TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Afriyie Acquah, Aziz Tetteh on summer holiday in Germany with wives

    Ghanaian duo Afriyie Acquah and Abdul Aziz Tetteh have gone on summer vacation with their wives.

    The close pals chose neighbouring Germany for the short holidays.

    Tetteh, 30, who plays for Gaziantep FK, suffered a knee injury during a league match in November 2019 which ended his season.

    He had to undergo successful surgery in Poland and has since not returned to competitive soccer.

    Tetteh had made just six appearances before the incident.

    On the other hand, Afriyie Acquah was one of the most impressive midfielders in the Turkish Super Lig with Yeni Malatyaspor.

    He scored one goal in 27 league appearances as his side got demoted.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Ethiopia-based players released after 14 days quarantine

    The over 15 players who recently returned from Ethiopia and were quarantined at the Ghanaman Soccer School of Excellence Isolation Centre at Prampram have been released by the Ghana Health Service.

    The players were airlifted from Addis Ababa two weeks ago after sending an SOS message to the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

    Leader of the team, Lee Addy expressed their profound gratitude to the government of Ghana for facilitating their return.

    “On behalf of the players, I would like to thank the Government of Ghana, the GFA, the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) and everybody who contributed for us to be brought back home,” the 2010 FIFA World Cup defender told the GFA Communications team

    “We say a big thank you to the GFA, especially Mr. Alex Asante, the Deputy General Secretary; they have done very, very well.

    “I will like to use this opportunity to thank the media, the people who spread the message for the government to come to our aid.

    “We thank the Ghanaian public and the Doctors who took care of us upon our return. May God bless us all,” he added.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Parts of Kumasi Central Market gutted by fire

    More than 50 traders have been affected by a fire that swept through some container shops and other structures at the French line section of the Kumasi Central Market.

    The fire, which started at about 10 pm on Friday, July 31, 2020, destroyed properties running into thousands of cedis.

    Machines used for grinding pepper, tomatoes, and other ingredients suffered damage.

    Traders who sell ingredients and other spices had their items burned.

    Affected traders were seen trying to salvage what was left of their belongings from the debris.

    A food vendor who was affected by the fire called for support from Government and other state agencies.

    “We woke up this morning and we had a call that our area is burning so we rushed here. Everything we use in our cooking business has been burned. Everything has gone down. So we are asking if the government can come to our aid or NADMO.”

    “We are pleading with them so they should come to our aid and help us. This is the first time something like this is happening to us and we can only plead with the government and other state agencies to come to our aid and help us,” he said to Citi News.

    The market has seen fire incidents in the past with the most recent being in October 2019 at the same French Line section.

    That instance also saw over 50 shops affected.

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • German army elite company dismantled due to extremism concerns

    A company belonging to the German army’s elite Special Commando Forces (KSK) has been dismantled following allegations of right-wing extremism, a Defence Ministry spokesperson told dpa on Thursday.

    The second company of the Bunsdeswehr’s KSK was dismantled following an appeal at the KSK barracks located in Calw in Baden-Wuerttemberg, with some soldiers transferred to other KSK companies, the spokesperson said.

    Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had announced the step four weeks earlier as part of wider measures to halt right-wing extremism within the KSK forces, which are trained for special operations such as freeing hostages, after several incidents had caused a scandal.

    Out of the four KSK companies, the second had come under fire for organizing a party in April 2017 during which soldiers threw around a pig’s heads while listening to extreme-right rock music and making the Hitler salute, which is banned in Germany.

    In May 2020, police found explosives and ammunition stashed on the property of a soldier of the second company.

    Following the incidents, Kramp-Karrenbauer elaborated a wider plan comprising 60 measures to tackle right-wing extremism within the KSK, which has around 300 soldiers and several hundred additional staff, though official figures are not known.

    The remaining KSK soldiers have been given until October 31 to prove themselves. If allegations resurface, Kramp-Karrenbauer has threatened a complete dissolution of the KSK.

    Source: GNA

  • South Korean general sacked over defector’s return

    A South Korean marine major-general was relieved of his command Friday after the military failed to prevent a man’s illegal defection back to the North, officials said. The man’s departure only came to light when Pyongyang — which insists it has not had any coronavirus cases — announced at the weekend that a “runaway” who had returned across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone was suspected of having the disease.

    Defections from the South to the North are extremely rare, and doubly so across the DMZ, which divides the peninsula and is one of the world’s most secure borders.

    But the South Korean military later confirmed a 24-year-old man surnamed Kim had gone North by crawling through a drainage channel on Ganghwa island, northwest of Seoul, and then swimming across the Han river.

    On Friday, the joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said that Kim was detected on his journey seven times by surveillance cameras or thermal observation devices, but the military did not intervene.

    A guard at a post about 200 metres from the water conduit spotted “lights” when Kim arrived in a taxi at 2:18 am, but took no action, they added.

    Marine corps general Baek Kyung-soon had been removed from his position for the security failure, Seoul’s defence ministry official told AFP.

    The JCS said it took Kim about 12 minutes to crawl through the drain, and around an hour to swim across the Han to his destination.

    Kim originally defected to the South in 2017, also by swimming across the river. He was being investigated on rape allegations in the South before his return.

    Rights groups say defectors face severe punishment if they return to the North.

    The South’s health authorities said his name did not appear in the database of confirmed coronavirus cases, nor lists of their contacts.

    But analysts say the North is seizing on his arrival to point the finger at Seoul over the coronavirus, after months of denying it had any cases.

    Inter-Korean relations have been in a deep freeze following the collapse of a summit in Hanoi between Kim and US President Donald Trump early last year over what the nuclear-armed North would be willing to give up in exchange for a loosening of sanctions.

    Friday’s announcement comes days after the South’s defence minister Jeong Kyeong-doo apologised over Kim’s departure, saying: “I have no excuse even if I’m told off a hundred times over this.”

    Source: eurasiantimes.com

  • Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong says ‘resistance will continue’

    Hong Kong‘s democracy camp will continue to fight Beijing’s crackdown on political freedoms, prominent dissident Joshua Wong said Friday after he and other activists were barred from standing for election.
    “Our resistance will continue on and we hope the world can stand with us in the upcoming uphill battle,” he told reporters.

    Dressed in a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words “They can’t kill us all”, 23-year-old Wong slammed authorities for disqualifying some of the city’s best-known democracy activists from standing in September’s legislative elections.

    “Beyond any doubt (this) is the most scandalous election fraud era in Hong Kong history,” he said.

    The disqualifications were the latest blow against the semi-autonomous city’s democracy movement, which has been under sustained attack from China’s Communist Party rulers.

    China imposed a national security law last month on Hong Kong outlawing subversion, which it warned was a “sword” hanging over the head of democracy protesters.

    On Thursday, 12 democracy activists were told they would not be allowed to stand for the partially elected legislature because of their previously stated political views.

    The democracy campaigners had been hoping to win a first-ever majority in the 70-seat legislature, which is deliberately weighted to return a pro-Beijing chamber.

    In a statement announcing its decision, Hong Kong’s government listed political views that required disqualification.

    They included criticising Beijing’s new security law, campaigning to win a legislation-blocking majority and refusing to recognise China’s sovereignty.

    But there are doubts over whether the election will even go ahead.

    Multiple local media outlets have reported this week that Hong Kong’s government will postpone the vote because of a recent surge in coronavirus cases. But there has been no confirmation yet from authorities.

    Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous city guaranteed certain freedoms and autonomy under a “One Country, Two Systems” deal agreed ahead of the 1997 handover from Britain.

    But Beijing’s new national security law has dramatically upended that unique status, the latest in a slew of measures that have eviscerated political freedoms in recent years.

    On Wednesday, four students — aged between 16 and 21 — were arrested for social media posts deemed to breach the new security law, the first to be made by a new dedicated police unit.

    The four were all former members of Student Localism, a pro-independence group that announced it was disbanding its Hong Kong branch the day before the security law was enacted.

    Police said they were arrested on suspicion of organising and inciting secession through comments made on social media posts after the law came in.

    Source: AFP

  • Man in trouble for attempting to disarm policewoman

    A 30-old-man who allegedly attempted disarming a policewoman of her gun has been arrested by the police in Accra.

    Seyram Tony Adonu is in the custody of the police assisting in investigations, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, Accra Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO), disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times in Accra.

    She said on July 29, 2020, at about 2 p.m., the police received reports that Adonu approached a policewoman (name withheld) around the Accra Post Office area and for no reason attempted to snatch from her the police AK 47 rifle in her possession.

    DSP Tenge said the policewoman overpowered the suspect with the help of city guards from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, adding that suspect was arrested and handed over to the police.

    She said the suspect told the police that, he did not know what came over him, but something pushed him to disarm the policewoman.

    The police PRO said he would be arraigned soon.

     

    Source: Ghanaian Times

  • Coronavirus: Home visits banned in parts of northern England

    Separate households have been banned from meeting each other indoors in Greater Manchester and parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire following a spike in coronavirus cases.

    The health secretary said the increase in transmission was “largely due” to people not observing social distancing.

    Labour criticised the government for a lack of clarity over the measures and for announcing them “late at night”.

    More details were published two hours after the initial announcement.

    The new local lockdown rules come nearly four weeks after restrictions were eased across England, allowing people to meet indoors for the first time since late March.

    More than four million residents of Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees will be affected by the tightening of restrictions.

    The measures, which came into force at midnight, mean different households will not be allowed to meet in homes or private gardens. Individual households will still be able to go to pubs and restaurants but not mix with another household.

    Matt Hancock, the health secretary, also said the same restrictions would apply in Leicester, where a local lockdown has been in place for the last month.

    However, pubs, restaurants and other facilities will be allowed to reopen in the city from Monday, as some of the stricter measures are lifted.

    Mr Hancock, who tweeted the announcement at 21:16 BST on Thursday, said: “The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing. So from midnight tonight, people from different households will not be allowed to meet each other indoors in these areas.

    “We take this action with a heavy heart, but we can see increasing rates of Covid across Europe and are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe.”

    The government said it would give police forces and councils powers to enforce the new rules – adding some exemptions would be put in place, including for the vulnerable.

    It acknowledged the measures would “come as a blow” to Muslim communities preparing to celebrate Eid this weekend, although places of worship remain open subject to social distancing rules.

    Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the move but criticised the way it was handled, saying announcing measures “affecting potentially millions of people late at night on Twitter is a new low for the government’s communications during this crisis”.

    He added: “When the government ended the daily press conferences, they said they would hold them for ‘significant announcements’, including local lockdowns. It’s hard to imagine what could be more significant than this.”

    The latest announcement in detail:

    -People in Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Leicester cannot mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubbles) in private homes or gardens

    -People in those areas can only go to pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues with other members of their household

    -From Monday in Leicester, restaurants, cafes, bars and hairdressers can open but leisure centres, gyms and pools will remain closed

    -Cinemas and museums will also be able to open in Leicester from Monday and religious ceremonies will be able to take place

    -The borough of Oadby and Wigston on the outskirts of Leicester is taken out of local lockdown

    -Also, gyms and leisure centres will remain closed in Blackburn, but they will be able to reopen in Luton – both towns saw the lifting of restrictions paused last week

    Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester – an area with a population of about 2.8 million – said he agreed with the decision as there had been a “marked change in the picture” with regard to the spread of Covid-19 in the area.

    “We have gone from a falling rate of cases in nearly all of our boroughs last week to a rising rate in nine out of 10 affecting communities across a much wider geography,” he said. “In Rochdale, the one borough where cases have fallen, they are still too high.”

    He said all residents “young and old alike” should “protect each other” by observing the requirements, which will be reviewed weekly.

    This means “the more we stick to them, the quicker they will be removed”, he said.

    Some local Conservative MPs questioned the government’s decision to apply the measures to the whole of Greater Manchester, which includes 10 local authority areas – Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

    William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove in Stockport, tweeted that Greater Manchester was “not one homogeneous area” and treating all 10 boroughs the same was “not the right approach”.

    His view was supported by Graham Brady, MP for Altrincham and Sale West, who added that the “latest update for Trafford says ‘infections continue to be at a low level’”.

    In Trafford, latest figures show the seven-day infection rate of Covid-19 was 38 cases per 100,000 people in the week ending 26 July. The average in England was five.

    Source: BBC

  • Andrea Pirlo returns to Juventus as Under-23 manager

    Juventus have appointed legendary former midfielder Andrea Pirlo as their new Under-23 manager.

    The 41-year-old, regarded as one of the finest players of his generation, has been out of the game since retiring as a player in 2017.

    Pirlo won 116 caps for Italy, helping them to win the World Cup in 2006.

    He won Serie A four times with Juventus after joining from AC Milan, with whom he spent most of his career and won two Champions League and two league titles.

    Pirlo left Juventus in 2015, finishing his playing career in Major League Soccer at New York City FC.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Volta fisher folks take delivery of 200 subsidised outboard motors

    Mrs Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has distributed 200 outboard motors to fisher folks in the Volta Region.

    The first batch of the about 5,000 outboard motors to be distributed across coastal communities in Ghana, formed part of the President’s Fishing Input Support Scheme for fishers.

    It aimed to provide outboard motors at affordable prices to improve productivity.

    Speaking at separate ceremonies at Adina and Keta to give out the items to the beneficiaries in the Ketu South and Keta/Anloga Municipalities respectively, Mrs Afoley Quaye said the outboard motors with a market price of about GH¢20,000.00 each, were given to beneficiaries at GH¢10,000.00 representing about a 50 percent subsidy.

    She said government through MOFAD had been providing fishers with inputs and gears such as tricycles, assorted fishing gear, wire mesh, aluminum basins and ovens to support their livelihoods.

    The Minister, also Member of Parliament for Krowor Constituency, said government had carried out infrastructural development projects across fishing communities in Ghana including Axim, Lower Dixcove and Anloga, continuing with new ones to develop the Sector.

    “Perform best practices at sea,” to justify government’s expenditure in the industry,” she said.

    Mrs Afoley Quaye hinted of collaborative fishing management, which would involve all stakeholders including traditional leaders as the wayforward to ending ‘saiko’ (illegal fish trans-shipments) and other Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices to save the country’s fisheries sector from collapse.

    Madam Ruby Adukpo, representing National Fish Processors and Traders Association (NAFPTA), Volta Region, decorated the Minister as Mama Dunenyo I of Dzelukope with ‘kente’ as a demonstration of the Association’s love for her works in the Region and the country.

    Torgbui Seth Abotsi, Volta Regional Chief fisherman, was grateful for the intervention and called on other colleague fishers not to use the opportunity to engage in unpatriotic ventures to rob the state.

    He appealed to government to expedite action to extend the sea defense wall around Agavedzi-Blekusu to reach Adina and other areas to secure the coastline from tidal waves insurgents in future.

    Mr Godwin Edudzi Effah, Municipal Chief Executive for Keta, said he was delighted with the distribution exercise and said more would come in the ensuing weeks to ensure all payees got their allocations.

    He noted that the gesture formed part of other good things the Akufo-Addo led government was bringing to the people.

    Reverend Johnson Avuletey, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, called on the people of the Region to shift camps to retain the ruling New Patriotic Party in the upcoming December polls for more people-centred policies.

    Source: GNA

  • Danish club BK Fremad Amager completes Emmanuel Bio signing in a permanent deal

    Danish club BK Fremad Amager has completed the signing of Cheetah FC attacker Emmanuel Bio on a four year contract for an undisclosed fee.

    The Ghana U17 player was signed on a 6 months loan deal by the club in January but completed a permanent move for the youngster on July 27.

    Bio expressed his joy after finally landing a permanent deal with the Copenhagen based division one club “I’m very happy to be finally signed by the club. Indeed my hardwork has paid off. I believe its a good stage and i’m going to make good use of it. I’m very grateful to the president of Cheetah FC for his immense contribution to my career” he stated.

    Emmanuel Bio together with his compatriot and Cheetah FC teammate Emmanuel Toku are seen with great potentials and will be relied on to help BK Fremad Amager enjoy a good season when football returns in Denmark.

    Source: Ghana Guardian

  • Cameroons 1990 World Cup captain Stephen Tataw dies

    Stephen Tataw, captain of Cameroon’s 1990 World Cup squad, has died at the age of 57.

    His death was confirmed on Friday, but the cause of death has not yet been made public.

    Tataw is famous for leading the Indomitable Lions to become the first African side to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup.

    They achieved the feat at the 1990 tournament in Italy. The legendary team earned wins over Argentina, Romania and Colombia.

    Four years later in the United States, it was not such a fairy tale as they were knocked out in the first round, including a 6-1 thrashing by Russia.

    Tataw’s club career saw him play for Cameroonian sides Tonnerre Yaounde and Olympic Mvolye.

    He ended his playing time in Japan with Tosu Futures.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • We will take a decision that suits both Swansea and the player Steve Cooper on Ayews future

    With the 2019/2020 football season coming to an end, Swansea City manager Steve Cooper says any decision that will be taken on the future of Andre Ayew will be one that suits both parties.

    Following a stellar campaign in the English Championship, growing reports suggests that the Ghanaian international will seek top-flight football elsewhere next season.

    Though Steve Cooper admits the Black Stars captain has quality bigger than the Championship, he has stressed that he will like to have him for the next season.

    Nonetheless, he has noted whether he leaves or stays at Swansea, the decision that will be taken will be in the interest of both parties.

    “We need to have a good conversation over the next couple of days. We trust each other 100 per cent and in the end we will come to a resolution that’s right for everybody”, Steve Cooper said in an interview as quoted by bbc.com.

    This season, Ayew scored 18 goals and provide 7 assists after featuring in 47 games for Swansea City.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • WHO reports record daily increase in global coronavirus cases

    The World Health Organisation reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total rising by 292,527.

    The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report. Deaths rose by 6,812.

    The four countries have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks.

    The previous WHO record for new cases was 284,196 on July 24. Deaths rose by 9,753 on July 24, the second largest one-day increase ever.

    Deaths have been averaging 5,200 a day in July, up from an average of 4,600 a day in June.

    Nearly 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the last week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.

    Cases have been on the rise also in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among others.

    Last week, cases in Latin America for the first time surpassed the combined infections in the United States and Canada, a Reuters tally showed. Infections are surging in Brazil, which is second in the world behind the United States in cases and deaths.

    Globally there are over 17.4 million infections and nearly 675,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

    Source: Reuters

  • News Corp: Rupert Murdoch’s son James quits company

    James Murdoch, the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has resigned from the board of News Corporation citing “disagreements over editorial content”.

    In a filing to US regulators, he said he also disagreed with some “strategic decisions” made by the company.

    The exact nature of the disagreements was not detailed.

    But Mr Murdoch has previously criticised News Corp outlets, which include the Wall Street Journal, for climate change coverage.

    Rupert Murdoch, News Corp’s executive chairman, and his other son Lachlan, co-chairman, wished James well in a joint statement.

    “We’re grateful to James for his many years of service to the company,” the statement said. “We wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”

    Representatives of Mr Murdoch and his wife Kathryn have acknowledged the couple’s “frustration” with coverage of the subject by some of most influential Murdoch-owned news brands, including Fox News.

    They have also spoken of particular disappointment about climate change denial in Murdoch-owned Australian outlets.

    News Corp also owns The Times, The Sun and The Sunday Times in the UK, as well as a stable of Australian newspapers, including The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and The Herald Sun.

    What do we know about past disagreements?

    Earlier this year, amid devastating wildfires in Australia, Mr Murdoch and his wife Kathryn expressed their frustration with climate change coverage by News Corp and Fox.

    Their spokesperson told The Daily Beast they were “particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary.”

    Rupert Murdoch has described himself as a climate change “sceptic” and denies employing climate deniers.

    But critics of News Corp pointed to its comment articles and reporting of the alleged role of arson in the wildfires as minimising the impact of a changing climate.

    Who is James Murdoch?

    Born in London in 1972, he is the youngest of Rupert Murdoch’s three children from his marriage to Anna Torv, the others being sister Elisabeth and brother Lachlan.

    Schooled in New York, he studied film and history at Harvard University but dropped out in the mid-1990s without completing his degree.

    Gaining a reputation as the family rebel, he set up an independent hip-hop label, Rawkus Records, which launched the career of rapper-actor Mos Def and gave an airing to the then little-known Eminem.

    He was formerly chief executive of 21st Century Fox before Walt Disney bought most of its assets last year.

    Source: BBC

  • Recovered from virus, Bolsonaro says nothing to fear

    Fresh off a bout of COVID-19, President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday nearly everyone will probably end up catching the new coronavirus, urging Brazilians to “face up to it” and saying there was nothing to fear.
    The far-right leader’s latest bid to downplay the pandemic came as Brazil closed in on the grim milestone of 100,000 people killed by the virus, the second-highest death toll in the world, after the United States.

    Bolsonaro, who is just coming off three weeks in quarantine with a case of the virus, pointed to his own case as an example.

    “I’m in the high-risk group,” the 65-year-old president told journalists during a visit to the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

    “I knew I was going to catch it someday, as I think unfortunately nearly everyone here is going to catch it eventually. What are you afraid of? Face up to it,” he said.

    “I regret the deaths. But people die every day, from lots of things. That’s life.”

    Bolsonaro has faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic as it has surged in Brazil, the country with the second-highest number of cases and deaths in the world: more than 2.6 million and 92,000, respectively.

    Bolsonaro, who has compared the virus to a “little flu,” has fought stay-at-home measures to contain it and regularly flouted social distancing guidelines, hitting the streets of Brasilia to exchange handshakes and hugs with supporters.

    He tested positive for the virus on July 7 after coming down with a fever, and spent three weeks in isolation at the presidential palace.

    On Thursday, in his first public event since his illness, he greeted a crowd of supporters in the northeastern state of Piaui, removing his face mask to loud cheers.

    The same day, the president’s office announced his wife had tested positive for the virus.

    Bolsonaro later revealed he was again feeling poorly and was taking antibiotics for an infection that he called “moldy lungs” caused by inactivity during his quarantine.

    Bolsonaro argues stay-at-home measures are needlessly hurting the economy.

    He is instead pushing the drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the virus, and took it himself when he was infected, despite numerous studies finding it has no benefit against COVID-19.

    Source: AFP

  • Fauci urges caution on China and Russia virus vaccines

    Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious disease official, raised concerns Friday regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines under development by China and Russia. Several Chinese companies are at the forefront of the global vaccine race, while Russia has said it hopes to be the first in the world to produce a vaccine for the public, with a target date of September.

    But the medicines will likely face heightened scrutiny given that the regulatory systems in both countries are far more opaque than they are in the West.

    Fauci, who was asked during a Congressional hearing whether the US could make use of Chinese or Russian vaccines if they arrived first, indicated that was unlikely.

    “I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone,” he said.

    He added: “Claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing, I think, is problematic, at best.

    “We are going very quickly. I do not believe that there will be vaccines, so far ahead of us, that we will have to depend on other countries to get us vaccines.”

    Last month, Chinese media announced a coronavirus vaccine developed by CanSino Biologics was being used to immunize the Chinese military — making it the first approved for people, albeit in a limited population.

    Many scientists however raised ethical concerns because the vaccine has not yet begun its final stages of testing.

    ‘Sputnik moment’? Two other Chinese companies Sinovac and Sinopharm, have launched final phase three trials in Brazil and the United Arab Emirates, respectively.

    China, where the virus originated, has largely brought its outbreak under control and has therefore had to turn to other countries to test its vaccines.

    The trials in Brazil and the UAE will be watched particularly closely, given China’s history of vaccine and other health scandals.

    In 2018, more than 200,000 children were administered a defective vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (DPT) that caused paralysis in a few cases.

    Russia, which was once a global vaccine leader during Soviet times, aims to bring two to market by September and October, respectively.

    The first is being developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya institute and the defense ministry, and the second by the Vektor state laboratory near the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.

    Russia has released no scientific data proving the vaccines’ safety or efficacy.

    Nevertheless, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund which is financing the Gamaleya trials, told CNN:  “It’s a Sputnik moment.”

    Sputnik was the world’s first satellite launched by Russia in 1957.

    Three Western coronavirus vaccines are in final phase three trials.

    One is produced by US biotech firm Moderna and the National Institutes for Health; one by the University of Oxford and Britain’s AstraZeneca; and the last by Germany’s BioNTech with US pharmaceutical Pfizer.

    China and Russia both stand accused of attempting to steal Western coronavirus research — charges they deny.

    Source: AFP

  • Minister supports 25-year-old farmer who delivered quadruplets

    A big-hearted gesture from Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, the Western North Regional Minister has spared a 25-year-old farmer after having quadruplets at the Bibiani Government Hospital. He presented boxes of soap, washing powder, baby diapers, wipers, toilet rolls, clothes, and cash of GH¢5000 to the mother, Princess Ayiemah, accompanied by Alfred Amoah, the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipal Chief Executive.

    He said the gesture was support from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who upon hearing the historic and good news, decided to help.

    He stated that the President received the message with joy and directed him to present the items to help save the lactating mother from any hardship as she had been blessed with the babies.

    Daniel Kofi Aboagye, the husband of Madam Ayiemah, who received the items on behalf of his wife and the entire family, thanked the President and the Regional Minister for the support and said the gesture would go a long way to lessen the burden in the feeding and clothing the babies.

    Madam Ayiemah, a farmer at Kwao-Krom, a community near Sefwi Chirano in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality, said a scan conducted during her pregnancy which revealed she was carrying the four babies, hence she was aware she would deliver quadruplets.

    She, however, expressed concern that it would be difficult for her to take good care of the babies since she did not earn much from her farming activities.

    She also thanked the President for the gesture and appealed to non-governmental organisations and philanthropists to support her to take good care of the children.

     

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Two suicide cases recorded in Accra within two days

    Two dead bodies have been recovered by the police at Madina and Fise in Accra.

    Roy Kwasi Wilson, 41, and Samuel Ofori Agyapong, 54, retrieved at Madina and Fise respectively, were alleged to have committed suicide and found hanging dead in their respective rooms.

    According to the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, who confirmed the tragedy to the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, the police have commenced investigations into the two incidents.

    She said on July 26, at about 8:00 am, a gentleman from Teshie, reported to the police that at about 7:30 am, he visited his brother Wilson at Madina and found the brother dead and hanged on a rope in his room.

    DSP Tenge said the police proceeded to the scene and saw a young man hanged on a rope with his feet off the ground.

    Similarly, she said the police received information from a complainant, the brother-in-law of Agyepong about his death.

    The police PRO said on July 27, at about 10:30am the complainant went to his brother-in-law’s room and found him hanged on a hook of a ceiling fan tied with a nylon sponge.

    She said both bodies have been sent to the police hospital mortuary for examination and autopsy.

     

    Source: Ghanaian Times

  • Bright Addae suffers relegation with Juve Stabia from the Italian Serie B

    Ghanaian midfielder Bright Addae has suffered relegation in the Italian Serie B with SS Juve Stabia as the 2019/2020 season is closed.

    Juve Stabia lost 3-1 at away to Cosenza in the last round of matches on Friday which condemned them to the Serie C.

    The Wasps as they are nicknamed ended the campaign at the 19th position with only 41 points from 38 matches.

    Juve Stabia were promoted to the second-tier league from the Serie C for the 2019/2020 season but they have failed to maintain their status and are returning to the third-tier of Italian football.

    Addae made 28 appearances for Juve Stabia this season where he managed to score two goals in the process.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Imbibe values of sacrifice and obedience – Bawumia urges Muslims

    Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged Muslims and Ghanaians in general to imbibe the inspiring values of sacrifice, obedience and selflessness exhibited by Prophet Ibrahim to enhance national development.

    In a message posted on his social media platforms on the occasion of Eid-ul Adha, Dr Bawumia entreated Muslims to continue praying for the peace and sustenance of the nation.

    “As we celebrate Eid-ul Adha today, let us thank the Almighty Allah for granting Muslims across the globe another Eid and also pray for His continued sustenance,” he said.

    “For the first time in recent history, the world is witnessing a special, limited Hajj due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.”

    “While our brothers and sisters perform the Hajj in the Holy land and the rest of us also observe Eid prayers, let us take opportunity of the special blessings this moment brings and remember our country Ghana and all our loved ones in our prayers,” Dr Bawumia said.

    The Vice President said the celebration of Eid-ul Adha reminded and taught Muslims and humanity the inspiring story of obedience, sacrifice and selflessness exhibited by Prophet Ibrahim by willingly obeying Allah’s command to sacrifice his only son.

    Dr Bawumia, therefore, implored his fellow Muslims and Ghanaians to imbibe those values demonstrated by Prophet Ibrahim towards national development, family and humanity.

    “Together with my dear wife Samira and the entire family, we wish you all Barka da Sallah” the Vice President said.

    Mrs Samira Bawumia, Wife of the Vice President, on her part, underscored the need for all and sundry to continue observing the safety and preventive protocols instituted by the Government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Reuben Acquah ecstatic by ‘dream come true’ top-flight promotion with SV Ried

    Ghanaian midfielder Reuben Acquah says it is a ‘dream come true’ to help SV Ried secure promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga.

    The 23-year old played a vital role for the club this season as they gained promotion on the final day of the campaign with an emphatic 9-0 win over  Floridsdorfer AC.

    Despite missing the last game through suspension, Acquah revealed that it was the target right from the start of the campaign.

    “It was a dream come through, because this what I said to the coach from the beginning of the season and it has really come to pass,” he told GHANASoccernet.com after the game.

    Reuben Acquah played 23 times during the season, and was an integral member of the squad throughout the campaign.

    On Friday night, Julian Wiessmeier scored twice in the first six minutes to get the home side in their strides, before Marco Gruell and Bernd Gschweidl ensured Ried were on a demolishing course.

    Wiessmeier completed a first half hat-trick with a fine strike in the 32th minute.

    With SV Ried 5-0 up before half time, promotion was all but secured.

    However, that wasn’t enough as Stefan Nutz, Marco Gruell, Jefte Bentacor and Valentin Grubeck added four more goals top complete the mauling and ensuring it was an emphatic return by the Northern Austrian club.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Coronavirus: Death toll now 182 as case count climbs to 35,501

    Death toll from the coronavirus in Ghana stands at 182 as 359 new cases take the national case count to 35,501.

    According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), 32,096 persons have recovered from the virus or have been discharged.

    Active cases now stand at 3,223 as of July 28, 2020, according to the GHS.

    The latest figures released on July 31, according to the GHS, represent samples taken between July 16 and July 27 but reported from the lab on July 28.

    Greater Accra Region still has the highest recorded cases followed by the Ashanti Region.

    Greater Accra Region has recorded a total of 18, 273 so far but active cases 1,900.

    Below is the full regional breakdown of cases.

    Greater Accra Region 18,273;

    Ashanti Region 8,770;

    Western Region 2,583;

    Central Region 1,430;

    Eastern Region 1,416;

    Volta Region 593;

    Bono East Region 483;

    Bono Region 439;

    Western North Region 363;

    Northern Region 354;

    Upper East Region 282;

    Oti Region 192;

    Ahafo Region 164;

    Upper West Region 88;

    Savannah Region 62;

    North East Region 9

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ghana wonderkid Mohammed Kudus yet to start training with Dutch giants Ajax

    Mohammed Kudus is yet to start training with Ajax Amsterdam despite reports by a section of the Dutch media claiming that Ghana prodigy has joined his new team-mates in training.

    The 19-year-old is understood to have been given some few days off by Ajax as he has only just come from a long season in Denmark from where he joined the Amsterdam-based side.

    With the season finishing in Denmark just one week ago, Kudus has been given more time rest and recover before starting training with Ajax.

    This comes after a Dutch newspaper reported that sports journalist, Mike Verweij had watched his  first training at Ajax and even made predictions about Ghana’s highly rated youngster.

    The conclusions have been rubbished as the Ghanaian is yet to hit the ground running at Ajax.

    Kudus joined the Eredivisie giants on a five-year deal from Danish side FC Nordsjælland in a deal worth €9 million.

    The highly-rated midfielder is one of the exciting talents plucked by the four-three time European champions ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

    Kudus netted 12 goals and provided 1 assist in 28 matches in all competitions for FC Nordsjælland last term.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • 49-year-old remanded for shooting 3 persons at a funeral

    A 49-year-old man, Eric Richard Ashie has been remanded into police custody by the Sowutuom Magistrate Court for shooting and injuring three persons during a funeral ceremony at Joma, in the Ga West District.

    The victims of the shooting incident are Kamal Nurideen, 13, who sustained a bullet wound to his head and is said to be in a critical condition at the 37 Military Hospital; Fuseini Amidu, 16, and Mohammed Abdul Tawab, 26, both of whom were treated at the Oduman Clinic for various injuries and have since been discharged.

    Speaking in court, Prosecuting Sergeant Regina Nyarko said Police Patrol Team in the Anyaa District were carrying out patrol duties when they got wind of a shooting incident at Joma on July 25, 2020, around 2:35 p.m.
    The prosecuting officer told the court that when the team got to the scene (the funeral grounds), a mob had already apprehended Ashie and subjected him to severe beatings on suspicion of pulling the trigger and firing shots at the victims.

    Some good Samaritans are, however, said to have rushed the victims to the Oduman Clinic, near Ablekuma, where Tawab and Fuseini, who had bloodstains all over their bodies, were admitted while Nurideen was transferred to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment.

    Investigators who visited the third victim, Nurideen at the 37 Military Hospital found out that he was being prepared for surgery to remove a pellet in his forehead.

    Presiding Magistrate Stephen Tabiri, remanded Ashie in police custody to reappear before the court on August 28, 2020.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ghana Rugbys Prince Boamah shares his story after recovering from Coronavirus

    A prop forward with the Ghana Rugby national team, Prince Boamah has shared his story after recovering from the deadly Coronavirus.

    Boamah was among four staff from the Ghana Rugby family who contracted Coronavirus but have now recovered after weeks of treatment and isolation.

    Sharing his story in a video, Prince Boamah said he contracted the devastating disease weeks ago and was put in isolation.

    He recounted his experience whilst in isolation, stating that “it was not easy”.

    In the video, Boamah stated that thanks to the Africa Rugby and the Ghana Rugby Football Union, he was put on drugs and weeks later tested negative for the disease.

    “I tested positive for Covid-19 weeks ago, the virus is real and it was not easy [While in Isolation]. But with the support of Africa Rugby and Ghana Rugby Football Union, I was put on drugs and later went for testing and the result came negative.”

    Prince Boamah, however, urged Ghanaians to adhere to the safety protocols like social distance, wearing of nose/face masks, the use of alcohol-based hand-rub, etc to avoid contracting the virus.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Volta Fishers take delivery of 200 subsidised outboard motors

    Mrs Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has distributed 200 outboard motors to fishers in the Volta Region.

    The first batch of the about 5,000 outboard motors to be distributed across coastal communities in Ghana, formed part of the President’s Fishing Input Support Scheme for fishers.

    It aimed to provide outboard motors at affordable prices to improve productivity.

    Speaking at separate ceremonies at Adina and Keta to give out the items to the beneficiaries in the Ketu South and Keta/Anloga Municipalities respectively, Mrs Afoley Quaye said the outboard motors with a market price of about GH¢20,000.00 each, were given to beneficiaries at GH¢10,000.00 representing about a 50 percent subsidy.

    She said government through MOFAD had been providing fishers with inputs and gears such as tricycles, assorted fishing gear, wire mesh, aluminum basins and ovens to support their livelihoods.

    The Minister, also Member of Parliament for Krowor Constituency, said government had carried out infrastructural development projects across fishing communities in Ghana including Axim, Lower Dixcove and Anloga, continuing with new ones to develop the Sector.

    “Perform best practices at sea,” to justify government’s expenditure in the industry,” she said.

    Mrs Afoley Quaye hinted of collaborative fishing management, which would involve all stakeholders including traditional leaders as the wayforward to ending ‘saiko’ (illegal fish trans-shipments) and other Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices to save the country’s fisheries sector from collapse.

    Madam Ruby Adukpo, representing National Fish Processors and Traders Association (NAFPTA), Volta Region, decorated the Minister as Mama Dunenyo I of Dzelukope with ‘kente’ as a demonstration of the Association’s love for her works in the Region and the country.

    Torgbui Seth Abotsi, Volta Regional Chief fisherman, was grateful for the intervention and called on other colleague fishers not to use the opportunity to engage in unpatriotic ventures to rob the state.

    He appealed to government to expedite action to extend the sea defense wall around Agavedzi-Blekusu to reach Adina and other areas to secure the coastline from tidal waves insurgents in future.

    Mr Godwin Edudzi Effah, Municipal Chief Executive for Keta, said he was delighted with the distribution exercise and said more would come in the ensuing weeks to ensure all payees got their allocations.

    He noted that the gesture formed part of other good things the Akufo-Addo led government was bringing to the people.

    Reverend Johnson Avuletey, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, called on the people of the Region to shift camps to retain the ruling New Patriotic Party in the upcoming December polls for more people-centred policies.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Nigeria: Terrorist attack leaves 4 dead in Maiduguri on Eid al-Adha’s eve

    Maiduguri was hit yet another time by terror on Thursday night.

    Jihadi terrorists attacked the town of Maiduguri in the North East of Nigeria, as locals were preparing celebrations of the Muslim festival Eid al-Aldha.

    According to emergency services, 3 rockets were shot from the city’s outskirts, leaving 4 dead and 3 wounded. So far the attack has not been claimed.

    “It is certainly the handiwork of the ‘terrorists’ who are bent on disrupting Eid festivities tomorrow,” said Ibrahim Liman, an official with one of the civilian militias which back up the military in the fight against the jihadis.

    Borno State Capital Maiduguri is no stranger to attacks from jihadis.

    No longer than 24 hours before this last attack, the convoy of Borno State’s Governor Babagana Zulum, was hit by machine gun fire. The Governor wasn’t hit, but the firefight left 15 injured.

    The North East region is home of Boko Haram, where the group was created in 2009. The organisation has since spread to neighbouring Cameroon and Chad. In 2016, fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction split from the main Boko Haram group, and have since become a dominant force. in the region.

    Over the past decade, violence instigated by the group has caused killed over 36,000 people and displaced more than 2 million.

    Source: africanews.com

  • Italy’s Lampedusa new target of far-right anger over migrants

    Out in the Mediterranean, under a baking sun, fisherman Ezio Billeci comes across a boat of vulnerable migrants and calls for help, but for hours the only response he gets from Italian authorities is to “stand by”. The episode off the island of Lampedusa symbolises what critics say is the government’s lax response to managing migration in a period exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic — accusations led by the anti-immigrant far-right.

    Most of the recent arrivals hail from Tunisia, a country battling high unemployment and political instability. But Italy has its own financial woes — figures released Friday showed it plunged deep into recession — prompting resentment towards so-called economic migrants.

    Several episodes in recent days of breakouts from overcrowded reception centres have also sparked fears among local populations that the migrants who did not respect quarantine orders could be spreading the virus throughout Italy.

    Exasperated local mayors have appealed for help from the government, which has in some cases sent in army back-up.

    Far-right rising star Giorgia Meloni, head of the Brothers of Italy party, accused the centre-left ruling coalition this week of having used draconian measures this spring to ensure Italians respected the coronavirus lockdown, but was now letting migrants roam free.

    “You have the nerve to chase people on the beach with drones, and now you allow thousands of illegal immigrants to enter Italy, transgress our borders and violate quarantine, wandering around infected,” she said in an angry address to parliament.

    – No emergency? –

    Many of the small boats carrying Tunisians to Italy land on the tiny island of Lampedusa. Its ex-mayor Giusi Nicolini, who won the UNESCO Peace Prize in early 2017 for her efforts with migrants, has insisted there “is no emergency”.

    “They say we are overrun (with migrants) for political purposes,” she said in an interview this week with La Stampa daily.

    A widely-circulated photograph of a Tunisian family with straw sunhats and trolley suitcases arriving by boat with their pet poodle fuelled the far-right, as did a video of beach-going tourists watching as new migrants disembarked on nearby rocks.

    “The illegal immigrants are arriving in droves, even with poodles who’ve clearly escaped from Libyan camps,” quipped opposition chief Matteo Salvini, head of the anti-immigrant League, Italy’s most popular party.

    On Thursday, Lampedusa’s local League representative, along with the centre-right Forza Italia party, filed a complaint against Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, accusing her of destroying nascent tourism on the island.

    According to Italy’s interior ministry, nearly half of the 11,191 migrants who have arrived in Italy this year through July 24 have set sail from Tunisia. Of them, nearly 4,000 are Tunisian citizens.

    Over 2,000 migrants arrived last week alone, according to the UN Refugee Agency — more than double the previous week.

    – ‘Look the other way’ –

    The interior ministry has acknowledged that the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 in Tunisia has fed an “exceptional flow of economic migrants” to Italy’s borders, while the virus has made managing numerous daily arrivals more complex.

    After specifically singling out Tunisians escaping mandatory quarantine, Lamorgese said Wednesday that the army would guard reception centres, while two ships of 600 places each would be available soon to hold migrants during quarantine.

    Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has remained silent about the recent arrivals, reflecting tensions within the party over how to respond, given that Salvini famously built his voter base on an anti-immigrant policy that the left has failed to counter.

    Salvini, who faces trial later this year for allegedly illegally detaining migrants by refusing to let them disembark from a rescue ship, insists that charity ships and others who save migrants at sea encourage more people to attempt the dangerous journey.

    Fishermen who come across migrant boats — whether from Tunisia or Libya — beyond 12 nautical miles from Italy’s coasts “are supposed to look the other way”, and leave them there, even if they have run out of petrol and water, Billeci told AFP.

    “But I can’t do that, I can’t. Lives at sea should be saved. Full stop,” he said.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Booker Prize nominee arrested in Zimbabwe

    Award-winning Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga, a nominee for this year’s Booker Prize, has been arrested in the country’s capital, Harare, during an anti-government protest.

    Dangarembga, 61, and another protester were bundled into a police lorry while carrying placards.

    The government has warned that participation in Friday’s demonstration is regarded as insurrection.

    Police and soldiers are patrolling cities where streets are mainly empty.

    Opposition parties and civil society organisations had called for protests against alleged government corruption and a deepening economic crisis with inflation running at more than 700%.

    But President Emmerson Mnangagwa has accused the opposition of exploiting the country’s economic challenges to topple his government.

    An opposition politician who called for the demonstration is in detention, arrested last week and charged with inciting violence.

    He remains behind bars, along with prominent investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, who was detained at the same time.

    In June Chin’ono had exposed an alleged multi-million dollar scandal involving coronavirus supplies – revelations which led to the sacking of the health minister.

    Why is the protest banned?

    The authorities say that the demonstration is not allowed because of coronavirus restrictions.

    Security forces have intensified their patrols and streets are deserted despite assurances by government that the public should go about their normal business without fear, reports the BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in Harare,

    Covid-19 checkpoints have meant only essential service workers have been allowed in the city centre, she says.

    Most people have chosen to stay at home – and the few who have gone out to demonstrate have faced arrest.

    The main opposition Movement Democratic Change (MDC) party says several of its supporters, including a party official, have been detained.

    A photographer with the AFP news agency reports that police bundled Dangarembga and another protester into a lorry full of police armed with AK-47 rifles and riot gear.

    Dangarembga was carrying placards calling for reforms and for the release of Chin’ono, the agency says.

    The author later tweeted that they were being held at Borrowdale Police Station, later saying: “May not be able to tweet for a while.”

    On Thursday, Dangarembga had told the BBC that demonstrating against the government was “necessary” given the situation in the country.

    “Every sector is disintegrating. Health, education, the economy. I am concerned for my safety. It would be naïve not to be because we have a very repressive regime and we know that they will most likely be deployed against the people,” she said.

    “This is one of the grievances that the people have, that the security forces, the security service is often deployed against the people, instead of being deployed for the protection of the people.”

    Who is Tsitsi Dangarembga?

    The writer and film director was born in Mutoko town in the north-east of the country when it was under white-minority rule.

    At the age of two she moved with her parents to the UK, returning to her homeland in 1980 just before Zimbabwe became independent.

    Her first novel Nervous Conditions won the African section of the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1989.

    Other award-winning credits include Neria, Zimbabwe’s most successful film released in 1993.

    Her latest book, This Mournable Body, is on the Booker Prize longlist, which was unveiled earlier this week.

    It is a sequel to Nervous Conditions, and “channels the hope and potential of one young girl and a fledgling nation to lead us on a journey to discover where lives go after hope has departed”, the Booker Prize website says.

    Source: BBC

  • South Korean sect leader arrested for hindering virus efforts

    The elderly leader of a secretive South Korean sect at the centre of the country’s early coronavirus outbreak was arrested on Saturday for allegedly hindering the government’s effort to contain the epidemic. Lee Man-hee, 88, is the head of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is often condemned as a cult.

    People linked to the church accounted for more than half of the South’s 4,000-plus coronavirus cases in February when the country was enduring one of the worst early outbreaks in the world.

    As of July 19, those connected with the church made up 38 per cent of all confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Lee is accused of giving inaccurate records of church gatherings and false lists of its members to health authorities.

    He was taken into custody early Saturday “after the Suwon District Court granted an arrest warrant at 1:20 am”, a court spokesperson told AFP.

    The judge said there “have been circumstances indicating systematic attempts to destroy evidence” by Lee, Yonhap news agency reported.

    Shincheonji has claimed its members face social stigma and discrimination if their beliefs become publicly known, dissuading some from responding to official inquiries.

    Lee is also accused of embezzling 5.6 billion won ($4.69 million) from church funds and holding religious events at public facilities without approval.

    He apologised back in March for the spread of the disease.

    The South has since been returning largely to normal, appearing to have brought the outbreak under control with an extensive “trace, test and treat” programme.

    Officials in the East Asian nation of 52 million announced 31 new cases Saturday, taking the total to 14,336.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Spot-on Nani fires Orlando into MLS restart semis

    Former Manchester United star Nani scored the winning spot-kick as Orlando upset Los Angeles FC in a penalty shoot-out to reach the semi-finals of the Major League Soccer restart tournament on Friday. Portuguese international Nani, who had seen a penalty saved in normal time before the game finished in a 1-1 draw, made no mistake in the shoot-out with his side’s fifth and final spot-kick.

    The 33-year-old sent Los Angeles goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer the wrong way before wheeling away to be mobbed by jubilant Orlando team-mates at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Disney World, Florida.

    Nani had been given the chance to seal victory in a tense shoot-out which saw Los Angeles surrender the initiative when veteran defender Jordan Harvey crashed his penalty against the crossbar.

    Earlier, Los Angeles had appeared to be heading for a place in the last four after Bradley Wright-Phillips scored from close range in the 64th minute to put the favourites 1-0 up.

    That goal came just moments after Vermeer had denied Nani from the penalty spot after Diego Palacios’s clumsy foul on Orlando right back Ruan.

    But as the game wore on in energy-sapping heat and humidity, Los Angeles were left clinging on as Orlando pressed for an equaliser.

    It arrived in the 90th minute when Nani’s corner from the right hand side was met by left back Joao Moutinho, who lost his marker to thump home a header.

    Orlando will now face either San Jose Earthquakes or Minnesota in the last four, who play in their quarter-final on Saturday.

    But it was a disappointing early exit for Los Angeles, who had looked to be on course for their first silverware after a rousing 4-1 victory over MLS Cup champions Seattle in the last 16.

    The “MLS is Back” restart tournament is taking place at Disney World in Orlando after a four-month coronavirus shutdown which halted the regular season in March.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Details of the 7 persons whose demise increased Ghanas coronavirus deaths to 182

    7 more persons in Ghana have succumbed to Coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 182, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced.

    According to the statistics available on GHS website, 5 of the persons are from the Ashanti region while 2 are from the Greater Accra region. 5 are males; the other 2 are females.

    While 3 had co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, anemia and renal failure, the others had no underlining health conditions.

    The ages are 60, 70, 67, 74, 49, 33 and 55.

    Meanwhile, the cumulative figure of confirmed cases is 35,501 after 359 new cases were confirmed per the latest update.

    “A total of 359 new cases were reported on July 28, 2020. These are samples that were taken from the period 16 to 27 July 2020… but reported from the lab on July 28,” stated the GHS.

    According to GHS, 32,096 persons have recovered from the virus or have been discharged. Active cases now stand at 3,223.

    Out of the 3,223 cases, 8 are critical, 4 on ventilator while 22 are severe.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ghanaian clubs petition GFA to revert plans to hold Congress via video conferencing

    More than 60 Ghanaian clubs have signed a petition seeking to stop the Ghana Football Association (GFA) from holding the upcoming Ordinary Congress via video conferencing.

    In a letter from the Ghana FA to clubs and its members earlier this week, they indicated that the 26th Ordinary Congress has been scheduled for Thursday, August 27.

    Due to the ban on public gathering which does not allow more than 100 persons to converge in one place, the FA added that a decision has been taken for Congress to be held via a video conference call.

    Earlier today, Oyerepa FM disclosed that some 60 Ghanaians clubs have signed a petition to oppose the move by the GFA.

    “It’s a collective decision to write to the FA, we have discussed among ourselves but yet to put on paper”, a club official told Oyerepa FM on condition of anonymity.

    Subsequently, a letter from Medeama Sporting Club signed by President Moses Armah Parker has stressed that Congress can be convened.

    “We wish to state that following the ease of some restrictions by the Government of Ghana on public gatherings Act, 20Act 1012(E.t 164)”

    “We believe Congress can be convened with the needed protocols strictly followed”, the letter said.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • Kantanka begins production of smaller cars in Ghana

    Kantanka Automobile Limited has started producing smaller cars in response to public calls, a Tweet by CEO, Kwadwo Safo Jnr, has suggested.

    The young CEO has shared a photo of what appears to be an assembly plant for small vehicles with the caption: “Can you tell me what you see in this picture???”

    Kankanka Automobile, a wholly-owned Ghanaian automobile company has been criticised by the public for producing expensive luxury vehicles.

    While commending the founder of the company, Apostle Kwadwo Safo, for his ingenuity and unexplained deep knowledge in technology, many Ghanaians have expressed the view that producing smaller, less expensive cars would make better market sense.

    Although the company has been producing cars for many years, patronage remains low.

    But the company has strategised to meet the demands of the Ghanaian population.

    The new strategy by Kantanka Automobile comes after German car-maker, Volkswagen last month unveiled new vehicles it has assembled at its assembly plant in Ghana.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 95 Ghanaian nurses touch down in Barbados

    Ninety-five Ghanaian nurses have arrived in Barbados to begin a two-year contract in the Caribbean nation.

    They arrived in Barbados on Thursday evening via a chartered flight.

    The Ministry of Health in November confirmed that 120 Ghanaian nurses had been selected to serve a two-year contract in Barbados under a Human Resources Agreement between the two countries.

    The total cohort at the time included 12 cardiac care nurses, 21 critical care nurses, eight emergency room nurses, six operating theatre nurses, three ophthalmic nurses and 70 registered general nurses.

    About 600 nurses had applied for a programme to serve at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados.

    “This is a momentous occasion in several ways. In spite of the challenges that would have confronted us over the last several months to get to this point, the moment has finally come and I want to say it is a pleasure, the Barbados Minister of Health, Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic said on their arrival.

    “You have arrived in Barbados at a very, very opportune time because like you are aware, we are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.

    The Ministry together with officials from Barbados conducted a series of interviews for 150 shortlisted applicants before arriving at the final number for the Barbados nursing job.

    The Barbados nursing job initiative spawned from President Akufo-Addo visit to the Caribbean Island for bilateral talks with the Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley.

    She expressed the need for Ghanaian nurses to solve its shortage of professional nurses in hospitals in the country.

     

    Files from barbadostoday contributed to this report.

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Lacazette on future: Arsenal my ‘dream club’

    Alexandre Lacazette has described Arsenal as his “dream club” in the United Kingdom — but revealed his future remains uncertain and is not linked to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract decision.

    The 29-year-old has endured what he believes is his toughest season yet after struggling with a persistent ankle problem and loss of form, which led to prolonged goal droughts and spells in which head coach Mikel Arteta preferred young striker Edward Nketiah.

    However, three goals in his final six Premier League appearances marked something of a renaissance and the player from France is expected to lead the attack in Saturday’s FA Cup Final against Chelsea at Wembley.

    Lacazette has two years remaining on his current contract and had been expected to discuss his role with Arteta but he insisted negotiations are yet to begin.

    “It was a difficult season, maybe the most difficult of my career,” said Lacazette. “But I know I learned a lot this season mentally and thinking more about the team than scoring goals when I had my long period without goals.

    “So I noticed this season when we talk about statistics it is not the best one. But it’s still only one season in my career and I know next season is going to be totally different for me.

    “We didn’t talk about this [his future]. Me, I’m just playing my games and finishing the season to see how it’s going to be but we didn’t talk about anything.

    “I’m happy with my career because I played for Lyon, my club since I was a child. I played for Arsenal, my dream club in the UK. I’m still happy about my career but obviously I would love to win more trophies and this one can make me happier in my Arsenal journey.”

    Lacazette has only won the 2017 Community Shield in his three years at Arsenal since joining the club in a £56 million move from Lyon.

    The only other trophy of his club career came in Lyon’s Coupe de France success of 2012 but he has formed a close friendship with Aubameyang, who now has less than a year remaining on his contract.

    ESPN revealed earlier this month that Aubameyang has requested a three-year deal worth up to £250,000-a-week and is keen to stay but Arsenal will miss out on Europe altogether if they fail to beat Chelsea, exacerbating the financial pressures on the club created by the coronavirus.

    It is also understood that the Gunners have ruled out allowing Aubameyang and Lacazette to leave in the same summer but the latter claimed his situation is not related to his teammate’s decision.

    “We know that Auba has a lot of discussion with the club but I can’t put my future in someone else,” said Lacazette. “Everybody does their own thing. Me I used to talk with him a lot at the beginning when we came back from lockdown. But since we really don’t really talk. I just know he will say something to me before you in the press will know but that is it.”

    Arsenal will seek to avenge last season’s Europa League Final defeat to Chelsea, when the Gunners needed to win to secure Champions League qualification but were hammered 4-1 in Baku. But they will do so without Mesut Ozil who was still in Turkey on Friday.

    Victory would secure a record 14th FA Cup success and gain a measure of revenge for a painful experience Lacazette still remembers clearly.

    “Nobody was talking, it was a long flight [home from Baku],” he said. “Really silenced. Maybe the worst flight I have ever had. But yes afterwards when you lose a final it is really hard to try to talk with someone or to laugh. Obviously everybody was disappointed.

    “Hopefully for everyone, the ones who played will not forget the final last season. Everybody has to find their own motivation for this game. Whether that is to think about the past or the future, or whether it is just because they want to win this game. I don’t think really care why they want to win. But normally everybody wants to win.

    “We know in the League we finished in a bad position, we lost against Olympiakos early in the Europa League, so we missed a few of our targets. That’s why I say it would save our season.”

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Government to resource GIPC to make it more effective Finance Minister

    Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, has revealed that the government will be resourcing the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) in order to make it more effective than it has been over the period.

    The GIPC, he said, is expected to help government generate the needed revenue for the development of the country, hence the decision to resource the centre.

    Mr Ofori-Atta told journalists in parliament that: “the GIPC will be resourced to make it more effective than it has been.”

    The GIPC is a Government agency, responsible under the GIPC Act, 2013 (Act 865): to encourage and promote investments in Ghana, to provide for the creation of an attractive incentive framework and a transparent, predictable and facilitating environment for investments in Ghana.

    The object of the Centre is to; Create an enhanced, transparent and responsive environment for investment and the development of the Ghanaian economy through investment; and; Encourage, promote and facilitate investment in the country.

    Source: Laud Business

  • Reuben Acquah, Kennedy Boateng power SV Ried to Austrian Bundesliga promotion

    Ghanaian duo Reuben Acquah and Kennedy Boateng have secured Austrian Bundesliga promotion with SV Ried after a colossal victory on the final day of the Erste Liga.

    Ried thrashed Floridsdorfer AC 9-0 to earn promotion back to the topflight for the first time since suffering demotion in the 2016/17 season.

    Defender Kennedy Boateng, who’s return from a long term injury was vital at the tail end of the season, played 86 minutes of the game before he was replaced by Patrick Obermuller.

    Meanwhile, midfielder Reuben Acquah missed the game through suspension, but played a significant role as the team reclaimed top spot in the final weeks of the campaign.

    Acquah played 23 times for the club with Kennedy Boateng playing 21 times in the just ended campaign.

    Julian Wiessmeier scored twice in in the first six minutes to get the home side in their strides, before Marco Gruell and Bernd Gschweidl ensured Ried were on a demolishing course.

    Wiessmeier completed a first half hat-trick with a fine strike in the 32th minute.

    With SV Ried 5-0 up before half time, promotion was all but secured.

    However, that wasn’t enough as Stefan Nutz, Marco Gruell, Jefte Bentacor and Valentin Grubeck added four more goals top complete the mauling and ensuring it was an emphatic return by the Northern Austrian club.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Ghanaian entrepreneur shortlisted for innovative business competition

    Maame Ekua Manful, a Ghanaian entrepreneur and the founder of Fieldswhite Co.Ltd is among 21 finalists in this year’s SUN Pitch Competition.

    Fieldswhite is a food tech start up dedicated to providing innovative and affordable food solutions across Africa.

    The start up’s flagship product, Sweetpot Yoghurt, is a, “delicious yoghurt enriched with highly nutritious bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potatoes.

    The competition attracted over 500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 24 countries in Africa and Asia to pitch innovative business ideas to address malnutrition for the second edition of the SUN Pitch Awards.

    A press release by the SUN Business Network and copied to Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the COVID-19 pandemic had presented unprecedented challenges to the food system and that the pitch competition, scheduled for July 30, 2020, would highlight the innovation and investment opportunities within the private sector to increase access to nutrition in low and middle income markets.

    It said 21 shortlisted finalists were selected through a series of national and virtual competitions and had undertaken comprehensive nutrition and business development training in preparation for the final.

    The statement said the selected entrepreneurs would pitch their innovative solutions for improved nutrition to compete for a range of cash and business mentorship prizes in the race to be crowned the 2020 SUN Pitch Competition Champion.

    It said this year’s Global SUN Pitch Competition had sponsorship from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Cargill and Royal DSM.

    The statement said other sponsors were Food Industry Asia (FIA), Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, AGREA and Base of the Pyramid Innovation Center (BoP Inc).

    It said The SUN Pitch Competition aimed at showcasing nutrition-related investments from SMEs that could catalyse innovation in local food systems and improve the affordability and accessibility of nutritious and safe foods.

    “Achieving the nutrition targets of the Sustainable Development Goals will require more partnerships between businesses, investors, governments and UN agencies,” the statement added.

    Fatiha Terki, Deputy Director Nutrition, UN World Food Programme and co-convener of the SUN Business Network, said the SUN Pitch Competition 2020 would bring all actors together to support entrepreneurs in emerging markets to transform their food systems.

    The statement said the first edition of the SUN Pitch Competition was held at the Nutrition Africa Investor Forum in Kenya in 2018, where Ope Olanrewaju of Kennie-O Cold Chain Logistics from Nigeria was crowned the winner.

    Source: GNA

  • Latif Blessing’s LAFC suffer MLS is Back elimination after defeat to Orlando City

    Ghanaian midfielder Latif Blessing featured as LAFC suffered elimination from the MLS is Back after a penalty shoot out defeat to Orlando City.

    The former Liberty Professionals winger executed his spot kick perfectly, but Jordan Harvey’s rattled effort hit the crossbar as LAFC lost 5-4 on penalties.

    LAFC were heading for a win before a 90th minute equalizer from Orlando City.

    The California based club took the lead through veteran forward Bradley Wright-Philips, before Joao Moutinho’s last minute header leveled the scoreline.

    Blessing has been key to LAFC at the MLS is Back tourney, playing in all five games and scoring in the quarter final victory over Seattle Sounders.

    The defeat means the petite Ghanaian winger will have to wait until next season to win his first major title with the club.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • I was possessed and unaware I was torturing my grandma to death Lady who whipped Akua Denteh

    Latifah Bumaye, the lady captured in a viral video whipping a 90-year-old says she was possessed and did not know she was torturing her grandmother.

    The 25-year-old told the Salaga Divisional Police Headquarters who arrested her in Kejewu Bator, a fishing community, that she was unaware of what she was doing.

    She said some men had caught her forcefully and smeared a powdery substance on her face prior to the incident.

    According to her, when she saw the video of her whipping the deceased, she asked those around where she got the different apparel from when she was previously in cloth.

    Ms Bumaye was captured in the video whipping the old lady she said was her grandmother, in a broad day amidst chanting and cheering from onlookers after Akua Denteh was disgraced for being a witch by a supposed witchdoctor, Filin.

    Filin was also captured on camera hitting the deceased repeatedly with something shrouded in a cloth.

    The Salaga Divisional Police Commander C/Supt. Amos Yelisong had told Zamireports that the suspect had been on the run since July 23.

    She was subsequently arrested at her hideout at about 09:30 pm on Thursday after someone tipped the police off.

    “On 30/07/2020 information was received, by C/Supt. Amos Yelisong, the Divisional Commander, Salaga indicating the hidden place of one of the suspected Principal murderers in the deceased Akua Denteh case,” Zamireport said.

    “The information was processed into intelligence and two Man Police team from the Salaga Division despatched by the Divisional Commander and the District Officer to Kejewu Bator, a fishing community under Abrumase Police Station within the Salaga Division”, the report further stated.

    Ms Bumaye did not deny that she was the one in the video but said she was not aware of what happened.

    This is the seventh person arrested in connection with the crime including the chief of the town.

     

    Source: myjoyonline 

  • More than 22 million Ghanaians affected by reduction in household income – Survey

    More than 22 million Ghanaians have been affected by a reduction in their household income since March 16, 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions were first introduced, a survey by the Ghana Statistical Service has shown.

    The figure represents about 77.4 per cent of households in Ghana experiencing a decrease in their income.

    The Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Annim, who presented the findings during a virtual briefing, said households that reported relying on income from a non-farm family business were the hardest hit.

    Between the 3rd and 9th June 2020, more than one million persons, representing 3.4 per cent in the country indicated that suspension of work was the reason for their not working.

    From June 10 to 25, 2020, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) interviewed thousands of households across the country to understand how the novel Coronavirus has impacted their lives and work.

    The Households and Jobs Tracker is an initiative led by GSS, in partnership with UNICEF and the World Bank, with technical support from Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA).

    The nationally-representative sample survey is one of the three COVID-19 impact studies being implemented by the GSS.

    The intention is to follow over 3,000 households from all the 16 regions of Ghana through telephone-based interviews.

    The study is planned for a seven-month period (June to December 2020) to accommodate multiple waves of surveys that would help assess mobility across different dimensions of living conditions as a result of the effects of the Virus and the attendant different interventions by both households and the State.

    The survey consisted of two modules – Module A focused on effects of the COVID-19 on households generally, while Module B assesses the effects of the pandemic on children and family situations.

    Prof. Annim said to cope with the effects of COVID-19, more than half 52.1 per cent of households reduced food consumption with 77.4 per cent of households indicating that they were severely affected by increase in prices of food.

    About nine per cent of the households reported that they had received some form of assistance, especially free food.

    The survey, however, found that, out of the 29.9 per cent of children (6-14 years) who are on the School Feeding Programme, more than half (57 per cent) still received food in the previous four weeks, while schools remained closed.

    “The effect on education remains a major challenge with the closure of schools being considered the main disruption to households,” the report notes.

    “As many as 35 per cent of primary and JHS school children and 28 per cent of SHS children were not engaged in any form of learning while they were at home.

    The biggest challenge faced by children for home learning within this period was the lack of basic tools, such as computers or phones, it said.

    “Access to these tools is affecting a quarter 25.6 per cent of basic school children and one-third 32.7 per cent of SHS children,” it explained.

    “Almost all children 96.6 per cent are likely to return to school once the restrictions are eased and schools reopened”.

    Prof Annim said preparations were already underway for the second round of this survey in August 2020.

    Several thematic reports, including one on the survey methodology that provide more insights on the effect of COVID-19 in areas such as healthcare, education, employment, food security and household coping mechanisms will be released in the coming weeks, he added.

    Source: GNA

  • 15 Ethiopian based Ghanaian players released after 14 days quarantine

    The over 15 players who recently returned from Ethiopia and were quarantined at the Ghanaman Soccer School of Excellence Isolation Centre at Prampram have been released by the Ghana Health Service.

    The players were airlifted from Addis Ababa two weeks ago after sending an SOS message to the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

    Leader of the team, Lee Addy expressed their profound gratitude to the government of Ghana for facilitating their return.

    “On behalf of the players, I would like to thank the Government of Ghana, the GFA, the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) and everybody who contributed for us to be brought back home,” the 2010 FIFA World Cup defender told the GFA Communications team

    “We say a big thank you to the GFA, especially Mr. Alex Asante, the Deputy General Secretary; they have done very, very well.

    “I will like to use this opportunity to thank the media, the people who spread the message for the government to come to our aid.

    “We thank the Ghanaian public and the Doctors who took care of us upon our return. May God bless us all,” he added.

    Source: pulse.com.gh

  • Afriyie Acquah, Aziz Tetteh on summer holiday in Germany with wives

    Ghanaian duo Afriyie Acquah and Abdul Aziz Tetteh have gone on summer vacation with their wives.

    The close pals chose neighbouring Germany for the short holidays.

    Tetteh, 30, who plays for Gaziantep FK, suffered a knee injury during a league match in November 2019 which ended his season.

    He had to undergo successful surgery in Poland and has since not returned to competitive soccer.

    Tetteh had made just six appearances before the incident.

    On the other hand, Afriyie Acquah was one of the most impressive midfielders in the Turkish Super Lig with Yeni Malatyaspor.

    He scored one goal in 27 league appearances as his side got demoted.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Don’t be involved in politics of insults – Gomoa chief admonishes NDC running mate

    President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs who also doubles as the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Council Head, Obrempong Nyanful Krampah IX has urged the Running Mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, to do away with politics of insults.

    He advised her to, as a mother, embrace and unite everybody.

    “We plead with you not to involve in politics of insults because we the people from the Central Region are not brought up in that way, therefore we would want you to honour us.

    “Even if your opponent should attack you in that sense; your behaviour must reflect who you are and where you come from by dealing with facts and be objective about the message you have for the people of Ghana,” Obrempong said.

    He further charged her to keep in mind that the country’s norms and culture do not permit such behaviour, adding that “where you also come from do not accept that behaviour”.

    He expressed that it is very disturbing when Chiefs in the Region see high ranking members in leadership and other people engage in politics of insults.

    ”You must therefore be cautious about the words you put out there even if it is to rebut or disagree with an opponent’s submission; be very objective in your message…It is prudent for you to act as a mother and a woman from the tribe of fante who has been nurtured properly,” he stated.

    Obrempong Krampah IX made gave this admonition when Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang paid a courtesy call on the Central Regional House of Chiefs.

    Obrempong also wished her well and prayed for her to succeed in all her endeavours.

    NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, who was also part of the team, acknowledged the instrumental role of the Region to the fortunes of the party.

    “This is the region we tend to look to whenever there’s an election. We can trace this back to all our vice presidents from the late vice Ackaah to the late vice Atta Mills, to vice Amissah Arthur, who all hail from this very region…It is no doubt that once again the party has opted to choose another able person from the central region who also has an impeccable records to her name.”

    Mr. Ofosu Ampofo believed Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang will not disappoint in her capacity as Running Mate of the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama.

    “Therefore we came here to thank the chiefs and people of the central region for gifting the party such a gem, who performs excellently in all she does. We have seen many of such gems from this region…We ask for your prayers and blessings towards the up coming election to enable the party win”, he requested.

    Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang’s entourage comprised the NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Central Regional Chairman, EKT Addo, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, some former ministers, former MMDCEs and party faithfuls.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Youth creativity and ingenuity crucial towards tackling coronavirus pandemic – NYA Boss

    The National Youth Authority (NYA) has launched the 2020 International Youth Day (IYD) celebration, with the aim of tapping into the creativity and ingenuity of the Ghanaian youth towards finding solutions to the country’s socio-economic challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic.

    At a news conference to officially launch the IYD celebration in Accra, Mr Sylvester Tetteh, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NYA, said the youth played significant roles in enriching institutions with their innovative ideas.

    Therefore, the Authority will organise pre-event activities and series of dialogues to engage students, young entrepreneurs and Persons with Disability (PWDs), to tap into their intellectual property and ingenuity towards finding lasting solutions to the country’s socio-economic, cultural and political challenges.

    The global theme for this year’s celebration is: “Youth Engagement for Global Action” with a local sub theme, “Promoting Youth Engagement in Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19: The Need for Youth Innovation and Creativity”.

    The International Youth Day is held annually on August 12 worldwide to recognise the contributions of the youth in national development efforts and to create awareness about their challenges, with the ultimate objective of finding solutions to them.

    It is being organised by the National Youth Authority under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

    The NYA has lined up various pre-event activities and series of dialogues across the 16 regions to solicit the concerns of youth groups.

    The NYA Boss stated that the Authority had categorised the dialogues into four thematic areas including Innovation and Creativity in Delivering Quality Education to the Youth, Business and Entrepreneurship, Hospitality and Entertainment and Governance and Elections, which intended to provide holistic development to young people in the country.

    He said, over the years, the NYA had collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to build the capacity of the youth in the country.

    Mr Tetteh therefore encouraged the youth to participate fully in all the activities to enhance youth representation and engagement in national development.

    Mr Ahmed Osumanu Halid, a Communication Consultant of the Youth and Sports Ministry, who represented the Sector Minister, said the National Youth Policy was being reviewed to meet the needs of the youth in the contemporary times.

    He said the youth were the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore the Ministry’s ultimate goal was to find solutions to their challenges including unemployment, access to quality education and economic opportunities.

    “These issues featured prominently in the policies and programmes being pursued by the Ministry in order to find solutions to them,” he stated.

    Mr Osumanu Halid indicated that the government, through the Ministry, was constructing 10 multipurpose resources centres in 10 administrative regions to unearth talents and make them more profitable to the society.

    The media launch attracted the two Deputy Chief Executive Officers of the NYA-Mr Nelson Owusu Ansah, who is in charge of Programmes and Operations and Mrs Akosua Asaa Manu in charge of Finance and Administration, as well as the Directors, a representative from the Board of Directors, members of staff and the media.

    Source: GNA

  • California Amphibious Vehicle Accident: US Marine Dead, Eight Missing

    One US marine has died and eight others are missing after an amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) accident off the coast of southern California.

    Two personnel were also injured in the accident on Thursday, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force tweeted.

    A search is under way for the missing service members, with Navy and Coast Guard help.

    All the personnel are assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.

    Col Christopher Bronzi, commanding officer of the 15th MEU, said in the tweet: “We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. I ask that you keep our Marines, Sailors, and their families in your prayers as we continue our search.”

    The 15th MEU has about 2,200 personnel and conducts rapid-response, conventional amphibious and other maritime operations.

    The typical US Marine Corps AAV is the AAV-P7/A1, functioning as a troop carrier, transporting personnel from water to land.

    Source: BBC

  • WHO warns African nations on easing virus restrictions

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that easing of Covid-19 restrictions could lead to a resurgence and has asked African governments to strengthen testing and contact tracing.

    WHO’s regional director Dr Matshidiso Moeti said African countries should remember that “no-one is safe until we are all safe”.

    The continent’s total number of recorded infections currently stands at around 900,000 cases and some countries have begun easing restrictions.

    Others, like Morocco, have reintroduced restrictions after a resurgence of cases.

    “As Africa approaches one million cases, the continent is at a pivotal point,” Dr Moeti said at a press conference on Thursday.

    She noted that five countries accounted for nearly 75% of all cases in Africa.

    According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, about three out of four of all the reported cases and deaths on the continent were reported in South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Sudan.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Ghanaian footballer Bernard Morrison arrested in Tanzania

    Tanzanian police have arrested Young Africans forward Bernard Morrison in Dar el Salaam.

    The Ghanaian player found himself under arrest after obstructing police officers from inspecting his car, according to RPC Bukombe from Kinondoni.

    The ex-AS Vita club forward is now said to have been released on bail.

    Morrison, 27, could face misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and disorderly conduct, it has been claimed in the East African nation.

    The former Orlando Pirates striker has been in the news for all the wrong reasons after he stormed off the pitch and walked straight into the dressing room after his substitution in the derby defeat to sworn rivals Simba SC two weeks ago.

    The Ghanaian, who has been unhappy since football returned amid the coronavirus shutdown is angling for a move away from Yanga.

    He dramatically announced contract expiration with the Tanzanian giants despite signing a two-year extension.

    The former Ashantigold forward is not new to controversies after he suffered salary deduction for flouting the club’s directive last month.

    The latest off-the-field incident could be the last straw for the talented forward whose future now appears uncertain.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet