Author: Chris Kodo

  • Coronavirus: Africa records over 54,000 cases with 2,073 deaths

    There are now more than over 42,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the continent, with a number of African countries imposing a range of prevention and containment measures against the spread of the pandemic.

    According to the latest data by the John Hopkins University and Africa Center for Disease Control on COVID-19 in Africa, the breakdown remains fluid as countries confirm cases as and when.

    The whole of Africa has rising cases with Lesotho the country holding out as of May 1.

    Confirmed cases = 54,083

    Number of deaths = 2,073

    Recoveries = 18,412

    Infected countries = 53

    Virus-free countries = 1 (Lesotho)

    Countries in alphabetical order

    Algeria 5,128

    Angola 36

    Benin 140

    Botswana 23

    Burkina Faso 736

    Burundi 15

    Cameroon 2,267

    Cape Verde 218

    Central African Republic 94

    Chad 253

    Comoros 8

    Congo-Brazzaville 274

    DR Congo 897

    Djibouti 1,133

    Egypt 7,981

    Equatorial Guinea 439

    Eritrea 39

    Eswatini 153

    Ethiopia 191

    Gabon 504

    (The) Gambia 18

    Ghana 3,091

    Guinea 1,927

    Guinea-Bissau 564

    Ivory Coast 1,571

    Kenya 607

    Lesotho 0

    Liberia 189

    Libya 64

    Madagascar 193

    Malawi 43

    Mali 650

    Mauritania 8

    Mauritius 332

    Morocco 5,548

    Mozambique 81

    Namibia 16

    Niger 781

    Nigeria- 3,526

    Rwanda 271

    Sao Tome and Principe 187

    Senegal 1,492

    Seychelles 11

    Sierra Leone 231

    Somalia 928

    South Africa 8,232

    South Sudan 74

    Sudan 930

    Tanzania 480

    Togo 135

    Tunisia 1,026

    Uganda 101

    Zambia 153

    Zimbabwe 34

    Source: africanews.com

  • I can’t have Sex with Sista Afia- Bisa Kdei explains why

    Musician Bisa Kdei born Ronald Kwaku Dei Appiah, has stated in a new video that he can’t have any sexually related activity with Ghanaian songtress Sista Afia. Let’s see why.

    Watch the video below:

     

    Source: Peacefmonline.com

  • Bisa Kdei’s career not dead; he’s only diverted attention – Fredyma

    Legendary music producer, Fred Kyei Mensah popularly known as Fredyma says he disagrees with critics who claim highlife artiste Bisa Kdei’s music career is dead.

    According to him, Bisa Kdei is still vibrant in the music industry and keeps churning out songs.

    Fredyma noted that the ‘Mansa’ hit maker’s songs seem to have been buried in the local music scene because he and his team are not doing enough to make Ghanaian music lovers appreciate his works.

    He told host Akwasi Aboagye on Thursday’s ‘Entertainment Review’ on Peace FM that Bisa Kdei has become inactive in Ghana because he has concentrated his efforts on making great exploits internationally, thus marketing his music across borders.

    He recounted that the artiste has been performing in foreign countries and he appears missing in Ghana’s music industry because his team is not making noise about his achievements.

    Fredyma further reprimanded Bisa Kdei over his recent comments that the “media is fake” and that the media has been paid to stop playing his songs on the air waves.

    He advised him together with his management to focus on making his hard work and music resonate with Ghanaians and stop the needless utterances so he will not become irrelevant.

    “His career is dying out because once the talent is there and he can still write songs, he can do everything. It is rather unfortunate that his public relationship or his utterances in terms of how he relates with the public didn’t go well. Because if you can say the media doesn’t play your songs because they have been paid, such utterance is distasteful . . . but it is untrue for any person to say Bisa Kdei is going down in terms of his music artistry or his businesswise or his wealth acquisition,” Fred Kyei Mensah stated.

    Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

  • Let Bishop Nyarko rest in peace . . .Stop these accusations & gibberish about his death! – Whitney Boakye-Mensah fumes

    Entertainment Pundit, Whitney Boakye-Mensah is utterly disgusted over incessant allegations which keep characterizing the death of prominent persons in the country.

    With particular focus on the demise of Ghanaian actor Bishop Bernard Nyarko, Whitney Boakye-Mensah admonished people speculating about what led to the death of the actor to spare the ears of Ghanaians.

    The dead is supposed to be laid to rest but this does not usually happen during the demise of a celebrity or a prominent person in society. It’s either deep secrets are revealed or speculations are made when a celebrity dies and in the death of Bishop Bernard Nyarko, wild allegations have already been pouring out regarding the circumstances that claimed the life of the popular Ghanaian actor.

    A ‘religious’ woman abroad has leveled allegations against Kumawood actors Big Akwes, Christiana Awuni, Kwaku Manu and a host of others, accusing them of having a hand in the death of the late Bishop Nyarko.

    The woman who is captured on video alleged that Bishop Nyarko didn’t pass away as a result of a natural cause as his family would want Ghanaians to believe, but rather, he was spiritually used as a sacrificial lamb to bring good fortunes to some colleague actors, especially in the Kumawood industry.

    The woman dared the names she’s mentioned to challenge her and she will back her claims with substaintial evidence.

    But to Whitney Boakye-Mensah, it is becoming a common trend for people to rise up and turn themselves into spiritual detectors challenging a celebrity’s death.

    She warned the so-called religious woman and any other person to stop linking Bishop Nyarko’s death to a spiritual cause, adding that a lot of these people crave unnecessary attention and the only way they can achieve such aim is to wait for a celebrity to die, then they start gibbering and go scot free.

    ”It is just becoming unbecoming . . . You don’t use a person’s death for cheap State popularity. This is along the semblance of somebody who is just jabbering for the sake of jabbering. It’s very unfortunate where it has taken. We should start ignoring these things,” she said on Peace FM’s ‘Entertainment Review’ Thursday afteroon.

    Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

  • Friday: Advertised jobs in newspapers today

    Prospective job seekers can find below the advertised jobs in the May 8, 2020 edition of Daily Graphic as published in the paper today.

    Source: theghanareport
  • Stonebwoy, Rex Omar, Okraku Mantey, others support Don Tsegah at mothers funeral

    The private funeral and cremation ceremony of mother to ace radio and television personality, Prince Don-Tsegah at the Multimedia Group was held on Friday, May 1, 2020.

    Mrs Vivian Seshie Tsegah was laid in state at the Lashibi Funeral Home with a significant number of celebrities and fans in attendance even though the ceremony was strictly by invitation.

    Due to the coronavirus pandemic, President Akufo-Addo has restricted the number of persons who can attend funerals to 25. The move is to help curb the spread of the disease.

    The ceremony was graced by the presence of Stonebwoy, Mr and Mrs Sledge of Gold Ridge Gh fame and Mark Okraku Mantey, the Creative Arts President.

    Also in attendance was President of Ghana Music Rights Organisation, Rex Omar.

    Others present included Abraham Adjetey, CEO of GHAMRO and General Manager, Adom Cluster & MultiTV, Abdulai Awudu and singer, Nana Boroo.

    A crioss-section of radio and television presenters like Doreen Avio, Dr Pounds, Mike Gizo and Ibrahim Ben Bako were also present to support their colleague.

    Mrs Vivian Seshie Tsegah was a veteran Journalist who worked with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

    She was amongst the first batch of persons to be employed when the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah built the institution.

    The late Mrs Vivian Seshie Tsegah
    The late Mrs Vivian Seshie Tsegah

    She worked as a presidential correspondent at the time and was also the face of Ghana Airways when it was first outdoored.

    She later resigned to follow her passion in fashion and design.

    Mrs Tsegah was married to the late prominent lawyer, Sax Tsegah, and it is no wonder that their son, Prince Don Tsegah, has become a leading showbiz journalist in Ghana.

    Below are some photos from the ceremony:

    Source: Adomonline

  • I did not test positive for coronavirus Lagos health commissioner

    Lagos State Health Commissioner, Prof Akin Abayomi, says he is not infected with coronavirus.

    The commissioner had earlier on Thursday announced that 10 persons associated with the Lagos State Government House, Marina, tested positive for the virus.

    But he stated on Friday via Twitter that he did not test positive for the disease while urging the public to disregard false reports claiming otherwise.

    “I hereby implore the general public to disregard the fake and misleading news circulating in the media to the effect that I have tested positive for COVID-19 infection. It is evident that the fake news is calculated at causing panic and unnecessary anxiety amongst the populace,” Abayomi wrote while urging Lagosians to remain vigilant and continue to play their role by wearing masks in public places, avoiding crowd as well as observing good hygiene and social distancing in order to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

    Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Thursday night announced three-digit cases in the state, the highest in a day for any state in Nigeria.

    The Centre said 183 new infections were reported in Lagos, bringing the total cases to 1491 including 406 recoveries and 33 fatalities.

    Source: punchng.com

  • Ghana, 3 other African countries blacklisted by EU over money-laundering

    The European Union has added 12 countries to its money-laundering blacklist, putting their financial transactions under greater scrutiny.

    They include Botswana, Ghana, Mauritius and Zimbabwe.

    Others are Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Cambodia, Mongolia and Myanmar.

    Once approved by the European Parliament the list will come into force in October.

    The commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU needed to put an end to dirty money infiltrating its financial system.

    Of the 22 blacklisted countries, only North Korea has refused to commit to trying to tackle the problem.

     

    Source: BBC 

  • Coronavirus could kill up to 190,000 in Africa in first year if not contained WHO

    The novel coronavirus could kill between 83,000 and 190,000 people in Africa in the first year and infect between 29 million and 44 million in the first year if it is not contained, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

    The projections are contained in a new WHO Africa study based on assumptions that no containment measures are put in place, which has fortunately not been the case, WHO Africa head Matshidiso Moeti told reporters in a teleconference.

    Most countries on the continent have imposed restrictions on public gatherings, international travel and curfews among other measures meant to curb the spread of the virus.

    The virus hit Africa later than other continents and transmission rates are lower than elsewhere. Still, this could translate into a prolonged, years-long outbreak, WHO said.

    “COVID-19 could become a fixture in our lives for the next several years unless a proactive approach is taken by many governments in the region. We need to test, trace, isolate and treat,” Moeti said in a separate statement.

    The organisation warned that small countries, as well as Algeria, South Africa and Cameroon, could be severely affected.

    Notably, the WHO Africa study covered only the 47 countries that belong to the WHO Africa region and not the entire continent. The body’s regional definition excludes Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco.

    As of 1259 GMT, the 47 countries had 35,097 cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,231 deaths, according to a Reuters tally based on government statements and WHO data.

    Under the projected no-containment scenario, “there would be an estimated 3.6 million5.5 million COVID-19 hospitalisations, of which 82,000167,000 would be severe cases requiring oxygen, and 52,000107,000 would be critical cases requiring breathing support,” WHO Africa said.

    Africa has less than one intensive care bed and one ventilator per 100,000 people, a Reuters survey found on Thursday.

    Human resources are also a challenge.

    “We are very concerned that almost 1,000 African health workers have been infected with COVID-19. We know that most African countries already have a severe shortage of healthcare workers,” Moeti told reporters.

    Source: Aljazeera

  • Islamist militants clash in West Africa

    The Islamic State (IS) group has confirmed for the first time that it is engaged in heavy fighting with al-Qaeda linked militants in Mali and Burkina Faso.

    In its online publication, al-Naba, it described members of al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate as apostates and wild dogs.

    IS said it had targeted its rivals with a suicide bombing and other attacks.

    It was reported earlier that al-Qaeda militants had rejected an IS offer of a ceasefire in exchange for the release of IS prisoners and the payment of blood money for the deaths of IS militants.

    Islamist attacks have intensified in the Sahel in recent months.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Contact tracing for Bono region’s first COVID-19 case begins, 78 samples collected

    Samples of 78 persons who came into contact with a 27-year old Togolese man, who is the first person to test positive of COVID-19 in the Bono Region, have been sent to the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) for testing.

    They include immigration officials, police personnel and court officials who have been identified and listed as those who have had contacts with the Togolese national who entered the country through Sampa in the Jaman North District.

    Arrest

    The 27-year old Togolese and nine others were arrested by officials of the Ghana Immigration Service on April 28, 2020 for illegally entering the country, arraigned before a court in Berekum and quarantined afterwards for testing.

    Test results received on May 6, 2020 from the KCCR showed that only the 27-year old Togolese out of the 10 tested positive of the coronavirus disease, thus making the Bono Region the 13th region to contract the disease.

    Earlier reports indicated that the Togolese had for some time now been assisting other nationals to enter Ghana through unapproved routes until his apprehension on April 28, this year.

    Media briefing

    Addressing the media in Sunyani today [Friday, May 8, 2020], the Bono Regional Director of Health, Dr Kofi Issah explained that 61 out of the 78 contacts were recorded at Sampa while the remaining 17 contacts were recorded at Berekum.

     

    He explained that all the 78 contacts had been quarantined while awaiting for their results.

    He said contact tracing was still ongoing to identify people who might have being in contact with the Togolese.

    “Even if the results of their tests prove negative after 14 days, they will still be quarantined for another 14 days for us to be double sure that they are not carrying the virus”, Dr Issah stated.

    He, therefore, called on residents in the Jaman North District who came into contact with the Togolese but were yet to be identified to show up to make the ongoing contact tracing exercise successful.

    Protocols

    Dr Issah called on the media to intensify their education on the need for resident in the region to observe all the precautionary protocols outlined by the Ghana Health Service now that the region had had its first case of COVID-19.

    He explained that while the wearing of face masks was very important, it should be done alongside the routine handwashing with soap under running water and social distancing.

    Dr Issah warned against the occasional touching of the face masks explaining that the practice could contaminate the masks and thereby posed a threat to those wearing them to contract COVID-19 and other viruses.

    Testing centre

    Answering a question on the need for a COVID-19 testing centre in the region, Dr Issah announced that plans were far advanced for the provision of the necessary machinery and equipment for the Kintampo Centre for Health Research (KCHR).

    That, according to him, would enable results of samples collected on suspected carriers of COVID-19 to be done and released early enough to avoid the delays that characterise the current situation where they sent to KCCR in KUmasi.

    Regional Minister

    In a statement read on her behalf, the Bono Regional Minister, Mrs Evelyn Ama Kumi-Richardson stated that the remaining nine immigrants had been handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the National Security for further action.

    She stated that the Regional COVID-19 Response Team had stepped up surveillance in all the 12 districts and municipalities to gain a broader picture of the state of infection within the region and thereby respond appropriately.

    “I urge everyone in the region to adhere fully to the hygiene protocols as announced by the President and the Ghana Health Service. There should be no cause for fear and panic. Let us remain calm while observing the requisite social distancing protocols and wearing of face masks”, she pleaded.

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

  • Mob attacks Adabraka Police Station; 3 Cops injured

    Three policemen were injured and four vehicles damaged when a mob attacked the Adabraka Police Station in Accra last Wednesday.

    The mob also dumped the lifeless body of a man — believed to be aged between 35 and 40 years — at the Charge Office of the police station.

    As of press time yesterday, the police were yet to establish the cause of the attack.

    Investigations were, however, ongoing to establish the link between the attack and a supposed freak incident involving a man who jumped into the Odaw River and died less than two hours before the mob action.

    Meanwhile, four suspects, have been arrested.

    Attack

    The Nima Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Abraham Acquaye, told the Daily Graphic that the attack on the Adabraka Police Station took place around 5:30 p.m. last Wednesday when a mob, comprising some young men and women, pelted the station with stones as they marched onto the premises.

    In the process, he said, the mob vandalised an official police Nissan Navara pick-up, two privately owned Toyota saloon cars and a Daewoo taxi which were parked close to the police station.

    He said the Accra Regional Police Operations Unit, the Nima Divisional Police Operations and other patrol teams were called in to bring the situation under control, but before the patrol teams arrived the mob had left.

    The body of the dead man, who was later identified only as Sammy, was conveyed to the Police Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

    Suspicion

    Mr Acquaye said earlier at about 4 p.m. that same day, a policeman (whose name has been withheld by the police) had gone to a garage at Odawna, a community within Adabraka, to take delivery of his vehicle which he had taken to a mechanic for repairs.

    He said as the policeman walked towards the garage, an unidentified man jumped into the Odaw River, seemingly on seeing the uniformed policeman.

    The Nima Divisional Police Commander said the policeman suspected that the man thought that he (the policeman) was there to arrest him.

    Almost immediately after the man jumped into the river, Mr Acquaye said, a group of young men emerged from the community, assaulted the policeman and tore his uniform.

    He was, however, rescued by two of his colleagues and he later reported the incident to the Adabraka Police Station, claiming that he could identify his assailants.

    Mr Acquaye said investigations were underway and the police had mounted a search for the perpetrators.

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

     

  • Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey tested for coronavirus

    Ghana international Thomas Partey and his Atletico Madrid teammates were tested for Coronavirus ahead of the resumption in Spanish league.

    The 26-year-old was at the team’s training facility on Wednesday to take the test as Spanish football pushes towards a return to action.

    Spanish football is anticipating at least 30 cases of Coronavirus among its players, but will not allow professionals testing positive to derail its operation to restart the season in the middle of next month.

    Only players who test positive will be quarantined and the four phases of testing, solitary training, group training, and full-squad training will go ahead.

    The Ghanaian midfielder has been one of the consistent performers for Atletico Madrid, making 31 appearances in all competitions thus far.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • Asamoah Gyan reveals how Sunderland pushed for his move to Al Ain

    Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan has made an astonishing revelation of how former club Sunderland pushed for his move to United Arab Emirates side Al Ain.

    Gyan shocked football fans when he made a move to the Gulf region at the peak of his career, and when he was in scintillating form for the Black Cats in the English Premier League.

    Many footballer lovers are still perplexed by that decision, however Gyan discloses that Sunderland could not resist the offer from Al Ain.

    “When a player is performing definitely Clubs will come chasing and the deal from UAE looked very good,” the 34-year old told GTV Sports Plus.

    “I was going for one season for 6million pounds and they (Sunderland) were interested because it was good money, they were even pushing for the move because the money involved was good for a loan deal,” he added.

    He continues:“Personally I was concerned about the fans, about how they will feel and whether they will be happy if I move because I was the top man there, Darren Bent had left so I was their lead man and they liked me.

    “But they (Sunderland) told they knew how to deal with the fans and that I should accept the move to UAE.

    “I went there and the atmosphere was great and I felt in love with the team and the fans. They treated me well so I decided to stay after my loan deal.”

    The legendary Ghana striker went on to make his name in the Arabian world, scoring 128 goals from 88 appearances for Al Ain in a two-year.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • This carelessness shown by Medikal while driving could have ended in an accident Video

    The AMG Prince, Medikal showed some condemning act while driving, which could have easily ended in accident.

    The rapper we know likes to jam to songs while driving which is not bad and quite understandable but to do what he did is just not acceptable.

    Medikal was spotted in a video jamming and driving as usual and the next minute was seen taking off both hands from the steering wheel and jamming to the song being played at the background which could have easily ended in an accident.

    This act by Medikal needs to be condemned and not encouraged at all, taking into consideration the influence he has on the youth.

    Watch video below;

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    Mdk

    A post shared by AnythingGh (@anythinggh) on

    Source: ghbase.com

  • Adabraka: Two arrested for vandalizing police station

    The Accra Regional Police Command has arrested two residents of Adabraka for vandalising a police station in the area.

    The two were part of an angry mob that stormed the police station yesterday [Wednesday] to protest the death of a man who fell and drowned in the Odaw River while being pursued by police who were trying to arrest him.

    In a Citi News interview, the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Frederick Adu Anim said the incident is currently being investigated.

    “We are investigating this. We will give subsequent updates.”

    He also refuted the claim that police personnel were responsible for the death.

    “No he [the deceased] was not chased by police officers. The place is a hideout for criminals so no police officer could go there and make an arrest. “

    The Assemblyman for the area, Hendrick Noble Kinnah had early on told Citi News that he heard of the incident on Wednesday evening at around 5:41 PM.

    He further said some residents accused the police of causing the death, saying “it is the policeman who pushed him into the water [the drain].”

    Upon hearing of the incident, the assemblyman said he first made his way to the Adabraka police station where he saw a police officer who had been assaulted.

    “I saw two policemen here. One had been beaten and he had blood on his mouth.”

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Ahmaud Arbery: Dad and son charged with murder of US black jogger

    A father and son have been arrested and charged in the US state of Georgia for the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man.

    Gregory McMichael, aged 64, and Travis McMichael, aged 34, were detained on Thursday by the state bureau of investigation.

    They were both charged with murder and aggravated assault, investigators said in a statement.

    Mr Arbery, 25, was jogging in February when he was confronted by the pair.

    The failure to bring charges against the McMichaels, who are white, in the weeks after the shooting provoked widespread outrage.

    The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced late on Thursday that both men had been taken into custody.

    The bureau said the father and son had confronted Mr Arbery with two firearms, and it was the younger McMichael who shot and killed him.

    How did Arbery die?

    Mr Arbery was out running in the coastal city of Brunswick early in the afternoon of 23 February.

    In a police report, Gregory McMichael says he saw Mr Arbery and believed he resembled the suspect in a series of break-ins.

    He and his son armed themselves and pursued him in a pick-up truck.

    In the police report, Gregory McMichael says he and his son had said “stop, stop, we want to talk to you” and that Mr Arbery had attacked his son. Shots were fired, with Mr Arbery falling to the street in the Satilla Shores neighbourhood.

    Mr Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, said police told her her son had been involved in a burglary before the incident, but the family say they do not believe the keen jogger had committed a crime and he was unarmed.

    A number of calls were made to the emergency services around the time of the confrontation, CBS reports. In one 911 call, a neighbour said a black man was seen at a home under construction in the area.

    When asked what the man was doing now, the caller said “running down the street”.

    What evidence is there?

    Nationwide uproar erupted this week over the case as mobile phone video emerged that appeared to show the shooting.

    The footage, reportedly taken by another man in the neighbourhood, purportedly shows the McMichaels waiting for Mr Arbery as he jogs down the road in broad daylight.

    The 36-second clip was shot from a vehicle following the pick-up truck said to be involved in the incident.

    A man is seen jogging and then approaching the stationary pick-up from behind.

    He tries to bypass the truck and then is seen struggling with a man carrying a shotgun. There is muffled shouting and shotgun shots.

    A second man is standing in the bed of the pick-up. The second man is then shown with a pistol standing alongside the other armed man with the jogger no longer in view.

    What is the Arbery family saying?

    The victim’s father told PBS Newshour on Thursday that his son exercised in the area daily and stayed across the street at his mother’s house.

    “I don’t know why they racially profile him and done him like that,” said Marcus Arbery, “because all he did is work out and ran and just took care of his body, because he had dreams now.

    “Now all his dreams are gone, because they took his life for nothing.”

    Asked about the suggestion that his son could have been implicated in a burglary, Mr Arbery said that was “just a lie and a cover-up”.

    “The video speaking everything for itself,” he said. “Check that lynch mob out.”

    The family lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said the footage shows a “horrific execution”.

    The attorney also claimed Gregory McMichael was not initially charged because he had worked as a police officer and a detective for the local district attorney for over 30 years.

     

    Source: BBC 

  • GFA’s ‘Thank You’ message to sponsors sparks claims of season ending

    A creative artwork by the Ghana Football Association has sparked claims of the cancellation of the season, less than 24 hours after the association confirmed the status remained same.

    A message thanking existing sponsors and wishing they continue with the association in the “coming season” has been interpreted as the season is over.

    But the Ghana Football Association has moved quickly to clarify the misconception insisting the status quo remains the same.

    Local media have interpreted the message from the association to its cherished sponsors as a declaration that the 2019/2020 season is over – but that interpretation appears to have fallen flat.

    The GFA confirmed on Wednesday that the season remains suspended amid the Coronavirus pandemic as they seek for broader consultation before deciding on the future of the season.

    The FA insist it does not have the power to decide the fate of the 2019/2020 season as it is Congress- the highest decision making body of the association, which is clothed with powers to make any such declaration.

    The novel Coronavirus has sparked a massive division among Ghanaian fans over the status of the current campaign amid calls for either a cancellation or a continuation of the season post Covid-19.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Boateng on Messi’s nutmeg: I’ll get some popcorn and watch the 2014 World Cup final

    May 6, 2020, marked five years to the day since Lionel Messi famously nutmegged Jerome Boateng during Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final tie against Bayern Munich, but the German defender has reacted to the anniversary in a funny manner.

    Many people chose to interact with Boateng to try and provoke a reaction, and they succeeded, although the centre-back will feel like he had the last laugh.

    “Here you go – something to laugh [at during] these tough days,” Boateng tweeted.”I’ll get some popcorn meanwhile… and watch the World Cup final 2014 afterwards.”You can stop tagging me now, I know it’s five years today.”

    Source: marca.com

  • Inter Allies veep Delali Senaya insists football’s contribution to Ghana’s economy is underrated

    Inter Allies FC CEO Eric Delali Senaya has said that football clubs’ contribution in the economic development in Ghana is undermined and underrated.

    Mr. Senaya believes this may be the reason the government is reluctant in supporting the clubs financially during this period of coronavirus crises.

    Government is giving stimulus packages to several industries in the country that have been hit financially by the global pandemic.

    The Ghana FA sent proposal to government requesting for financial support but many believe that there are more pressing issues than football.

    Mr. Senaya claims there has been no research on the importance of football in Ghana’s economic growth and that’s making people think otherwise.

    “We pay every match that the clubs are involved in by way of gate fees we pay 17.5% as of VAT,” he said

    “Those of us (the clubs) who are limited by shares, end of the year if profit is declared we pay corporate taxes.”

    “Football has driven the local tourism economy, if Inter Allies travel to Berekum it means that we are going to occupy one hotel there, fifteen rooms in total, the team is going to spend two days there and spend money there.”

    “On the match day, the folks in Berekum will also be involved in other activities and the rest.”

    “Football contributes hugely to the local economy through tourism but our industry is underrated and not known, there has been no scientific research to know the economic importance of football in our economy.”

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Sports Ministry announces budget for Essipon Stadium renovation

    An amount of $3,086,206 (GH¢17,969,447) has been set aside to renovate the Essipun Sports Stadium over a period of 12 months.

    The initial phase which is expected to begin immediately would involve the replacement of defective roofing sheets and works on damaged roof structural steel frames.

    Also, waterproof treatment would be applied to leaky areas with plans to also safeguard against corrosion of all metal structures by applying heavy-duty coating.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Youth and Sports (MoYS), Isaac Kwame Asiamah

    Who led an inspection team that also included the National Sports Authority boss, Prof Peter Twumasi and other stakeholders.

    The exercise will also see the renovation of elevators, the fire-fighting system, air condition units, offices and plumbing works involving defective sanitary appliances.

    This would be the first major facelift the facility would receive after it was built for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament would form part of a national agenda to rehabilitate all stadiums across the country.

    Mr Asiamah indicated that to prevent the sporting arenas from falling into deplorable conditions in the future, specific maintenance models would be drafted and implemented.

    He stated that after Essipun was brought back to life, the ministry will ensure religious maintenance culture, adding that “we will provide maintenance manuals for all the stadia that we are renovating.”

    The project will be supervised by the Architectural and Engineering Services (AESL) Limited with CISDAN Limited serving as the contractors.

    Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

  • Latif Blessing resumes training with LAFC after coronavirus break

    Ghanaian midfielder Latif Atta Blessing has returned to training at Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC after an enforced break due to Coronavirus.

    Blessing was part of sixteen LAFC players that showed up at training on Thursday, and was engaged in an individual practice as part of measures in controlling the spread of the virus.

    The Major League Soccer has been on hold since March due to the pandemic, but it is likely that soccer will return soon as clubs return to training.

    LAFC are unbeaten in the MLS this season after just two games, beating David Beckham’s Inter Miami on opening day 1-0 before a 3-3 draw with Philadelphia Union.

    Latif Blessing was involved in both games, and has been an integral member of coach Bradley’s side.

    Watch Video Below:

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Burial date of actor Bishop Bernard Nyarko in Eastern Region out

    Even before the family of Bishop Bernard Nyarko sits to observe one week of his passing, they have announced the date for his burial in the Eastern Region of Ghana

    According to a cousin of the actor who spoke to Angel TV monitored by MyNewsGh.com, Bernard Nyarko will be buried on June 12, 2020 at Obosomase in Akuapem in the Eastern Region.

    However, his funeral rites will take place at Ashaley Botwe-Lakeside, Accra before the body is sent to the Eastern region for burial.

    The One week observation will not be a public gathering and people who will come and mourn with them should ensure that they do not sit after exchanging pleasantries with the family.

    Bishop Bernard Nuarko died on Saturday May 2 at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.

    The actor is reported to have suffered from colon cancer.

    Since his death, there have been several conspiracy theories surrounding the unfortunate incident with people pointing fingers at some industry colleagues

    Source: MyNewsGh.com

  • Majestic Drama lists Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, E.L among artists he wants to work with

    US-based top music producer and songwriter, Abdoulaye Diop names a few Ghanaian musicians he’d relish working with.

    Widely known under the pseudonym of Majestic Drama, Abdoulaye Diop rose to fame for his astounding production on Wale’s 2017 smash song ‘Mathematics’. Securing his place among major players in the industry, Drama garnered prominence in 2019.

    Snowballing ever since, the platinum-status virtuoso now boasts of collaborations with A-listers like Fetty Wap, Kid Ink, Hip-Hop veteran, Twista and French rapper, La Fouine. Currently pegged among the industry’s finest and deservingly so, Drama now seeks to widen his scope and is set on working with some of Africa’s household names to create some audio magic.

    On a phone conversation centered on his next big move, Majestic Drama disclosed he had his sights set on some Ghanaian artists to spearhead his African music debut.

    Elaborating on his choice for Ghanaian acts, he remarked: ”In Africa, the major players for Afro music are Ghanaian and Nigerian artists. After producing for Kwaw Kese, I learned a lot about Ghana and its potential in becoming a global force in music”.

    He later went on to list his dream team, one which includes the likes of Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, E.L and M.anifest. However, Drama did point out he was generally ready to work with other ”willing” Ghanaian musicians who wanted to further thrust the country’s ingenuity.

    Born in Dakar, Senegal, Abdoulaye Diop is now based in Los Angeles, California. Amid his critical acclaim and platinum tag, Majestic Drama has always remained true to his African roots and his sounds are a testimony to his loyalty. Majestic Drama has so much thrill to give and with a new record to further spice up his catalogue, the world is yet to taste his best.

    Source: Francis Amissah, Contributor

  • Georgia police arrest two for shooting death of unarmed black man

    Police on Thursday arrested two white men for the shooting death of an unarmed black jogger in Georgia whose killing was captured in a video that went viral, sparking massive public outcry.

    Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was killed on February 23 as he ran on a sunny day in his residential neighbourhood in the town of Brunswick.

    But the case gained national notoriety this week with the release of a 28-second cell phone video that captured the shooting.

    “Gregory & Travis McMichael have been arrested for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted.

    The two men were charged with murder and aggravated assault, according to a statement posted to the bureau’s website. They have been booked into the Glynn County jail.

    In the footage, Arbery is seen running down a residential street and approaching a white pickup truck that is stopped in the right lane with a man standing in the back.

    As Arbery tries to get around the vehicle, he is confronted by a second man holding a shotgun. An altercation ensues as Arbery and this man struggle, and the black man is shot once, then once more a few seconds later.

    The two white men were identified by police as Travis McMichael, 34, and his father Gregory McMichael, 64, who both live in Brunswick.

    According to the police report, Gregory McMichael told officers he thought Arbery was a suspect in a series of area burglaries and on the day of the shooting, while standing in his front yard, he had seen the young black man “hauling ass” down the street.

    McMichael said he went inside, got his .357 Magnum while his son grabbed a shotgun, and they went out looking for Arbery. When they finally caught up with him and Travis McMichael got out of the truck with the shotgun, Arbery began to “violently attack” him, the father said, according to the police report.

    The father said he saw his son shoot Arbery twice and Arbery fall to the ground.

    After the video footage went viral, a Georgia district attorney said Tuesday that a grand jury would be formed to see if there are grounds to charge the father and son.

    Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, retweeted the Bureau of Investigation’s arrest announcement and added that the “investigation remains ongoing,” as well as asked that residents call in with tips.

    He also praised the bureau, tweeting: “I applaud @GBI_GA Director Vic Reynolds and his agents for their swift action. Justice will be served.”

    Around the country, political figures, celebrities and people on social media expressed fury and called for the two men to be prosecuted.

    “The video is clear: Ahmaud Arbery was killed in cold blood. My heart goes out to his family, who deserve justice and deserve it now,” Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden tweeted Wednesday night.

    Arbery “was murdered by two white men, ON CAMERA, and dudes have not been arrested. come on, people,” actress Zoe Kravitz said in an Instagram post, before the arrest. It was shared by such figures as Billie Eilish and Kylie Jenner.

    Some drew parallels between this case and the shooting death of another unarmed young black man, Trayvon Martin, by a neighborhood guard in Florida in 2012.

    “We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes!,” basketball great LeBron James said on Instagram.

    Source: AFP

  • South Korean football kicks off with new audience, safety measures

    South Korean football will reach new international TV audiences as it leads the way by restarting after the Coronavirus on Friday, but there will be no crowds or wild goal celebrations and even talking is discouraged.

    With most leagues worldwide sidelined by the pandemic, the K-League is the first competition of any standing to come back to life, watched by sport-starved fans in a swathe of foreign countries.

    It will provide the first glimpse of post-virus football, with teams under orders to stick to stringent safety guidelines to prevent any contagion.

    Players have been told to avoid excessive goal celebrations, handshakes, close talking and blowing their noses, while the stadiums will be devoid of spectators.

    But with fans around the world long deprived of live sport, the K-League has signed rights deals with broadcasters in nearly 20 countries including Germany, Switzerland and Australia who will be showing games live.

    The K-League, whose start was delayed two months by the pandemic, will also be livestreamed on YouTube and Twitter with English graphics and commentary.

    Last year rights were sold to only six countries, all of them in Asia.

    “Because we had limited exposure to international fans, it is true that the K-League was largely unknown globally despite its competitiveness,” said league spokesman Lee Jong-kwoun.

    “2020 will be the first year the league will be recognised and assessed on a global level.”

    Defending champions Jeonbuk Motors — managed by Jose Mourinho’s former assistant Jose Morais — face Cup-holders Suwon Bluewings in the season-opener in Jeonju, a host city for the 2002 World Cup.

    – Bows, not handshakes –

    The K-League’s progress will be watched closely by other leagues including the giants of Europe, where Germany’s Bundesliga is the only competition so far to set a date to return, on May 16.

    Players and coaching staff will have their temperatures checked before each game and anyone at 37.5 C (99.5 F) or more will be isolated and tested.

    If anyone gets infected during the season, their team and those who played against them will have to take a two-week break.

    And instead of the traditional pre-game handshakes, players have been asked to bow their heads from a distance.

    South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of COVID-19 outside China, prompting professional sports to suspend or delay their seasons, a pattern that was repeated worldwide.

    But the country appears to have flattened the curve thanks to an extensive “trace, test and treat” programme, and football’s return comes after baseball started this week, also without fans.

    Life in South Korea has returned largely to normal, with workers going back to offices this week under eased social distancing rules, while a stay-on-base order on its 600,000 strong military was lifted, allowing conscripts to go on leave.

    Schools will start re-opening next week.

    Authorities reported 12 fresh coronavirus cases Friday, taking the total to 10,822.

    The K-League said spectators will be allowed back into stadiums progressively as the government eases its distancing measures.

    The new football season comes just three days after the return of professional baseball in South Korea, which has struck a television deal with ESPN for US fans.

    Source: AFP

  • China’s new spacecraft returns to Earth

    China’s new prototype spacecraft “successfully landed” on Friday, marking an important step in its ambitions to run a permanent space station and send astronauts to the moon.

    The spacecraft which was launched Tuesday — arrived safely at a predetermined site, the China Manned Space Agency said, after a hitch in an earlier part of the key test.

    It said the cabin structure of the spacecraft had been confirmed on site as being intact.

    The test vessel was launched with a cargo capsule aboard a new type of carrier rocket from the Wenchang launch site on the southern island of Hainan.

    The space agency said the vessel was in orbit for two days and 19 hours and had completed a number of experiments.

    Its return has also verified the spacecraft’s capabilities such as its heat resistance.

    It is hoped the spaceship will one day transport astronauts to a space station that China plans to complete by 2022 — and eventually to the Moon.

    Friday’s safe landing follows a snag in an earlier part of the test when an unspecified “anomaly” occurred during the return of the cargo capsule.

    Source: france24.com

  • Europe marks 75th anniversary of VE day in shadow of Covid-19

    A continent devastated by the coronavirus will on Friday mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, known as Victory in Europe (VE) day, as the economic destruction of the current global crisis was laid bare.

    Large-scale parades that had been envisaged to commemorate victory over the Nazis have been downsized as the world grapples with a fearsome new enemy that has killed 277,000 people and sickened more than 3.7 million.

    While parts of Europe appeared to be over the hump of new infections, the United States’ death toll showed no signs of slowing, and Brazil warned of chaos with the pandemic running out of control.

    “Within about 30 days, there may start to be shortages on shelves and production may become disorganised, leading to a system of economic collapse, of social disorder,” Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said.

    Brazil is Latin America’s worst-affected nation, with more than 135,000 infections and 9,100 confirmed deaths, although experts say the true figures are far higher.

    But far-right President Jair Bolsonaro opposes stay-at-home measures to slow the spread, saying they are unnecessarily damaging the economy.

    US President Donald Trump is also pushing for lockdowns to be lifted, as he tries to steady the economy ahead of November polls.

    “This country can’t stay closed and locked down for years,” he said Thursday, as the US death toll topped 75,500.

    Another 3.2 million people filed unemployment claims in the United States last week, bringing the total who have lost their jobs in the lockdown to 33.5 million.

    Germany and France on Thursday reported major slumps in industrial production and Britain said its economic output would plummet by 14 percent this year.

    Across Europe, many countries are now easing restrictions, with some shops and schools re-opening, Italy allowing Catholics to soon attend mass, and Norway to open up pubs on June 1.

    Britain was on Thursday reviewing lockdown measures, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to offer a roadmap on Sunday.

    The easing has already begun in Germany, while France is due on Monday to start emerging from its lockdown, though Paris will remain restricted.

    Wreaths

    Despite limitations, some ceremonies were to go ahead Friday in commemoration of the end of hostilities in World War II.

    The anniversary of Nazi Germany’s 1945 unconditional surrender after a war that cost 50 million lives is a holiday in Berlin this year.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are due to lay wreaths at the country’s main memorial.

    Ceremonies across France have been drastically scaled down, although President Emmanuel Macron will still be attending an event on the Champs-Élysées.

    In Britain, street parades by veterans have been cancelled.

    Russia had originally planned a huge military display on its May 9 Victory Day, but now only a flypast will take place over Red Square.

    President Vladimir Putin will lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial, before making a TV address that will not only touch on the war, but is also expected to chart out the country’s next steps in battling the virus.

    Most of Europe has seen significant drops in new infections, but cases are on the rise in Russia, with another 11,000 reported Thursday.

    Moscow’s lockdown has been extended until May 31.

    Source: france24.com

  • Bangladesh opens mosques as lockdown eases

    Mass prayers at mosques are now allowed in Bangladesh, which has more than 12,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 200 deaths.

    But a correspondent at The Dhaka Tribune newspaper found that many mosques in the capital, Dhaka, did not follow the required guidelines as they opened their doors for the first time on Thursday after a month.

    Most failed to arrange a hand sanitising station for visitors to use before entering and many people were not wearing masks, the newspaper reported.

    “There are some shortcomings in the arrangements according to the guidelines, as it is the first day,” Fazlul Haque, president of one of the mosques in the city, said while adding that they were “trying their hardest” to make sure the rules were enforced.

    In April, a Bangladeshi cleric tested positive for the virus after he led Ramadan prayers for a group of nearly two dozen, local media reported at the time. The incident prompted authorities to urge people to stay at home and restrict the congregation of people in mosques.

    In India, a mosque in the capital, Delhi, dominated news coverage last month after more than 1,000 cases were linked to a religious event held by a missionary group. The event spurred outrage as it sparked massive Covid-19 clusters in the country.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Reverend Obofour and wife welcome triplets

    News going round on social media has it that Rev Obofour and his wife have welcomed triplets.

    The good news was announced on Instagram by one Aisha, who GhanaWeb gathers is a friend of the family.

    she posted her heartfelt congratulations to the couple and thanked God for his mercies on the family.

    Her post read; “Congrats sweetheart ????????????????. God is wonderful ???????????? @bofowaa.”

    See the post below:

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • UN calls for end to ‘tsunami of hate’ around virus

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an “all-out effort” to end rising racism linked to the Coronavirus pandemic.

    “The pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering,” Guterres said on Friday.

    “Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread and COVID-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred.”

    Additionally, “journalists, whistleblowers, health professionals, aid workers and human rights defenders are being targeted simply for doing their jobs,” he said.

    He appealed for “an all-out effort to end hate speech globally,” and called on “the media, especially social media companies, to do much more to flag and… remove racist, misogynist and other harmful content.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Sailor sent on Pacific odyssey over lockdowns

    It was supposed to be an idyllic trip of a lifetime around the Pacific for one sailor – but instead it turned into a nightmare.

    Wong, from Singapore, was hoping to spend three years travelling the seas on his yacht, visiting different countries – but the virus outbreak meant countries started closing their ports to him as he tried to dock.

    “I pleaded with them [and said] I didn’t have anywhere to go. They said to head back to the ocean,” he told me, about his arrival off Tuvalu.

    And with nowhere to dock, the ocean was indeed where he found himself, wandering alone with no end in sight.

    After almost three months, with food and fuel supplies getting dangerously low, he was finally rescued by the Fijian coast guard.

    Source: bbc.com

  • 79-year-old paralyzed mother pulled from grave alive, after her son buried her alive

    A 79-year-old disabled woman who was allegedly buried alive by her son has miraculously survived after being trapped in the pit for nearly three days, authorities have said.

    Police in north-western China’s Shaanxi province rescued the paralyzed mother, known as Wang Mou, on Tuesday, May 5, after the woman’s daughter-in-law reported her missing.

    The 58-year-old son, known as Ma Mou, has been detained and faces an attempted murder charge, according to the police. An investigation on the incident is underway.

    Police in Jingbian County revealed that at 9am on Tuesday morning, the suspect’s partner Zhang Mou went to the Xinzhuang Police Station to report her husband had taken her mother-in-law out on a trolley around 8pm on May 2, but she had not returned.

    She said he had told the family he had sent the pensioner, who cannot walk by herself, to visit relatives; but his wife became suspicious.

    After bringing Ma in for questioning, investigators said he admitted dumping the elderly woman at an abandoned tomb in a forest south of Jingbian County.

    After confirming the location, police immediately excavated the gravesite, and halfway through they heard a faint cry for help. They surprisingly found the paralyzed mother still alive after nearly three days without food or water.

    Her son now faces charges of intentional homicide.

    Source: dailymail.co.uk

  • Coronavirus: Ghanaians have ‘terrible attitude’, it’s so bad – Atik Mohammed

    PNC General Secretary, Atik Mohammed, has admonished Ghanaians to stop flouting the preventive protocols to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

    Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, Atik Mohammed bemoaned the character of some Ghanaians who have refused to heed the simple safety measures to control the disease.

    According to him, ”the Ghanaian attitude is terrible” in all sectors of the economy.

    He stressed the nation will defeat the pandemic only when all Ghanaians play a significant role in observing the health instructions.

    Atik Mohammed advised the citizenry to cherish their lives because the pandemic is not a comic relief but a matter of life and death.

    “The Ghanaian attitude is terrible in every sector. When you take health, our attitude is bad. In sanitation and governance, our attitude is bad . . . There is no regard for social distancing. The people are not observing the protocols and all we’re doing is spreading the virus among us,” he stated.

    He added that “the very nature of our homes and social relationship is such that we tend to get close to one another and therefore if people keep disobeying the protocols”, there will be a rapid spread of the disease.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Disregard publication on government protocol scholarship – Commission

    The Office of the Public Services Commission has urged the public to disregard any publication titled “Government Protocol Scholarship” form purported to come from the Commission.

    A statement signed by Dr Janet Ampadu Fofie, Chairman of the Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said: “the form is fake and is not from the Commission, neither is it from government to the best of our knowledge”.

    It calls on the security agencies to investigate the source of the form for possible prosecution of the culprit to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Source: GNA

  • Cabinet’s three-day retreat on COVID-19 begins

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his cabinet have begun a three-day retreat to examine the impact and the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic across all governance sectors in the country.

    Various recommendations made over the pasts months would also be considered.
    The retreat would also allow government to place its recommendations before Parliament during the mid-year review, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, said.

    Speaking at a media briefing to update the public on efforts being made, Mr Oppong-Nkrumah said the President has subsequently instructed all ministers to report on the impact across their sectors and proffer recommendations for recovery.

    The Minister said from the onset of the pandemic, the Finance Minister briefed the nation through Parliament on the projected economic impact of the pandemic and measures that government was projecting to take at the time to mitigate the impact.

    Since then, the government has rolled out a number of measures in responding to the health crisis and its attendant socio-economic challenges that has come with its management.

    These measures included the free water supply for three months and the free electricity for three months for lifeline consumers and 50 per cent discount for non-lifeline consumers among several others.

    There was also the discussion of a soft loan programme and the facilitation of other loan facilities through some of the commercial banks, Mr Oppong-Nkrumah said.

    He said eight weeks into the pandemic as Ghana gets closer to mid-year, government has gathered substantial data on the real impact of the COVID-19 across various sectors including, education, health, economy, trade, the legal front among others areas.

    Source: GNA

  • President nominates Isaac Dasmani as MCE for Prestea-Huni Valley

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has nominated Dr Isaac Dasmani as the Municipal Chief Executive for the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality of the Western Region.

    Dr Dasmani is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Cape Coast.

    A statement issued and signed by Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Thursday, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, requested the Western Regional Minister to therefore, liaise with the Regional Electoral Commission to conduct the confirmation process of the nominee.

    “This is in accordance with article 243(1) of the 1992 Constitution, and section 20(1) of the Local Governance Act, Act 936,” it said.

    source: GNA

  • Old Tafo Municipal Assembly supports 16 PWDs to start their businesses

    The Old Tafo Municipal Assembly has provided start-up items and financial support to 16 selected Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to start their own businesses.

    The gesture was part of efforts by the Assembly to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable persons in the Municipality.

    Some of the beneficiaries received bags of charcoal, salt, footwear and sheep.

    Others were also presented with various sums of cash to invest in businesses of their choice to ensure they were economically independent.

    Mr. Fred Obeng Owusu, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), speaking at a brief ceremony, said government was committed to supporting PWDs to be productive and self-reliant.

    He said they were equally important as citizens who must be empowered to contribute meaningfully to socio-economic development of the country instead of resorting to alms begging for survival.

    The Assembly, he noted, would extend the support to other selected PWDs in the coming weeks and the target was to reach out to all persons with various forms of disabilities in the Municipality.

    He entreated them to take advantage of the capital given them to build successful businesses for themselves and families.

    The MCE reminded them that a team from the Assembly would be visiting them to monitor the progress of their businesses and charged them to live up to expectation.

    Source: GNA

  • Scholarship Secretariat calls for more application from Western and Western North regions

    Despite the over 75,000 Electronic scholarship applications received by the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat for the 2020/2021 academic year, the representations from the Western and Western North Regions are just minimal.

    The Ghana Scholarship Secretariat which announced this on Thursday at a press briefing in Sekondi, therefore encouraged interested applicants to quickly log on to the www.scholarshipgh.com portal and follow the three-step application process before May, 15, 2020 deadline.

    Mr. Kingsley Agyeman, the Director of the Secretariat, told Journalists that about 70,000 people are expected to be sponsored with taxpayers funds for the 2020/2021 academic.

    According to him, the Secretariat was expected to spend 80 million cedis this year as against 40 million cedis spent on 32,000 qualified applicants last year.

    He said the secretariat decentralized the process of application to ensure transparency and more accessibility.

    Ghana according to Him, only has 16 per cent of its senior high school graduate proceeding to the tertiary level which over the years had affected the manpower and technical level with its resultant effects on the rapid socio-economic dynamics of the country.

    Mr Agyeman noted that the scholarship was, therefore, to open up to many students who may have the potentials but due to the lack of money, they were not able to advance in education and knowledge to contribute positively to the development of the country.

    “The President, Akufo-Addo has therefore seen the need to give a good meaning to the SDGs Four on quality education,” he added.

    Mr Wilson Arthur, the Dean of the MMDCEs in the Regions, said empowering lives to transform Ghana was critical.

    He, therefore, entreated his colleagues to make available all technical assistance to students wanting to apply to increase the numbers in the Region.

    Source: GNA

  • There was a lockdown and now there is…

    The debate to lockdown the country or not was one of the most inconclusive debates that started in the country and ended with what I feel was a compromise between locking down and not locking down.

    Parts of the nation considered as hot spots were locked down in an attempt to give Scientist and Epidemiologist an opportunity to understand the disease, do aggressive testing and contact tracing, isolate infected people (mostly self-Quarantine) and treat moderate to severely Ill patients.

    This was a conscious effort to enable the public health apparatus to get ahead of the disease and afford the country the opportunity to flatten the curve early so that we can avoid the unpleasant situation of not getting our fragile healthcare system overwhelmed and expose the citizenry to the same fate as our European and American friends.

    So we locked down. A lot of agitations mixed with some gratitude from a few saw us being applauded so loudly as a nation for the way we are tackling the challenge of this virus in our own small way. A lot of private and public sectors stepped forward to help in the fight, everyone was beginning to get used to the norm, restricted movement and deliberate attempts to get ahead of the disease.

    Whether we were truly getting ahead of this disease was still not clear as the ordinary Ghanaian was never given a clear overview of the details of the Science because the data clearly stated that we needed to restrict movement even more.

    And then BAM, the lockdown was lifted at a case count of 1,042 and 9 deaths on April 19, 2020.

    Eleven (11) days following this decision which I believe hinged strongly on social and economic science, April 30, 2020, the number almost doubled to 2,074 cases with 17 deaths.

    What does this mean? The case surge is almost a vertical line, not that “nice” calming slope we were seeing.

    The question which I believe should have been answered before this decision to start the lockdown is; Are we in the position to see it through to the end, not this abrupt end. Your guess may be as good as mine.

    We still have not been able to put a value on human life, at least not in any of our reports. So multiply that arbitrary value by 19 and the answer will be. . . Exactly, we do not know that either.

    However five questions I hope was answered before lifting the lockdown should include:

    1. What is the next strategy because we are not just testing for the sake of seeing how many positive cases we can get but there should be a very clear strategy on what we are doing by increasing our testing capacity this much. Except we are now leaning towards Herd Immunity, in which case, did we need to lockdown in the first place?

    2. Can our very vulnerable healthcare system support us should the disease get out of control with our new undefined strategy?

    3. Is the number of deaths and new cases declining?

    4. Do we have enough PPEs for our frontline workers and most public and private institutions? If not. .  .

    5. Do we have a strategy to avoid a second wave?

    Until we all, as a people have the same clear answers to these very important questions then it will be very bad before it gets worse.

    In the meantime, stay home, observe all personal hygienic measures and PRAY.

    Dr Hamza Asumah is a Surgeon and Medical Director of Abenkyiman Hospital (a private hospital) in the Bekwai municipality and the founder and managing director of Halo Medical Services, a medical consultancy firm since October 2012. He plays the oversight duty of ensuring the daily clinical and administrative management of these companies.

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of backend.theindependentghana.com. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”

     

     

  • Wife and boyfriend hatched three plots to kill husband

    It has emerged that the wedded wife who plotted with her boyfriend to kill her husband, had hatched three plans to execute their ploy.

    Mavis Brepor, 32, and Patrick Asare, 50, were arrested last Saturday after contracting ‘an assassin’ to kill David Gator, 52, to whom she had been married for 13 years with three children.

    Their plan, however, could not materialise because Asare, while recruiting the would be assassin, mistakenly called the Manhyia Divisional Police Commander, ACP Kwaku Buah for the role.

    Giving details of the arrest at a press briefing on Wednesday, ACP Duah, said when he realised that the call was a mistake, he feigned interest in the deal for which Asare offered GH₵100,000 to finish the job.

    “In intelligence, that information was like a pot of gold to us and it was important we manage it well and that is what we did,” he said Thursday in a later interview on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM.

    He said the assassination was to be carried out on Saturday, May 2.

    According to ACP Duah, the suspects had been in a relationship for about six months and had done a blood covenant.

    He said the two “had vowed to live together forever and the best way for them to live forever was to eliminate the husband.”

    He said there were three plans but the first plan, which was to poison the man with powdered bottles could not be executed because Gator often ate together with his children wife.

    “Plan B was to get someone to kill him. If we had not swiftly moved in on the day of planned killing, this man [Asare] would have gone to Nima to get some thugs to come and kill him. That was the plan C,” ACP Duah said.

    He said after the arrest of Asare, “We went to the house of Mr Gator and the man was eating with the wife but unknown to him, the wife and the boyfriend had planned to kill him.”

    He said when he broke the news to him, Gator broke down in tears and enquired from his wife what wrong he had done to warrant such an act from her.

    ACP Duah attributed the arrest of Asare and Mavis to the handiwork of God, saying, “He would have been dead by now if God had not been on his side and if the call had gone to the wrong person.”

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

  • TV station owner, military officers arrested over alleged kidnapping

    Six people are in the grips of the Yendi police for allegedly kidnapping a man in Zabzugu in the Northern Region.

    The six include a TV station owner and three military officers.

    According to the Yendi police, they received information that a young man had been kidnapped into an unregistered Toyota V8 vehicle heading towards Yendi.

    The police subsequently intercepted the vehicle and captured all of its six occupants including the victim and the vehicle driver whose name was given as Nana Yaw Owusu.

    The main suspect, 45-year-old Musah Mohammed, who owns Konkonsa TV and AB TV in Accra is alleged to have contracted the military officers to kidnap the victim.

    Musah Mohammed, who is said to be a spiritualist and a herbal doctor is said to have kidnapped the victim, Sani Ibrahim, 32 because the victim allegedly used his pictures to defraud someone of GHS 20,000.

    Police say Musah Mohammed contacted a military friend, who also invited two of his colleagues, all of Airforce Base in Tamale and proceeded to Zabzugu upon hearing that the supposed impostor was hiding there.

    After the arrest of the suspect, some youth in Yendi organized themselves and confronted the Police in an attempt to free the main suspect.

    They burnt car tyres amidst pelting of stones.

    The military had to intervene to maintain order in the area.

    The suspects according to the police will be transferred to Tamale for further investigations.

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • COVID-19: Government must evacuate Ghanaian citizens abroad Minority

    The Minority in Parliament has called on the government to evacuate Ghanaian citizens stranded in other countries due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

    Both the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) have made provisions for their citizens in Ghana to be evacuated, since the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in Ghana.

    The US has so far evacuated over 1,400 American citizens and permanent residents of the US.

    The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu at a press conference on Thursday called on the government of Ghana to make similar arrangements for Ghanaian citizens abroad to be evacuated under strict protocols.

    “Many other countries are evacuating their citizens. India has done it, South Africa has done, UK has done it. It is our considered view that just as our government is able to open our airports despite the closures for foreign nationals to be evacuated, the government should do same by providing a narrow opportunity under strict evacuation protocols of screening, testing and quarantining when necessary in order to secure the safety of Ghanaians abroad.”

    This is the second wave of calls for Ghanaian citizens abroad to be evacuated.

    The first call which had to do with Ghanaian students in China intensified when the virus was fast-spreading in some parts of China.

    The Minority, the China chapter of National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and parents had called on the government to evacuate Ghanaian students from the country, to protect them from contracting the disease.

    The President in response to these calls had said the government will evacuate students from China if other options aimed at confining the disease to the area of origin fails.

    “The government is in constant touch with experts on the subject who have advised that the basic principle of public health is to confine the disease to the area of origin but we have not ruled out the option of evacuating the students from Wuhan if that becomes necessary.”

    “We have put in place measures to ensure that if the evacuation happens, it will not lead to the dissemination of fear and panic amongst the general population, ” the President said while delivering the 2020 State of the Nation Address.

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Coronavirus: US unemployment claims hit 33.3 million amid virus

    A further 3.2 million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as the economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to mount.

    The new applications brought the total number of jobless claims since mid-March to 33.3 million.

    That amounts to more than 15% of the US workforce.

    However, it was less than the 3.8 million a week ago and down from the record 6.9 million for one week in March.

    Although the number of people filing claims is on the decline, it is still extraordinarily high, says BBC Business correspondent Samira Hussain in New York.

    Although the unprecedented job losses seem to be slowing, economists say the monthly unemployment rate for April, which will be released on Friday, could reach 15% or higher.

    Just two months ago, the unemployment rate was at 3.5%, a 50-year low.

    Since the coronavirus has taken hold in the US, the country has suffered its worst growth numbers in a decade, the worst retail sales report on record, and the highest weekly unemployment claims ever seen.

    Source: www.bbc.com
  • The entire world is in ICU not only Ghana, this’s a needles ‘political ridicule’ – Baako tells Mahama

    Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has censured former President John Dramani Mahama for claiming Ghana’s economy is in tatters under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

    Having a digital dialogue with Ghanaians, the former President lamented about the performance of the Akufo-Addo administration with particular emphasis on how he is handling the pandemic crisis of COVID-19.

    Mr. Mahama stated emphatically that “just one month of this Government funding just some sections of the economy and vulnerable persons at home due to the coronavirus, our economy has gone to the ICU and is in tatters now and needs critical health examination”.

    The former President further asserted that the current administration has put the economy on ventilators in need of a breakthrough which he can offer when re-elected into office.

    Reacting to the former President’s remarks, Kweku Baako posited that he (Mahama) seeks to only politically ridicule the present administration despite efforts by the President to drive Ghanaians to safety, taking into focus the current pandemic confronting them.

    “To be honest, I didn’t expect that from former President Mahama. All the big economies in the world are on their knees. All are on their knees. All are in ICU. All of them are on ventilators. It’s not an exclusive matter peculiar to Ghana.”

    “I got a feeling that it all amounted to political ridicule. That’s the impression I got because it’s a serious matter . . . We all know the Ghanaian economy and not just Ghanaian, the African or if you like the third world, the developing countries have in-depth structural deficiencies and inadequacies. That’s why we keep talking about the structural transformation of our economy and this begun from Nkrumah time. He had a more focused agenda but even for him, long before he was overthrown, we were still grappling with the structural deficiencies because it’s a process. It’s not an event,” he said on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo/ on Wednesday.

     

    He questioned Mahama’s logic for embarking on such a political journey saying “if you have been the leader of the country before and you make that statement, for me, I think you’re ridiculing the situation. That’s what I mean by political ridicule and that ought not to have come from that source”.

    To Kweku Baako, the former President is making mismatching the performance of his administration vis-à-vis the Akufo-Addo government.

    “NPP took over in 2017. Before 2017, what was the state of the economy? We’re not talking of having structurally transformed the Ghanaian economy. We’re talking of having brought some efficiency relative to economic management. That’s the distinction because we’re still on the journey,” he pointed out.

     

    Source: Peace FM

  • Abednego Tetteh targets league title and Africa qualification with Hearts of Oak

    Hearts of Oak forward, Abednego Tetteh, has bigger ambitions of helping the club win the premier league title and also return to Africa Club Cup competition.

    The Ghanaian giants have not won the Premier League title since 2009 and Abednego Tetteh hopes to help the side break that jinx.

    The lanky striker has signed a three-year deal with the Phobians in the second transfer window according to reports in the local media.

    “I want to help the club qualify for Africa and win the league title. I already feel at home because the players here are already my friends. Football is one language and any team that you join irrespective of race or language makes you feel at home”, he told Happy FM.

    On the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on football activities in the country he said, “Every body is affected by the Covid-19 and we pray this disease will go away so we will be free and football returns”.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • Hearts Of Oak celebrate Board Member Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe on his birthday

    Premier League club Hearts of Oak is celebrating the birthday of its Board Member and former Chairman of the Ghana Football Association Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe.

    The veteran football administrator and the founding member of the governing New Patriotic Party celebrates his 78th Birthday today.

    He was born in Accra on May 7, 1942.

    “Happy birthday to our Board Member, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe. May God bless this special day, give you joy, good health, and happiness.”

    “Thanks for the inspiring role you have played over the years in helping to shape the club for the better.”Hearts of Oak tweeted.

    See the tweet below.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

     

  • Lack of education affected my football career – Odartey Lamptey

    Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has admitted his lack of education badly affected him during his playing days.

    According to the ex-Anderlecht attacker, he signed most contracts without truly understanding the implications on his career.

    The 45-year-old played from 1990 until 2008 notably for Aston Villa, PSV Eindhoven, Coventry City, Asante Kotoko among other clubs.

    Lamptey made 38 appearances for Black Stars between 1991 and 1996.

    “My educational level affected me greatly in my career as a footballer. I signed most contracts without even knowing the implications of it on my career…,” he told Nana Kweku Kaninja on Angel TV.

    Playing for over ten clubs throughout his career, he believed that his low level of education caused that.

    “They made me play in so many teams but if I knew I would have just played in one or two clubs,” he lamented

  • Former Sports Minister rates Felix Annan ahead of Richard Ofori

    Joseph Yamin, former Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports has rated Felix Annan over Richard Ofori as he indicates that he would prefer the home-based goalkeeper to man the post for the Black Stars ahead of the Maritzburg player.

    The Asante Kotoko captain is one of the 3 goalkeepers who have been earning call-ups to the Ghana national team in the last few years.

    Though his quality is undoubtedly there, Felix Annan has always been in the shadows of Richard Ofori and Lawrence Ati-Zigi when the national team go for a tournament or play qualifiers.

    In an interview on Bryt FM, Joseph Yamin has bemoaned why Annan has not been given chances with the Black Stars as he stresses that he would bench Richard Ofori if he was in charge of the team.

    “I don’t know why Felix Annan is always on the bench for the Black Stars during a tournament. If I were to be the coach, I will put him ahead of Richard Ofori”, he said.

    Felix Annan was part of the Black Stars team that went to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament but never got the opportunity to man the post.

  • I want to help Hearts win the GPL title and qualify for Africa – Abednego Tetteh

    Hearts of Oak forward Abednego Tetteh wants to help his new team win the Ghana Premier League (GPL) and qualify for Africa.

    The lanky striker signed a three-year deal with the Phobians in the second transfer window according to reports.

    With the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League in limbo due to the coronavirus pandemic, the former Bechem United forward is yet to make his debut for the Ghanaian giants.

    Speaking on his ambitions for the club and the impact of the coronavirus on football in the country he said:

    “Every body is affected by the Covid-19 and we pray this disease will go away so we will be free and football returns”, he told Happy 98.9 FM.

    “I want to help the club qualify for Africa and win the league title. I already feel at home because the players here are already my friends. Football is one language and any team that you join irrespective of race or language makes you feel at home”, he added.

    Source: happyghana.com