TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Armed robbers threatening my constituency but we’ll end them – Manso Adubia MP

    Member of Parliament for Manso Adubia constituency, Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo has bemoaned the high rate of armed robberies.

    Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm stated that the activities of armed robbers have threatened the lives and businesses in the region especially, in his constituency.

    But he has assured residents and constituents of efforts to deal with the problem.

    He has also cautioned criminals in the region and his constituency to be guided by the intensified security operations to clamp down on them.

    He maintained he will not rest until he sees to it that all criminals and armed robbers are dealt with by law.

    He referenced a recent robbery incident which saw three persons killed saying he will not entertain such lawless acts again.

    Three people, including the driver of the District Chief Executive for Amansie South District in the Ashanti Region, were shot dead in suspected armed robbery attack last month.

    The deceased persons who received multiple gunshot wounds were shot at different locations at Manso Dadease near Datano in the Amansie South District when the group of armed men stormed the community.

    Eleven suspects were later arrested in connection to the attack.

    The all-male suspects are believed to be linked to the shooting and killing of three people including the driver of District Chief Executive for the area.

     

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • Top 20 handsome rappers in Ghana

    Ghana music industry has been on an upward path with various genres of music dominating in this music industry. Music genres such as highlife, gospel, rap music, hip pop, Reggae, dancehall and among others are accepted by Ghanaian and are listened to across the world.

    Talking of rap music in Ghana, there are many rappers some which have been in the industry for a very long time and upcoming rap talents.

    Rap artiste like sarkodie and Kwesi Arthur have been nominated for an international award before and this makes we all believe that rap in Ghana has gone really far.

    In this article, I have compiled a list of 20 most handsome rappers in Ghana and they are;

    • Kwesi Arthur

    Emmanuel Kwesi Danso Arthur Junior, known in showbiz as Kwesi Arthur is a Ghanaian rapper from Tema, Greater Accra region.

    • Kofi Kinaata

    Nicknamed the “Fante Rap God”, Martin King Arthur known as Kofi Kinaata, is a Ghanaian rapper, highlife artiste and a songwriter who hails from Takoradi in the Western region.

    • Strongman Burner

    Born Osei Kwaku Vincent. Strongman is a rapper from Buokrom in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

    • Okyeame Kwame

    The “Rap Doctor” as he is mostly referred to, is a Ghanaian rapper, does highlife music as well, songwriter and an entrepreneur from the Ashanti region. Okyeame Kwame’s real name is Kwame Nsiah Apau.

    • Flowking Stone

    Kwaku Nsiah Boamah is the real name of Ghanaian rapper songwriter Flowking stone. He comes from Kumasi in the Ashanti region.

    • Medikal

    Medikal, whose real name is Samuel Adu Frimpong, is a Sowutuom based Ghanaian rapper and a hip hop artiste.

    • Sarkodie

    Michael Owusu Addo is an entrepreneur, rapper and hip hop artiste from the Ashanti region of Ghana. He is popularly known as Sarkodie in Ghana’s music industry and across the world.

    • Lyrikal Joe

    Lyrikal Joe or LJ got featured on Sarkodie’s “Bibii Ba” track. His real name is Joseph Gamor, and he is a rapper from Mafikumasi in the Volta region of Ghana.

    • CJ Biggerman

    CJ Biggerman is a Ghanaian rapper and was also featured on Sarkodie’s “Biibi Ba” track. He is based in Sakumono but comes from Asuom in the Eastern Region. His real name is Christian Jojo Joshua.

     

    • Amg Armani

    Born Godfred Osei Amoako. Amg Armani is a Ghanaian rapper. He is signed onto Beyond Kontrol Business.

    • E. L

    Elorm Adablah, popularly known in Showbiz as E.L is a Ghanaian rapper, Afrobeats musician, and a producer.

    • Pappy Kojo

    Real name Jason Gaisie, Pappy Kojo is a Ghanaian rapper and hip hop and artiste from Takoradi in the Western region.

    • Teephlow

    Lukeman Ekow Baidoo, popularly know a Teephlow is a Ghanaian rapper and a hip hop artiste.

    • Yaa Pono

    Born Solomon Andu Antwi and known in showbiz as Yaa pono, is a Ghanaian rapper and a musician.

    • Koo Ntakra

    Isaac Akuffo, popularly known as Koo Ntakra is a Ghanaian rapper who loves to rap in the Akuapem dialect.

    • Omar Sterling

    Omar Sterling is a hip pop artiste, a rapper and a member of the duo group R2bees. His real name is Faisal Hakeem and he is based in Tema.

    • Ayesem

    Stephen Kwabena Siaw, popularly known by the stage name Ayesem, is a Ghanaian rapper, hip hop and hiplife recording artiste from Takoradi.

    • Kojo Cue

    Born Linford Kennedy Amankwaa, Ko-Jo Cue is a BBNZ live signee amd he is a rapper amd hip pop artiste from Kumasi in the Ashanti region.

    • M.anifest

    M.anifest is a Ghanaian rapper, singer and a a songwriter. His real name is Kwame Ametepee Tsikata and he hails from Volta region.

    • FreQuency

    Born Samuel Nana Kwame Odame Ampofo, FreQuency(Kwame Dame) is a young Ghanaian rapper and a hip hop/Afrobeat artiste who came to the spotlight with his viral video “Welcome to Ghana”.

    Source: Rak_plus

  • Voters register: Lecturers get apology for inclusion of their names in letter to EC

    Some two lecturers of the Koforidua Technical University have received letters of apology from one Bismark Agbelengor for “wrongly” including their names in a petition sent to the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) by about 101 lecturers, calling on Jean Mensa to reconsider the decision to compile a new register for the December 7 elections.

    The two are Professor Smile Dzisi and Dr Benjamin Kwofie.

    The latter had written to the Vice Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University, denying knowledge of the group, Concerned University Lecturers, Ghana, and the content of the letter sent to Mrs Mensa.

    Dr Kwofie asked the VC to investigate the matter and write to the Chair of the Commission, “disassociating the institution and its innocent members from such an action”.

    Mr Agbelengor, who admitted adding the names of the lecturers to the list, rendered an apology for his action.

    “I recognize that my failure to seek your prior approval was a grievous omission even though it was completely unintended.

    “I regret, very deeply, any harm that may have been caused to your personal and professional being by this omission on my part.

    “For this reason, I apologise unreservedly for the error.”

     

    Source: 3 News

  • British Airways to sell art collection to raise cash

    British Airways is selling some of its multi-million-pound art collection to raise cash to help it through the coronavirus pandemic.

    The collection includes art by Damien Hirst, Bridget Riley and Peter Doig, with one work believed to have been valued at more than £1m.

    It is understood at least 10 pieces have been identified for sale, although exactly which ones is unclear.

    BA has seen a collapse in air travel and is set to cut thousands of jobs.

    Last week, BA boss Alex Cruz warned that the cash-strapped airline’s survival was at stake unless there was a drastic restructuring of the business.

    London’s Evening Standard newspaper, which first reported news of the art sell-off, said auction house Sotheby’s had been brought in to arrange sales as soon as possible.

    Other works in BA’s collection are pieces by Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor and Chris Ofili. The airline would not comment on the sale, nor identify which works would go under the hammer.

    However, the most valuable piece is believed to be by Bridget Riley and worth, according to one source, “at least seven figures”. It was bought many years ago and has risen substantially in value.

    Much of the collection was amassed with the help of London-based curators Artwise, which worked with BA for 17 years until 2012 and bought more than 1,500 works for the airline.

    ‘Admired collection’

    Founders Susie Allen and Laura Culpan said in a statement to the BBC: “Generally we purchased and commissioned works by artists early in their careers, so during this time many of the works have grown in value – although this was never the intention behind the collection.”

    It established BA as one of the big corporate supporters of contemporary art. The works would rotate around BA offices globally, they said.

    “We are of course very sad to see some of the key treasures from the BA art collection being put up for auction – a collection which, in its day, was so admired and was the first of its kind within the airline industry. However, we do understand that these are unprecedented times,” Artwise said.

    Like most airlines, BA’s finances have been hit by the grounding of aircraft due to the virus lockdown. The airline proposes to make 12,000 staff redundant, with more than 1,000 pilot roles at risk.

    BA said it was acting now to protect as many jobs possible and insisted no final decision had been made on the number of jobs to go.

    Plans for job cuts have sparked a bitter row with unions, and BA has been accused by some MPs of using the pandemic as an excuse to restructure the airline.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Twitter removes more than 170,000 pro-China accounts

    Twitter has removed more than 170,000 accounts it says were tied to an operation to spread pro-China messages.

    Some of those posts were about the coronavirus outbreak, the social media platform has announced.

    The company said “a core network” of 23,750 highly active accounts had been deleted, along with another 150,000 “amplifier accounts”.

    Twitter also revealed it has shut down more than a thousand Russia-based misinformation accounts.

    The firm said the Chinese network, which was based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), had links to an earlier state-backed operation it broke up alongside Facebook and YouTube last year.

    That operation had been pushing out messages about the political situation in Hong Kong.

    “While this network is new, the technical links we used to identify the activity and attribute it to the PRC remain consistent with activity we initially identified and disclosed in August 2019,” Twitter said in its company blog, which was also tweeted by the firm’s founder Jack Dorsey.

    The US-based messaging platform added that it had been “thoroughly studying and investigating past coordinated information operations from the PRC.”

    While the 23,750 accounts were the main focus, 150,000 accounts were identified as helping to boost the messages online.

    Twitter said the two interconnected sets of accounts were caught early and typically had very few followers with low levels of engagement.

    “In general, this entire network was involved in a range of manipulative and coordinated activities. They were tweeting predominantly in Chinese languages and spreading geopolitical narratives favourable to the Communist Party of China (CCP), while continuing to push deceptive narratives about the political dynamics in Hong Kong,” the blog said.

    Twitter also said it had discovered a network of accounts linked to a media website it found to be “engaging in state-backed political propaganda within Russia”. This network of accounts, totalling 1,152, has now been suspended. “Activities included promoting the United Russia party and attacking political dissidents,” Twitter’s blog added.

    Combating misinformation

    Last week, Twitter accused US President Donald Trump of making false claims in some of his posts, although the platform has come under fire for not removing coronavirus misinformation.

    Earlier this week, the company said it was trialling a new “read before you retweet” pop-up aimed to promote “informed discussion”.

    The message will appear on articles that users share that they haven’t yet opened on the site.

    Mr Dorsey, Twitter’s high-profile chief executive, has also been making headlines recently by pledging money to anti-coronavirus efforts and racial equality organisations.

    Source: bbc.com

  • I need deliverance from a spiritual marriage with Sister Derby – Tutulapato cries out

    TV3’s Talented Kids’ superstar and rapper, Tutulapato has called out for spiritual help so he would be delivered from what seems to be a spiritual marriage with female Ghanaian musician, Sister Derby.

    According to him, since December 2019, he has been dreaming about Sister Derby and in all the dreams he has had so far, he always sees himself getting married to Sister Derby in a church or having honeymoon.

    Tutulapato has also revealed that there are times that he hugs and kisses Sister Derby in his dreams but was quick to emphasize that he has never had intimacy with her in his dreams before.

    He made all these known to Arnold Elavanyo Mensah in an exclusive interview on Vibes In 5.

    View pictures in App save up to 80% data.

    In as much as he is seeking for spiritual help, he has given indications that he has no problem whatsoever if what he sees in the dreams materialises physically even though Sister Derby is far older than he is.

    He also revealed that he has always liked Sister Derby in the music industry.

    Source: EbenAfum

  • Wicked: How red panties were used to severely destroy a famous TV3 presenter spiritually

    Stacy Amoateng has been off the screen of TV3 and other media outlets. The beautiful and fluent wife of Kofi Okyeame has been missed by her fans on both radio and TV.

    Rumours were all over that Stacy Amoateng is bedridden. Others suggested she has traveled abroad. Others rumoured she was dead, in coma, etcetera.

    Speaking on Kofi TV, to Kofi Adoma Nwanwanii, Stacy’s husband Kofi Okyeame confirmed that his wife Stacy Amoateng has been sick for some time now but has gotten better.

    According to him, Stacy developed an ailment which diagnosis, medications and surgery couldn’t solve. She had to force doctors to cut her up to know what’s wrong in her tummy but nothing was found. Diagnosis proved nothing. They had a revelation from a Prophetess who told them to go to a prayer camp in the Central Region.

    That was where they got to know that a female friend who came to perch with them actually took away his wife’s clothing and red panties just to destroy her. And it manifested. Spending one year at the prayer camp, things got better.

    And that particular incident fortified his Faith in God and he has served him till date.

    Stacy Amoateng and husband Okyeame Quophi are liars Mzbel

    Stacy Amoateng And Husband

    Source: Abrefa

  • Angry customers queue in front of GTBank office amidst issues withdrawing money

    GTbank has been in some troubles lately, complaint have been rolling in from customers, due to issues with cashing out their money.

    Some customers who could not bear the situation anymore, had to go to one of GTbank branches to launch an official complaint about their challenges.

    They stated that, the money they wanted to withdraw from the Bank, has been placed on pending for sometime now. According pictures circulating social media, some of these customers slammed the inhumane treatment on them, as they have been well battered by the hot weather condition.

    According to a tweet from a tweep, this customers even paid money to get into the office. While this who did not pay stayed in the sun.View pictures in App save up to 80% data.

    That tweet from @educatedcrayfish

    Over 50 persons are waiting outside of @gtbank in order to enter the bank hall.

    I’ve asked more than 15 of them and they’re all saying one thing – “I’m here to see customer care to get my money that has been hanging since”.

    People are even paying money to enter the bank hall.View pictures in App save up to 80% data.

    They’re now segmenting people.

    If you’re for deposits, they’ll let you in and you use that as a way to enter inside to do another thing, security will walk you out.

    Customer care people more than 60 now. GTB na very yeye bank.

    They said I’ll not get my money until coronavirus lockdown is over.

    The bank manager told me direct”.

    After the aforementioned tweep witnessed proceedings, also tried to withdraw some cash, this what was how his experience was like.

    “The bank is telling me point blank that there’s nothing they can do in order reverse my money that was debited via a failed transaction since 2nd of April till date.

    And the worst thing is that, their Twitter handlers are the worst set of SM handlers in Nigeria”.

    Meanwhile there are still lot of news unfolding concerning GTbank struggles with serving customers well, plus statement coming from Madam Kemi Olunloyo that there could be looming robbery attack on the bank.

    Source: Thesportrookie

  • Be mindful of your utterances, It can cause mayhem – Apostle to John Mahama

    The General Overseer of Emmanuel Salvation Church International Senior Apostle Anthony Ahenkan, has urged Former President and Flagbearer of National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama to be mindful of his speeches and campaign messages as it can incite his followers to cause mayhem before and during December 7th general election.

    ” Boot for Boot, we won’t accept results of flawed poll comments from *JDM* is unfortunate and can easily insight NDC activist to attack EC and disrupt New Voter ID registration or the December 7th Election. JDM is the best person to help peace prevail apart from the Security Agencies if he call on his supporters for calm; He added.

    Speaking in an interview with Journalist in Accra, Apostle Ahenkan, said violence free election can not be achievable if leadership’s of Various Parties and their supporters fails to refrain from using abusive words, personal attacks and uncultured languages in their campaigns and advised them most especially former President John Dramani Mahama to be mindful in his campaigns in order to protect his dignity before, during and after December

    7th general election.

    The senior apostle was peculiar to his statement base on the press conference he made on December 12, 2018 at Ntesere annual Mountains festive season of the church and the revelation God passed through him.

    “Your utterances before, during and after may cause chaos if care is not taken” this was earlier caution Apostle Ahinkan made to the former President JDM ahead of election 2020.

    Source: Fiifitvgh

  • Deadline extension for insurance recapitalization likely

    An industry discussion has commenced between players in the insurance sector and the regulator the National Insurance Commission (NIC) for a possible extension of the GH¢50 million new minimum capital requirement set to take effect in June next year.

    The insurers, under the auspices of the Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana (IBAG) and Ghana Insurance Association (GIA) are requesting an extension of the minimum recapitalization as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic that has severely impacted on all business activities across the globe.

    Indeed the insurance sector has been adversely affected by the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, one of the outcomes of COVID-19 has been an enormous increase in customers making claims on their insurers, particularly with regards to business interruption policies .

    An assessment done by an international accounting firm, KPMG states that given the overall impacts to the economies in various jurisdictions around the world, many insurers have adjusted the premiums payment terms around timing of payment, late fees and cancellation for non-payment as well as even partial return of premiums for reduced use.

    In fact, insurers have significantly increased their communication with customers by showing a great deal of proactive customer-driven support. In some countries, insurers offered rebates on motor insurance as a result of reduced levels of driving during lockdown.

    Insurers in the United Kingdom for instance, offered free motor cover and enhanced home cover for National Health Service (NHS) workers, as well as extending business cover to provide coverage for employees working from home.

    “While these are all positive actions, they also point to a problem: some insurance products have begun to feel out of step with the reality confronting customers, and thus with their needs”, KPMG says.

    The firm insists that since the sector involves highly complex business involving multiple processes such as administering existing policies; pricing of new business; selling new business; renewal of policies; addressing customer inquiries; and the claims process, it is no surprise, therefore, that the COVID-19 situation poses a wide-ranging series of challenges for insurers to maintain their operations as normal ways of working become severely disrupted.

    Here in Ghana, some industry players are already urging the insurance regulator to consider the request of insurers and extend the new minimum capital requirement date to enable insurers re-adjust to the ongoing changes in the market before having to face up to the already formidable challenges of complying with the new minimum capital requirements.

    Despite the impact being felt on all sectors of the economy, KPMG notes that the COVID-19 pandemic puts insurers on the fast-track to technology adoption in the wake of the disease.

    Background

    The new minimum capital requirement with a 230 percent increase from the initial GH¢15 million to GH¢50 million for both life and non-life (general) insurers created fierce controversy among industry operators following its announcement.

    Source: goldstreetbusiness.com

  • Post coronavirus: Make tax payment processes more convenient for businesses Tax Law Expert to GRA

    Tax Law Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law, Mr. William Owusu Demitia, has called on the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), to as a matter of urgency, review their existing tax payment procedures and processes to make it more convenient for taxpayers to fulfil their statutory obligations amidst the slow in business as a result of COVID -19.

    Mr. Demitia, made the call when his he delivered via Zoom, the sixth lecture of the fourteen (14) week-long “Law and Ethics Web Series”, under the theme, “Tax Implications of Covid-19”, on Wednesday the 10th of June 2020. The online seminar is organized jointly by the African Centre on Law and Ethics (ACLE) and the African Centre of International Criminal Justice (ACICJ), both based at the GIMPA Faculty of Law.

    “By our system, if you want to pay tax, you must close your shop, walk to the nearest GRA office, probably be in a queue, in order to fulfil your tax obligations. Now ask yourself, who will do that. Why would I close up shop, just to fulfil my tax obligations? What would I get from it? We have not made it so convenient for them to as it were, comply with their tax obligations” Mr. Demitia said.

    He intimated that it is time for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to introduce real-time technological options and platforms to allow taxpayers to fulfil their tax obligations as a stop gap measure to aid the business community to meet their tax obligations in time and as conveniently as possible.

    Law and Ethics Web Series

    The Law and Ethics Web Series begun on Wednesday the 6th of May 2020 on the online meeting platform, Zoom at 2pm. The pending presentations on Jun 17, Jun 24, Jul 1, Jul 8, Jul 15, Jul 22, Jul 29, and Aug 5, 2020, will come on as scheduled. Interested persons can join any of the upcoming sessions by visiting the Zoom application and using the Webinar ID:848-2795-0621 or https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84827950621.

    Various speakers have been lined up for the exercise by the organizers. The series is being coordinated by Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Budu, a Lecturer and Head of Law Centers at the GIMPA Faculty of Law. The 10th of June 2020 session was moderated by Mrs. Clara Kasser-Tee, Lecturer at the GIMPA Faculty of Law, under the distinguished patronage of the Rector of GIMPA, Professor Philip Ebow Bondzi-Simpson, and the Honorific Dean of the GIMPA Law Faculty, Justice Sir

    Source: Kasapa FM

  • Missing illicit drugs: Narcotic Control Commission charges at Customs Division

    The Narcotic Control Commission (NCC), has asked the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), to produce all exhibits intercepted at Kpoglo Border in the Volta Region last Friday during a joint operation by security operatives.

    According to the Commission, the law mandated that impounded vehicles and their content must be retrieved and transferred to the NCC within 36 hours.

    The Acting Director-General of the NCC, Mr Francis Torkornoo who disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday said the substance suspected to be illicit drugs was being transited into the country by a drug syndicate when it was impounded.

    He said after impounding the truck and its content, the Customs Division contrary to the law kept it in their custody for almost a week.

    However, he said the Commission needed the exhibits suspected to be narcotic substance including the missing 100.1 grams whitish substance suspected to be cocaine for testing and to enable investigations to commence.

    “As of date the Custom Division of the GRA has failed to hand over the exhibits to the NCC for further investigations,” he added.

    Mr Torkornoo mentioned that the items comprised six parcels labelled fatal (767.3g), 45 whites pebbles(3,097.1g), 40 blisters 10 tabs, 225 tramadol tablet (353.5g), three cans labelled praise palm cream weighing 2,265.7g, eight parcels wrapped in brown cello tape weighing 7.743.1g, four parcels wrapped in black polytene weighing 5,079.2g, fifty-one parcels wrapped in transparent polythene weighing 5,0459.2.

    He said, in addition, was an amount US$200,000.00, drivers licence, complimentary cards, and cheque books.

    Mr Torkornoo said the Commission had written officially to the division to demand the exhibits, adding they will pursue the matter in court if the division failed to hand over the exhibits to them.

    “I have personally sent messages and calls to their boss demanding for the exhibits for further investigations but to no avail,” he added.

    Mr Torkornoo said on June 7, 2020 about 7am, all the agencies were invited by the Customs Division to verify the exhibits in the custody before it was escorted to the headquarters of the division.

    However, the verification exercise revealed that a parcel 100.10g parcel of the seized items was missing.

    The Director-General also explained that the security operation which led to the arrest was based on intelligence of an NCC officer and not a sole effort of the Customs Division.

    When contacted on the issue, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) in charge of Communications at the GRA, Mr Yankey Johnson Menlah said on June 8, the Division presented the exhibits (suspected narcotics) without the vehicle to the NCC in Accra but they refused to accept it because the vehicle and other exhibits were not included.

    He said the NCC as a procedure should have written officially to the Commissioner of GRA to request for the vehicle.

    The Chief Revenue Officer stated that all the money seized have been paid to the Bank of Ghana.

    He said a committee had also been set in Accra to investigate the missing whitish substance suspected to be cocaine.

     

    Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

  • Coronavirus: Cinemas around world ponder reopening strategy

    Tens of thousands of cinemas around the world were forced to close by Covid-19. Some are reopening in certain countries and the industry is banking on big summer releases to attract filmgoers back. But will customers feel safe stepping through the doors?

    The original trailer for Christopher Nolan’s $200m fantasy spy epic Tenet ended with a release date of 17 July. The most recent trailer dumps the date totally.

    It’s now uncertain when Tenet will come out – like much else in the film world.

    It’s a Warner Bros release, but even competitors – as well as the big cinema chains – are hoping Tenet will mark the moment when audiences start buying cinema tickets again.

    In March, virtually all cinemas worldwide closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Sweden, Taiwan and South Korea were partial exceptions.

    In recent weeks, other countries have announced that cinemas can start to reopen. Yet Louise Tutt of Screen International magazine says the situation on the ground is complex.

    “What most of the cinemas are showing is a strange mixture,” she says. “Partly it’s films they were showing pre-lockdown and a few library titles.

    “For instance, in South Korea they’ve re-released The Greatest Showman and cinemas in parts of Germany are beginning to show new local comedies.

    “But social distancing and a lack of new films means very little money is being taken. A European country or a US state may lift lockdown, but in most places admissions are a fraction of what they should be.”

    Cinemas in Denmark and Croatia were among those that reopened last month. Italian cinemas are about to open with an audience limit of 200, or 1,000 for outdoor screenings.

    Plans in the UK are still under discussion, but cinemas in England could potentially reopen from 4 July.

    Finnish cinemas were allowed to open at the start of this month. But Tero Koistinen of the Finnish Chamber of Films says only about 10 percent of the country’s 350 screens are in operation.

    “The cinemas which did reopen mainly were single-screen independents and a few arthouse venues screening titles like Parasite and Emma,” he says.

    “But the volume market simply isn’t there yet, whatever is permitted in theory.”

    Koistinen says it’s impossible to exaggerate the importance of Tenet. “It’s not only that Finns want to see the new Christopher Nolan movie, although I think they do. But Tenet has become the great symbol of the return of Hollywood movies.

    “Finns really enjoy local titles on screen. But commercial cinema basically means Hollywood, and until Tenet and a couple of other big films are released our attendances will be quite low.

    “We will have to see how social distancing develops. It may be that multiplexes will play Tenet across several screens but always to a limited audience.”

    Louise Tutt says Warner Bros are having discussions daily on when to release Tenet around the world.

    Bond film No Time To Die has been put back to November (Picture Credit: UNIVERSAL)

    “The cold commercial fact is they need around 80 percent of screens open. And they can’t release it in the US unless the main film-going hubs like New York and Los Angeles are open for business – the places worst hit by Covid-19.

    “I don’t think they can release it in Asia and Europe until America is watching too. The story has been kept pretty shrouded and they don’t want secrets given away before everyone can see it.

    “So a 17 July release is starting to look like a big ask and there’s a back-up date which would probably be 14 August.

    “It’s highly problematic for Warners, but one good thing is that Christopher Nolan is an evangelist for the cinematic experience and he will be good at talking that up.

    “But marketing is all over the place this year, if only because no one is seeing trailers on the big screen.”

    Tutt says other big summer releases will also play their part in persuading audiences to return. They include another Warner release, Wonder Woman 1984 and Disney’s Mulan, a live-action version of its 1998 animation.

    Both films are more female-focused than Tenet. But Tutt thinks the big unknown is whether audience behaviour will have changed.

    “No one can say how willing or not people will be to go into a cinema and sit there for two hours.” she explains.

    “But we saw when the beaches and parks opened up that people dashed there, because they were desperate to get out of the house and feel some kind of normality returning.

    “One thing in cinema’s favour is that films like Mulan and Tenet have a built-in appeal to young audiences. Anecdotally they appear the people least anxious about going out into the world.”

    Source: Peace FM

  • Joint 77 discloses Shatta Wale’s top secret

    Shatta Wale and one of his former militant, Joint 77, took their disagreements that caused their separation to Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM.

    Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr., is a Ghanaian singer, songwriter, actor and CEO of Shatta Movements Empire.

    Shatta Wale revealed that he gave out ladies to one of the militants, joint 77 and paid for it.

    Disclosing the top secret of Shatta Wale, Joint 77 also stated that Shatta Wale never appreciated his musical efforts.

    He explained the ungratefulness of Shatta Wale as his former boss never appreciated his efforts and that he claims is one of the reasons why he is where he is today.

    Not long after the interview, Shatta Wale sent military men to retrieve the car he had bought for Joint 77 from him as a birth day gift.

    Do you think it was right for Shatta Wale to have collected the car he bought as a gift for Joint 77?.

    Source: AfiaPokuaVimLady

     

  • Civil Society Organization calls on CID to investigate EC boss

    David Kumi Addo , The Executive Secretary of “Care” has called on the CID to investigate EC’s Boss, Jean Mensah with immediate effect.

    Following the arguments of the EC upon which it wants to discard the biometric register which produced two Presidents, H.E John Mahama in 2012 and H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016 and some members of Parliament as well, Mr Kumi has mentioned such claims as invalid.

    Mr Kumi mentioning to the Press stated that the inflexibility and aggressiveness of the EC has only created a potential source of violence. He added that he “feels” the EC is being engineered down this slippery slope by the New Patriotic Party(NPP).

    He argued that, the decision made by Jean Mensah and the EC to go ahead and register over one million voters a couple of months into election 2020, when she knows the register will not be needed is a deliberate move to cause financial loss to the state.

    In his opinion, Mr Kumi said that perhaps the EC has forgotten that the register is a biometric one with finger prints and other unique details of voters, making it impossible for dead men to vote. This he said in response to the argument proposed by the EC that the names of 600,000 dead persons are in the old register,hence, the need for a new one.

    However, David Kumi believes the only valid reason the EC wants to improve upon its technology is to add facial recognition as a tool of identification. And even that is the poorest form of security as compared to the already existing fingerprint feature in use, he said.

    Source: CharityNews

  • We need paradigm shift in attitudes to achieve ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ – Panellists

    Panellists at a virtual forum on COVID-19 and the vision of ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ have called for a paradigm shift in attitudes of Ghanaians to achieve the agenda of economic self-sufficiency.

    They asked the Government to infuse the Charter of the Ghana Beyond Aid into the curricula of the education system at all levels to ensure the youth-owned the programme.

    It was held on the theme:” COVID-19 and our march towards Ghana Beyond Aid: Turning Adversity into Opportunity “.

    The event formed part of efforts to step up public education and social mobilisation towards achieving the President’s vision of self-reliance.

    It was organised by Ghana Beyond Aid Committee, Office of the Senior Minister and Information Ministry, under the Chairmanship of the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo.

    Some distinguished personalities who spoke at the forum included the Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Cape Coast Diocese of the Catholic Church, Mr Kwami Pianim, a renowned Economist, Dr Yaw Adu Gyamfi, President of the Association of Ghana Industries, Mr Lawrence Agyinsam, the Chief Executive Officer of EXIM Bank Ghana, Dr Yaw Baah, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress and Mr Isaac Jay Hyde, President of the National Union of Ghana Students.

    The Most Rev. Palmer-Buckles, who spoke on the topic: ” Renewing our mindset and changing our attitudes for collective development” noted that human factor was indispensable in the country’s quest towards actualising the vision.

    He, therefore, underscored the need to inculcate key values such as patriotism, honesty, volunteerism, accountability, transparency and hard work in Ghanaians, especially the youth, to achieve the agenda.

    “We need systematic and sustained goal-oriented values to actualise the agenda.

    ” If we’re to achieve the Ghana Beyond Aid, every Ghanaian must be on board, he said, adding; “Without the Ghana Beyond Aid, we will continue to revisit our past therefore, we need to focus and guide our actions,” he said.

    He said it was imperative to psyche the Ghanaian very deeply to cherish the gift of the fellow Ghanaian, saying; “I feel sad when I hear people say Ghana is not worth dying for because there is nowhere like home”.

    The Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle entreated Ghanaians to develop the sense of gratitude for the country’s numerous natural resource endowments and work relentlessly to become self-sufficient.

    For his part, Mr Kwame Mpianim, a renowned Economist, reviewed the trajectory of the country’s economic history, noting that, the nation kept repeating the mistakes of the past because ” we failed to learn lessons from our history “.

    He underlined the need to package the ” Ghana Beyond Aid ” initiative as a national agenda, devoid of any partisanship to drive the path of development.

    He said it was prudent for the nation to learn lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and take advantage to produce and manufacture things that meet domestic requirements.

    “We should take advantage of the 400 million population of ECOWAS and 1.2 million people in Africa to export our goods and services, he added. saying; ” COVID-19 provides us an opportunity to reset the button and harness our resources to better Ghana”.

    ” COVID-19 is a clarion call to shift our attitude from the business as usual.

    “We can do it. It is difficult, but is not impossible, ” Mr Mpianim emphasised.

    Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the Senior Minister, who chaired the programme in his welcome remarks, referred to President Akufo-Addo’s address at the 63rd Independence Anniversary in 2018 when he outdoor the “Ghana Beyond Aid” agenda.

    The Minister explained that the agenda sought to rally all Ghanaians towards achieving economic self-sufficiency.

    Also, it aimed to effectively harness the nation’s human and natural resources for rapid national development as well as ensuring we engaged in competitive trading with the rest of the world.

    The Minister said: “If Ghana is to become self-sufficient, it is now!

    Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in brief remarks, stated that the objective of the forum constituted one of the five strategic pillars of the Government’s COVID-19 Response Programme, that’s ” Provide Personal Protective Equipment locally and turn adversity into opportunity “.

    He mentioned the rest of the pillars as Limit the importation of the coronavirus, provide adequate care for those infected with the disease, contains community spread, and implement interventions to lessen the socioeconomic burden of Ghanaians due to the impact of the respiratory disease.

    Source: GNA

  • Pierre Emerick Aubameyang move ‘confirmed’

    Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has been a crucial player in the Arsenal team. He joined the Gunners in 2018 and has been outstanding in the front line.

    However, he has been linked with a move out of the Emirates stadium probably this summer. The Gabon international has scored a number of crucial goals for Arsenal hence they are not ready to lose him. They are rather having talks with him to extend his contract than looking after a new signing replacement.

    Aubameyang is entering the final year of his contract. This has left the Gunners with serious discussions on whether to sell him or risk losing him on a free transfer if he fails to sign a new contract. But Arsenal are ready to offer their captain a new good deal if he accepts to remain.

    The 30 year old star has recorded top scores that even made him win the golden boot together with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in the last season. This has made big clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona target the goal machine.

    According to reports, it is clear that Arsenal have a good relationship with Aubameyang’s father. They have maintained good communication with the stars father who acts as his agent. This makes the Gunners to hope that his father will lead the striker signing a new deal with Arsenal.

    Many Arsenal fans and even coach Mikel Arteta are in support of having the player stay in the Emirates stadium. This much appreciation that he is a great player will see him put pen down on paper to seal a new contract. Do you support his stay at Arsenal or he should leave? Please leave your comment, like, share and follow.

    Soruce: operanewsapp.com

  • Arsenal ranked the second club in the world with cash in the bank.

    Soccerex has ranked Arsenal Second with an Estimated £261.5m in their Bank Account.

    They are just £13m behind First ranked team, Manchester United despite the lack of European Football currently eluding the North London Giants at the moment.

    This money can be spent on the acquisition of players at any given price without the Breaking and Breaching any Financial Fair Play Rules.

    Majority of this money in the Bank now yet to be spent by the Gunners where made during Arsene Wenger’s regime as the Head Coach.

    He made these Monies by the prudent management of the club’s resources, the sales of players, and also, other significant investments at the club.

    During his time at Arsenal, Wenger have been accused of lack of spending and investing in the team and now, that is very evident in their Bank Account.

    Wenger oversaw the sale of high profile players to rival clubs in England and Europe during his regime. This fetched them big amount of money.

    The likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Robin Van Persie, Alex Song, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Adebayo, Alex Hleb, and host of other high profile players where all sold by Wenger.

    Source: operanewsapp.com

  • Coronavirus: Lufthansa to cut 22,000 jobs

    German airline Lufthansa has said it will cut 22,000 jobs as it struggles to deal with the slump in air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The carrier predicted a slow recovery in demand and expected to have about 100 fewer aircraft after the crisis.

    Lufthansa said half the job cuts would be in Germany. It hopes to agree the measures with unions by 22 June.

    It added that it hoped to minimise redundancies through short-time working and crisis agreements.

    “The aim is to pave the way for the preservation of as many jobs as possible in the Lufthansa Group,” the company said.

    The airline employs more than 135,000 people worldwide. About half of them are in Germany.

    Lufthansa labour director Michael Niggemann said: “Without a significant reduction in personnel costs during the crisis, we will miss the opportunity of a better restart from the crisis and risk that the Lufthansa Group will emerge from the crisis significantly weakened.”

    Struggling sector

    Last month, Lufthansa agreed a rescue deal worth €9bn (£8bn) with the German government to save it from collapse.

    The German government will take a 20% stake in the firm, which it intends to sell by the end of 2023.

    However, the deal still has to be approved by the firm’s shareholders and the European Commission.

    The company closed its budget airline Germanwings in April.

    Other airlines are implementing similar measures in anticipation of a long, slow return to former levels of demand. Job cuts announced so far include:

    British Airways is proposing to make 12,000 of its 45,000 staff redundant, with more than 1,000 pilot roles at risk Ryanair is set to shed 3,000 jobs – 15% of its workforce – with boss Michael O’Leary saying the planned cuts are “the minimum that we need just to survive the next 12 months” EasyJet has said it will cut up to 30% of its workforce – about 4,500 jobs And Virgin Atlantic, which employs 10,000 people, has said it will cut 3,000 jobs.

    Source: BBC

  • Breast cancer patient dies after GH¢60k was raised for her medical treatment

    After just seven days, the woman JoyNews raised ¢60,000 to cater for her breast cancer treatment, has died.

    Agnes Dogbe, 43 was battling the disease that left one of her breasts rotten.

    Her landlord, at the time her story was told had threatened to evict her from the room she occupied with her two children, ages nine and 10 respectively.

    What Agnes used to look like before her diagnosis

    Her husband was nowhere to be found and her siblings had stated clearly they were in no position to support her get medical treatment.

    Agnes was living at the mercy of a few kind friends, who themselves lacked the finances to help her get healthcare.

    But when her story was told on the Prime Morning on JoyPrime, June 4, 2020, her plea for help moved many Ghanaians to contribute towards her treatment.

    As of June 10, donations received by The Multimedia Group for her exceeded ₵60,000.

    At the time of her death, Agnes was on admission at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital where doctors had hoped to work some magic on her.

    Source: myjoyonline 

  • My daughter’s paedophile will regret, I’ll deal with him drastically! – Reggie Rockstone swears

    Ghanaian rap legend, Reggie Rockstone has sworn to deal mercilessly with a social media troll who made an offensive remark about his daughter.

    It could be recalled that Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale, in one of his social media outbursts, months ago took a swipe at Reggie Rockstone claiming he (Reggie) has not done any good thing for Hiplife musicians in the country.

    The dancehall artiste opined that Reggie Rockstone is only enjoying the title ”Grandpapa of Hiplife” but has nothing to his credit as the originator of Hiplife in Ghana.

    Shatta Wale further lambasted Reggie Rockstone saying, at his old age, he still lives in his father’s house.

    Although Reggie Rockstone maintained a good composure following the rant and rave by the dancehall artiste and used his Instagram to make things clear to music lovers and his followers, he however went haywire in one of his series of videos which stunned most of his followers and Ghanaians at large.

    With many people wondering what was worrying the grandpapa of Hiplife, the facts became clear that a certain social media troll had made a post on twitter to have a gang sex with Reggie Rockstone’s six-year daughter and the father of the adorable daughter wasn’t taking the tweet lightly at all.

    Publicly displaying the paedophiles pictures, he swore to pounce on him and slit his scrotum.

    Reggie Rockstone, in an interview with Nkonkonsa, promised he hasn’t given up his hunt for the paedophile, stressing he will surely make him regret picking on his daughter.

    ”I’m not an ordinary guy. The child’s grandfather is an Ex-President of the country. He’s not just a common person. And you look at his father too, [you know] I’m from a prominent family. You can’t talk rubbish like that”, he said painfully.

    Reggie however rendered an apology to Ghanaians for the unsavory statements he made in his episode of anger.

    ”In the history of Reggie Rockstone, I think that will be the first time in the history of Reggie Rockstone in Ghana, West Africa to be precise, that I was angry. I don’t get angry. And I’d like to take this time out to apologize to all who were offended by my language. But for a man to write that you would like to have gang sex with my 6-year old daughter was the worst thing ever. I don’t care whether he is an SM fan or standing fan or fan milk…I’m gonna deal with him like I promised.”

    Watch full video:

    Source: Peace FM

  • Torrential rains kills one, displaces several others

    Hours of torrential rains on Wednesday evening led to the death of a five-year-old boy at Gomoa Jukwa in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region.

    The deceased who was sleeping together with his parents and a sibling died when parts of the mud house in which they were sleeping fell on them killing him instantly while the others sustained various degrees of injuries.

    Mr Joseph Kwame Donkor, Regional Director of NADMO who confirmed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said over 100 residents had been displaced with properties running into thousands of Ghana Cedis lost.

    According to him, the worst-hit areas were Gomoa Central District and also Kasoa Iron City where many of the buildings were in waterways.

    He said more than 70 houses, 25 in Gomoa Central District and 50 in the Awutu Senya East Municipality had been affected.

    The NADMO Director said his outfit was working hand in hand with the Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly to pull some houses in waterways in some areas down to avert such disasters.

    He urged remote communities to pool resources together to construct temporal gutters and embark on communal labour to distil gutters to avoid flooding in this rainy season.

    Source: GNA

  • Ensure debts owed us are paid now Pharmaceutical firms to government

    The Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association of Ghana and the Chamber of Pharmacy Ghana have called on government to ensure that monies owed their members by NHIA-accredited health facilities are paid immediately.

    The two associations warned the withdrawal of services from all National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) funded health facilities effective 1st July 2020 if the call is ignored.

    A joint statement signed by the Chairman of Chamber of Pharmacy Ghana, Harrison K. Abutiate, decried the failure of NHIA funded health facilities, regional medical stores and providers who are party to the framework contract to pay for pharmaceuticals products supplied to them for more than 12 calendar months.

    “This will ensure that pharmaceutical companies are not forced to initiate supplies to the service providers in question-based on bank guarantees and /or cash and carry as a mode of payment in their quest to ensure continuous service delivery as well as avoid the collapse of their companies which are already distressed.”

    “In the absence of the above, both entities will have no other option than to stop supplies on credit to all NHIA funded health facilities effective 1st July 2020,” the statement added.

    The association also stated that for transparency in repayment, the Minister of Health should ensure that payments made by the National Health Insurance Authority to all Health Insurance Service Providers are published on a real-time basis.

     

    No more credit to NHIS institutions until debt is settled Pharmacy Chamber

    The Chamber of Pharmacy Ghana had in February 2020 announced that it will continue to enforce its decision not to supply medicines on credit to National Health Insurance accredited health facilities.

    According to the Chamber, it will only rescind its decision until service providers pay their debts in full.

    Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Anthony Ameka expressed the frustrations they receive from banks they owe.

    “If I supply medicines to a facility and every month I am paying interests on loans, you just imagine how much the facilities are owing me,” he lamented.

    But he assured that the Chamber will become more flexible “immediately we receive all the monies that the facilities are owing us.”

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Ghanaian Times: Time to adopt radical means to solve flooding in the city

    It has now become a yearly ritual for the Ghanaian Times to comment on flooding in Accra during the raining season.

    This is because no matter how prepared we are, Accra will be flooded at a great cost for people living in flood-prone areas.

    In all honesty, it has become a boring chore writing flood stories because no matter the number of stories written, the situation remains the same year after year.

    It is therefore, no wonder that the capital city on Wednesday, once again experienced another flood after a downpour leading to the death of six people and loss of property running into millions of cedis.

    It has been pointed out time without number that the floods in Accra are man-made and are mostly triggered by seasonal rainfall combined with poor drainage, the dumping of waste and illegal settlements in waterways.

    As already known, the floods often result in significant damage to private property, including homes and businesses.

    Losses occur due to damage to both the structure and contents of buildings. Worse still, most floods kill people and displace others every year.

    It is for this reason that we propose a radical approach in resolving the problem that has persisted over the years.

    We propose that a nationwide campaign be launched to demolish all illegal structures sited in waterways in all parts of the country with the owners paying for the cost of the demolishing exercise.

    Henceforth, the district assemblies and their respective chief executives should be taken on if they give permit to people to build on waterways and create problems for all of us.

    As a local authority, the assemblies must be seen to be part of the solution and not the problem because of the interest of a few people.

    Sadly, if you visit the Ghanaian Times library, you will find flood stories that date about 60 years back. Nothing seems to have changed except perhaps, the people involved.

    The June 3 flood and fire disaster which claimed over 100 lives and maimed several others should be a constant reminder of the urgent need to address the flood issues.

    There should be a deliberate attempt by both the government and the citizenry to face this situation head-on.

    While the citizenry should desist from building in water ways and throwing rubbish into drains, the government must invest in drainage to avert flood as well as enforce the law.

    We know we cannot solve the flood problem at a go but the change we envisage must begin with us.

    Source: Ghanaians Times

  • Health worker dies from coronavirus as 49 others test positive

    A health worker in the Eastern Region has died from Coronavirus.

    This brings to two the number of fatalities recorded in the region after a Senior Police officer died from the disease on May 29,2020.

    Meanwhile, the number of health workers who have tested positive have increased from 30 to 49.

    Statistics by the Eastern Regional Health Directorate dated June 10, 2020, indicate the regional case Count has increased from 198 to 208.

    The additional confirmed cases were recorded in West Akim (4), New Juaben South (3), Denkyembuor (2) and Birim Central (1).

    Bellow is the Eastern Regional Breakdown of cases by
    Districts/ Municipalities.

    1) Lower Manya Krobo-75

    2) New Juaben South 32

    3) Kwawu West- 23

    4) Akuapim North-15

    5) Denkyembour- 14

    6) Asuogyaman- 13

    7) Nsawam Adoagyiri- 7

    8) Fanteakwa North -6

    9) Birim North -6

    10) West Akim- 5

    11) Birim Central- 4

    12) Suhum- 3

    13) Achiase- 2

    14) Akuapim South -1

    15) Abuakwa North-1

    16) Upper Manya Krobo-1

     

    Source: Starr FM

  • Public trickles in for Ghana card collection

    Members of the public who have registered for the National Identification Authority (NIA) Ghana card are trickling in to collect their cards after the distribution started on Wednesday.

    A visit to three centres in the Ablekuma South constituency by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) showed that fewer people had gone in for their cards on Thursday compared with the turnout on Wednesday.

    Madam Belinda Mensah, Senior Registration Officer of the NIA at the Ebenezer 2 and 3 Junior High School, Korle Gonno in an interview with GNA said there were 232 cards for distribution and 54 cards were issued to the registered people on Wednesday.

    However, she said as at 10:05 am on Thursday only eight people had received their cards, a lower number compared to that of Wednesday.

    Mr Samuel Sackey, Senior Registration Officer of the NIA at the Methodist Primary/JHS, Mamprobi said the center had 158 cards to distribute to people who had registered for the Ghana Card.

    He said the centre gave out eighteen cards to people who visited the center for collection on Wednesday, but only seven people had reported as at 11:00 am on Thursday.

    He attributed the low turn-out to lack of publicity and awareness of the public to the collection of cards by the NIA.

    Mr Samuel Addy, NIA Senior Registration Officer at Mamprobi 2 Girls JHS, Mamprobi said officers at the centre had to call the registered people whose cards were ready for collection. The centre has 145 cards.

    He said the centre issued 20 cards on Wednesday and five on Thursday morning.

    He assured those whose cards were not ready for collection that they would be contacted once ready.

    Source: GNA

  • Lets show love to colleague victims of coronavirus – GRNMA

    Mr Thomas Lambon, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has entreated members of the Association to demonstrate love to infected colleagues and those who survived the COVID-19 infection.

    He described the recovery of members as “refreshing news,” and said love, care and compassion were critical components of the nursing profession which must be shown to all patients and recovered victims of the virus devoid of stigma of all forms.

    Mr Lambon, who is also an Anesthetist at the Upper East Regional hospital in Bolgatanga, gave the advice at a ceremony organised at the instance of the facility to welcome 11 recovered COVID-19 staff of the Ghana Health Service. The Chairman said the staff, most of whom were nurses, got infected in their line of duty, and urged members of the Association to thank God for the lives of their recovered colleagues, and work with them to promote quality healthcare services in the Region.

    Mr Lambon said as nurses and midwives, it was important for them to serve as role models and lead the fight against the stigma associated with the virus, “If the public see us working closely with our colleagues who have recovered from the virus, it will change their mindset about stigmatizing victims of the disease.”

    He called on members of the Association in the Region, especially staff of the hospital to “See each other as one, no one should think of stigma because we as health professionals should know better, and rather educate the general public on the effects of stigma on COVID-19 patients as well as other health conditions.”

    He urged the health professionals to prepare themselves to handle cases of COVID-19 as they did in other equally dangerous health conditions they were used to, stressing that in their quest to save lives during the pandemic, they needed to practise their Infection Prevention Control techniques.

    Some members of the GRNMA and staff of the hospital, who spoke to the GNA, said the recovery of their colleagues had boosted their confidence levels to manage COVID-19 cases in the facility which is the designated treatment centre.

    They could not hide their joy and praises to God as they welcomed their colleagues back to work, “We have heard and read about COVID-19 recorded deaths globally, and so we are thankful to God that our colleagues have survived it,” Mr Richard Addah, a nurse at the facility said.

    Source: GNA

  • Modern teaching and learning approaches will counter coronavirus effects on education – President

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Thursday stressed the need for the adoption of modern teaching and learning approaches to counter the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s educational regime.

    Noting the drastic way that the coronavirus had changed, globally, the way things are done, including that of the educational sector, he said it was of utmost importance that modern technology was harnessed to improve educational outcomes to safeguard the future prosperity of the country.

    In an interaction with Vice Chancellors of public universities at the Jubilee House, Accra, ahead of the partial reopening of tertiary institutions on Monday, June 15, 2020, President Akufo-Addo reiterated that education was the key to the future of the country, and measures were being taken to ensure that the crisis does not impact on the quality of education of children and the youth.

    As a result, Government, he said, was initiating a learning management system to promote electronic learning and online educational interaction in all tertiary institutions across the country.

    He stated that learning management systems would enable the government access the effectiveness of e?learning and online interactions.

    President Akufo-Addo spoke about the Open University concept, which he said government was taking a keen interest in to see how it would contribute to quality education in the country.

    Government, he said, was working to ensure that universities provided quality distance learning as was being delivered by Open Universities.

    President Akufo-Addo indicated that his decision to order the reopening of schools for particularly final year students is to prevent the past experiences of where the education of Ghanaian students were interrupted due to political decisions.

    “We know here in Ghana, we have examples, very painful examples of what happened to generations of Ghanaians whose education was interrupted, sometimes by purely political events not by pandemics, but by political events and its taken a long time for the victims of those political interventions in the life of our educational system, to recover and for our system to recover.

    “If there is any way we can prevent this generation also suffering in their evolution from the pandemic, we should do so, ” he said.

    The President pointed out that “Education is the key to the future of our country, the quality of education that our educational institutions will produce will determined the success or failure of our nation,” adding that ways have to be sought “to safeguard that future.”

    “Safeguarding that future means essentially safeguarding the prospect of the generation of young people who are the objects of education today,” he stressed.

    President AKufo-Addo was confident that the limited reopening of universities would serve as a good example for the country, as there would be space for compliance with health protocols relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “If it succeeds, then the country will be reassured that we can begin to step up with confidence to the future that comes ahead of us,” he said

    Professor Ebenezer Oduro, Chairman of the Vice-Chancellors of Ghana, assured the President that contrary to media reports that some universities have decided not to open despite the government’s directives for them to open, all universities would adhere to the directive in absolute terms..

    “Come the 15th, that is Monday, all universities will reopen as you have directed.

    “We believe that the orders were given in some context, and that tells us that we need also to apply wisdom and some level of discretion in getting the students to campus to complete their academic work,” he said.

    Prof. Oduro, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, the revealed that the universities had reached an agreement with the students’ body to adopt a “blend approach” that would see the continuation of online studies, and the opening of classrooms to those who would want to walk in and study.

    He assured also that all safety protocols would be observed.

     

    Source: GNA

  • Disinfection exercise will spur members to come to church — Very Rev Joshua Tawiah

    The disinfection of Methodist Churches in Tamale, in the Northern Region, by Zoomlion Ghana Limited will help allay fears members of the church have about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and encourage them to have the zeal to once again engage in communal worship.

    These were the Methodist Church in Changli, Tamale and Bethel Methodist Cathedral also in Tamale.

    Superintendent Minister of the Tamale Circuit-Synod, who also doubles as the Secretary of the Tamale Diocese, Very Rev Joshua Tawiah, made the observation when Zoomlion carried out a disinfection and dis-infestation exercise in the church last Thursday.

    He said the COVID-19 pandemic had had both positive and negative effects on the church in general.

    In his view, the pandemic had exposed some of the weakness in our activities.

    “For instance, Christianity has been built around communal worship, and during the lockdown you realised that people who had the zeal for communal worship were not happy at that time—they wished that they had come for worship, but the COVID did not allow them to come to church,” he said.

    On the positive impact, Very Rev Tawiah indicated that the pandemic opened their eyes to the use of technology to do virtual worship, using Facebook and other social media platforms.

    According to him, the reason the Methodist Church of Ghana decided to resume worship on Sunday, June 14, 2020, was to allow them space to put in place adequate measures to protect its members against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “…and one of these measures is the disinfection exercise of all Methodist Churches in the country by Zoomlion Ghana Limited,” the man of God intimated.

    Continuing, he disclosed that stewards of his church have been charged with the task of purchasing Veronica buckets and alcohol-based hand sanitisers for use by members.

    To this end, Very Rev Tawiah affirmed that the leadership will ensure that members comply strictly with all the COVID-19 preventive protocols.

    He commended Zoomlion Ghana Limited for the exercise, stating it will help fight the virus.

     

    Source: Abdul Rahman, Contributor

  • Ernesto Yeboah spends another night in police cells after bail – Lawyer

    Ernesto Yeboah, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, is still in police custody after being granted GH¢100,000 bail.

    His lawyer, Sammy Darko explained: “The reason Ernesto although has been granted bail by the court but is still in custody is because by the time the Police finished verifying the sureties and where they lived, the court had closed and so they will have to go back to the court early tomorrow,” he told Citi News in an interview yesterday [June 11, 2020].

    Sammy Darko told the court that the bail terms were harsh and excessive because his alleged offence was misdemeanor and that he already has a police enquiry bail. But the judge declined to revise the bail terms.

    The lawyer noted, “The law is very settled on how to execute a bail, but I do not know why there is always a problem. When you are granted bail, it is the duty of the registry of that court to determine your sureties, whether they are viable or not. If the court is satisfied with your surety, then the duty of the Police now comes in. The Police are supposed to investigate where you live in the event that if the person jumps surety then the Police can locate such a person and hold you responsible.

    Now when Ernesto was granted bail, our decision was that he should execute the bail bond in court and then the Police can take him away and go and verify all the sureties but the police insisted that they need to take him to the police station and that the sureties must come to the police station for them to go to their individual houses to verify and I am very sure they have been doing that the whole day. And so by the time they were done, the court had closed and so they could not go back to the court to sign. Unfortunately, he has to spend the night [at the police station]”.

    Ernesto Yeboah was arrested on Saturday, June 6 at a George Floyd vigil held at the Black Star Square (Independence Square) in Accra and was charged with failure to notify the police of a special event contrary to the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 491) section 1(1).

    He pleaded not guilty and the court granted him bail with three sureties; two of whom are to be public servants.

    By contrast in America, where night curfews are in place in several cities, the police shepherd the demonstrators through their acts of positive defiance and civil disobedience.

    Ernesto Yeboah and some sixty persons were confronted by police and soldiers on June 6 during the vigil and in viral videos, soldiers are seen beating up some of the protestors of George Floyd’s gruesome murder.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 100 grams of suspected cocaine allegedly goes missing in GRA custody

    In what could become the latest tale of missing narcotics in the custody of the state, 100.1 grams of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine cannot be accounted for by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

    According to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the incident occurred on Sunday, June 7, 2020, at Aflao in the Volta Region.

    Director-General of NACOC, Francis Torkornoo said his officers after impounding a vehicle that had concealed the substances under its fuel tank on Friday, June 2020, took inventory of all the packages, which included $200,000 and wanted to send it to Accra for investigations but Customs officers refused.

    “When they dropped the fuel tank, there was this false compartment under the vehicle containing various parcels and an amount of $200,000. After the inventory, as expected, NACOC wanted to the bring the vehicle to Accra for investigations to start, but the Customs officers refused, saying that they need to hear from their superiors from Accra,” he said.

    He added that, “The team had a meeting and another inventory was taken [on Sunday] and this time, one whitish substance weighing 100.1 gram was missing from all that they saw on Friday. So my officers insisted that if the narration of the inventory does not change, they were not going to sign,” he said.

    In a later interview on Eyewitness News, Francis Torkornoo said although NACOC maintains a friendly relationship with the Customs Division of the GRA, NACOC has not been enthused about some incidents that have happened in the recent past.

    He cited an incident where NACOC seized some suspected banned substance and due to some actions by customs including announcing in the media that it was them who seized the items and that it was cocaine, NACOC was unable to arrest some suspects who were behind the transportation of the banned substance.

    He said his outfit has since written to the Commissioner of Customs to request the transfer of the vehicle to NACOC to allow them to conduct investigations.

    “As at now, we have not received any of the parcels to perform a close test to know that really the content has narcotic substances and also if the items are handed to us, we will start our investigations… Nothing has been given to us so we have formally written to the Commission of Customers to transfer the vehicle and all the contents to Narcotics Control Commission. Hitherto, it was something we said they should keep, but they arrogated it to themselves to say that they need clearance before they will take it to their Headquarters before giving to us and it is something that is bizarre.”

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • 10 Throwback photos of Kofi Kinaata that shows poverty is a disease

    Multiple award-winning versatile musical icon, Martin King Arthur, well known by many as Kofi Kinaata has become a great asset to the people of Western Region and Ghana as a country, with how he inspires the youth through his music.

    Martin, who was born in Effiakuma a popular town in Sekondi – Takoradi has now become an integral part of the creative art industry. Kofi Kinaata now performs for most of the biggest brands, names, and cooperate institutions in Ghana.

    In December 2019, the Takoradi music icon was booked as the front line act to perform at the Citi Fm’s annual event, December to Remember in the nation’s capital.

    In addition, the Team Move Chief Executive Officer performed for the former President of Ghana, His Excellency John Agyekum Kuffuor ahead of his 81st birthday on December 7th, 2019.

    Today I’m taking you back to 10 photos of the two times Best Songwriter of the year at Ghana Music Awards that shows poverty is indeed a deadly disease.

    Source: deejmagnus

  • Fameye welcomes baby boy with girlfriend [photo]

    Ghanaian singer Fameye and his girlfriend, Bridget Agyeman have welcomed a bouncing baby boy.

    Fameye, is a Ghanaian rapper and musician from Bogoso. He is best known for his single “Nothing I Get”. He released a remix of the song which featured Article Wan, Medikal and Kuami Eugene. He was a member of MTN Hitmaker Season 4.

    Fameye was born in Accra but hails from Bogoso, in the Western Region of Ghana. He attended Odorgonno Senior High School.

    In an Instagram post, Opera News Hub took to his Instagram page to share the exciting news as he pictured in the hospital holding his baby boy.

    Congratulations to him and her girlfriend, God bless them and see them through as they begin the journey to fatherhood and motherhood.

    Sharing the good news Fameye also reveal the name of his new born baby Arvid Jnr Fameye.

    The singer posted a photo holding his son with the caption: “Father bless me and my family @arvid_jnr_fameye my superstar you will be great @_ohemaaa

    Checkout he picture below

    Source: BunchDakaySam

  • Counsellor Lutterodt blasts Pope Skinny for disclosing Shatta Wale’s ‘HIV status’

    The ‘Asuoden’ rapper; Pope Skinny has caught himself in a brawl with controversial marriage counselor and family life coach; Cyril George Carstensen Lutterodt, popularly known as Counsellor Lutherodt, over the latter’s act of disclosing or alleging that dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale is HIV positive.

    Pope Skinny who seemed provoked by Shatta Wale’s decision to retrieved a vehicle he gifted a former militant; Joint 77, took to his snapchat to rain insults on Shatta Wale. In his anguish, Pope Skinney dropped what is alleged to be Shatta Wale’s deepest secret; that he is HIV positive.

    Counsellor Lutherodt reacting to this issue, said it was needless and nonsensical of Pope Skinny to evr have made such statement, irrespective of its truth or otherwise.

    “Is Pope Skinney a medical doctor, or he works with Nugochi? Maybe he went to take the test with Shatta Wale and his came out negative so he want to tell people Shatta Wale is HIV positive. Does it concern him? Why do people tend to disclose people’s medical status in public” he fired.

    Counsellor Lutherodt continued that the trend where Ghanaians have kept to disclosing people’s medical status and other private live matters must be stopped.

    Source: Tinch

  • Nigel Gaisie replies Kennedy Agyapong; Tells him to shut up

    Prophet Nigel Gaisie has finally replied Kennedy Agyapong after he revealed some dirty secrets of the Founder of Prophet Hill Chapel.

    Kennedy Agyapong disclosed on “The Seat” revealed that Prophetic Nigel has a hand in the death of the late Ebony Reigns.

    Mr. Kennedy also shared how Prophet Nigel Gaisie wanted to use one of his fake prophecies to sleep with media personality, Nana Aba Anamoah but for the smartness of Nana Aba, he failed.

    Kennedy Agyapong also disclosed that Prophet Nigel Gaisie has slept countless aspiring MP with the aim of helping them to win a Parliamentary seat.

    Well, speaking on Hill TV, the Television station of Prophet Nigel Gaisie, he finally responded to the allegations leveled against him by Kennedy Agyapong.

    Prophet Nigel said that Kennedy Agyapong is a demon and he should shut up, and let the men of God do their work.

    He indicated that Kennedy Agyapong is very jealous of him and does not know what it takes to be a Prophet and do the work of God.

    According to him, if it was not that God called him at the age of 13, he would have stopped doing the work of God.

    He revealed that he has been preaching every day from January to now, and afterward, he does deliverance.

    Source: mynewsghana.net

  • NPP lashes NDC for claiming Jean Mensah is a relative of First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo in court

    The controversy and feud between the two major Political Party’s in Ghana thus, The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) comes to a successful end today after the National Democratic Congress  withdraws their allegations upon the Electoral commission (EC) today.

    All this controversies started after the Electoral Commission Boss, Madam Jean Mensah announced the introduction of the new voters register ahead of the General Elections. This made the opposition party (NDC) to be aggressive and furious after hearing the news with just a barely 6 months to the Elections.

    This has caused a massive protest in the country as the opposition party does not understand the exact reason why the Electoral Commission wants to change the current voters register compilation just because the Electoral Commission Boss is an NPP member which seems to be very sensitive for them.

    This made the case to end up in court after the NDC started with a strong protest against the initiating of the New Voters Register besides we’re under a Democratic government so they have the power to do what they like only if it is positive and law abiding to avoid any misfortunes.

    The COVID-19 pandemic was also the reason why the NDC was against the new voters register due to the queue citizen’s will form before registering.

    Meanwhile, today as the final Justification took place in court, The Communication Officer and Lawyer for the NDC showed up with prove that initially tells that Madam Jean Mensah is a relative to First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo as a result of being bias in the upcoming Elections due to his Political team.

    This made the NPP representatives at the Supreme Court today to lambast him for allegating wrongly as they claim Jean Mensah is nothing to Rebecca Akuffo Addo and so therefore Sammy Gyamfi should retract that statement.

    The New Patriotic Party has withdrawn their case with the Electoral Commission to bury the hatchet ahead of the December General Elections.

    Source: Ghcelebritiesinfo.online

  • Hot News: Kennedy Agyapong has landed himself in another trouble as he attacks Chairman Wontumi

    Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong has reportedly issued the New Patriotic party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako also known as Chairman Wontumi with a solid notice, soliciting him to stay out of the Adansi Asorkwa Constituency primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    According to Kennedy Agyapong, Chairman Wontumi is allegedly involved in vote buying, in efforts to have Member of Parliament Mr. Kwabena Tahir Hammond out of office.

    Chairman Wontumi and Mr. K.T Hammond have reportedly been in a tussle for sometime now. This, reports suggest, is the reason Chairman Wontumi is bent on making the upcoming NPP primaries hectic for K.T Hammond.

    K. T Hammond reportedly lashed out at Chairman Wontumi for supporting a new MP hopeful (Mr. Samuel Binfo) who apparently does not have “what is takes”.

    Touching on the matter on his TV station NET 2, Kennedy Agyapong  praised Mr. K. T Hammond for his development initiatives at Adanse Asokwa, indicating that K. T Hammond qualified to run for office unopposed because of his outstanding performance in office.

       “I’m am simply coming back from Adanse Asorkwa, I went to meet Mr. K.T Hammond and I should come clean, the man has truly worked.

    He has increased a great deal of help from the individuals who considers him the “Showboy” I was truly dazzled and I need to accept this open door to sound an expression of alert to Chairman Wontumi to avoid the way. He should quit affecting individuals with cash against K. T Hammond. Executive Wontumi is my companion yet I won’t bolster him on this. What he is doing isn’t right”, he noted.

    The National Executive Council (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party earlier this week, released a list of all certified parliamentary aspirants qualified to contest in the Primaries.

    Source: Jenny’s-World

  • ‘I think I am ready’- Kevin-Prince Boateng on league restart

    Ghana and Beskitas midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng delivered a masterpiece in training today with one of his trademark goals.

    The 33-year-old scored a nice volley in training as Beskitas gears up ahead of the league restart this weekend.

    The Turkish League had been suspended in March this year following the coronavirus outbreak.

    The league resumes on June 12 with Besiktas hosting Antalyasor on Saturday, June 13.

    Check out the video below:

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Victim of Baba Yara shooting incident gets eye replaced

    Augustine Oppong, the victim involved in the Baba Yara Sports Stadium shooting incident has undergone surgery for his left eye to be replaced.

    Oppong, a transport driver, was shot in the eye by a Police Officer in a Ghana Premier League game between Asante Kotoko and Berekum Chelsea at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

    Asante Kotoko supporters protested after the game in what they claim to be bad officiating which resulted in their home defeat to Berekum Chelsea by a lone goal.

    The referees after the game had to be escorted out of the stadium by the Police which led to one of the officers firing into the crowd, injuring Augustine Oppong in the process.

    The Supporters wing of the club came to the aid of the injured supporter and funded his surgery and his eye replaced.

    “God bless the leadership of NCC.I thank them and Dr. Kyei”-Augustine Oppong said in an interview on Nhyira FM.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Meet all the 4 children of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams (Photos)

    The founder and head pastor of Action Chapel International, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams has four children who are in different capacities currently.

    Recently, the Duncan-Williams family has been in the news over viral videos and photos of the last born, Daniel Duncan-Williams who has a bipolar medical condition, the family has confirmed.

    YEN.com.gh takes all cherished readers through a list of all the children of the archbishop in the order in which they were born.

    1. Elsie Duncan-Williams, who is also known as Mrs Elsie Otoo, is a great minister of the gospel. See her performance below:

    2. Ella Duncan-Williams, the second child of the respected archbishop is also a pastor.

    Watch her in the video below:

    3. Joel Duncan-Williams is the third child of renowned Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams who is also the head pastor of his church which is mainly a youth ministry.

    Meet Joel, Archbishop Duncan Williams' handsome son who is a head pastor of his own church » Ghcelebs.Com™

    4. Daniel Duncan-Williams who has unfortunately been in the news recently for all the bad reasons.

    Dee Wills (@Deewillslive) | Twitter

    Source: Adomonline.com

  • George Floyd death: Gen Mark Milley sorry for joining Trump walk to church

    The top US military officer says he was wrong to have joined President Donald Trump during his controversial walk to a damaged church near the White House.

    The 1 June event created “a perception of the military involved in domestic politics”, Gen Mark Milley said.

    Mr Trump walked to the church and held up a Bible after a peaceful protest at the death of African American George Floyd was forcibly dispersed.

    The use of troops to tackle the protests has provoked fierce US debate.

    Mr Trump has regularly referred to “law and order”, calling in the National Guard to the US capital, vowing to deploy the military to other cities and condemning violent protests.

    Some of the initial protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month turned violent with looting in several cities.

    But since four police officers were charged in connection with the death, the protests have been mostly peaceful, spawning an international movement against police brutality and racial inequality.

    Video footage of the death in Minneapolis shows a white officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

    What did Gen Milley say?

    The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff was speaking in a video for a National Defense University commencement ceremony.

    He said: “I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.

    “As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it.”

    The general was wearing battle uniform as he walked with the president and critics said this suggested his support for the deployment of the military against protesters.

    Defence Secretary Mark Esper was also on the walk and, although he has not said he was wrong to be there, suggested in a news conference that he thought the walk was for a different purpose of mingling with troops and inspecting damage.

    Senior officials told US media that Mr Trump had yelled at Mr Esper after the conference. The president has yet to respond to Gen Milley’s comments.

    What happened on the day?

    A peaceful demonstration was cleared in Lafayette Square next to the White House with pepper spray and flash-bang grenades so that the president and his entourage could walk to St John’s Episcopal Church.

    Its basement had been burned the previous day.

    Mr Trump, who sees himself as a champion of evangelical and conservative voters, held up a Bible outside the church.

    A number of religious leaders criticised his actions. The presiding bishop of the the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, accused Mr Trump of using the church for “partisan political purposes”.

    Mr Trump said “most religious leaders loved” his visit to the church and denied having any role in dispersing protesters beforehand.

    His latest tweet on the issue on Thursday again praised the security forces.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Confederate and Columbus statues toppled by US protesters

    Statues of Confederate leaders and the explorer Christopher Columbus have been torn down in the US, as pressure grows on authorities to remove monuments connected to slavery and colonialism.

    A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was toppled in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday night.

    Statues of Columbus in Boston, Miami and Virginia have been vandalised.

    The movement has been sparked by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd.

    His death in Minneapolis has led to protests in the US and internationally against police brutality and racial inequality.

    Memorials to the Confederacy, a group of southern states that fought to keep black people as slaves in the American Civil War of 1861-65, have been among those targeted.

    A number of Confederate statues on Monument Avenue in Richmond have been marked with graffiti during the protests.

    Richmond also saw a statue of Italian explorer Columbus pulled down, set alight and thrown into a lake earlier this week,.

    A three-metre tall (10ft) bronze statue of Columbus was toppled in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday.

    The Columbus statue in Boston, which stands on a plinth at the heart of town, was beheaded.

    Many people in the US celebrate the memory of Columbus, who in school textbooks is credited with discovering “the New World”, the Americas, in the 15th Century.

    But Native American activists have long objected to honouring Columbus, saying that his expeditions to the Americas led to the colonisation and genocide of their ancestors.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Counselor Lutterodt, wife welcome baby (Photo)

    Controversial counselor George Lutterodt and wife, Abigail Naa Yemoley, have welcomed an adorable baby.

    Proud Lutterodt, taking to social media to announce the delivery, shared a photo in which he is seen holding the new baby with a heart-warming message to his wife.

    “Happy Delivery day to my wife Mrs Counselor Lutterodt from Rev Counselor Lutterodt and my extended family members,” the post read.

    He further wished for ”long life and good health” from above for the mother of his kids while praying for divine blessing for her.

    He, however, did not disclose the gender of the baby and day of delivery.

    Watch the photo below:

    Source: Adomonline.com

  • Donald Trump to restart election rallies on key slavery date

    US President Donald Trump is to hold his first re-election campaign rally for several months in Tulsa, Oklahoma on the date that African Americans celebrate the end of slavery.

    The rally will take place on 19 June, known as “Juneteenth”.

    The Trump campaign said his Republican Party was proud of its role in winning the Civil War and ending slavery.

    The news follows weeks of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody.

    In 1921 the city of Tulsa was the site of one of the worst massacres of black people in US history.

    Mr Trump’s rallies, seen as vital for energizing his base, were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak in March.

    He faces re-election in November but is lagging behind his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in the polls.

    Correspondents say that while the virus remains a threat, Mr Trump’s campaign considers that large crowds at the recent protests will make it harder for his opponents to criticise his rallies.

    Announcing the venue, Mr Trump alluded to the low rate of coronavirus infections in Oklahoma – at 7,500 cases one of the lowest in the country.

    “We’re going to be starting our rallies,” he said. “The first one… will be in Oklahoma, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Beautiful new venue, brand new and they’re looking forward to it. They’ve done a great job with Covid, as you know, in the state of Oklahoma.

    He said further rallies would take place in Florida, Texas and Arizona, but he made no mention of what safety precautions would be taken and whether social distancing would be applied.

    Also on Wednesday, Mr Trump rejected calls to rename military bases named after Confederate generals.

    Why are the date and venue controversial?

    Juneteenth is an annual commemoration of the end of slavery. While not a federal holiday, it is celebrated widely by African Americans.

    It celebrates the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved African Americans in Texas.

    Texas was the last state of the Confederacy – the slaveholding southern states that seceded, triggering the Civil War – to receive the proclamation, on 19 June 1865, months after the end of the war.

    The location of the rally in Tulsa is also highly significant.

    In May and June 1921 a white mob attacked the prosperous black neighbourhood of Greenwood, known as the “Black Wall Street”, with guns and explosives – killing up to 300 people and destroying about 1,000 businesses and homes.

    Defending the timing of the rally, Trump campaign aide Katrina Pearson said in a statement, quoted by Bloomberg, “that the party of [Civil War victor Abraham] Lincoln, Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth”.

    She added that Mr Trump had “built a record of success for black Americans”.

    But the Biden campaign criticised the decision, with senior aide Kamau Marshall calling Mr Trump a racist.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Singer Wiyaala causes stir on social media with her throwback photo

    Ghanaian international singer, Wiyaala, has stunned her fans with a photo of her teenage days.

    Wiyaala was in her school uniform, and as noted by her fans, she looked “more flexible” back then.

    Wiyaala looked fleshy as compared to now.

    She indicated in the caption that came with the photo that she posed that way because she was sending the photo to a loved one.

    Her fans have commented on the photo with some making their opinions known.

    Check it out:

    Source: Adomonline.com

  • Salma Mumin and Elikem Kumordzie set tongues wagging with latest photos

    Ghanaian movie industry players, Salma Mumin and Elikem Kumordzie, have set tongues wagging with their latest photos on social media.

    The photos captured the duo, who seemed to be enjoying themselves, in a cozy mood as they held unto each other lightly.

    Elikem, taking to Instagram to share the photos, wrote: “Somebody tag her. Tell her I miss her. Tell her we need to link up, drink up and — — up. Fill the blank space.”

    Though the photos were to announce their partnerships in a clothing line business, many fans upon sighting the photos have translated them to be the ringing of wedding bells.

    Watch the photos below:

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    @lure_by_salma collaborates with @elikemkumordzie_thetailor . 📸 @sorce_photography

    A post shared by elikem kumordzie (@elikemkumordzie) on

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    Somebody tag her. Tell her I miss her. Tell her we need to link up, drink up and — — up. . Fill in the blanks. 😉

    A post shared by elikem kumordzie (@elikemkumordzie) on

    Source: Adomonline.com

  • Wall Street slides at open on fears of second virus wave

    U.S. stocks opened sharply lower on Thursday with the Nasdaq falling after a four-day rally on fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections and a grim economic forecast from the Federal Reserve.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 707.48 points, or 2.62%, at the open to 26,282.51.

    The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 229.11 points, or 2.29%, to 9,791.24 at the opening bell.

    The S&P 500 .INX was down 88.15 points, or 2.76%, at 3,101.99 after market open.

    Source: Reuters

  • Iran says virus cases top 180,000

    More than 180,000 people have been infected in Iran’s coronavirus outbreak since it first emerged nearly four months ago, an official said on Thursday.

    As the figures were announced, President Hassan Rouhani called on Iranians to stick to guidelines aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

    “If everyone follows the health instructions exactly, then all jobs can be reopened,” he said in remarks broadcast on state television.

    “We are progressing slowly and step by step (because we don’t want) our people to think that the coronavirus era has passed.

    “This would pose a major health problem for us,” Rouhani said.

    Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 2,238 new infections in the past 24 hours took the total to 180,156.

    She said 78 new deaths brought the overall toll to 8,584.

    Iran reported its first COVID-19 cases on February 19 – two deaths in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

    The government has struggled to contain what quickly became the Middle East’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak.

    Since April, however, it has gradually lifted health protocols in order to reopen its sanctions-hit economy.

    That has coincided with a fresh surge in cases, which the government denies amounts to a second wave, saying they are due to increased testing.

    Source: punchng.com

  • Donald Trump to restart election rallies on key slavery date

    US President Donald Trump is to hold his first re-election campaign rally for several months in Tulsa, Oklahoma on the date that African Americans celebrate the end of slavery.

    The rally will take place on 19 June, known as “Juneteenth”.

    The Trump campaign said his Republican Party was proud of its role in winning the Civil War and ending slavery.

    The news follows weeks of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody.

    In 1921 the city of Tulsa was the site of one of the worst massacres of black people in US history.

    Mr Trump’s rallies, seen as vital for energising his base, were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak in March.

    He faces re-election in November but is lagging behind his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in the polls.

    Correspondents say that while the virus remains a threat, Mr Trump’s campaign considers that large crowds at the recent protests will make it harder for his opponents to criticise his rallies.

    Announcing the venue, Mr Trump alluded to the low rate of coronavirus infections in Oklahoma – at 7,500 cases one of the lowest in the country.

    “We’re going to be starting our rallies,” he said. “The first one… will be in Oklahoma, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Beautiful new venue, brand new and they’re looking forward to it. They’ve done a great job with Covid, as you know, in the state of Oklahoma.

    He said further rallies would take place in Florida, Texas and Arizona, but he made no mention of what safety precautions would be taken and whether social distancing would be applied.

    Also on Wednesday, Mr Trump rejected calls to rename military bases named after Confederate generals.

    Why are the date and venue controversial?

    Juneteenth is an annual commemoration of the end of slavery. While not a federal holiday, it is celebrated widely by African Americans.

    It celebrates the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved African Americans in Texas.

    Texas was the last state of the Confederacy – the slaveholding southern states that seceded, triggering the Civil War – to receive the proclamation, on 19 June 1865, months after the end of the war.

    The location of the rally in Tulsa is also highly significant.

    In May and June 1921 a white mob attacked the prosperous black neighbourhood of Greenwood, known as the “Black Wall Street”, with guns and explosives – killing up to 300 people and destroying about 1,000 businesses and homes.

    Defending the timing of the rally, Trump campaign aide Katrina Pearson said in a statement, quoted by Bloomberg, “that the party of [Civil War victor Abraham] Lincoln, Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth”.

    She added that Mr Trump had “built a record of success for black Americans”.

    But the Biden campaign criticised the decision, with senior aide Kamau Marshall calling Mr Trump a racist.

    Source: bbc.com

  • UK-based Ghanaian singer TheOnlyRLS shoots his first video in Ghana

    UK-based Ghanaian singer, TheOnlyRLS has finally released visuals to his much-awaited single “Want Money”.

    This is the first time the young talented singer shot a video in his motherland after working with hardworking rapper Amerado in London some months ago.

    In a recent interview in the UK, TheOnlyRLS praised Ghanaian musicians for penetrating into the UK music market and vowed to do collaborations with some top Ghanaians stars when the Coronavirus disappears.

    The multi-talented artist shows to the world that he was born to do music as he shows his vocal dynamics on the song.

    Watch the video below:

    Source: Dr Agyapong, Contributor