends first official trip to Central Region

    The running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), on Friday, July 30th 2020, ended her first official visit to the Central Region since being named and outdoored by the party’s flagbearer John Dramani Mahama.

    Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, made a first stop at her hometown, Komenda, in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem District, where she paid a visit to the Chief and spoke to the excited crowds that desperately wanted to see her and hear from her.

    She emphasized the need for peace and harmony in the community. She also encouraged them to adhere strictly to the Covid-19 prevention guidelines and do everything to avoid being infected by the virus.

    On Wednesday 31st July 2020, Prof Opoku-Agyemang started the day with a visit to Mrs. Effie Amissah-Arthur; mother of the late Vice- President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.

    The Vice-Presidential candidate was accompanied by the Chairman of the Party Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the Central Regional Chairman of the Party and other party executives.

    Prof. Opoku-Agyemang indicated to Mrs. Amissah-Arthur that she had come to pay respects to her and to inform her formally about her nomination as Vice-Presidential candidate.

    Mrs. Effie Amissah-Arthur thanked her for the visit and advised the Vice-Presidential candidate and the delegation to work towards their objectives in unity.

    She also prayed for God’s strength and grace for the Running Mate and the Flagbearer John Dramani Mahama. Professor Opoku- Agyemang thanked her for the warm welcome, words of encouragement and the support she had provided to her over many years.

    Professor Opoku-Agyemang proceeded to call on the family of the late President John Evans Atta-Mills, who warmly welcomed her back home.

    On behalf of the family, Samuel Atta-Mills MP for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem, expressed joy and pride in her selection as the Vice-Presidential Candidate of the NDC and pledged the full support of the family throughout the campaign.

    Professor Opoku-Agyemang thanked the family for their kind words and blessings as the Party pursues its critical mission to put the country back on the path to recovery and prosperity.

    The Vice-Presidential candidate, along with the National Chairman and party delegation, then paid a courtesy call on the Central Region House of Chiefs, where they were welcomed by Nananom led by Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi, President of the National House of Chiefs. On behalf of the delegation, Chairman Ofosu-Ampofo thanked Nananom for blessing the NDC and Ghana with their daughter and pledged to ensure that she is fully supported in the journey to elect the NDC in December 2020.

    Professor Opoku-Agyemang expressed appreciation for the counsel of Nananom and asked for their guidance and prayers throughout the campaign.

    Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi expressed pride in the high recognition of their daughter and advised her to remain objective, stay focused and to resist any attempts to be drawn into the politics of insults that has dominated political discourse in the country.

    He advised her to focus on leaving a legacy for current and future generations.

    Finally, Professor Opoku-Agyemang met with some community leaders from the Central Region to listen to their concerns, challenges, and hopes for the future. She expressed joy and pride in their activism and efforts to make the country better, and she challenged them to stay involved and never give up despite the many hardships they indicated they were suffering under the current government.

    “A 2021 NDC government led by President John Dramani Mahama will build an inclusive society that gives everyone equal opportunity to succeed in our great country”, she said.

     

    Source: The Herald

  • 90-year-old grannys lynching disheartening IGP

    The Inspector-General of Police, James Oppong-Boanuh, has described as disconcerting, the lynching of 90-year-old Akua Denteh at Kafaba in the East Gonja municipality of the Savannah Region.

    The grandmother was accused of witchcraft by a witchdoctor and subsequently tortured and lynched in the full glare of the public.

    So far, the sorcerer and six others have been arrested in connection with the case.

    During a visit to the Savannah Region, Mr Oppong-Boanuh damned the incident.

    “The incident was something that was worrying”, he said, adding: “If you look at the age of the woman and what was done to her by her own relatives, is a bit disheartening”.

    “Ghanaians in this age and times should not be doing that”, he noted.

    “Why is it that it is always the ladies that are being accused of witchcraft?” he wondered.

    “We should always ensure that we protect our mothers and sisters”, he urged.

    The 40-year-old witchdoctor was arraigned Wednesday, 5 August 2020.

    The Bole Magistrates Court is hearing the matter.

    Sherina Mohammed was arrested at her hideout at Yeji on Monday, 3 August 2020 in the night.

    She led a gang of locals in the village to whip and bludgeon Akua Denteh to death.

    A few days earlier, one of the women seen whipping the old woman in the viral video that captured the torture, was also arrested.

    Latifah Bumaye, 32, who described the deceased as her grandmother, was arrested by the Salaga police, according to regional correspondent Zion Rauf.

    Already, five suspects have been in the custody of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

    Rauf Zion reported that the five suspects are known members of a youth group of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality.

    The arrests were made by a special team of personnel from Accra and handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Savanna Regional Police Command at Damongo.

    The statements of the five suspects were taken following their interrogation.

    They were arraigned and remanded.

    Meanwhile, the chief of Kafaba, Kafabawura Yahaya Zakariah, has been granted bail.

    On Monday, 27 July 2020, President Nana Akufo-Addo, while touring the region, said the lynching has “disfigured the face of our nation.”

    Mr Akufo-Addo said he hopes “the quick response of the police will lead to the rapid administration of justice in this unfortunate matter”.

    In a statement, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council added its “voice to those of other well-meaning Ghanaians in calling for serious investigations and arrest of all those involved in this heinous crime, which can best be described as very cruel and barbaric.”

    The Council emphasised: “We must, at all cost, seek justice for this 90-year-old woman and all those who have suffered such atrocities in the past.”

    According to the Council, “it is heart-breaking to note that in this modern-day and age, our society seems to be drifting into an era of lawlessness where some people can take the law into their own hands”.

    “There is an urgent need to inject some discipline and sanity into our everyday behaviour as a society.

    “We must intensify our education of the public on what their rights as citizens are and what they can do or not do so as to make the society a safe and secure place to live in”, it added.

    The Council further indicated: “There is also the need to consider whether it is not time to close down “witch” camps which are predominantly found in the Northern Regions and find ways and means of reintegrating inmates of such camps, who are mostly elderly women and sometimes their children and grandchildren, into the society.

    The GPCC added that the lessons of such gruesome murders must be used “to right the wrongs in our society. The elderly, weak and vulnerable must be targeted for the care and protection of our society.”

     

    Source: Class FM

  • Voter registration: Applicants given two-day grace period

    The Electoral Commission (EC) says it will organise a two-day mop up exercise for eligible applicants to register for their voter identity cards.

    The exercise is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, respectively.

    This follows the completion of the nationwide voter registration exercise Thursday, August 6, 2020 as earlier indicated by the EC.

    “A mop-up of the Registration Exercise will be held on Saturday, the 8th of August, 2020 and Sunday, the 9th of August, 2020 at the District Offices of the Electoral Commission across the country,” a statement from the Commission said on Wednesday.

    Eligible applicants who wish to register would have to visit the district offices of EC within their districts to be registered, the commission further stated.

     

    Source: angelonline.com.gh

  • Beirut Explosion throws BBC journalist across room during live interview

    A BBC interview caught the moment a huge explosion rocked Lebanon’s capital city Beirut throwing a journalist across a room as she screams in terror.

    More than 100 people have been killed and a further 4,000 injured in the deadly blast, thought to be caused by stored chemicals in a warehouse on Tuesday.

    In the clip from the interview, BBC News Arabic journalist Maryam Toumi is speaking to her interviewee, Faisal Al-Aseel, project manager at the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy, when there is a loud thud.

    She pauses speaking for a second and looks around, when suddenly a deafening shockwave tears through her building and knocks her to the ground.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Arda Turan returns to Galatasaray after nine years away

    Galatasaray have confirmed the signing of Arda Turan, who returns to the club of his youth nine years after leaving to join Atletico Madrid.

    Turan, 33, was a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired last month. The midfielder had spent the past season and a half on loan with Istanbul Basaksehir.

    The Turkey international came up through the youth ranks at Galatasaray before making his senior debut in 2005. Turan became a star for club and country before joining Atletico in 2011.

    Speaking to Galatasaray’s official website, Turan admitted he was emotional returning to Gala, and thanked the club’s chairman for making the move happen.

    “Emotions are very deep,” Turan said. “Now is not the time to comment and talk too much. It’s time for me to get on the field and fight. I would like to thank Mr. Mustafa Cengiz and members of the board of directors.

    “I hope everything will be good: the most beautiful days, successful days again both in Turkey and in Europe. I miss the fans very much. I am waiting for the day I will meet with them. I hope to see you as soon as possible.”

    Turan spent four seasons with Atletico, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League, before moving on to Barcelona in 2015.

    With the Blaugrana, Turan continued his success by again winning La Liga, as well as two Copas del Rey.

    Last autumn, Turan found himself in legal trouble after being involved in a brawl that resulted in a suspended two years and eight months prison sentence for firing a gun to incite fear and panic, illegal possession of weapons and causing intentional injury.

    Turan has not served any jail time, though he did pay a fine of 2.5 million Turkish lira (£350,648) for the incident.

    Speaking about the incident, Cengiz said that he felt comfortable with signing Turan and believes that the midfielder should not be judged too harshly for any indiscretions.

    Galatasaray have confirmed the signing of Arda Turan, who returns to the club of his youth nine years after leaving to join Atletico Madrid.

    Turan, 33, was a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired last month. The midfielder had spent the past season and a half on loan with Istanbul Basaksehir.

    The Turkey international came up through the youth ranks at Galatasaray before making his senior debut in 2005. Turan became a star for club and country before joining Atletico in 2011.

    Speaking to Galatasaray’s official website, Turan admitted he was emotional returning to Gala, and thanked the club’s chairman for making the move happen.

    “Emotions are very deep,” Turan said. “Now is not the time to comment and talk too much. It’s time for me to get on the field and fight. I would like to thank Mr. Mustafa Cengiz and members of the board of directors.

    “I hope everything will be good: the most beautiful days, successful days again both in Turkey and in Europe. I miss the fans very much. I am waiting for the day I will meet with them. I hope to see you as soon as possible.”

    Turan spent four seasons with Atletico, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League, before moving on to Barcelona in 2015.

    With the Blaugrana, Turan continued his success by again winning La Liga, as well as two Copas del Rey.

    Last autumn, Turan found himself in legal trouble after being involved in a brawl that resulted in a suspended two years and eight months prison sentence for firing a gun to incite fear and panic, illegal possession of weapons and causing intentional injury.

    Turan has not served any jail time, though he did pay a fine of 2.5 million Turkish lira (£350,648) for the incident.

    Speaking about the incident, Cengiz said that he felt comfortable with signing Turan and believes that the midfielder should not be judged too harshly for any indiscretions.

    Source: goal.com

  • ‘De Bruyne should have had 30 assists’ – Gabriel Jesus

    Gabriel Jesus feels Manchester City have let down their assist king Kevin De Bruyne this season, saying the Belgium star could have had 30 assists were it not for his team-mates’ wastefulness.

    Jesus and De Bruyne were on target during the second half when City beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu back in February.

    The long-awaited second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie takes place behind closed doors at the Etihad Stadium on Friday.

    De Bruyne heads into the contest after a stunning domestic season where he matched Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of 20 assists in a single campaign.

    Still, Brazil striker Jesus feels that number could have been much higher, insisting City were frequently wasteful in front of goal despite scoring 102 times in the league.

    “I think every game he can make three or four assists for us,” he told the club’s website.

    “This season we miss a lot of goals, if not Kevin would have 30 assists. He is so good.

    “He has so much quality and he always looks to the strikers. It is so good playing with him.”

    Praise has not always been so forthcoming for Jesus, who is likely to lead the City attack in Sergio Aguero’s injury absence against the La Liga champions.

    The 23-year-old did impress, however, in the initial clash deployed on the left flank to fine effect in an experimental 4-4-2 system that featured De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva as false nines until the closing stages.

    “I don’t think it is my best performance,” Jesus said of the game at the Santiago Bernabeu. “It was a top game. I scored and helped the team and that’s why people say that.

    “They [Madrid] played so good. It is so difficult to go there and play against them.

    “We suffered in the first 15-20 minutes and after we played well. We started to play our football and after we came back and could have scored three.

    “We played so good with the ball, but without the ball we played one of the best games I have seen since I came to play here.”

    Source: goal.com

  • Embrace mass cocoa spraying exercise – Chief Farmer

    Cocoa farmers in the country have been urged to embrace the mass cocoa spraying exercise introduced by government.

    In an exclusive interview shortly after a farmers’ meeting at Nsawam in the Eastern Region, Nana Kumi Abiesi, Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Chief Farmer, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that embracing the mass cocoa spraying exercise, would help farmers to increase the crop yield.

    He explained that the exercise was part of a high-tech cocoa production method and said the introduction of the high-tech programme was a testimony of government’s determination to help improve the cocoa industry.

    According to him, when farmers embrace the programme, would help increase the national cocoa output from the present tonnage, in order to reduce poverty among the farmers.

    He said COCOBOD was increasing the spraying machines in the various cocoa growing areas to enable the spraying gangs reach every farm, with a view to combating the capsid virus.

    Source: GNA

  • NIA begins mop-up exercise in Ashanti

    The National Identification Authority (NIA) has begun a mob-up exercise in the Ashanti Region to enable qualified Ghanaians who were not able to register to do so to get their Ghana card.

    The exercise which started in the Region on August 02, would end on August 16, this year.

    Those who registered but were not able to receive their cards would also get the opportunity to collect their cards at the registration centres.

    A visit by the Ghana News Agency to some of the registration centres in Kumasi indicated that a lot of people in the metropolis had still not registered and had formed long queues to register.

    Mr. Kwadwo Adom, a supervisor at the Kronom registration centre, told the Ghana News Agency that the exercise had been going on smoothly and peacefully as was expected.

    He said NIA had put in place stringent measures to ensure that all the COVID-19 protocols were observed in all the registration centres.

    Mr Adom said citizens who were not able to register during the main exercise were now trooping into the centres to go through the process to receive their cards.

    He said all the materials and other equipment needed for the registration exercise were in place and things were going on smoothly.

    Mr Adom appealed to all those who were yet to register to take advantage of the opportunity to register to get their Ghana cards.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Prof Opoku-Agyemang registered as a voter

    Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the Running Mate of the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 7 General Election, has successfully registered as a voter

    A statement issued by the NDC Campaign Team, which was copied to the Ghana News Agency, on Wednesday stated: “May I implore all those who are yet to register to kindly do so, particularly, as we approach the end point of the voters registration exercise.” Prof Opoku-Agyemang is quoted as saying.

    “I still believe it is possible to register eligible Ghanaians without the violence, intimidation and blatant discrimination that has characterized the current exercise. We are better than this.”

     

    Source: GNA

  • Desist from mob justice IGP cautions as he visits Kafaba

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, has cautioned citizens of the Savannah Region to desist from mob justice.

    He made this remark on Wednesday, August 5, when he paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa.

    The IGP also appealed to the people to ensure peace at all times, including during the upcoming elections.

    “Let me thank the Savannah Regional Minister for supporting the police administration which led to the arrest of some of the suspects connected to the lynching of the 90-year-old woman at Kafaba.”

    Responding to an appeal by the Yagbonwura and the Savannah Regional Minister for more police posts in the Region, the IGP assured them the police administration will establish more posts across the country.

    The Regional Minister, Adam Salifu Braimah, on behalf of the chiefs and people of the Region, commended the efforts of the police administration in ensuring peace in the Region.

    He indicated that but for the police, the Kafaba case would have been more serious.

    “The Region is grateful to you and your men for the swiftness in responding to events in the past that compromised security.”

     

    Source: 3 News

  • Supreme Court throws out Phillip Addison

    The General Legal Council, on Thursday July 30, 2020, dismissed a complaint of misconduct brought against Lawyer Charles Zwennes, by his colleague, Lawyer Phillip Addison.

    The Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council upon hearing the complaint laid before it, said that it found no evidence whatsoever of misconduct on the part of Lawyer Zwennes in the ongoing case of Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited which is currently pending before the High Court.

    The Committee, therefore, threw out the complaint of Lawyer Addison, who had called for Lawyer Zwennes to be sanctioned by the General Legal Council which ensures that lawyers are of impeccable professional conduct.

    In the view of the disciplinary committee, the matters giving rise to the complaint lodged by Lawyer Addison against his colleague, were matters before the High Court being hotly contested in litigation, and no act of misconduct on the part of Mr Zwennes, has been adduced, hence no punishment can be imposed on him.

    Mr Addison’s complaint lodged against Mr Zwenness, was to find the latter guilty of misconduct, but the committee said it found no such evidence against him.

    The General Legal Council decision was verbally delivered.

    However, aside the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, the Supreme Court, also dismissed a certiorari application filed by Mr Addison to stop the High Court from delving into his dealings with Merlin.

    The High Court can now look into the reported cases of forgery of documents at the Registrar General and how he became a secretary to the lottery company registered by Eric Gbeho and Peter Nkegbe, and going into its bank accounts.

    Mr Addison was, therefore directed by the Supreme Court to return to the High Court and participate in its proceedings, where he has been sued for falsely holding himself out as the Company Secretary without having been duly appointed as such.

    However, Mr Addison continues to be restrained from holding himself out as Company Secretary of Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited or from operating its bank accounts in that capacity, until the final determination of that suit.

    This year, The Herald broke the news on alleged falsification of documents at the Registrar General’s Department by a client of Mr Addison, lead counsel for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 election petition case, leading to his appointment as secretary of a company called Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited, operators of an SMS lottery, under some bizarre circumstances.

    In possession of The Herald are several documents from the Registrar General’s Department, painting a sorry state of affairs in that vital state department which is supposed to protect companies’ records, as well as the interest of their owners.

    The issue is currently a huge matter being investigated by the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Registrar General’s Department.

    Indeed, an application to have Lawyer Charles William Zwennes jailed for Contempt of Court by an Accra High over the matter, could not be heard because Justice Gifty Adjei Addo, said to be a younger sister of Samuel Atta Akyea; Minister for Works and Housing, was reportedly indisposed just when the session was to begin.

    Also in the custody of this paper are court records, documents from two law firms, as well as complaints to the General Legal Council, demanding disciplinary actions against two legal practitioners; Philip Addison and one Denis Adjei Dwomoh for falsely holding themselves as Company Secretary and Company Lawyer of Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited, respectively.

    However, among all the documents, those from the Registrar General, showed how persons with ulterior motives could walk in and obliterate documents in that Department, change ownership of companies and addresses, fake signatures, alter owners’ dates of birth and appoint officers without board resolutions. These doctored documents are then used to gain access to funds lodged in banks belonging to the companies.

    The Herald’s information is that the Police CID is closing in on Francis Tachie Menson, not only on the forgery of documents of Merlin Ghana at the Registrar General’s Department, but the appointment of his lawyer, Philip Addison as Company Secretary and Denis Adjei Dwomoh as Company Lawyer, although there had not been board meetings and resolutions to that effect.

    Messrs. Eric Gbeho and Peter Nkegbe, who have been identified as the real owners of Merlin Gaming with 50percent shares each, have denied the involvement of Mr Tachie Menson in their company, as well as board resolutions appointing Philip Addison and one Denis Adjei Dwomoh.

    But interestingly, Lawyer Addison in his capacity as Company Secretary, wrote to Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited, warning the bank against allowing the signatories to Merlin Gaming Company account which includes, Lawyer Charles Zwennes.

    However, one of the documents in the possession of The Herald is dated December 19, 2019 and addressed to The Registrar-General, Mrs. Jemima Oware, titled “Complaint of forgery & falsification of documents of Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited on your register with intent to commit fraud by Francis Edward Tachie Menson Request for an investigation to ensue by the registrar. Section 177(1) (E) of Act 992”.

    The letter written on behalf of one of the shareholders; Eric Gbeho in his capacity as Board Chairman and Company Secretary of Merlin Ghana, said “this complaint is made against Francis Edward Tachie Menson and its terms are that over the course of a yet unspecified period, he has committed various acts of forgery and falsification of documents filed in your department with the intent of defrauding the company and its members”.

    The letter signed by Charles William Zwennes in his capacity as Solicitor for Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited, as well as Eric Gbeho, referred to Francis Tachie Menson, as a culprit, saying he had “embarked on this criminal enterprise by firstly inserting his name onto the Regulations and subscription page of the company as a director and subscriber of 8,000 shares, hoping thereby to hold himself out as a majority shareholder with the hope of enjoying in the pecuniary fortunes of the company”.

    It further disclosed that Merlin Gaming “is currently engaged in negotiations of a settlement of a contract claim made by it against the National Lottery Authority, and expects to receive a settlement sum of GHC15, 000, 000, 00 in lieu of a damages claim for breach of contract. Through this means of perpetrated fraud, Mr. Francis Tachie Menson hopes to claim a major stake of this amount”.

    The letter pointed to Mrs. Oware that her “investigations will show that Mr. Francis Tachie Menson has tampered, doctored and falsified the following: 1. The Regulation of Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited. 2. The Forms 3 & 4 of Merlin Gaming Ghana Limited. 3. Form 17 Falsely appointing one John Dawonne without due process of board approval”.

    It went further to state that “investigations will also show that the said culprit has also taken advantage of the company re-registration exercise embarked upon by your Registrar sometime last year, and submitted re-registration application forms with false information and personal details of the true members and directors of the company”.

    Referring to the registration forms, it added that “on these forms as well, the culprit has forged the signature of our client, Mr. Gbeho as Company Secretary several times on Annual Returns for 2016 and 2017, application forms and the like. The falsity of these forms are residential addresses, dates of birth et cetera of the true owners and directors of the company are even wrong and fictitious in many instances. Strangely however, these same documents purport to bear the signature of our client.

    The letter informed the informed Registrar General that “through the internal processes of data entry in your Department, this false data has been entered onto your Companies Register, thereby falsely distorting the entire ownership and corporate governance structure of Merlin Gaming Limited to you and unsuspecting persons”.

    It pointed out to her “you will also see through your investigation that the said culprit has gone to the trouble of procuring “certified True Copy “stamps imprinted onto some of these doctored documents to create the false impression of authenticity, which is not so”

    Mr Zwennes’ letter concluded by asking that “for the sake also of upholding the good name and stringent endeavours that you have made to preserve the integrity and accuracy of your record-keeping department, my client and our firm hereby undertake to offer you every corporation and assistance in your investigations”.

     

    Source: The Herald

  • Kennedy Agyapong aids evacuation of 727 stranded Ghanaians in Lebanon

    Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has on behalf of the Government, received a donation of $428,650 from Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central, to support the evacuation of more than 700 stranded Ghanaians in Lebanon.

    Mr Agyapong contributed $200,000 himself, while he mobilised the rest through an appeal he launched for other Ghanaians to support.

    The support will help cover the evacuation of the fourth and fifth batches scheduled for August 11 and 13, respectively.

    “The generosity of Mr Agyapong is public knowledge and the donation today is only a testimony of his kind heart, and we expect this donation to fund the evacuation of 727 Ghanaians from Lebanon,” Madam Ayorkor Botchwey stated on Wednesday, in Accra, when she received the cheque for the donation from Mr Agyapong.

    She said on the arrival on the evacuees on both days the Government would bear the cost of quarantine, just as it had done for more than 3,000 of their compatriots who had been evacuated from various parts of the world.

    The countries include China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Qatar.

    “On behalf of the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and, indeed, all Ghanaians and the families who will be benefiting from this generous offer, I wish to thank you, my colleague and brother, Mr Agyapong and all those who through your efforts have contributed to this noble cause,” she said.

    “By this act, you have proven to be a responsive statesman and patriot, and Ghanaians are grateful.”

    Madam Botchwey said in a difficult time when the world was grappling with how to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on lives and economies, it was heart-warming to witness these acts of generosity, patriotism and solidarity from fellow Ghanaians.

    She said when the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in November 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, nothing could have prepared the world for the devastation it would unleash on human lives and world economies months down the line.

    She noted that since then, the world had been at the mercy of this unseen, yet destructive virus.

    “As a desperate measure to prevent the deadly virus from spreading within national borders, States locked-down and also imposed travel bans and other restrictions, including border closures,” she said.

    “Unfortunately, these measures left many travellers, including a number of Ghanaian nationals, stranded in foreign countries and unsure of when they will return home to their families.”

    She intimated that it also brought to the fore the unacceptable dire conditions some Ghanaians abroad, especially those in the Middle East, were living under as a result of the pandemic.

    Madam Botchwey said in view of the growing number of stranded Ghanaians abroad per the data gathered by the Ministry and its Diplomatic Missions abroad, the Government took the bold decision to begin the process of evacuating them home.

    She said to ensure a well-coordinated evacuation exercise, Government decided to undertake the exercise in phases.

    The Minister said this decision was informed by financial and logistical considerations; namely, the capacity of their quarantine and isolation centres to hold large number of evacuees, and the human resource capacity of the COVID-19 Task Force, comprising personnel drawn from the various security agencies.

    She said the Ministry, in collaboration with the Task Force, had since May 2020, completed 51 evacuations from across the globe, resulting in the safe return of 5,940 Ghanaians.

    She said in the particular case of Lebanon, the Ministry, with its Mission in Cairo and the Honorary Consulate in Beirut, Lebanon, facilitated the first evacuation of 211 stranded Ghanaians on 19th June, 2020.

    She said this was followed by the evacuation also from Lebanon of 144 Ghanaians on 28th July, and another 205 Ghanaians on 30th July, 2020.

    “We can, therefore, say that so far, 560 Ghanaians have been evacuated from Lebanon, and over 1000 more are expected this month.”

    She said for the groups, which had so far arrived, the Government of Ghana had borne the cost of their quarantine and other related costs.

    “So much has been done by Government since the outbreak of COVID-19 to mitigate the adverse effects of the virus on Ghanaians, but I must say that we are not out of the woods yet,” she said.

    “There is still a lot to be done, and it is for this reason that the Ministry welcomes the support of benevolent individuals such as the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Agyapong.”

    The Minister said: “On the matter associated with our dear compatriots in Lebanon, I wish to reiterate our displeasure in the manner Ghanaian nationals in that country have been treated.”

    She reiterated that the Government had in no uncertain terms registered its abhorrence to such inhumane treatment to the Government of Lebanon on the harassment and earlier reports of abuse to which Ghanaians had been subjected to by their Lebanese employers.

    She, therefore, commended Mr Winfred Hammond, Ghana’s Ambassador accredited to Egypt and Lebanon, for his tireless efforts in bringing the evacuees home.

    Mr Agyapong said the donation was to support the Foreign Ministry in its efforts to bring back home stranded Ghanaians.

    “It is not everything that we expect the white man to save us or take care of for us. We need to prove that we are capable of managing our own affairs.”

     

    Source: GNA

  • Mind games dominate GFA-Palmer CAS ruling as two parties await verdict

    Supporters of Kurt Okraku and Wilfred Osei Kwaku Palmer have resorted to mind games in the media after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) failed to deliver its verdict over the alleged wrongful dismissal of the latter from the Presidential race of the Ghana FA elections.

    The Switzerland-based organisation had promised to deliver its landmark verdict for Ghana football on Tuesday but failed to live up to its promise to the parties by not releasing the ruling by the close of work.

    The anxiety surrounding the case has boiled over into mind games with supporters of both men turning to social media and mass media to craftily claim victory even though no such verdict has been issued.

    It is clear the attempts from both camps are meant to frighten the opponents into submission while giving hope to their numerous supporters that victory is near.

    Two known supporters of Okraku went public with claims that an executive summary of the ruling has been issued forcing Palmer to issue a statement that the report is false.

    Palmer and his team have also been issuing cryptic Bible messages claiming victory which his supporters have also latched onto as the mind games between the battling parties increases.

    CAS is set to give a ruling to the much-awaited Wilfred Kwaku Osei (Palmer) versus Ghana Football Association (GFA) case.

    The judgment which was initially fixed July 17 was postponed to Tuesday by CAS which according to them was in pursuant to Article R59 of the Code of Sports-related Arbitration.

    CAS had initially set the date for the announcement of their final ruling on Friday, but on Wednesday rescheduled the decision to August 4.

    For the past 11 months, the Tema Youth President had been seeking justice at CAS after he was disqualified from the 2019 GFA Presidential elections by the Normalisation Committee (NC).

    Osei, popularly known as Palmer, is seeking redress from the sports tribunal for wrongful disqualification from the GFA presidential race by the defunct Fifa/Caf Normalisation Committee for Football in 2019.

    He was disqualified from the count of two charges which include the failure to pay transfer commission to the football association as well as failing an integrity test.

    After his disqualification by the Vetting Committee of the NC, Palmer filed an appeal which was swiftly rejected and resorted to the highest Court in Sports.

    He later filed an appeal against the decision of the Normalisation Committee at the Court of Arbitration for Sports.

    In July, CAS issued a communique spelling out the procedure and period of the release of their verdict on the matter pending before the body on August 4.

    As stakeholders wait anxiously for the CAS ruling, the outcome could have far-reaching consequences on the direction of Ghana football.

    Palmer, among other reliefs, is seeking the annulment of the decision on his appeal against his disqualification by the NC, a reversal of his disqualification, annulment of the October 25 GFA presidential election, and the conduct of fresh election with his inclusion in the lst of candidates.

    This clearly indicates that the GFA could be heading for an unprecedented bye-election should the verdict favour Palmer. On the other hand, the Kurt Okraku administration will remain in cruise control in case the ruling goes the other way.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Wakaso elated after picking man of the match award in Jiangsu Suning victory

    Ghanaian international Mubarak Wakaso is on cloud nine after being adjudged Man of the Match in his side Jiangsu Suning FC 2-1 win over Dalian Professional FC in the Chinese Super League.

    Wakasu who was playing his second game for the club impressed as his side picked their second win of the season.

    Goals from Alex Teixeira and Eder gave Jiangsu Suning a comfortable lead before Solomon Randon got the consolation for the visitors.

    Wakasu was voted man of the match after a splendid display on the day.

    The former Deportivo Alves midfielder took to his Twitter account to react after his man of the match display.

     

  • Gender Ministry to pay LEAP beneficiaries through mobile money

    The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) is considering paying the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries through mobile money to ease the stress of receiving their cash.

    Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the sector Minister made this known when she supervised payment to 120 LEAP beneficiaries at Nyakrom in the Agona West District of the Central Region.

    The beneficiaries who were given between GH¢64.00 to GH¢140.00 per month, received two months payment for June and July as a social intervention measure to reduce poverty in the country.

    The Minister said the rationale behind the decision to pay them through Mobile money was due to difficulties beneficiaries went through accessing their monies from the banks.

    Mrs Morrison said next payment would be done through mobile money and while the Ministry was against paying the monies into mobile accounts that were not for the beneficiaries, it was also not possible for the Ministry to provide every beneficiary with mobile phone.

    She assured that steps were being taken for the Ministry to reach out to all beneficiaries.

    The Minister stated that her Ministry was pursuing an aggressive policies and programmes to ensure that beneficiaries of LEAP continued to enjoy better life for it to reach out to other less privileged people in the Society.

    It was also considering giving vocational and technical training skills to LEAP beneficiaries for them to establish their own businesses to enable them become self-reliant.

    According to the Minister, discussions have gone far with development partners to look for startup capitals for the beneficiaries to embark on income generating ventures.

    The purpose, she noted, was to assist beneficiaries to improve on their living standards to pave the way for others to also enjoy the programme.

    Mrs Morrison said the Ministry would also start giving training on financial management and others by the newly established “Business Resources Center” (BRC) at Agona Swedru for sound management of finds.

    She said apart from management training, strategies were being put in place to enable the LEAP beneficiaries to form co-operatives with strong financial base to help manage their resources profitably.

    Source: GNA

  • Trump’s interview debacle sends a warning for the fall campaign

    Donald Trump‘s weak and flailing interview with Jonathan Swan of Axios fired a warning flare about the President’s hopes for reelection, if his campaign and White House staff programmed to fulfill his yearning for praise are prepared to recognize it.

    Trump came across as ill-prepared, narcissistic and far from in control of the coronavirus pandemic. It was a far cry from the image of courageous leadership and energetic, unstinting commitment on behalf of Americans that his aides spend every day trying to sketch.

    It is hard to remember an interview in which a sitting President was more unsparingly exposed or seemed so unequal to the magnitude of a crisis that is threatening the American people and is nowhere near ending.

    “We’re lower than the world,” Trump said in an incomprehensible response when pressed on why the US has a death toll that averaged 1,000 a day in recent weeks and is expected to go ever higher. When he made the unfounded claim that there are “those” who say there can be too much coronavirus testing, Trump bizarrely claimed “books” and “manuals” said so.

    The interview was unrecognizable from the friendly, unchallenged conversations he enjoys with Fox News opinion hosts and other conservative media figures, who play into the President’s craving for adulation that is also often provided by subordinates like Vice President Mike Pence.

    Debates loom

    There is a long tradition of presidents, complacent and unprepared, walking into a debate clash with a challenger. Presidents are not used to people getting in their cage. They’ve spent four years flying around the world in Air Force One and seeing people stand when they walk into a room.
    In 2012, President Barack Obama was roughed up by his challenger Mitt Romney after infuriating his campaign staff with his unfocused manner at his debate camp.

    In 1992, President George H.W. Bush never seemed the equal of the younger Bill Clinton. In their second encounter, with an infamous glance at his watch, he played into played into his challenger’s claims that he was oblivious to the suffering of ordinary Americans amid a recession.

    In 1984, President Ronald Reagan struggled through his first debate with Democratic nominee Walter Mondale, playing into Democratic claims that he was too old and tired to win a second term. Only a stellar performance in a second debate, that contained one of the greatest presidential zingers of all time (“I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,”) rescued Reagan.

    Two of those three presidents roused themselves and went on to win reelection weeks later. But they got the kind of wake-up call that Trump received in his Axios interview. The question now is whether a President who prizes gut calls and abhors preparation and details will hear a similar message.

    Trump is so unpredictable and adept at bending the medium of television to his will that he could well put on a strong performance at the debates that convinces wavering supporters to return to his fold. Or he could so disorientate Biden — who has spent months out of the spotlight during the pandemic — that the Trump campaign’s claims about his capacity find some traction. The President might be able to draw Biden into the kind of catastrophic error or flustered responses that harm his campaign and make him seem unfit for the presidency.

    Trump’s aides often talk about how good he is at counterpunching.
    But a presidency-saving performance will require focus, practice, a willingness to examine his own liabilities and the kind of empathy for Americans stuck in a seemingly endless national nightmare that Trump demonstrably failed to show in his Axios interview.

    Trump’s campaign sees his debate strength as decisive

    Trump’s struggles were ironic, considering that his campaign has spent the week whipping up a false narrative that Biden is trying to dodge Trump, as they try to goad the challenger into more than the three encounters run by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Behind in the polls, and robbed of the rallies that enable him to dictate the political battlefield, Trump may need a knockout against Biden to save his presidency when Americans cast their votes in November.

    The debates this year figure to be especially crucial since the pandemic and consequential social distancing have eviscerated the normal campaign calendar. The conventions, from which sitting presidents could expect to get a polling “bounce,” will be more muted online affairs.
    So if the President is still trailing in the polls at the end of September, the first debate will represent a rare chance to line up Biden on live television for a devastating attack.

    The apparent theory of the Trump campaign is that Biden is so confused, waffling and deprived of his faculties at the age of 77 that he will be overwhelmed and be exposed as unfit for the Oval Office.

    It’s true that Biden, on the crowded Democratic primary debate stage, didn’t come across as the cocky wisecracking debate champion that he was at times in the 2008 campaign and again in 2012 when he helped steady Obama’s campaign.

    Yet the gravity of the times, and the emotional turmoil that Biden has endured since then with the death of his beloved son Beau, have clearly shaped his character — and may actually suit a time of national tragedy when voters might be looking for consolation.

    “There’s an active push to get Joe Biden to not debate my father because, honestly, no one can look at Joe Biden and say this guy’s all there, right,” Trump’s son Don Jr. told Iowa radio host Jeff Angelo.

    Trump Jr.’s claims that Biden is trying to dodge the debates and that he’s being helped by the media is false. But it reflects an attempt by the Trump campaign to goad their opponent into more direct clashes with the President. In the 2016 campaign, Trump torched his debate rivals by bullying them, breaking all the rules and launching searing personal attacks, putting his foes off balance and thwarting the efforts of moderators to rein him in. His style hinted at the rule-breaking and insurgent campaign he would run as the Republican nominee and his presidency. It’s no surprise that Trump’s campaign believes it can pull a similar number on Biden.

    Most commentators awarded the 2016 presidential debates to Trump’s challenger Hillary Clinton on substance. But Trump put in the kind of unchained performance that his anti-elite supporters loved. It’s unclear whether a similar attitude, when he bears responsibility for the government’s poor response to COVID-19, would be effective.

    Visit CNN’s Election Center for full coverage of the 2020 race
    Already, Trump’s performance in recent weeks and the facts of the pandemic — which is spreading ever wider in the country, while America’s foreign friends did a better job of getting it under control — have gutted his campaign narrative of a “transition to greatness.”

    And there is a growing sense that Trump’s talent at manufacturing alternative realities — that helped him ride out the Russia scandal and impeachment — is falling short during the pandemic, given the grim situation in the country.

    His encounter with Swan was not the first time in recent weeks in which Trump has almost seemed to be mocked by an interviewer — an invidious position for a President whose power relies on the elevated symbolism of his office.

    “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace appeared to ridicule the President’s claims of acing a cognitive test when he told the President the questions were hardly tough and included identifying an elephant.

    And Trump’s son’s mockery of the challenger could also backfire, so lowering expectations for Biden that a merely competent performance could by itself neuter the claim that he is far less fit for office, than the stumbling President on display in recent weeks.

    Source: cnn.com

  • Virgin Atlantic files for bankruptcy in the US to secure its rescue deal

    Virgin Atlantic has filed for bankruptcy in the United States as it races to finalize a $1.5 billion plan to rescue it from the aviation industry’s worst crisis.

    The company, which is based in the United Kingdom, filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York on Tuesday, which shelters the US assets of foreign companies undergoing restructuring proceedings in their home country.

    The US filing followed a UK court hearing earlier the same day, where Virgin Atlantic obtained approval to call a meeting of creditors on August 25 to vote on the restructuring plan.

    “The process we have asked to be recognized [in the United States] is a solvent restructuring of an English company… under the English Companies Act,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.

    Virgin Atlantic last month unveiled a £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) restructuring deal to keep the airline solvent just days before it resumed passenger flights. The plan has the support of shareholders, including Delta Air Lines (DAL), and existing creditors.

    US hedge fund Davidson Kempner is providing £150 million ($188 million) in secured financing as part of the recapitalization plan, which Virgin Atlantic said will come into effect next month. Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is contributing £200 million ($262 million).

    “We remain confident in the plan,” the Virgin Atlantic spokesperson added.
    Virgin Atlantic has already laid off 3,550 staff and closed its base at London’s Gatwick airport, as aviation suffers its worst downturn ever because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Sister company Virgin Australia on Wednesday announced a sweeping restructuring plan under new owner, Bain Capital. The airline is slashing 3,000 jobs, or about a third of its workforce, and discontinuing its low-cost carrier, Tigerair Australia.

    Global air travel isn’t expected to fully recover from the coronavirus pandemic until 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents 290 airlines. The group blamed the sluggish recovery on several factors, including a lack of consumer confidence, the decline in business travel, and fresh coronavirus spikes in the United States and elsewhere.

    Source: cnn.com

  • Gender Ministry to pay LEAP beneficiaries through Mobile money

    The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) is considering paying the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries through mobile money to ease the stress of receiving their cash.

    Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the sector Minister made this known when she supervised payment to 120 LEAP beneficiaries at Nyakrom in the Agona West District of the Central Region.

    The beneficiaries who were given between GH¢64.00 to GH¢140.00 per month, received two months payment for June and July as a social intervention measure to reduce poverty in the country.

    The Minister said the rationale behind the decision to pay them through Mobile money was due to difficulties beneficiaries went through accessing their monies from the banks.

    Mrs Morrison said next payment would be done through mobile money and while the Ministry was against paying the monies into mobile accounts that were not for the beneficiaries, it was also not possible for the Ministry to provide every beneficiary with a mobile phone.

    She assured that steps were being taken for the Ministry to reach out to all beneficiaries.

    The Minister stated that her Ministry was pursuing aggressive policies and programmes to ensure that beneficiaries of LEAP continued to enjoy a better life for it to reach out to other less privileged people in the Society.

    It was also considering giving vocational and technical training skills to LEAP beneficiaries for them to establish their own businesses to enable them become self-reliant.

    According to the Minister, discussions have gone far with development partners to look for startup capitals for the beneficiaries to embark on income generating ventures.

    The purpose, she noted, was to assist beneficiaries to improve on their living standards to pave the way for others to also enjoy the programme.

    Mrs Morrison said the Ministry would also start giving training on financial management and others by the newly established “Business Resources Center” (BRC) at Agona Swedru for sound management of funds.

    She said apart from management training, strategies were being put in place to enable the LEAP beneficiaries to form cooperatives with a strong financial base to help manage their resources profitably.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Government seeks $166 million loan to buy armoured vehicles

    The government of Ghana is seeking a loan of over $166 million for the purchase of armoured cars.

    Government wants approval from Parliament after three separate agreements were laid before the House on Monday.

    The agreements were referred to a joint committee on Finance, Defence and Interior.

    An Oder Paper from Parliament shows the first facility is between the Ministry of Finance and Israel Discount Bank Limited for an amount of $166,120,000 to finance the supply of Armoured cars.

    Government is also seeking Parliamentary approval for a Commercial Loan Agreement from the same Israel Discount Bank for an amount of $12million for supply of Armoured vehicles.

    The third facility is a contract Agreement between Government of Ghana and Elbit Systems Land Limited of Israel.

    This, however, entails a deal for an amount of $80 million for supply of Armoured Vehicles to the Government of Ghana.

    Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul took charge of laying all three facilities before Parliament.

    Gov't seeks $166 million loan for the purchase of armoured vehicles

    Source: pulse.com.gh

  • LIVESTREAMING: Galaxy Unpacked August 2020

    Samsung today is launching it’s new Galaxy Note 20 series dubbed the ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2020’.

    The launch is taking place inside the Samsung Digital City in Suwon, South Korea.

    In addition, the South Korean smartphone manufacturer is also expected to launch some more products including Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live and Galaxy Z Fold 2.

    This time along Samsung will host the Galaxy Unpacked via a pre-recorded video, instead of a physical event due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

    Watch the video below:

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ursula Owusu deserves another term – Kyeremanteng Agyarko

    Former Energy Minister, Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko, has urged electorates in the Ablekuma West constituency to unite and vote massively for the NPP and Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekufu in the 2020 polls.

    Speaking at a community outreach organized by the Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly, Mr. Agyarko touted the achievements by the Akufo-Addo led government, thereby urging the constituents to vote massively for continuous development.

    Together with the Member of Parliament for the area, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful, Mr. Agyarko toured some registration centers to assess the progress thus far.

    Meanwhile, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful in a street outreach distributed nose masks and hand sanitizers to drivers, artisans amongst others, urging them to register before the process ends.

     

    Source: Peace FM

  • Queensland to close border to New South Wales

    Australia’s Queensland will extend its border closure to New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to halt the spread of coronavirus from south-eastern states.

    It has already shut to Victoria – the centre of Australia’s second wave – amid an outbreak in Melbourne.

    Victoria reported 725 new infections on Wednesday, yet another daily record despite being four weeks into lockdown.

    NSW saw many fewer – 12 – but all other states have consistently fared better.

    Sydney – the NSW capital and Australia’s largest city – has been averaging about 80 infections per week, prompting concerns that community transmission could grow.

    It has so far avoided returning to a second lockdown, but recently advised people to begin wearing masks.

    What happened to Australia’s early success?

    With about 19,500 cases in total and 232 deaths, Australia has still fared better than many countries due to effective suppression measures early in the pandemic.

    But since June – when most Australians emerged from a first lockdown – the outbreak in Melbourne has spiralled.

    How did the virus re-emerge in Australia?
    Why did Melbourne’s lockdown fail to prevent more cases?

    Infections in Melbourne over the past month make up more than half of Australia’s total cases since the pandemic began.

    It is suspected to have begun with breaches in hotel quarantine of infected travelers returning from overseas.

    Why is Queensland worried about NSW and ACT?

    Queensland has fewer than a dozen active cases.

    These include several travelers from interstate who were found to have deceived authorities to avoid a 14-day quarantine – breaches which have caused anger.

    Noting consistent cases in Sydney, the Queensland government last week closed its borders to residents of the city.

    People in Sydney queuing for a virus test

    On Wednesday, it said the ban would widen to all of NSW as well as the ACT, a small territory which includes the nation’s capital, Canberra. The order takes effect from Saturday.

    “We’ve seen that Victoria is not getting better and we’re not going to wait for New South Wales to get worse,” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

    Police ‘attacked and baited’ over Melbourne curfew
    Except for a few recent cases, the ACT has been virus-free for the past few months.

    But Ms Palaszczuk said the ban applied to the ACT too because some travellers to Queensland had been circumventing the Sydney ban by flying from Canberra.

    How bad is it in Melbourne?

    On Sunday Victorian authorities declared a “state of disaster” and enacted a night-time curfew in Melbourne.

    The new, tougher lockdown came after earlier measures failed to reduce cases. Victoria has now seen more than 30 days of infections in triple figures.

    It recorded its deadliest day yet on Wednesday – with 15 people losing their lives.

    What is the ‘sovereign citizen’ movement?
    Officials stressed that the record 725 infections mostly reflected those who contracted the virus about a week ago – prior to the stricter lockdown.

    “[The numbers] do jump around from day to day, but the notion of more than 700 cases is not sustainable,” said Premier Daniel Andrews. “We need to drive the numbers down.”

    What about elsewhere?

    Outside of Victoria and New South Wales, new infections remain very low.

    Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory all shut their borders to the southern states last month to prevent cases coming in. Tasmania, an island state, has gone 14 days without a new case.

    Source: bbc.com

  • It’s time to leave Czech Republic for another environment – Benjamin Tetteh

    Ghanaian forward Benjamin Tetteh has said it’s time to leave Sparta Prague this summer as he seeks to change environment from Czech Republic to another country.

    The former Ghana U20 star has two years remaining on his Sparta contract but believes the time to leave the club is now.

    Tetteh has been playing in Czech Republic since 2016 having had spells 1 FC Slovacko on loan and FC Bohemians Prag 1905 before joining Sparta in 2018.

    “I have been here (in the Czech Republic) for four years and would like to change environment. Now is the time to go.” he told www.90min.com

    The 23-year-old made 33 appearances for Sparta in the Czech top-flight this season where he netted 7 goals and assisted other four.

    Tetteh has been linked with a move to the French Ligue 1 with Stade Reims interested in landing the lanky attacker.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Bashir Hayford accuses Ghana FA of disrespect

    Veteran Ghanaian coach, Bashir Hayford has accused the Ghana Football Association of disrespect after he was overlooked for the technical director job.

    The country’s football governing body is on the verge of naming a new technical director following the exit of Francis Oti Akenteng in March this year.

    According to the former Asante Kotoko and Ashgold head trainer, he is disappointed in the Kurt Okraku’s led administration after the leadership failed to invite to interview for the job after submitting his particulars.

    “Oti Akenteng called me to inform me that he will be leaving as the technical director for the FA so I should apply for the job, I did that and the FA failed to invite for an interview after they received my particulars,” Coach Bashir told Asempa FM.

    “I am disappointed because I have the experience and the qualities to be the technical director of the Ghana Football Association.

    “I have coached in the Ghana Premier League for several years. I recently left my role as the head coach of the Somalian national team and I led the Black Queens when Ghana hosted the Women’s Afcon. The FA have disrespected me because I was expecting them to inform that I have been disqualified but they did not tell me anything.

    “I am more than qualified for this job but they have decided to look elsewhere,” he added.

    The FA have shortlist six candidates for the job, three local coaches and three expatriates. However, the job will be given to an expatriate.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • Four remanded Zebilla SHTS students denied access to write WASSCE

    Four final year students of Zebilla Senior High Technical School in the Upper East Region who have been remanded into Police Custody by a Bawku Circuit Court have been denied access to write the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination(WASSCE).

    The students in the early hours of Monday, August 3, appealed to the Zebila Police Commander to allow them to join their colleagues to write the exams, but their request was declined.

    According to the Police, the suspect students return to custody could not be guaranteed, and sending them to the examination hall under armed guard could create an intimidating atmosphere for the other candidates.

    In an interview with TV3 monitored by Kasapafonline.com, the Headmaster of the School, Richard Ayabilah regretted the development but stressed that the due process must be followed.

    The students together with three others were accused of rioting, causing unlawful damage and disturbing of Public peace.

    Background

    Some students of the Zebilla Senior High Technical School( Zebilla Sectech) vandalized school property as well as the property of the headmaster over the seizure of their mobile phones by school authorities.

    The students, all third-years, went on the rampage on Saturday 25 July at about 9:30 pm, destroying school vehicles and other school property in protest against the seizure of their phones and punishment being meted out to them for possessing the phones and charging them through illegal electrical connections

    The enraged students sent teachers and other workers fleeing for their lives as they pelted stones and wielded sticks and clubs which were meant for whipping the teachers.

     

    Source: Kasapa FM

  • Palmer rubbishes ‘fabricated’ CAS Executive Summary ruling claims

    Wilfred Kweku Osei ‘Palmer’ has moved quickly to quash reports claiming his outfit has received an Executive summary verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the much-anticipated case involving himself and the Ghana Football Association.

    Techiman Eleven Wonders chief executive Albert Commey and his predecessor Takyi Arhin – who are close confidante of FA boss Kurt Okraku made a shocking claim on Tuesday that both parties to the case have received an executive summary verdict from the global tribunal.

    However, it appears both men have been caught in a gargantuan imagination after it emerged the claims are a complete hoax.

    And the appellant – Wilfred Kweku Osei “Palmer” has issued a statement on Wednesday to clarify the distortion and misinformation.

    “Contrary to reports suggesting our lawyers have received the much anticipated ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), we wish to establish the fact that our lawyers are yet to receive the ruling from CAS,” Palmer said in a statement on Wednesday

    “CAS has not given any reason for the delay, but we are hopeful that in due course the ruling will be sent to all parties concerned.”

    Palmer is seeking to overturn last years Ghana FA Presidential election after being disqualified.

    The global tribunal body confirmed Tuesday August 4 as the date to announce the verdict to bring to an end a 10-month litigation which has far reaching implication for the administration of football in the West African nation.

    While several watchers had been keen on the much-awaited verdict, CAS swerved Ghanaians by refusing to release the final judgment on Tuesday after initial postponement from July 17.

    These are frenetic times for the followers of both disqualified Osei and current FA boss Kurt Okraku.

    Palmer dragged the FA to the apex of world sports court after he was disqualified from contesting the 2019 Presidential election by the Normalisation Committee.

    There are two things likely to happen – CAS to throw out the case and allow the status quo to remain or order for a re-run of the election if it was deemed the plaintiff was unfairly disqualified from the race.

    CAS will announce the decision whether to uphold Palmer’s quest to annul the election and order for fresh polls to decide on a new President for the GFA or allow the status quo to remain.

    The situation has put the presidency of Kurt Okraku on the line with wide-reaching implications if Palmer becomes successful.

    The ruling from CAS will put to rest months of intense anxiety involving all the principal actors.

    An initial ruling on July 17, 2020 was postponed to Tuesday August 4, 2020.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • India PM Modi lays foundation for Ayodhya Ram temple amid coronavirus surge

    Indian PM Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya.

    Hindu mobs demolished a medieval mosque there in 1992, saying it was built on the ruins of a temple for Lord Ram, a revered deity.

    Hindus and Muslims claimed ownership over the site for decades. Last year, the top court gave the site to Hindus, ending a decades-long legal battle.

    The inauguration comes amid a massive surge in coronavirus cases in India.

    The dispute, which goes back more than a century, has been one of India’s thorniest court cases. The Supreme Court gave Muslims another plot of land in the city to construct a mosque.

    The construction of the temple is a core promise made by Mr Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and is seen as a huge symbolic gesture for its strident Hindu nationalist base.

    A local told the BBC he is “ecstatic” that Lord Ram would finally have “a proper home”.

    Officials have said they will follow COVID-19 protocols, but BBC Hindi’s Sarvapriya Sangwan, who is at the venue, reports that crowds gathered on the road leading up to it and beyond the barricades.

    People have also climbed onto rooftops to get a glimpse of the venue, and some are chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ (Hail Lord Ram). Most are not wearing masks or following social distancing, our reporter says.

    But the area surrounding the event has been cordoned off, and is restricted to invitees – some 310 people, including 135 religious figures – and security personnel only.

    UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior BJP leaders are attending the event.

    The inauguration is somewhat muted affair amid the pandemic. India has been reporting record daily totals – it has recorded more than 1.9 million cases and nearly 40,000 deaths from the virus.

    Uttar Pradesh, the state where Ayodhya is located, has confirmed more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases so far.

    What has been planned?

    Mr Modi is to lay a symbolic silver brick in the sanctum sanctorum, or innermost sanctuary, of the site as scores of devotees watch the event on giant screens across the city.

    Hymns about Lord Ram are being played, and the roads are decked with flowers. Many shop fronts too have been painted yellow and saffron flags have been put up everywhere – both colours that Hindus consider auspicious.

    Local police and teams of specialised personnel are patrolling on high alert. Officers in riot gear are also in place in case of any violence.

    Indian TV channels will offer wall-to-wall coverage to the event.

    Media reports say that devotees from across the country have been sending silver and gold – in the form of coins, bricks and bars – to use in the construction of the temple. Police officers are said to have been ordered to guard these precious metals.

    As many as 200,000 bricks inscribed with “Shri Ram” (Lord Ram) that have been collected from devotees over the years will be used to build the foundation of the temple, according to the Times of India.

    Chandrakant Sompura, the chief architect of the proposed temple, told news website The Print that the structure would be designed in the “Nagara” style of temple architecture – a popular north Indian temple building style.

    The inner sanctum of the temple – where the idol of the primary deity is housed – will be octagonal. The temple will include a large structure of three floors with 366 pillars and five domes.

    Mr Sompura said that a memorial wall in honour of those who were involved with the temple movement would be erected.

    What was the Ayodhya issue about?

    At the centre of the row was a 16th-Century mosque that was demolished by Hindu mobs in 1992, sparking riots that killed nearly 2,000 people.

    Many Hindus believe that the Babri Masjid was actually constructed on the ruins of a Hindu temple that was demolished by Muslim invaders.

    Muslims say they offered prayers at the mosque until December 1949 when some Hindus placed an idol of Ram in the mosque and began to worship the idols.

    Over decades the two religious groups went to court many times over who should control the site.

    What was the final ruling?

    In its unanimous verdict, the Supreme Court said that a report by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) provided evidence that the remains of a building “that was not Islamic” was beneath the structure of the demolished Babri mosque.

    The court said that, given all the evidence presented, it had determined that the disputed land should be given to Hindus for a temple to Lord Ram, while Muslims would be given land elsewhere to construct a mosque.

    It then directed the federal government to set up a trust to manage and oversee the construction of the temple.

    However, the court added that the demolition of the Babri mosque was against the rule of law.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Macron announces coronavirus bonus for France’s homecare workers

    France’s 320,000 homecare workers will be granted COVID-19 bonuses under a €160 million package unveiled by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

    “These men and women were the forgotten ones of the Covid bonus”, Macron said in the southern city of Toulon on Tuesday, referring to bonuses previously awarded to healthcare workers on the front line of the pandemic.

    Speaking before an audience of homecare workers, the president said the sum would allow those professionals “to have the €1,000 bonus that the others received”.

    Macron said the French state would put up €80 million and local governments the other half of the package.

    The announcement comes two months after the government issued decrees enacting exceptional bonuses of €1,000 to €1,500 for hospital staff and nursing home workers.

    Last month, unions signed up to a deal giving over €8 billion in pay rises for health workers, with the government admitting the move was overdue in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The bulk of the package comprises €7.5 billion in pay increases for nurses and careworkers, who will get an average monthly raise of €183.

    There is also €450 million for doctors, intended to bolster wages for those working solely in the public sector. The move is aimed at luring doctors from more lucrative private clinics.

    But some unions, including the hardline CGT, refrained from signing the accords, an indication that tensions over the issue may not yet be resolved.

    Source: france24.com

  • Colombia ex-president says he’ll be arrested over witness tampering

    Former president Alvaro Uribe said Tuesday that Colombia’s Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant against him for witness tampering. “Being deprived of my freedom is very sad for me, my wife, my family and for the Colombians who still think I did something good for the homeland,” Uribe wrote on Twitter.

    The court itself has not published its decision but local media say Uribe, now a senator, is to be held under house arrest.

    The 68-year-old, who is the political mentor of current leader Ivan Duque and the head of the ruling Democratic Center party, was president from 2002-10 and remains one of Colombia’s most influential politicians.

    On Tuesday the court held a hearing into his case, in which Uribe is accused of using his position as a senator to tamper with a witness.

    He faces bribery and procedural fraud charges and could serve up to eight years in prison if convicted.

    The right-wing politician was questioned by judges last October — the first time a former president had appeared before Colombia’s highest court.

    In 2012, Uribe filed a complaint against leftist senator Ivan Cepeda, who Uribe says hatched a plot to falsely link him to paramilitary groups.

    But in 2018, the court instead opened a witness tampering investigation against Uribe.

    His efforts as president to stand up to Marxist guerrillas made Uribe a hero to some but saw him heavily criticized by others.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Private water suppliers kick against government free water directive

    The Association of Small Towns Water Supply Systems-Ghana, has said it would not heed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s directive to supply free water to the general public, as part of government’s arrangement to ease the suffering of citizens, amidst the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic.

    According to the Association, it is unable to oblige with the President’s request delivered by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during last month’s mid-year budget review, because the government has failed to pay huge debts owed members of the Association.

    The association said they have desperately requested a meeting with the Water and Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, but she has refused to meet with them.

    “The Association wishes to state categorically that until the government pays the bills submitted fully for the first three months ending June 2020, WSMTs [Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMTs)] will not be able to continue with the free water to consumers”.

    This means that people who depend on members of the Association for potable water, will have to purchase their water.

    In a strongly worded statement signed by its President and Secretary, sighted by The Herald, it disclosed that the government has failed to pay its debt owed them after they supplied the first free water package between April to June.

    It argued, it will be impossible for these companies to continue to offer their service to Ghanaians especially when their systems are on electricity prepaid metering.

    They queried how they were going to continue to fund their operations when the government which they are working for, is playing adamant.

    “Asking the water systems to continue the free water for three more months’ whilst most of the water systems are on electricity prepaid metering, how can they produce water without money. In addition, the water systems pay staff salaries, vendors’ commissions and maintain the water systems from proceeds of water sales which maybe the government is not aware of”, the statement said.

    Members decried the government’s quest to give freebies to Ghanaians without consulting them.

    “The WSMTs were NOT consulted, yet it directed and instructed all Small Water Systems to comply with the directive by the president. The leadership of the Association sought audience with the sector Minister but was denied without reason”, it said.

    The Association maintains it will honour the President directive only, when the government settles the three months water, its members supplied to Ghanaians.

    The notice from the private water providers comes barely two week after the Finance Minister announced the second phase of the government’s free water and electricity supply to Ghanaians.

    Until recently, the government from 2000, was responsible for the payment of water bills of all state institutions; however, from 2007, all the way to 2012, successive governments failed to pay the outstanding institutional water bills submitted by the Small Towns Water Systems to date, after several requests and appeals.

    It is as a result of this, that the Association is serving notice it will no longer offer its services to the government with regards to the free water directive, until it pays its debt to the Association’s members.

     

    Source: The Herald

  • Goalkeeper Richard Attah aims at winning Ghana Premier League with Hearts of Oak

    Accra Hearts of Oak goalkeeper, Richard Attah has set his sights on winning the Ghana Premier League trophy with the Rainbow club.

    Attah said it’s been a long time since the Phobians last lifted the Ghanaian championship and is ready to help the club to end the league droughtiness.

    Accra Hearts of Oak have not been able to clinch the Ghana Premier League title since they last won it in 2009.

    “It is my dream to win the league with Hearts of Oak and go to Africa with the club,” he told MoTV.

    “These are two of my biggest dreams I want to achieve with Accra Hearts of Oak.”

    “We go one step at a time and my immediate target is the league.”

    “It has been long Hearts won the league as we all know and I will love to win the league first.”

    The 25-year-old shot stopper joined the Phobians in December 2019 after his contract with Elmina Sharks FC had expired.

    Attah made 12 appearances with 6 clean sheets and conceded 8 goals in the 2019/2020 Ghana Premier League campaign.

    His exploits earned a call-up to the Black Stars for the very first time for a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifications.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Ex-Fulham star John Paintsil delighted over the club’s English Premier League promotion

    Former Black Stars and Fulham defender, John Painstil has expressed his excitement over the club’s return to the English Premier League for the 2020/2021 campaign.

    Fulham saw off Brentford FC in the Championship play-off final with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday evening at the Wembley stadium.

    The Cottagers are back in the English top-flight after just one season in the Championship.

    They suffered relegation from the Premiership at end of the 2018/2019 season.

    Paintsil took to his Instagram and Twitter pages to congratulate the team, the management and manager Scott Parker for securing promotion to the English elite division.

    “Good Job Weldon….We are Back to stay”

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • All the photos you need to see from unveiling of first VW-assembled vehicles in Ghana

    President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has unveiled the first VW vehicles assembled by the newly-established VW Assembly Plant in Ghana.

    The plant, which assembles VW models such as Tiguan, Teramont, Amarok, Caddy, Polo and Passat, had their range of cars unveiled on Monday, 3rd August 2020.

    It is envisaged that the VW assembly plant will create a lot of highly skilled jobs, reduce the high amounts of foreign exchange used in the importation of second-hand vehicles into Ghana.

    The activities of the plant is also expected to help strengthen the Ghanaian currency as well as earn the nation, foreign exchange through the exportation of made-in-Ghana vehicles.

    With the Chinese company, Sinotruk, already engaged in the assembling of trucks in Ghana, the President is hopeful that other global automobile companies, which have indicated their preparedness to set-up shop in Ghana, will soon follow the remarkable, pioneering example of Volkswagen.

    Check out the photos below:

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