It seems everyone is feeling the pain, as hiphop act, Kwesi Arthur is all geared up to open an Only Fans account. Do you know what Only Fans is about?
Well, Kwesi Arthur took to his Twitter page and tweeted,
Then actress Efia Odo commented,
With the virus now relatively contained in Australia, the government is forging ahead with plans to restart the economy safely.
They’ve set a target of July for getting people back into the office. But how do you get a “coronavirus-safe” workplace?
Chief medical officer Dr Brendan Murphy said workplaces would need to stagger employee shifts and increase cleaning. Hand sanitiser should be in every office, meetings held via video, and handshakes are still banned.
Offices could learn from the other workplaces kept open throughout the lockdown: construction sites, childcare centres, retail shops and even hair salons.
Those running industries helped cushion the economy, which has still lost about A$4bn (£2bn; $2.5bn) every week, the treasury said yesterday.
More than 1 million people have lost their jobs, while a further five million sought out the government’s subsidy for employers. That means 40% of the workforce has needed welfare to survive.
Source:Â bbc.com
At the weekend, India extended the nationwide coronavirus lockdown by another fortnight, but said that domestic helpers can now return to work. The decision has had millions of middle-class homes debating a key question – to let the workers in or not?
A friend once said that if she had to choose between her husband and her maid, she would pick the latter.
The comment was made as a joke, but it’s an example of how much Indians depend on their domestic helpers.
According to official estimates, more than four million people are employed as domestic helpers, while unofficial ones put that number at a whopping 50 million.
But with the lockdown extended twice already, and the idea sinking in that this is going to be a long haul, middle-class India has begun to miss the maids.
Source:Â bbc.com
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced that commercial banks in Ghana have agreed with the Finance Minister and by extension government, to raise Some three billion Ghana cedis (GH¢3,000,000,000.00) to support the hospitality industry and other specific industries as part of strategic efforts to put the country on the path of recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing industry players in the hospitality sector at the Jubilee House, on Tuesday, 5 May 2020, President Akufo-Addo said interest rates will also be reduced to support industries as they strive to recover from the harm caused by the novel Coronavirus, [COVID-19] outbreak.
“The commercial banks have agreed with the Minister of Finance and the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to raise some three billion cedis by way of loans they are going to give specific industries. The hospitality sector is one of them and the Bank of Ghana again with the support of the Minister of Finance has worked towards reducing interest rates, and even putting in place a moratorium on the payment of principal and I believe on interest on monies. So there is a package there that is available and accessible to you,” President Akufo-Addo said.
“There is a subsequent package that is also currently being negotiated by the Minister and the Bank of Ghana for a much larger sum of money to be pumped into the economy to support and empower the more productive sectors of the economy and once again the hospitality sector is one of them” the President added.
Representatives of the Hospitality Industry
Three representatives of the several associations that constitute the hospitality sector were given the opportunity to address the President. They include Mr Kwesi Eyison, President of the Tour Operators Union of Ghana, Mrs Bella Ayayee Ahu, President of the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF) and Dr Edward Ackah-Nyamike Jnr, President of the Ghana Hotels Association.
Amongst other things, the representatives indicated that the main challenge of their members as a result of the Covid-19 crisis is how to meet their recurrent expenditure, particularly the payment of the salaries of their staff. They welcomed the financial rescue plans and proposals of government and requested that some urgency should be attached to the disbursement of same by the finance ministry.
Participation
Others members of the hospitality sector who participated in the meeting are Mr Emmanuel Frimpong, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF), Mrs Stella Appenteng, President, SKAL International- Ghana, Mr York Yeboah Orcan, President of the Car Rental Association of Ghana, Mr Isaac Sackey, President of the Chefs Association of Ghana. The rest are Mr Awuku Yirenkyi, President of the Tour Guides Association of Ghana, Kwame Bamfo ( Sikkens) – MD Alisa Hotel, Kate Hasan, president.
Event vendors, Mr Manish Numbair, General Manager of the Kempinski Hotel, Mr Rene Vincent Ernst, General Manager of the Labadi Beach Hotel, Theresa Ayaode, Event Organizers Association, Mr Adnan Yucuk, Chief Executive Officer of Movenpick Ambassador hotel and Mr Zibrim Yamusa of the Best Western Hotel. The Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, Akwasi Agyeman, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), also participated in the meeting.
Source: Class FM
More than 1.1 million people have recovered from coronavirus globally, but the time it takes to recover can vary.
Most people will only develop mild symptoms, which usually take a week to recover from, maybe longer. In more serious cases, it could be more than a year.
Medics at the Centre for Perioperative Care say stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol, exercising more, and maintaining a healthy weight can make a difference.
BBC health correspondent Laura Foster explains recovery times and what you can do to help others.
Source:Â bbc.com
US President Donald Trump has confirmed the White House coronavirus task force will be winding down, with Vice-President Mike Pence suggesting it could be disbanded within weeks.
“We are bringing our country back,” Mr Trump said during a visit to a mask-manufacturing factory in Arizona.
New confirmed infections per day in the US currently top 20,000, and daily deaths exceed 1,000.
US health officials warn the virus may spread as businesses begin to reopen.
The US currently has 1.2 million confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 70,000 related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, which is tracking the pandemic.
What did President Trump say?
During a visit to the plant in Phoenix after weeks holed up at the White House, Mr Trump told journalists: “Mike Pence and the task force have done a great job, but we’re now looking at a little bit of a different form, and that form is safety and opening. And we’ll have a different group probably set up for that.”
The president – who wore safety goggles but no face mask during his tour of the facility – was asked if it was “mission accomplished”, and he said: “No, not at all. The mission accomplished is when it’s over.”
Critics have accused the president of sacrificing Americans’ public health in his eagerness to reopen the US economy ahead of his re-election battle in November.
Acknowledging a human cost to the plans, Mr Trump told reporters: “I’m not saying anything is perfect, and yes, will some people be affected? Yes.
“Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon.”
The president was also asked if White House task force experts Dr Deborah Birx and Dr Anthony Fauci would still be involved in efforts to address the coronavirus.
“They will be and so will other doctors and so will other experts in the field,” the president answered.
The once daily task force briefings have become increasingly scarce since Mr Trump was widely condemned by the medical community last month after he pondered at the podium whether injecting bleach into people might kill the virus.
Source:Â bbc.com
Virgin Atlantic has announced it is to cut more than 3,000 jobs in the UK and end its operation at Gatwick airport.
The shock announcement comes after rival British Airways said it could not rule out closing its Gatwick operation. Pilots’ union Balpa described it as “devastating”.
Many airlines have been struggling as the coronavirus pandemic has brought global travel to a virtual standstill.
The airline currently employs a total of about 10,000 people.
Virgin Atlantic, which is in the process of applying for emergency loans from the government, said that jobs will be lost across the board.
“We have weathered many storms since our first flight 36 years ago but none has been as devastating as Covid-19 and the associated loss of life and livelihood for so many,” said Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss.
‘Dire situation’
Balpa the union said: “This is another terrible blow for the industry and is evidence of the dire situation facing UK aviation.
Balpa general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: “Our members and all staff in Virgin Atlantic will be shocked by the scale of this bombshell. We will be challenging Virgin very hard to justify this.”
Virgin Atlantic also said it will move its flying programme from Gatwick to Heathrow. It said it intended to keep its slots at Gatwick “so it can return in line with customer demand”.
However, Mr Weiss said there was no certainty when the air travel industry would recover from the coronavirus crisis.
“After 9/11 and the global financial crisis, we took similar painful measures but fortunately many members of our team were back flying with us within a couple of years.
“Depending on how long the pandemic lasts and the period of time our planes are grounded for, hopefully the same will happen this time.”
Gatwick said the company was “very saddened” to hear of Virgin Atlantic’s plans.
The airline has flown from the airport since 1984, and Gatwick said: “Virgin Atlantic will always be welcome at Gatwick and we will continue our efforts to explore ways to restart the airline’s operations as soon as possible, in the knowledge that they intend to retain their slot portfolio at Gatwick for when demand returns.”
Source:Â bbc.com
Overnight strikes on positions held by Iranian-backed militias and their allies in eastern Syria killed 14 fighters, a war monitor said on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the strikes in the desert near the town of Mayadin, which came minutes after Syrian air defences intercepted Israeli strikes over the north of the country, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A spokesman for the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group said it was not responsible for the strikes.
Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman said it was “likely” that Israel mounted the operation, which killed several Iraqi as well as Iranian fighters.
State media did not report the strikes.
Iranian-backed militias and their allies command a significant presence in eastern Syria south of the Euphrates Valley. The region lies close to the Iraqi border.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011, targeting government troops, allied Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters.
It rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria but says Iran’s presence in support of President Bashar al-Assad is a threat and that it will continue its strikes.
An Israeli diplomatic official, who asked that their name be withheld, did not comment on the strikes but said “Iran was only country still shipping missiles and missiles technologies to their proxies in the region” amid the global health crisis.
Just before midnight on Monday, Syrian air defences intercepted Israeli missiles targeting a research facility in Aleppo province, state media said.
State news agency SANA said the intercepted missiles targeted several “military depots” in the Al-Safira area southeast of Aleppo, Syria’s government-held second city.
On Friday, Israeli forces hit a missile depot in central Syria used by Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, another Iran ally, hours after Israeli helicopters fired missiles at other targets in southern Syria.
Commenting on the apparent intensification of Israeli raids, Yoram Schweitzer of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies told AFP the Jewish state might be reacting to increased hostile action from Iran and Hezbollah.
It is also possible that Israel is trying to apply added pressure as its rivals endure the fallout of the coronavirus crisis, he said.
“I don’t know which one of the two it is, but might be a combination of the two,” Schweitzer said.
Source:Â france24.com
The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samuel Pyne, says whether or not the ruling party will handpick Parliamentary candidates lies in the hands of the National Executive Committee.
Tension seems to be brewing in the ruling party after reports emerged that due to COVID-19 the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party may handpick Parliamentary candidates for the 2020 elections.
This was reportedly hinted by the General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu.
Reacting to this on Peace FM morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Sam Pyne said the “decision to select candidates lies in the hands of NEC and they have the power to do so, but no decision has been made in that regard; even if that will happen, they will get all stakeholders involved”.
Source: Peace FM
The Ministry of Roads and Highways is working to ensure that works on asphalt overlay of roads within the Greater Kumasi jurisdiction are completed on time.
Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Atta, the sector Minister, who stated this said “we are anticipating that a total of 500 kilometers of asphalt overlay of roads within this jurisdiction would be finished by year 2020â€.
This development, according to the Minister, was a big step towards expanding socio-economic activities in an area, which had not seen any major facelift of its road networks for so many years.
“Between 1984 and 1989, Greater Kumasi benefitted from 110 kilometers of asphalted overlay of its roads undertaken by Messrs Limex Bau Construction Limited.
Since that time, no major rehabilitation or road construction works had been done to open up the area for development†Mr. Amoako-Atta told a press conference in Kumasi, and expressed worry over the deplorable nature of some of the roads.
Currently, he said, 156 different road projects were being undertaken in the area by different contractors, including Messrs. Attachy, Kofi Job and Contracta Engineering Limited, a Brazilian construction firm.
They cover rehabilitation of roads in the cocoa growing areas, road network at the Judicial Service premises, some selected schools and hospitals, amongst others.
Information pieced together by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) indicated that the Ashanti Region has an estimated total road network of 9, 692 kilometers, and out of this 3, 475 kilometers are considered to be in good shape.
Mr. Amoako-Atta said the rest could be described as either fair or poor, noting that government under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was leaving no stone unturned to improve on the situation.
The Minister pointed out that feasibility studies, detailed designs and financing options were being undertaken currently by the government on the construction of four interchanges in Kumasi.
They include Oforikrom, Suame, Ahodwo-Santasi and Airport Roundabout Interchanges – all meant to facilitate socio-economic development and activities.
Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, the Regional Minister, said the Regional Coordinating Council was coordinating with all the Districts for the successful execution of the road projects.
They would ensure regular supervision and monitoring in order to check shoddy work on the part of contractors.
Source: GNA
The management of the Kumasi Central Prisons has made an urgent appeal to the Government to consider decongesting the facility.
This is to help ensure effective management of sanitation and promote healthy as well as hygienic conditions among inmates in the facility.
Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) Alhaji Ousamane Tasembedo, Deputy Commander of the Kumasi Central Prison, who made the call, said this was very critical in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, since some of the cells had to be used to serve as isolation centres for new inmates brought from the courts.
He told the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi during a presentation programme that, the Command was doing its best to prevent the outbreak and spread of the virus in the facility and that all the preventive measures and protocols were being strictly observed by both the inmates and officers.
The presentation was made by Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso I, President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to support the officers and inmates in the fight against the virus.
The items included 100 pieces of toilet papers, 100 pieces of carbolic soaps and gallons of hand sanitizers.
ADP Tasembedo pointed out that the Kumasi Central Prisons, which was constructed to house only 800 inmates, currently, had almost 2,000 occupants.
This, he indicated, had brought severe congestion and overcrowding in the various cells resulting in the spread of skin and other communicable diseases in the facility.
ADP Tasembedo said decongesting the facility would help promote social distancing and reduce physical contacts and other human activities that could promote the spread of the virus in the facility.
He called on Ghanaians to desist from stigmatizing ex-convicts, and rather, accept and help integrate them into the society.
ADP Tasembedo thanked Nana Dankawoso for the support and pledged that the Command would put the items to good use to help improve the sanitary conditions of the inmates.
Nana Dankawoso said he had been donating relief items to orphanages, widows and prisons for the past 13 years and pledged that he would continue to do more for the less-privileged in the society.
He said during the COVID-19 lockdown period, he provided food items and personal protective equipment (PPEs) for some 350 widows in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern Regions.
Nana Dankawoso called on other individuals and corporate organizations to support the Prisons Service to provide quality reformative services to inmates.
Source:
Africa has more than 30,000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. And while these numbers are relatively small compared to the rest of the world, the continent is not taking any chances in its fight against the virus.
Residents are creating local solutions to help curb the spread of the virus. In Nigeria, tailors are handmaking protective gear like face masks and medical overalls. And in Kenya, even though schools are closed, one woman is providing food for schoolchildren from poor families.
Now, in Ghana, a software engineering company, Cognate Systems, is using technology to track coronavirus symptoms and hotspots in the West African country.
Using a platform called Opine Health Assistant, the company is able to record and track the frequency of Coronavirus symptoms like a cough and high temperature in different parts of the country.
Opine Health Assistant
The Opine Health Assistant platform, launched March 26, collects information from residents about their possible Coronavirus symptoms and location through a USSD short code, says Kwabena Nuamah, co-founder of Cognate Systems.
USSD is a short code used mostly by mobile telecommunications networks and mobile money service providers like banks for transactions.
When you dial a number that starts with * and ends with # to top up your phone credit or make a bank transfer, you are using USSD.
“To use the platform, they have to dial the shortcode *920*222# or *714*444# on their mobile phones and then follow the prompts to answer questions about symptoms and other risk factors,” Nuamah told CNN.
“It is free to use and users can make use of it on any type of mobile device they have, even without credit,” he added.
Dialing the USSD code allows residents to fill a form with questions about their symptoms, who they have been in contact with, age-range, and travel history.
It also asks if they need essential supplies such as food and shelter in the wake of the pandemic.
Nuamah, who is also an artificial intelligence researcher in the UK, says the questions are coined from the Coronavirus risk factors established by the WHO and are aimed at helping the platform make sense of the symptoms reported by the public.
“When people fill the form, with the information they give us, we can analyze and predict if the person is likely to be infected by the virus. We can also use the location of those who have symptoms to predict new regions that are likely to get hit by the virus,” he said.
Data collected from USSD is built into Opine Health Assistant, and information provided by the public on coronavirus is visualized on maps and graphs to make it easier to understand, monitor, and share.
Where does the data go?
According to Nuamah, the data collected will be shared with public health experts, data scientists, relief providers, and disease surveillance teams who are better suited to understand the information and can use it to provide local solutions to coronavirus.
Ghana currently has more than 2,000 recorded cases of the virus, and 18 deaths resulting from it, according to the WHO.
Nuamah says Opine Health Assistant is helping the country predict the next possible high-risk areas for the virus, so that it is better prepared to handle the pandemic.
So far, 6,000 people have used it.
“We have seen some patterns over the past days that we launched. We have seen that the spread of the virus in Ghana has been mostly within the Greater Accra Region and the Ashanti region,” he said.
“From the data we got, we were able to see certain patterns to suggest that the eastern region would have cases of the virus next before it was reported. And almost 24 hours after predicting the spread of the virus in that region, about 16 reported cases were reported there,” he added.
With the tool, he said, experts and disease surveillance agencies in Ghana can start preparing to contain coronavirus before it hits a particular region.
Providing essential supplies
Opine Health Assistant also links the public with agencies and nonprofit organizations that provide essential supplies and relief materials.
Part of the data collected at the point of filling the form generated by the USSD code is information on where a person lives and if they need essentials like food and shelter.
“For people who might need food or shelter, within the series of questions, there is a part that asks for their location. We pass the locations to relief providers who are in our databases like churches and NGOs,” Nuamah said.
“If a person says he is in Accra, for example, and needs food. We share this information with relief providers in Accra so they can identify people in that region and match them with supplies,” he added.
Nuamah says the team has been in touch with the government of Ghana and one of their goals is to get the Ghanaian government to use their platform to identify Coronavirus symptoms and hotspots.
After the Coronavirus pandemic, Opine Health Assistant will be used to monitor different diseases in Ghana, according to Nuamah.
“We are already thinking outside of the current pandemic. We want to, in the future, be able to give heads-up as to what type of viruses are coming from different parts of the globe. We don’t want to be chasing cases after they have occurred, we want to be able to predict cases coming for different diseases.”
Source: cnn.com
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) has cleared the backlog of samples being tested for Coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Accra on May 5, said, “we have done some 18,000 tests over the weekend to wipe the backlog. “
The Kumasi Center of Collaborative Research (KCCR) however, has a backlog of 1,982 samples to be tested,he says.
In a detailed analysis of the latest recorded cases, Dr. Aboagye said of the new Covid-19 figures recorded, 919 were from the routine surveillance whilst 1,685 were from the enhanced contact tracing and testing in Kumasi and Accra.
The number for those mandatorily quarantined remain 115.
He further noted that most of the cases were reported in 24 out of 26 districts in the Greater Accra Region.
Touching on the case management, Dr. Aboagye said 2,402 of the 2,719 cases are responding to treatment with seven are in moderate to critical condition.
“We have recorded 18 deaths as 294 have recovered from the infectionâ€.
Dr. Aboagye said 200 more COVID-19 patients are awaiting their second test results to be confirmed recovered.
Source: Daily Guide Network
Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has started a programme to distributed food items to communities in the Agona West Constituency as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
The move will see large numbers of the aged benefiting from the supply of the food items during the Holy Ramadan month.
The items include gallons of cooking oil, bags of sugar, beans, and boxes of tinned tomatoes.
The Direct Aid Society of Ghana, an Arab Organisation based in Kuwait, is supporting the Ministry to undertake the exercise.
Speaking to the media, Mrs Morrison, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona West, said the aged needed to be cared for in such difficult times.
The aged in Agona Swedru and four Zongo communities have already benefited.
Those at Agona Nyakrom, Otsenkorang, Edukrom, Nkum, Kwaman, Abodom, Ahamadonko, Lower and Upper Bobikuma and others would have their share of the supply too.
Apart from the food items education had been intensified on the COVID-19 pandemic to contain the spread of the virus.
Mrs Morrison was concerned that the education in the Agona West had not gone down well with the people and cautioned market women, drivers, private and government workers to adhere to the health protocols by President Akufo-Addo and the Ghana Health Service.
The MP said social distancing, wearing of nose masks, washing of hands and other health protocols were the effective ways to combat the virus.
She said the COVID-19 had ravaged the whole world economy, Ghana not an exception, but President Akufo-Addo was not perturbed to ensure that prudent measures were put in place to sustain the economy.
She appealed to Ghanaians to rally behind the President in the fight against the dreadful virus, which had disorganised the lives of Ghanaians and the rest of the world.
Mr Sami Henedak Ahmed, the Director of Direct Aid International, who accompanied the Minister, said the distribution was without politics and that the organisation would continue to support the Gender Ministry to reach out to more people in the Constituency.
He said the organisation had targeted over 27,000 families in Ghana as part of the efforts to alleviate their suffering in the wake of dreadful virus.
It also planned to supply food items to Muslim communities in Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast and Takoradi in the Month of Ramadan as prayers were said to Allah to curb the spread of the disease.
Source: GNA
Following the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the political scenes have been affected worldwide including the rescheduling of elections.
It is in this light that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) suspended its 25th April parliamentary primaries indefinitely. However a developing story suggests that the party is aiming at conducting a hand picking elections to avoid the spread of the disease.
But Lawyer Dr.Kojo Addo Tuffour, a constitutional lawyer has warned against such a move advising that it can bring chaos in the party. He also stressed that the current parliament can still be used without an election as the country may be in “emergency†times.
In an interview with host, Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show aired on Happy 98.9FM, he said: “Hand picking persons can bring problems because their [NPP] constitution demands an election. It can pose partialityâ€.
On his part, a virtual election or an electoral college would be the best possible alternative in this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There must be a way such as an electoral college which is well represented or there can be a virtual election. We are not in normal times. So it is better to use an application than hand-pickingâ€, he added.
He, however, pointed out that the constitution allows parliament to extend its stay in times of emergency. He, thus, implied that in the case of this pandemic, it was likely that the current parliament could extend its stay.
When quizzed by Samuel Eshun on what happens to the Speaker of Parliament if that should occur, he answered: “The President appoints the Speaker of Parliament. If he leaves power he lives with the speaker. If that happens, the parliament can elect one person to be the speaker of parliamentâ€.
The General Secretary of the NPP in a media interview, hinted that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party may handpick parliamentary candidates for the 2020 elections, should the party be unable to hold primaries due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, a leading member of the party, Dr. Amoako Tuffour, has kicked against this plan as he reasons that doing that will be disastrous for the party at the December 7, 2020 election.
Source: happyghana.com
In spite of the economic hardship the country is facing, President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has urged its members to put in efforts in clearing their goods stuck at the port to avoid further charges, payable to the owner of a chartered ship, on failure to load or discharge the ship within an agreed time.
According to him, though some members are financially handicapped and are finding it difficult to pay for the documentation of their goods to move to the clearance stage, “what I have advised our members is to just go ahead, manage to clear their goods in order not to incur additional demurrage cost.â€
This announcement comes after government waived all demurrages and rent charges incurred by importers and all other ports users during the COVID-19 partial lockdown between March 30 and April 19 as part of a relief package for shippers.
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) reminded importers, cargo owners, freight forwarders and all other ports users that any further delays in clearing their goods would not be covered by the waiver.
Dr Obeng has made known that his outfit has written back to government to extend the waiver so as to have many of its members have their goods cleared.
The reason, he noted, was because currently, businesses have slowed down and traders are finding it difficult to bounce back to normal due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
He indicated that government is yet to accept their plea.
Disclosing this in an interview with GhanaWeb’s Ernestina Serwaa Asante, he said, “We have actually made our case and government is yet to accept or not…every Ghanaian understands that this thing has actually affected us. Sales have gone down because of the lockdown and all that and we have barely settled in and definitely, people are going to pay a lot more of demurrages because of the inability to get the duty payment.â€
Source:Â www.ghanaweb.com
Google data between March 29 and April 11, 2020, shows that retail and recreational activities in Ghana went down by an average of 55.6%.
This is compared to baseline levels measured in January and February.
The data also showed a similar trend for travel to grocery and pharmacy stores and transit stations, which were down by an average of 33.9% and 50.3% respectively.
According to the rating agency, Fitch, while there was a slight reversion towards normality post-lockdown, consumers are still below average on their travels for retail-related activities.
“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and the fall in the price of oil, we have revised down our real household spending outlook for 2020 to 4.3% year-on-year, from the 4.9% we predicted pre-COVID-19â€, it said.
This is significantly lower than the 11.9% it estimated for 2019.
This revision was based on the fact that all non-essential retail was shuttered for three weeks, while retail that was allowed to operate, saw significantly less traffic.
Supermarkets and grocery shops were classified as essential services, so they were allowed to operate during the three-week lockdown period.
The rating agency said in the week prior to the lockdown, there was evidence of bulk and panic buying at the leading mass grocery retailers.
Google mobility data shows that travel to grocery shops peaked at 14% above average on March 28, the day after lockdown.
However, for the period after the lockdown (March 27 to April 26), travel to grocery shops was down by an average of 32.8%, compared to the baseline.
“We believe that spending on alcoholic drinks will decline year-on-year. Social distancing and the closure of taverns, bars and restaurants meant that on-trade consumption would have dropped during the lockdown. These facilities remain closed.â€
Source:Â Class FM
The Upper West Region has recorded 30 new cases of Meningitis with one more death, Upper West Regional Minister has disclosed.
This brings the total number of cases in the region to 303, with forty-four deaths.
“Nandom, Nadowli and Jiripa continue to report the majority of the cases, †Dr. Bin Salih indicated in a statement.
He also said that most of the cases were caused by Neisseria Meningitides Sero Group X which currently has no vaccine.
Meanwhile, the region continues to battle the Covid-19 as more cases have been recorded.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the region has significantly increased by 11 bringing the new total to 19.
The first case was that of a resident who recently returned from Kenya. From the Wa Municipality, three persons who had come into contact with an infected Nigerian were also diagnosed with the disease.
The other seven cases were recorded from the Sissala East Municipality following a mandatory screening of persons who traveled from Kumasi and Accra, Dr. Bin Salih said.
He, however, indicated that all the infected people have been taken to the treatment center and are responding to treatment, while investigations are being conducted to identify, isolate, trace contacts and treat all cases.
He also urged residents of the region to remain calm as efforts are being made to contain the spread of both diseases.
Source; myjoyonlineÂ
On April 30, 2020, Meridian Port Services Limited successfully completed the entire Phase 1 works of the Tema Port Expansion Project (also known as Terminal 3 of Tema Port).
As per the terms of the Concession, MPS Terminal 3 was expected to Go-Live on 28th June 2019 on 2 berths and the entire Phase 1 works were due to be completed on 28th June 2020. Both due dates were successfully achieved and works were completed ahead of schedule. The combination of great teamwork, solid project finance and determined shareholders were among the main contributors to the success in delivering this mega infrastructure ahead of the contractual date and in 3.5 years (41 months).
The new harbour basin was created on a 3 Km long beach directly on the Atlantic Ocean and right on the Meridian Timeline. Building into the sea, from the beach the breakwater root goes 1,550m into the ocean with a 2 Km long arm extending eastwards from the root of the breakwater parallel to the quay wall. The 3,558 m long breakwater is harbouring a vast 450 Hectares (1,110 Acres) of maritime waterfront.
The new harbour basin is accessible through a 3,500 m long by 225 m wide Entrance Channel and into a turning basin/circle of 500m diameter. The Access Channel has been dredged to -18.7m, Turning Basin to -17.4m and -16.9m by the quay wall to accommodate 16m draft vessels to dock alongside all berths.
Construction Manager, Mr. Matthieu Ferraro, recapped the composition of the work done by the collaboration of all contractors and their associates which has resulted in a fully functional terminal.
The Phase 1 scope of works included building a 1,000 m long wharf which consists of 3 berths and 98 Hectares (242 Acres) terminal facility on land reclaimed from the sea with all drainage, sewage, water, fire, electrical and IT services, 45 million paving blocks laid down, a 12 MW back-up power station, major facilities including administration buildings for MPS and the Authorities, a maintenance workshop, a 60 bay unstuffing shed for Customs, 6 scanners, several gate facilities, a fire plant, sewage treatment facilities and 1400 reefer container plugs.
Board Chairman of the MPS, Dr. Edmund Osei Tutu Prempeh, remarked “Today is truly a celebration of success, this edifice is evidence that when we put our minds to great things as a country we can achieve because we have a dynamic human resource base as a nation. Each member of the team from the Management, Contractors to the Operations team have contributed massively to the completion of this edifice which is now being fully manned by local workforce. The responsibility of it living up to its expectation depends on the Operations Team, I have no doubt that they are squarely up to the task to complete our economic transformation to become a hub.â€
 DIVERSE WORKFORCE DEPLOYED
All contractors expressed gratitude to have taken part in building this marvellous facility and were delighted to receive the recognition for the quality that they delivered. A work force of 4,000 (average) were engaged to construct this mega structure (personnel from MPS, CHEC, EIFFAGE, CONSAR, AECOM) and they collectively spent over 16 million man-hours to deliver this magnificent edifice ahead of schedule, within budget and most importantly with a fantastic safety record.
The CEO of MPS highlighted that, this has been a great experience for most of the work force who were Ghanaians touching on all aspects of engineering (civil, geotechnical, marine, hydro, mechanical, electrical, electronic etc.) and gaining in-depth knowledge with the integrated safety and quality controls.
While expressing immense optimism that more gains could be made from all stakeholders working together, The CEO of MPS, Mr. Mohamed Samara said, “This major development requires that each member of the port community work towards the common goal of reaching global standards through consistent long and short term efforts.â€Â
He further stated that “Since the Go-Live of Terminal 3 in July 2019, we have witnessed a steady increase in productivity and flow of container traffic with the implementation of the highly efficient integrated systems and operational processes which has created huge benefits for freight forwarders, shipping lines, importers, exporters and most importantly creating the safe environment and providing sophisticated tools and technology in the hands of respective authorities to enable them to effectively safe guard the state revenue and boarder security.â€
Source: StarrfmÂ
A fire has engulfed a skyscraper in Sharjah, one of the largest cities in the United Arab Emirates, showering debris on cars in the streets below.
Dozens of firefighters worked to put out the blaze in the Abbco Tower using at least a dozen fire engines and drones, a local journalist reports.
They are now trying to cool the 48-floor building down.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or of the likely cause of the fire.
Abbco Tower in #AlNahda, #sharjah. Near Taj Bangalore restaurant. Even as firefighters from Sharjah Civil Defence battle the blaze, the #fire is still raging and nearby towers are at risk. Residents evacuated.
Video: Fire breaks out in Sharjah building https://t.co/8f4ND1H1z8 pic.twitter.com/j7ECnVteM7— Vicky Kapur (@vickykapur) May 5, 2020
#Sharjah Civil Defence firefighters are close to overpowering the blaze. But the tower seems badly damaged by the #fire https://t.co/8f4ND1H1z8 pic.twitter.com/EG07xsatoz
— Vicky Kapur (@vickykapur) May 5, 2020
Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 21:00 (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
At least five buildings nearby were evacuated as the fire service worked at the scene, the Dubai-based Khaleej Times reports.
Source: BBC
The first child and the only son of the late talented Kumawood actor, Bishop Bernard Nyarko has spoken.
The young man who is known as Gideon in an interview on Vision1 FM recounted how his father died in his presence at the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
According to him, it was a very painful and devastating moment as his father took his last breath.
He noted that his father has always been his source of counselling and his last moment with him was not different.
According to Gideon, his father died fighting and during the period, he had this quote as his DP; “A warrior was not someone who always wins, but someone who always fight.â€
He also recounted how his late dad had earlier advised him to be strong and be in charge when he is no more.
Source:Â Peace FM
A police report detailing the circumstances that led to the death of a senior staff of the Volta River Authority (VRA) at Akuse in the Eastern region, who was involved in a road accident, showed that the deceased sustained a wound suspected to be from a gunshot.
Eric Dogbe, 47, an engineer with the VRA was on Saturday, May 2 pronounced dead on arrival at the Akuse Government hospital after he was involved in a car accident with one other who was admitted.
According to the police corona report on the death of Mr. Dogbe, the deceased was driving an unregistered Toyota Corolla vehicle with one occupant on board from Juapong to Akuse.
“On reaching a section of the road a few metres away from the VRA Security checkpoint he lost control of the steering wheel and as a result the vehicle veered off its lane into the opposite lane and entered a canal nearbyâ€, parts of the reports read.
“On careful examination of the body, police found a wound suspected to be a gunshot at the right back of his shoulderâ€, it added.
Meanwhile, 3ews.com gathers that family of the deceased suspect a foul play by some staff of the VRA following the revelation of gunshot wounds by the police report.
Source:Â 3 News
Government says it has provided 5,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be given to frontline media workers to help keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like the health workers on duty during the pandemic, frontline media practitioners are considered to be at high risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus while carrying out their duties.
According to the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the decision to provide PPE to frontline media staff is in response to a request made by the leadership of media associations when they met with President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House.
“The government of Ghana, acting through the Ministries of Health and Information has availed PPE to be distributed to frontline media workers to assist their work. We have made available as from today, approximately 5,000 pieces of PPE. The package will be delivered to the aforementioned groups, ie, GJA, PRIMPAG, NMC and the leadership of state media, for onward distribution to those they consider as frontline media workers since they are best placed to identify them. The government is hopeful that this will augment your supplies and assist you to rise to this national call at this moment,†he said at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Government, in March, announced a GH¢1 billion stimulus package to households and businesses, particularly small and medium scale enterprises, under a Coronavirus Alleviation Programme in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
On the back of this, many different business groups, including the media have been urging the government to consider them in the disbursement of the package.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) forwarded a petition to the President for journalists to be considered in the disbursement of the stimulus package.
The Association also asked that the government supports media houses that are struggling due to the outbreak of the disease.
According to GJA President, Affail Monney, a number of media organizations and journalists are facing serious challenges due to the pressures induced by the outbreak on their organizations.
Another case was made for journalists last week when Akufo-Addo engaged some leaders in the media industry in Ghana.
Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh at that engagement said media personnel must be protected from the harsh impact of COVID-19.
As the world celebrated Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2020, the government congratulated all journalists in Ghana for the good work done.
A statement issued by the Information Minister said the government celebrates the significant role the Press is playing in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the Akufo-Addo administration has been working closely with the Media and other stakeholders in disseminating information and educating the public as part of the broader COVID-19 government response.
Source: citinewsroomÂ
The Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality has recorded its first two cases of the novel Coronavirus since the pandemic first hit the country.
The two cases are part of the 21 recorded in the Western Region, and the over 2,000 cases recorded nationwide so far.
This was announced by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the area, Gilbert Kennedy Asmah in a press release on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
According to the release, the patients are a 56-year-old man and his wife, both of whom have no travel history.
“A 56-year-old man who is a resident in the Municipality and has no travel history outside Ghana was reported to the Hospital on Friday, 1 May 2020, and complained of symptoms that were in sync with COVID-19. After detecting the symptoms such as cough, fever, and other related complications, the Rapid Response Team immediately isolated and took his sample together with his wife who has also shown similar symptoms for examination and analysis at the Noguchi Memorial Research Institute, Accra. The test result showed both were positive of COVID-19,†the release read.
The current case count in the country stands at 2,719, with 294 recoveries and 18 deaths, as of May 5, 2020.
The Greater Accra Region is still leading the regional chart with 2,332 cases, followed by the Ashanti and Eastern Regions with 124 and 94 cases respectively.
Source: citinewsroomÂ
30 more persons have contracted meningitis in the Upper West Region within the past two weeks, bringing the total number of cases in that region to 303.
One more person has also died of the disease, increasing the number of fatalities to 44.
This was contained in a press release issued today, Tuesday and signed by the Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih.
According to the release, the Nandom and Jirapa municipalities, as well as the Nadowli-Kaleo districts continue to record a majority of the cases.
The Ghana Health Service deployed a team of experts to help bring the disease under control.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye who visited the region last week to assess the situation reported to Parliament that the pandemic was under control.
But the statement said, “laboratory investigations indicate an increase in the number of cases with the majority of them being caused by Neisseria Meningitides Sero Group X which currently has no vaccineâ€.
The statement, however, stated that “with an increased risk communication, individuals now report to health facilities for treatment, which has witnessed a significant reduction in the case fatality associated with the disease.â€
On what the region is doing to curtail the endemic, the Minister said the Rapid Response Teams (RRT) at both regional and district levels have intensified monitoring and investigations on all suspected cases and rumours as they are reported.
The release urged the general public to drink more water, sleep in well-ventilated areas, cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing and report to the nearest health facilities when experiencing symptoms such as high temperature, fever, stiff neck, as well as headache.
Source: citinewsroomÂ
Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu constituency and former Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor, has slammed the Akufo-Addo administration over the country’s recent case count of COVID-19, claiming the government is not ahead of the virus as widely proclaimed by the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
Ghana’s COVID-19 case count has now risen to 2,719 with 294 recoveries and 18 deaths.
The Regional representation of the cases indicates that Greater Accra Region has 2,332 cases, Ashanti Region – 124, Eastern Region – 94, Central Region – 38, Volta Region – 30, Oti Region – 23, Western Region – 21, Upper West Region – 19, Upper East Region – 19, Northern Region – 13, Western North Region – 4 and the North East Region has two cases.
The Information Minister believes the government’s enhanced testing technique has been beneficial because it’s helped the government to go ahead to detect the virus before a rapid transmission in the country.
Also, according to President’s Health Advisor, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Ghana’s case count is one of the lowest in the world with a low mortality rate of 0.66%.
But to John Jinapor, government needs not gloat that it is doing a better job at preventing the disease from spreading in the country.
He would rather the current administration steps up its game in fighting the pandemic.
The Yapei-Kusawgu MP raised issues with the country’s testing technique explaining that it takes two weeks for a person to receive results when sample is tested, which to him, is a long period for infections to spread from one person to another.
“You can imagine what will happen within the two weeks. So, we are not ahead of the virus. We’re simply not ahead of it . . . The luck in Africa is that the whole of the continent, when you take a critical look at the sub-Saharan Africa in particular and South Africa compared to Western countries; our rate of infection is low. I mean there is no doubt about that. The data proves the rate of infection is very low but still if we are almost getting to 3,000 for a country such as Ghana, then it’s very alarming. I will say ramp up our actions. We can’t continue our old ways because the cases are increasing and more Regions are being covered. So, it calls for very serious actions,” he stated on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show.
Source:Â Peace FM
The Upper West Region has recorded 30 more cerebrospinal meningitis cases in the past two weeks.
This adds to the previous number bringing the total number of cases to 303.
Meanwhile, 44 people have, so far, died from the disease, according to a press statement issued Tuesday by the Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih.
Majority of the cases are concentrated in Nandom, Jirapa and Nadowli-Kaleo.
The statement said: “Laboratory investigations indicate an increase in the number of cases with the majority of them being caused by Neisseria Meningitides Sero Group X which currently has no vaccineâ€.
“With an increased risk communicationâ€, the statement said, “individuals now report to health facilities for treatment, which has witnessed a significant reduction in the case fatality associated with the disease.â€
According to the minister, the Rapid Response Teams (RRT) at both regional and district levels have intensified monitoring and investigations on all suspected cases and rumours.
The statement urged the general public to drink more water, sleep in well-ventilated areas, cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing and report to the nearest health facilities when experiencing symptoms such as high temperature, fever, stiff neck, as well as headache.
Source:Â Class FM
Four hundred and fifty-three persons who have tested positive for Coronavirus (Covid-19) but are asymptomatic are in isolation centers across the country.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, (GHS) Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, disclosed this at a press briefing in Accra on May 5.
He said of the number in isolation, 339 are in Accra with 85 in the Eastern Region.
He further noted that nine more are in isolation in the Ashanti Region.
Dr. Aboagye said isolation was a critical step in stopping the viral infection and therefore urged community leaders to encourage those who have tested positive but are not showing any symptoms to adhere to the isolation protocol because they can transmit the virus.
Ghana has recorded 2,719 Covid-19 cases with 18 deaths.
The country has however recorded 294 recoveries.
Source:Â Daily Guide Network
Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, wants the current administration to stop priding itself that it has been able to acquire 307 ambulances equipped with ventilators for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in severe conditions.
According to Mr. Pratt, the purpose of the mobile ventilators is to augment the work of the Ambulance Services in the country and not to be used as supplementary ventilators for COVID-19 patients in hospitals.
It could be recalled that Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Presidential Health Advisor in an interview on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ somewhere in April, indicated that the entire nation has 100 ventilators but due to the timely intervention of President Nana Akufo-Addo, the over 300 ambulances all have ventilators which could be used to supplement those at the hospitals.
Addressing the issue on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 edition of the same programme (Kokrokoo), Kwesi Pratt, who is the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that arguments about the availability of mobile ventilators are baseless because ambulance ventilators cannot be comparable to having ventilators in hospitals.
“It is not for the management of COVID-19. The ventilators in the ambulance are for treating patients when they are being rushed to the health facility but it is impossible to put the patient on that kind of ventilator any longer once he or she is transferred to a hospital or health facility. So, stop making such statements. It is good to have over 300 ambulances with ventilators but it’s not the response to COVID-19,” he emphasized.
He therefore called on government to look at local production of ventilators to equip the various hospitals in the country, further stating that “100 ventilators even under normal circumstances for a population of 30 million are woefully inadequate”.
Source:Â Peace FM
Welsh international Aaron Ramsey was the first Juventus player to return to individual training at the team’s sports centre in Turin on Tuesday as Cristiano Ronaldo began two weeks’ quarantine after returning to Italy.
Ronaldo flew back to northern Italy by private jet on Monday night after almost two months in coronavirus lockdown in his native Portugal.
Midfielder Ramsey joined Juventus this season after 11 years with Arsenal, and scored his fourth goal in their last game against Inter Milan behind closed doors before the championship was suspended on March 10.
Champions Juventus are leading Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio, as they target a ninth consecutive Scudetto.
Captain Giorgio Chiellini followed shortly after Ramsey, with fellow Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci, wearing a black face mask, arriving later in the afternoon.
Italy’s interior ministry has given the go-ahead for players to return to club training facilities two weeks ahead of schedule, offering a glimmer of hope that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved.
But sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned that training in groups must wait until May 18, and it remains uncertain whether matches can restart as the country battles a pandemic which has killed over 29,000.
“A realistic prediction can be made in mid-May,” Spadafora said in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, denying that he wanted to call a halt to the season.
“It would be surreal for a sports minister to demonise football,” he said.
“The majority of Italians do not welcome the resumption of the championship.
“But I’m not looking at polls at the moment. Football is an important world in this country, I know it well compared to those who want to give a different message.
“I hope to start again, but the government will decide. We will rely on scientific elements, which are not available today.
“There is no opposition of mine, but the desire to evaluate the restart only if the health of the people within the team group is safeguarded.
“If the government is forced, I hope not, to establish that there are no conditions (to resume), my effort will be twofold — limit the financial damage to clubs and support the whole world of sport.
“Between ordinary and extraordinary resources, we will invest about one billion euros for the sector as a whole.”
Source:Â france24.com
Manchester City will face a High Court trial over damages claims from eight men who were sexually abused by paedophile football coach Barry Bennell.
Bennell’s abuse took place while he is said to have been working for City as a scout and coach of their “feeder teams”, which featured players too young to be signed as schoolboys.
The eight men, who are now in their late 40s or early 50s, are all claiming damages against the Premier League club for the “very serious psychiatric injuries” they suffered as a result of the abuse.
Bennell is currently serving a 30-year jail term for multiple offences against 12 boys he coached, some of whom are bringing the High Court action, between 1979 and 1991.
Bennell, who is thought not to have received an official salary from City, had two three-year spells within the club’s youth network between 1976 and 1984.
He then went on to work as Crewe’s youth team coach for seven years.
The claimants argue that, while Bennell was not officially on City’s “books”, the club is still vicariously liable for the abuse.
All but one of the eight are claiming damages for “the loss of a chance to pursue a career as a footballer”.
Two of the men are also bringing claims against Crewe, where Bennell was employed as a youth coach after leaving City.
Both City and Crewe deny that they are vicariously liable for the abuse committed.
City and Crewe also argue that the claims have been brought too late to be heard by the court, and dispute the extent to which the abuse is said to have caused the claimants financial or other losses.
Mrs Justice Lambert ordered that all eight claims be heard together at an eight-week trial which is provisionally listed to start in October 2021.
Source:Â france24.com
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has hinted the constituency could possibly go on lockdown should residents fail to adhere to the social distancing rule.
The MP who is the current Minister of Communications was worried the cases in the constituency would escalate if efforts are not put in place to contain the virus.
The case count in the constituency she disclosed has risen to 79, a situation she said was worrying.
According to her, they only had two cases when the outbreak started and from what has occurred so far, it would be prudent to enforce the protocols in place.
She called on the security personnel to deal ruthlessly with persons who are violating the guidelines in place.
The MP stressed the authorities in the area would have no option than to consider lockdown in the areas that are mostly affected.
The constituency she said has been identified as one of the hot spots in the constituency.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service says Ghana is at the peak of its coronavirus crisis.
The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Badu Sarkodie at a press briefing at the Ministry of Information in Accra today [Tuesday, May 5, 2020], in answering a question as to where Ghana is on the bell curve, said, “So to answer directly to the question, we are at the peak of the curve.â€
Source:Â rainbowradioonline.com
Hearts of Oak has completed the signing of Nigerian striker Ademola Kuti.
Kuti, 22 who is a former Lobi Stars and Al Fujairah SC attacker joined on a free transfer penning a two year deal with the Ghana Premier League giants.
A club statement on Tuesday afternoon read: Hearts of Oak is delighted to announce the signing of striker, Kuti Ademola. The lanky Nigerian professional has signed a two-year contract with the club.
Kuti Ademola is officially the fourth player to be announced by the club after Niger midfielder Abdourahamane Mamane Lawali, Ivorian midfielder Eric Dizan and defender Nuru Sulley.
Source:Â Prime News Ghana
Ghana’s all-time leading goalscorer Asamoah Gyan has opened up on his failed transfer to Manchester City after playing at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Gyan, who was playing for Serie A side Udinese then, had a difficult tournament for the Black Stars on home soil.
The 34-year-old bagged only goal – a penalty in the opening game against Guinea for the Stars and this led to a lot of criticism from the fans who expected more from the striker.
Speaking to GTV Sports+, the former Sunderland striker said he regrets representing the senior national team at the tournament because he was injured and that impacted his move to Man City.
“I regret playing at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations because I was injured but I felt I needed to sacrifice but yet I was criticized [for my performance],†Gyan said.
“I really regret playing in the tournament because even after that I had to go out for five months.
“I was supposed to sign for Manchester City but I missed.
“That has been one of my biggest regrets with the National team.â€
The Ghana international has previously played for Liberty Professionals and finished 3rd on the top- scorers chart before moving abroad in 2003.
He went to feature for clubs in Italy, France, England, Turkey, UAE, China, and India
Source:Â footballghana.com
Karela United midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh has called on leadership of the Ghana Football Association to cancel the Premier League due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The Anyinase based outfit have had a difficult start to the 2019/2020 league season.
Before the league was suspended, Karela United were occupying 17th position with 11 points.
Several league championships in the world including French Ligue 1 and Dutch Eridivisie have all been truncated as others considers to emulate.
In spite of that, Emmanuel Keyekeh has encouraged the Ghana FA to follow the Europeans and nullify the GPL as he strongly believes there is more to life than football.
“Though we love football but human life is very paramount. I think we should cancel our league because countries with big facilities are truncating theirs how much more we Ghanaians. We must follow the Europeans†he said.
Source:Â footballghana.com
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has emerged as the best passer of the ball into penalty areas in the 2019/20 English Premier League.
The England born Ghanaian beats Algeria and Manchester City play maker Riyad Mahrez as the player with the most key passes into the box.
With over 500 touches from each player in the English topflight, Hudson-Odoi makes an average 19.8 touches into the box compared to Mahrez’s 19.8.
The teenager beats the likes of Kevin DeBruyne and David Silva to top the list.
In the top five, Hudson-Odoi leads followed by Riyad Mahrez and Alex Iwobi in third position.
Harvey Barnes and Kevin DeBruyne follow in fourth and fifth positions respectively.
Other names in the list are Willian, Marcus Rashford, Pierre Emerick Augbamayeng and David Silva.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has had a topsy-turvy season following injuries but has been one of the Blues key players under manager Frank Lampard.
See list of key passer into the box below
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
Former Chelsea star Michael Essien has opened up on the famous UEFA Champions League semi-final game against Barcelona in 2008/9 season which saw his side exit the competition after a 1-1 draw at the Stamford Bridge.
The Ghanaian superstar put the home side in front in the ninth minute to give his side a comfortable lead in the game.
From outside the penalty box, the former Persib Bandung midfielder fired hard volley using the left foot. The ball raced into the corner of the opponent’s goal without being able to be driven out by goalkeeper Victor Valdes .
Chelsea were able to keep the Catalan club from scoring until a rocket from Barca’s Andrea Iniesta ended the Blues hope of reaching the final.
“The game was very disappointing. Even though my goal was beautiful, one of the best in my career against a great team like Barcelona,” Essien recalled the dramatic defeat at Stamford Bridge .
Essien left Chelsea in 2014 after recording 256 appearances and 25 goals in all competitions.
He then traveled to AC Milan, Panathinaikos, Persib, and now plays for Sabail in Azerbaijan.
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
Fortuna Düsseldorf could send Bernard Tekpetey back to Schalke 04 this season, it has been claimed.
The 22-year-old arrived at the Merkur Spiel-Arena last summer after an explosive loan spell at SC Paderborn
Nordbayern has reported that the Ghana youth star could see his two-year loan deal from the Royal Blues canceled with a number of clubs believed to be interested.
Fortuna Düsseldorf have the option to make the deal permanent but fresh reports are claiming the Bundesliga outfit may decide against that.
The Ghanaian has struggled to garner steam this season as he continues to struggle for form.
Tekpetey earned a loan move to newly-promoted Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Düsseldorf after scoring 10 goals and six assists for Paderborn.
However, thus far this season he is without a goal and has underwhelmed greatly in matches he has featured in.
Tekpetey has had only nine chances – one of them over 90 minutes – for Fortuna and has played 449 minutes in all competitions.
It appears the striker lacks confidence and will be hoping to bounce back to his best when the Bundesliga returns from suspension.
The suspension is to control the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
Six Ghanaian players have contributed significantly to FC Nordsjaelland’s eye-catching displays in the SuperLiga.
The sextet have been instrumental in the side’s mind-blowing performance in the Danish top-flight this season.
Forward Mohammed Kudus as well as Abdul Mamin, Isaac Atanga, Ibrahim Sadiq, Clinton Antwi and Abu Francis have turned the SuperLiga side on its head.
They have been the key cog of the side’s fairly-tale as they lie fifth on the league table.
FC Nordsjaelland which boasts of the youngest team across all of Europe’s top divisions, with an average age in league games of 22 years and six months, have combined education with football admirably.
But its the involvement of the Ghanaians which has gained inches in the media.
The statistics have weighed heavily in their favour as they continue to make “insane” contribution to the side’s decent run.
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
Chelsea legend Michael Essien is among a number of former English Premier League stars who are still playing actively.
The veteran midfielder is still performing at the age of 37, where he features for Azerbaijani side Sabail.
The ex-Ghana international Essien is still strutting his stuff and has recently played crucial roles for Panathinaikos and Indonesian side Persib Banding.
He is currently starring for Azerbaijani side Sabail, who were only formed four years ago.
Essien, nicknamed the ‘Bison’ for his physical presence on the pitch, was one of Roman Abramovich’s most successful signings at Stamford Bridge.
With the Blues he won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League amongst others.
After leaving Chelsea he featured 20 times for Italian giants AC Milan in an injury-hit spell before plying his trade in Greece.
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has disclosed playing at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) cost him a big move to Manchester City.
Then on the books of Italian side Udinese, the frontman had a challenging tournament for the Black Stars on home soil as he fell out with fans for perceived ‘underwhelming’ performances.
He netted once at the championship – a penalty in the opening game against Guinea.
“I regret playing at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations because I was injured but I felt I needed to sacrifice but yet I was criticized [for my performance],†Gyan told GTV Sports+.
“I really regret playing in the tournament because even after that I had to go out for five months.
“I was supposed to sign for Manchester City but I missed.
“That has been one of my biggest regrets with the National team.â€
After the second group game, Gyan threatened to walk out of the Ghana team after it emerged his family was attacked by angry fans following the match.
Reports said it took a presidential intervention to prevent him from leaving the camp.
After the tournament where the Black Stars suffered a semi-final elimination, Gyan moved from Udinese to French side Rennes in the summer.
Source:Â goal.com
The Ghana Football Association Spokesperson, Henry Asante Twum, has disclosed that the FA has request for an extension from CAF to decide on the future of the 2019/20 football season as today marks the deadline for Member Associations to decide whether to continue or truncate the season.
The Ghana FA last week engaged the various stakeholders in a virtual meeting since the outbreak to decide on the future of the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League.
Most of the clubs have suggested that the 2019/20 football season should be cancelled whilst others have spoken against the proposal.
The GFA is set to meet with the Executive Council after consulting with the clubs and then later with government and health authorities before taking a final decision.
Henry Asante Twum in an interview confirmed that the GFA has given CAF a situational report on the pandemic in Ghana.
“We have sent a situational report by giving CAF enough info on what is happening in Ghana”, he told Asempa FM.
“We have notify them that we cannot take a decision without adhering to the directives from government. We have given CAF an update and we have requested for two weeks where by we will come up with a firm plan and decision going forward”, he added.
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
President Nicolás Maduro says the Venezuelan authorities have arrested 13 people, including two US citizens whom he described as mercenaries.
The announcement came a day after Venezuelan security forces claimed to have foiled what they described as an incursion by men in speedboats from Colombia.
Officials in Washington denied any US government involvement.
Mr Maduro has often accused the US of trying to overthrow him.
Venezuelan authorities said eight armed men were killed during Sunday’s alleged coup attempt.
In a live broadcast on Monday, Mr Maduro displayed what he said were the passports of the two arrested Americans – Airan Berry and Luke Denman – who work for a Florida-based security company.
He told viewers: “They were playing Rambo, they were playing hero.”
The Venezuelan government said the group of “terrorist mercenaries” left Colombia and landed in the town of Macuto, about 21 miles (34km) north of the capital Caracas, on Sunday, before they were intercepted and arrests were made.
Jordan Goudreau, a former member of the US Army special forces who leads a Florida-based private security firm called Silvercorp USA, has since told Reuters news agency he was one of the plot’s organisers.
When he was asked about the Americans’ arrest, he said: “They’re working with me. Those are my guys.”
According to a recent investigation by the Associated Press news agency, Mr Goudreau had previously plotted cross-border incursions which had failed to get off the ground. It said he was working alongside retired Venezuelan military men, who have allegedly been training deserters from Venezuela’s security forces at secret camps in Colombia.
AP said it had found no evidence of US government involvement.
The news agency says Mr Goudreau turned his focus to Venezuela in February 2019, after he worked on security at a benefit concert on the Colombian-Venezuelan border arranged by UK billionaire Richard Branson and supported by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
Mr Goudreau has also repeatedly made claims about past associations with Mr Guaidó, who is recognised by more than 50 countries as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
On Monday, Mr Guaidó denied having anything to do with the ex-Green Beret. In a statement, he said he had “no relationship nor responsibility for any actions” taken by the US war veteran.
He also accused President Maduro’s administration of trying to distract people from recent outbreaks of violence – including a deadly prison riot on Friday and a gang battle in Caracas on Saturday night.
Mr Guaidó has the backing of Washington, which has vowed to use tough sanctions to force President Maduro and the Socialist Party out of office.
Source:Â bbc.com
There are fears for Ghanaian winger Kingsley Schindler after Cologne confirmed that three people at the club have tested positive for the Coronavirus pandemic.
The 26-year-old and the rest of the entire squad were tested last week amid concerns over the latest development.
The German Bundesliga side confirmed in a statement.
“Three people tested positive, all are symptom free,” the club statement said. “After an assessment of the cases by the responsible health authorities, the three people who tested positive will go into a 14-day quarantine at home.”
Cologne said they would not confirm any names out of respect for the privacy of the individuals involved.
The German-born Ghanaian speedster has been training with the side despite concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic.
Source:Â Ghana Soccernet
More than three billion people will be living in places with “near un-liveable” temperatures by 2070, according to a new study.
Unless greenhouse gas emissions fall, large numbers of people will experience average temperatures hotter than 29C.
This is considered outside the climate “niche” in which humans have thrived for the past 6,000 years.
Co-author of the study Tim Lenton told the BBC: “The study hopefully puts climate change in more human terms”.
Researchers used data from United Nations population projections and a 3C warming scenario based on the expected global rise in temperature. A UN report found that even with countries keeping to the Paris climate agreement, the world was on course for a 3C rise.
According to the study, human populations are concentrated into narrow climate bands with most people residing in places where the average temperature is about 11-15C. A smaller number of people live in areas with an average temperature of 20-25C.
People have mostly lived in these climate conditions for thousands of years.
However should, global warming cause temperatures to rise by three degrees, a vast number of people are going to be living in temperatures considered outside the “climate niche”.
Mr Lenton, climate specialist and director of the global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, conducted the study with scientists from China, the US and Europe.
He told the BBC: “The land warms up faster than the ocean so the land is warming more than three degrees. Population growth is projected to be in already hot places, mostly sub-Saharan Africa, so that shifts the average person to a hotter temperature.
“It’s shifting the whole distribution of people to hotter places which themselves are getting hotter and that’s why we find the average person on the planet is living in about 7C warmer conditions in the 3C warmer world.”
Areas projected to be affected include northern Australia, India, Africa, South America and parts of the Middle East.
The study raises concerns about those in poorer areas who will be unable to shelter from the heat.
“For me, the study is not about the rich who can just get inside an air-conditioned building and insulate themselves from anything. We have to be concerned with those who don’t have the means to isolate themselves from the weather and the climate around them,” Mr Lenton said.
Mr Lenton says the main message from the team’s findings is that “limiting climate change could have huge benefits in terms of reducing the number of people projected to fall outside of the climate niche.
“It’s about roughly a billion people for each degree of warming beyond the present. So for every degree of warming, we could be saving a huge amount of change in people’s livelihoods.”
Source:Â bbc.com
Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has suggested halves of less than 45 minutes could be considered when football resumes.
Discussions about the Premier League’s return are ongoing but Taylor says players are “concerned” about safety.
“They are not stupid,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “They would have to be satisfied that it is safe.”
The Premier League said the idea is “not on the table”.
Football League chairman Rick Parry said “there haven’t been any discussions about it”, but did tell a Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee hearing: “I don’t think we should be ruling out any creative ideas.”
The Premier League is hopeful of a potential 8 June resumption. No set date has been given for the EFL, but Parry said the current season must be concluded by July 31.
Source:Â bbc.com