TIG Post

Author: Phoebe Martekie Doku

  • Don’t blame others for your failures – John Jinapor to Akufo-Addo

    President Akufo-Addo when he met chiefs in the Yapei-Kusawgu area last week when he visited the Savanna Region MP said their MP, John Jinapor when he was deputy minister of Power was unable to connect some 17 communities to the national electricity grid and was also not able to help establish a Senior High school in the area.

    Reacting to President Akufo-Addo’s comment, John Jinapor enquired from the President when he will fulfil his campaign promise of creating a new district out of the Central Gonja District and the establishment of a new Senior High school in the Kusawgu area.

    Mr Jinapor said, President Akufo-Addo instead of answering the constituents when he was going to fulfil his campaign promise, “rather chose to throw wild and flippant allegations against me, John Abdulai Jinapor, for what he described as my inability to connect some 17 communities to the national electricity grid. As if that was not enough, he proceeded to accuse me of not helping to establish the Senior High school that he, President Akufo-Addo promised.”

    In a post on Facebook, the Yapei-Kusawgu legislator asked President Akufo-Addo to “crosscheck his facts in future before seeking to deceive the citizenry with concocted, unsubstantiated, and fabricated allegations.”

    Exposing the fabrications of a non-performing president

    During the recent visit of President Akufo-Addo to the Savannah Region, the chiefs of the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency sought to enquire from the President when he will fulfil his campaign promises of creating a new district out of the Central Gonja District and the establishment of a new Senior High school in the Kusawgu area.

    In response, President Akuffo-Addo rather chose to throw wild and flippant allegations against me, John Abdulai Jinapor, for what he described as my inability to connect some 17 communities to the national electricity grid. As if that was not enough, he proceeded to accuse me of not helping to establish the Senior High school that he, President Akufo-Addo promised.

    For the record, when I was appointed Deputy Minister for Energy and Petroleum, the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency had only 4 towns connected to the national grid (i.e., Buipe, Yapei, Sankpala and Kusawgu).

    By dint of hard work, the constituency currently has about 100 communities connected to the national grid as part of an aggressive national electrification programme under the John Mahama NDC administration.

    So, Mr. President, if we have only 17 towns yet to be connected to the national grid, the critical question you should answer is what have you done so far to complement what you inherited? You cannot be sleeping on the job and blame others for your own failures.

    More importantly, at national level, the NDC Government expanded access to electricity from 50% to 83.24%. This can be confirmed in Paragraph 463 of the 2017 budget as presented by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta: “Under rural electrification, 1,212 communities were connected to the national grid, increasing the national electricity access rate from 80.5 percent to 83.24 percent”.

    President Akufo-Addo since assuming office and despite receiving over GH¢20 billion in ESLA Revenues, has only increased the access rate by a paltry 3%— from 83.24% to 86.63% as captured under Paragraph 810 of the 2022 budget: “In pursuit of H.E. The President’s aspiration to achieve universal coverage of electricity by 2024, a total of 162 communities were connected to the national grid thereby increasing the national electricity access rate from 85.17 percent in 2020 to 86.63 percent in 2021.”

    On the education front, President Mahama can be credited for the provision of three (3) Senior High Schools (Buipe Senior High, Buipe Technical and Mpaha Senior High) in the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency.

    It is an undeniable fact that under the leadership of President Mahama, the Yapei-Kusawgu witnessed the commencement and commissioning of the Buipe Cement Factory and the Sheanut Processing factory not to mention the ultramodern Buipe District Hospital.

    Unfortunately, under President Akuffo-Addo, the Sheanut factory has been grossly mismanaged and run-down for some time now. No wonder he conveniently refused to visit Buipe, the district capital of the Central Gonja District.

    For someone who failed to provide portable drinking water for his own people as Minister and MP, until President Mahama provided portable water for the people of Kyebi, the least President Akufo-Addo can do is to acknowledge the good works of his predecessor.

    I wish to entreat President Akufo-Addo to crosscheck his facts in future before seeking to deceive the citizenry with concocted, unsubstantiated, and fabricated allegations.

    Ghanaians are indeed suffering under the abysmal performance of the Nana and Bawumia government and the least they can expect from this non-performing government is to be truthful and honest with the facts.

    Source: Graphiconline

  • NAM1 has a service passport, he is protected Captain Smart alleges

    Renowned journalist, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, has advised Menzgold Ghana Limited customers who lost their funds after the company was closed down, to give up on seeking justice.

    He asserted that the customers would not receive their money back because the Menzgold CEO, Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM1, who is currently facing charges for operating unlawfully, is being shielded by those at the helm of affairs.

    In light of this, he added that, he is not surprised that the Economic and Organized Crime Office‘s (EOCO) Executive Director, COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, is alleged to have said that there is insufficient evidence to convict NAM1 of any crime.

    “EOCO said there is no evidence to take NAM1 to court for the court to prosecute and sentence him. What have I been telling you? I have told you guys that the Menzgold customers are not going to get their money back.

    “NAM1 will never be jailed. He is not going to be imprisoned for even three days. NAM1 is enjoying whatever he is enjoying. NAM1 is protected. EOCO is saying there are not enough laws in Ghana to take NAM1 to court. So, how did the Bank of Ghana close down MenzGold,” he said in Twi in an Onua TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb.

    He added that “NAM1 has indefinite vice to the UK and the US and also has easy access to Singapore. So, anything in his case becomes difficult, he travels out of the country. Who gave such a criminal a service passport? Service passports are given to government officials and anyone working for the government. Who gave NAM1 a service passport? He is protected.”

    Captain Smart further stated that even if the Office of the Special Prosecutor investigates NAM1, nothing can be done to him.

     

  • Anne Sophie Eve has been made a permanent citizen in Ghana – Stonebwoy

    Dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy, has announced that the outgoing French Ambassador, Anne Sophie Eve, has been made a permanent citizen of Ghana.

    This was disclosed at a farewell celebration held in Accra after the ambassador to Ghana had served her four-year term in office.

    Bola Ray and Stonebwoy were among the numerous Ghanaian superstars who attended the farewell celebration.

    In a tweet shared by Bola Ray, Stonebwoy is captured announcing that Anne Sophie Eve has been made a permanent Ghanaian and also thanked her for the love she has shown the Ghanaian music industry.

    “…Bola Ray says I should break the news on behalf of her excellency Anne Sophie Eve has been made a permanent citizen of Ghana,” he said.

    Other celebrities who showed up at her send-off party also included Kwame Eugene, Stacy Amoateng, Kalsume Sinare, and husband, among others.

     

     

  • Illegal connection: ECG disconnects Boomerang night club

    The Boomerang night club in Accra no longer receives electricity from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

    The ECG has ordered the management of the night club to appear before its project office in Accra.

    The action by the ECG comes after it discovered that a hostel connected to the nightclub was using roughly 25 air conditioners, refrigerators, and other electrical appliances through manipulated ECG meters.

    The hostel, owned by the night club, is occupied by Nigerians.

    The illegality was detected by the ECG revenue mobilisation task force as part of efforts to check metre conditions in the country.

    The managers of the night club admitted to the illegality, blaming it on the complex nature of dealing with the power distributing company.

     

  • Foreign Minister leads delegation to TICAD conference

    The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey arrived in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia on Friday for the two-day 8th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD 8).

    The Minister, who is representing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is leading a Ghana team that includes Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten, Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. John Kumah, Deputy Minister for Finance and senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Finance, Trade and Industry and Roads and Highways.

    TICAD 8 will address Sustainable and inclusive growth, realizing sustainable and resilient society, and Building sustainable peace and stability.

    A Business Forum involving business executives from Africa and Japan is expected to provide opportunities for investments and trade cooperation. Ghanaian executives are participating in the Forum.

    As part of the visit, the Ghana delegation will sign with Japanese officials two grant agreements for infrastructure projects to be funded by Japan. In addition, bilateral talks will be held with JETRO and JICA as well as with a number of leading Japanese firms.

    The Foreign Minister will also hold bilateral talks with a number of Foreign Ministers and other officials.

    In a statement, Hon. Ayorkor Botchwey noted the timeliness of the TICAD conference as African countries rededicate to efforts to build resilient economies beyond aid. She stressed the need to forge a new development cooperation consistent with the ambitions of the African people for peace and prosperity.

    Ghana is expected to take the opportunity to advocate for the required higher-quality collaboration with Japan and other development partners.

    Source:kasapafmonline

  • I knew I wouldn’t pass, so I skipped getting my BECE results – Obaapa Christy

    Ghanaian gospel musician Obaapa Christy has revealed that she did not go for her Basic Education Certificate Examination(BECE) results because she was confident she wouldn’t do well.

    In an interview with Rainbow Radio’s mid-morning show, the gospel minister admitted she wasn’t a good student and that she was aware from the outset she wouldn’t excel in her BECE.

    “However, I have come to discover that education is important. You need a positive mindset to succeed. If I had that positive mindset, I think I would have made it. But it is not too late. I will be going back to school. It is not too late to go back to school.”

    She told Sokoohemaa Kukua that, despite her lack of higher education, God has used her to touch lives, transform homes, and bring joy to many others through her powerful songs.

    “If God had blessed people because of their higher education, I would not be where I am today. God gave me something, and that is what I have done all these years.”

    Obaapa Christy, who is celebrating 20 years in the industry, expressed gratitude to God for bringing her this far.

    The musician also revealed Mathematics and drawing were her best subjects.

    “Mathematics was my best subject because God knew I would be wealthy and be counting money,” she said amidst laughter.

     

     

     

  • Father shares his loss as his daughter drowns while livestreaming on Facebook

    The father of a Kenyan woman who drowned in a swimming pool in Canada while livestreaming on Facebook has spoken of his family’s loss.

    Hellen Wendy Nyabuto could be seen in a video struggling to stay afloat after diving into the deep end of the pool last week.
    The 23-year-old health worker, who lived in Toronto, had earlier responded to comments from viewers before resuming her swim.
    Her body was spotted hours later at the bottom of the pool.

    According to her brother, she drowned in Collingwood, Ontario, the town where she worked.
    Her father Nyabuto John Kiyondi, 56 told CNN from his home in Kenya: “I watched that video. I cried. It is terrible.”
    “She communicated with me two days before she perished. She sounded very fine and I was very happy. She promised me a phone. I didn’t feel anything abnormal,” he said.

    Nyabuto lived with her younger brother Enock in an apartment in Toronto and worked part-time as a health worker while studying nursing, her family said.
    “She has been in Canada for about three years,” Enock, who is one of her five sibling said.
    “All the financial responsibilities (of their family in Kenya) were on her,” he added.

    ‘Back to square one’
    Wendy’s father, a smallholder farmer in Kisii, southwest Kenya, said he is “back to square one” now that his daughter is gone.
    “She was assisting me financially to educate her siblings, particularly in terms of school fees and other expenses. I’m stuck now and back to square one. I’m wondering how her younger siblings will continue schooling,” Kiyondi told CNN.

    All he now wants is his daughter’s body returned to Kenya.
    “According to our tradition, one is supposed to be buried where he or she was born. I’ll not feel comfortable, psychologically, if my daughter is buried away from Kenya,” he said.
    Repatriating Wendy’s body will take a toll on her family’s meager resources and Enock said they’ve started a GoFundMe campaign to raise 50,000 Canadian dollars (around $38,000) to help with her burial costs.
    “The family is going through a rough time now. All we want is for her body to be transported back home for burial,” he said.

    Source: CNN

  • Government wont discriminate with development – Akufo-Addo

    President Akufo-Addo has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to distribute development equitably across the country.

    He said the government would continue to pursue such policy amid the difficulties to affect all of the Ghanaian society without discrimination.

    He, therefore, charged the citizenry to remain resolute and continue to support the government to deliver on its mandate.

    President Akufo-Addo said this when he addressed a durbar of chiefs and people at Yapei in the Central Gonja District to wrap up his two-day tour of the Savannah Region.

    He said all the programmes and interventions that the government had rolled out were meant to benefit every citizen of the land without discrimination.

    He urged the people, particularly the youth, to take advantage of the interventions initiated by the government to improve their livelihood and lives.

    Commendation

    The Paramount Chief of the Kusawgu Traditional Area, Kusawguwura Alhassan Soale Bonyanso II, in a speech read for him by the Chief of Yapei, Yapeiwura A.B.T. Zakaria, lauded the government for initiating a number of projects that were impacting positively on the lives of the people in the area.

    He, however, appealed to the government to consider expanding the Kusawgu water project to Yapei to provide potable water for the people.

    Road projects

    Earlier, the President paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Wasipe Traditional Area, Wasipewura Mumuni Kabasagya, at his palace in Daboya, the Central Gonja District capital.

    He indicated that roads in Daboya township roads and other major road projects in the district had been awarded on contract, and that work was expected to commence on them soon.

    Aside from the new projects on contract, President Akufo-Addo said, “a total of 24 road projects have been completed, and 135 projects were ongoing in the region”.

    Bridge

    On the delayed construction of the Daboya Bridge, he reiterated the government’s commitment to construct the bridge over the White Volta to serve as an alternative route for travellers from the north to the south, and from the Savannah Region to the Upper West Region.

    “The bridge over Daboya is going to be done, and I am confident that when I come back next year, it would have been done,” he assured the people.

    In 2017, the government announced the construction of a bridge over the White Volta at Daboya to link the Northern Region to the Savannah Region.

    When constructed, the 300-metre-long bridge, spanning the White Volta River, will be a critical link in the commercial and everyday life of people in the eastern parts of northern Ghana.

    However, since the announcement, nothing has been done about it.

    Appeal

    Wasipewura Kabasagya noted “We are reaping benefits from your road projects. Although the road projects have not been completed, vehicles can now move in the district and food crops are no longer wasting away on the farms. Market women are also able to go about their businesses”.

    He also appealed to the government to absorb a newly established college of education in the area into the public system and provide it with the resources and infrastructure to expand to accommodate and train teachers.

    Before ending his tour of the Savanna Region yesterday[August 25, 2022], President Akufo-Addo inspected some ongoing Agenda 111 hospital projects and road infrastructure also under construction.

    Source: Graphiconline

  • Police Service launches enhanced visibility policing strategy

    The Ghana Police Service has launched a community-based policing strategy that will foster collaboration between personnel of the service and local authorities to enforce law, order and security in metropolises, municipalities and districts across the country.

    Such collaboration will also enable the public to identify, prioritise and address pertinent issues of crime in their various communities.

    Dubbed: “Enhanced visibility and community policing strategy”, the plan will build on past community policing experiences to enhance police operations.

    The police will also intensify day and night patrols within small defined areas in various police districts and establish good relations, rapport and trust with residents of those areas.

    Also, district police commanders, who will be the main drivers of the strategy, will be required to develop security and crime prevention plans with stakeholders in their respective jurisdictions.

    Visibility

    The Director-General of the National Patrol Department of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Paul Manly Awini, who launched the strategy document in Accra yesterday, said the plan would not only increase police visibility in communities but also ensure that personnel worked more in collaboration with opinion leaders and state agencies to sustain law and order in those areas.

    He said over the past decade, the community policing concept had made a significant contribution to the fight against crime in the country, hence the need to further enrich the concept and make it more effective.

    “It has become necessary to increase police visibility in zones where the fear of crime still exists and where crime and anti-social behaviour affect the daily lives of members of the public,” COP Awini said.

    The strategy, he said, integrated key elements of a community crime fighting and removal of fear of crime initiative, adding: “The launch of this strategy comes at a time when the Police Administration is making efforts to transform the law enforcement agency and make communities safer for the people.”

    It would also enhance crime prevention campaigns, in partnership with neighbourhood watch committees, residents associations, community protection assistants and other stakeholders, he said.

    COP Awini further said strategies developed by stakeholders at MMDAs would become their road map, an important element of local police accountability.

    Commendation

    The D-G commended consultants and the technical working group for their efforts at producing the final document for the implementation of the strategy.

    He also expressed gratitude to the German Development Agency (GIZ) for providing support and expertise for the Police Service for the development of the strategy.

    COP Awini urged the public to support the police in making the strategy effective, saying: “Security is a shared responsibility between the police and members of the public.”


    Source: Graphiconline

  • Bernard Avles wife to be buried on September 8

    Justine Avle, wife of celebrated broadcaster Bernard Avle, will be buried on September 8 at a private ceremony.

    The pre-burial service will take place at the Cedar Mountain Chapel, Assemblies of God at East Legon while there will be no wake keeping.

    A thanksgiving ceremony will then be held on Sunday, September 11 at the Makarious Cathedral at East Legon Hills.

    This is according to the details of a funeral arrangement sighted by GhanaWeb.

    Background

    Justine Avle died on the evening of Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at the age of 40.

    She died after a short illness.

    Many social media users expressed their heartfelt condolences to Bernard Avle following the shocking news, praying for strength for the journalist.

    The couple had four children at the time of her death.

    Bernard Avle is the General Manager of Citi FM and host of the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, as well as the Point of View Show on Citi TV.

    Whenever he is talks about his wife on air, Bernard always referred to her as his biggest inspiration.

    Below is the details of the funeral arrangement

     

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Ghana is a lovely country – French Ambassador to Ghana

    Anne Sophie Avé, the outgoing French Ambassador to Ghana has stated that she had a great stay in Ghana.

    Avé, also known as “Nana Benneh III,” recently took the throne as the Nkosuohemaa (development queen) of Tain in the Bono Region, stated that Ghana is a beautiful nation.

    Speaking on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday, 24 August, Sophie Avé said Ghana is in a position to generate more money from the tourism industry.

    “I will remember Ghana as a place that I spent the best four years of my life. A country with amazingly talented people and while I am leaving, I still have a property here.

    “There is not a single way to achieve development, but the more Ghanaians understand that tourism is a business that they can benefit from… the better it will place them for national development,” she said.

    The outgoing French ambassador wants Ghanaians to be proud of telling the Ghanaian story.

    “When you are proud of your country and your heritage then you will broadcast it,” she said. “You will want to push it there and it is important that Ghanaians have pride in their heritage inculcated in them.”

  • One dead in a ghastly crash involving a fuel tanker

    On Wednesday, August 24, 2022,  a terrible accident in at Anhwiaso in the Adansi North District of the Ashanti Region claimed the life of one person.

    The incident involved a Nissan Versa car and Howo Fuel tanker truck.

    According to the Ghana National Fire Service, it received a report of the incident at about 04:09 PM on Wednesday.

    Officers dispatched to the scene retrieved the body of the driver of the Nissan Salon car, who lost his life in the crash.

    The GNFS urged motorists to avoid acts that can lead to accidents.
    “Motorists are hereby cautioned to be extra cautious on the road and avoid overspeeding, drunk driving, wrongful overtaking and careless driving to prevent road crashes,” the GNFS said.

    A video from the scene shows the mangled salon car being extricated by the fire officers amidst a crowd of bystanders.

  • Police on manhunt for Odikes attackers

    The Ashanti regional Police Command is on a manhunt for persons who attacked the office the founder of the United Progressive Party, Akwasi Addai also known as Odike.

    Some unidentified men on Monday, August 22, 2022, attacked Odike, and vandalised his regional party office at Pataase, in Kumasi.

    Glass doors, vehicles, a TV, and chairs were damaged at Odike’s office, according to the Regional Command that sent officers to the area after the incident.

     

    They did not only fire gunshots indiscriminately into the office but also at two cars parked in front of the office.

    The well-built men numbering about three, who stormed the office with a taxi cab, also smashed the windscreen of one of the cars in front of the office.

    One of the party members, who was in a meeting with Odike at the time of the attack, also sustained bruises on his face from the gunmen’s brutality.

    The culprits drove off after they demanded the whereabouts of Odike but could not find him.

  • Ghana records increase in human trafficking

    The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection‘s Human Trafficking Secretariat has revealed that in 2021 there were 831 human trafficking victims in Ghana as opposed to 587 the year before.

    According to the Ministry, the number of prosecutions grew from 13 in 2020 as compared to 22 last year, while the number of investigations increased from 87 in 2020 to 108 in 2021.

    The sector Deputy Minister, Madam Lariba Zuleira Abudu, who was speaking at the commencement of a capacity-building training program at Fumesua, in the Ashanti Region’s Ejisu Municipality, said government’s aim is to end the problem.

    Human trafficking, she said, was a global canker, therefore, stakeholders ought to work together to identify and deal with the issue head-on.

    The three-day programme has been put together by the Ministry in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and Expertise France, an international agency, to deepen the knowledge of security agencies on human trafficking and irregular migration.

    It would discuss topics on human rights issues, victim identification, rescue operations, victim protection and investigations, amongst others.

    Madam Abudu, who is also the Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social protection, said the training had been designed to equip the law enforcement agencies to effectively implement the Human Trafficking Act 2005 (Act 694).

    She indicated that a National Plan of Action had been launched to deal decisively with human trafficking issues in all their forms.

    The Plan, according to her, had been structured in a way to whip up public understanding of the complexity of human trafficking and irregular migration.

    This is expected to improve the detections, investigations and prosecutions of suspected human traffickers and smugglers.

    Mr. Serge Akpalou, an official of Expertise France, said the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic recession had further exacerbated human trafficking.

    Therefore, the French International Agency would not relent working with stakeholders to address the issue.

    Chief Superintendent Mike Baah, of the National Headquarters, Ghana Police Service, urged the participants to take the training programme seriously to reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of human trafficking.

  • 12 busted over communal clashes in Gbalo, Kukpong, Sagong communities

    The police as part of an intelligence-led operation on August 24, 2022,  have detained 12 people for involving in the Gbalo,  Kukpong and Sagong communal clashes.

    The suspects are Sulemana A. Mumuni, Salifu Abdulai, Sulemana Seidu, Alidu Mukaila, Adam Naaba, Alhassan Nasona, Bawah Yakubu Ibn Mohammed and Bawah Salisu.

    The rest are Imoro Bomah, Imoro Karim, Adams Nasona and Abdulai Yussif.

    On 25th July 2022, the Gbalo and Kukpong and Sagong communities in the Chereponi District of the North-East Region.

    16 homes were burned down during the fights that took place a month ago, and several animals were also lost. However, the prompt action of the police helped to save lives and bring calm back to the affected neighborhoods.

    The police administration has commended the North-East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mr Moses Ali Kpeachi and his team for their efforts in restoring calm and gathering intelligence leading to the arrest of the key suspects behind the clashes.

    The suspects will be arraigned today.

    The police urged citizens to choose dialogue rather than violence in resolving differences.

     

  • Labianca gate: Your response is a ‘lame attempt at damage control’ Lawyer tells Labianca

    Labianca Company Limited‘s reaction to the Special Prosecutor‘s findings has been criticized by private attorney Saviour Kudze, as a weak attempt at damage control.

    According to the lawyer, the response issued by the company was not from the lawyers of the Company and thereby questioning the basis for which Labianca Group Limited paid the ¢1.074 million after the report emerged.

    “This is a lame attempt at damage control because reading the statement which they issued, the statement, let me say was not issued by their lawyers but was issued by the Company with the intention of asking their lawyers to take the matter up,” Saviour Kudze said in an interview on Joy FM, Wednesday, August 24.

    He, however, argued that the reason for payment is that “they had agreed that there was some wrongdoing that is why they had to pay the money.

    “They themselves alluded to the fact that they appeared before the Special Prosecutor during the investigation and during the investigations of course if you had evidence in support of your case you would have made it available before the Special prosecutor.”

    The lawyer noted that the only legitimate claim Labianca’s statement is the “fact that they were not furnished with the Special Prosecutors report at a point in time.”

    Labianca in a statement issued on Wednesday, August 24, threatened to take legal action against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for issuing an influence-peddling report against it.

    The Company said, “we take the findings of the Office of the Special Prosecutor seriously and have consequently instructed our lawyers to take the necessary action on this matter.”

    Background

    The OSP in a recent report noted that it had recovered GH¢1.074 million from Labianca, owned by Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, an elected member of the Council of State representing the Western Region.

    The amount represented a shortfall in import duties the frozen foods company paid to the state.

    In an investigative report by the OSP, Ms Asomah-Hinneh was accused of influence-peddling by allegedly using her position as a member of the Council of State and member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to get a favourable decision from the Customs Division for her company.

    The investigative report, dated August 3, 2022, is titled: “Report of Investigation into Alleged Commission of Corruption and Corruption-Related Offences involving Labianca Group of Companies and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.”

  • ‘No Military Base or Camp has been set ablaze’ – Ghana Armed Forces

    The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has rejected media reportage that a military base or camp in the Dormaa West District of the Bono Region has been set ablaze by some angry youth of the area.

    According to GAF, the facility that was set ablaze is an accommodation facility under construction to house the Military Detachment and a shelter for Forestry Commission staff.

    “No Military Base or Camp has been set ablaze,” GAF said in a statement signed by the Director of Public Relations, Naval Captain, Michael Addo Larbi.

    The statement added that “at the time of the incident, there were no military personnel at the location and it was the Police that successfully brought the situation under control.

    “It must be noted that the Military Detachment is yet to be permanently deployed to that particular location as part of Operation Halt I, to curb the illegal logging and lumbering which has been on the ascendency in the Region.”

    GAF, however, assured the public that it would put in “all measures to prevent and also take the appropriate action at its disposal to deal with any miscreant or any other person who would even attempt to burn down any military or national asset, facility or installation.”

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Meghan’s new claim is ‘a smack at Harry and a punch to the Royal Family’

    Royal commentator Angela Levin has lashed out at Meghan Markle after the Duchess claimed she didn’t “ever remember personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ambitious until I started dating my now husband”.

    Angela said that the Royal Family is about ambition “in sense of duty and giving” and not “about getting to the top”.

    “The royal author continued: “She thought it was normal to be ambitious and only when she started dating Harry did she realise that it was not welcomed.”

    “My goodness, that is a smack at Harry and a punch to the Royal Family. Harry told her about life in the Royal Family, but she obviously did not want to listen,” said the commentator.

    Ms Levin also blasted Meghan for her claim in the podcast that she had to go on another royal engagement in South Africa after she heard there was a fire in Archie’s room.

    Taking to twitter on Wednesday, Levin wrote: Meghan outraged that she had to go on another royal engagement in S. Africa after she heard there was a fire in baby Archie’s room. Nasty to hear but as an actress doesn’t she know the show must go on. Luckily he wasn’t there but odd it was never leaked to the press.”

    Source: Geonews

  • 431 Ghanaians in the UAE risk deportation over expired documents

    Due to expired travel permits, 431 Ghanaians living in the United Arab Emirates who were scheduled for deportation have been imprisoned in Dubai as they wait for assistance from government.

    A representative for the inmates, Francis Frimpong asserted that they were duped by Ghanaian travel and tour companies, who pledged to offer them lucrative job opportunities and others.

    Mr. Frimpong said among them include breastfeeding mothers, who have been held at the Airport under harsh conditions.

    Nearly all of them, according to him, were persuaded to travel to the Gulf country in search of greener pastures, but the travel firms who processed their paperwork failed to uphold their end of the bargain after receiving hefty processing costs.

    “We were first sent to the deportation centre where they said there was an aircraft ready to lift us home but it was not true. They later sent us to their Immigration service head office and then we were detained.

    “All we do for some months now is bath and sleep because we are not allowed to go out. Many of us have fallen ill but we are not allowed to go out. Some fresh mothers have just given birth among us and their condition is deteriorating,” he complained.

    According to him, after contacting the Consulate General of the Republic of Ghana in the UAE, they were promised government intervention but that is yet to be realized as they continue to endure the hardship in detention.

    “The Consulate promised they will support us and get our return tickets to Ghana but that is in limbo. We have not heard anything from the Consulate after making such promise,” he bemoaned.

    Mr. Frimpong managed to reach Crime Check Foundation (CCF) to channel their grievances to the Ghanaian authorities to come to their rescue as soon as possible to avert the worsening of their predicament.

    He used the opportunity to advise prospective migrants to obtain the right documents from trustworthy sources and be wary of mouth-watering offers from Travel Agencies, but this will later land them in troubling situations as they find themselves.

    “We were promised that when we get here, the employers would extend the visa for us but it was not true. Jobs here are difficult to get and so anybody promising you good jobs is lying to you. Stay in Ghana and work,” he said.

    However, in its effort to ascertain the facts of the issue, the Consulate declined to comment when CCF contacted it.

     

  • The corrupt and the lying ones will kill you KKD reveals advice his father gave him

    Veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD) has stated that even though the outcome could result in his killing, his father has urged him to continue speak the truth against the government .

    KKD, who has criticized the administration in recent days over claims of nepotism, cronyism, conflicts of interest, and corruption stated that some people have called his elderly father to voice their displeasure with him regarding his criticisms of the government.

    “When they told me, I said to them that my son Kwasi Kyei is only a womaniser and women like him, but he is truthful. They are calling me from all over. Kwasi, what have you said?” KKD revealed his conversation with his father on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, edition of Joy News’ morning show.

    He asserted that his father requested videos of his statements from him after receiving such complaints in order to evaluate.

    “Please, if you would like for me to say a word of advice to my son, start by sending me the facts of the matter. So send me what he actually said. Don’t send me commentary because, in the Darkwah family, we don’t comment on commentary,” KKD recounted the words of his father.

    On how his father reacted to the reports and the complaints, KKD said his father warned him that his criticism against the government might lead to him being killed but urged him not to relent.

    “So they sent my father the video, and he looked at the video and said, ‘Kwasi, I’ve watched your video three times. Kwasi Kyei, my beloved son, they will kill you. The corrupt and the liars hate people who speak the truth; they will kill you. But what you said is the truth so continue,” KKD recalled the conversation with his father some four days ago.

    KKD has been accusing members of the current government of enriching themselves at the expense of the state and the citizens, among other things.

    He has taken on the minister for finance and one of his deputies, who he alleges have been embroiled in a conflict of interest.

    According to KKD, the minister and his deputy have their companies serving as financial and transaction advisers to the government, thus making gains even when the state borrows.

    He has noted that such a situation calls into question the finance minister’s motive whenever the country borrows money.

     

     

  • 12-year-old girl granted admission into University

    A JSS1 kid, Miss Jessica Okonye has been granted ‘admission’ as an auditor student into the Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa, Delta state.

    Miss Okonye’s ‘admission’ came after she was discovered to be exceptionally brilliant by Professor (Chief) John Alizor, a retired American university professor.

    How it all started

    She was said to have startled the retired Professor at a shop where she served as an intern. The man promptly took interest in her and started mentoring her.

    This culminated in the professor giving her academic assignments and then the eventual ‘auditorship admission.’

    Before she was offered admission, she interacted with the leadership of the university, who were said to find her academic abilities to be very satisfactory.

    Young Ghanaian disc jockey DJ Switch has chalked another milestone in life after starting high school in the United States.

    The 14-year-old has been admitted into Chaminade College Preparatory, a prestigious school in Los Angeles.

    DJ Switch shared photos from her first day in school as she was warmly welcomed by her classmates who were mostly whites.

    Source: Yen.com

     

  • NASA reveals what a black hole 200 million light-years away sounds like

    Blackholes may still be one of the great mysteries of space, but at least scientists now know what they sound like.

    On Sunday, NASA tweeted a 34-second audio clip featuring the sound of a black hole located 200 million light-years away.

    “The misconception that there is no sound inspace originates because most space is a ~vacuum, providing no way for sound waves to travel,” the agency said in a post on its NASA Exoplanets Twitter page.

    “A galaxy cluster has so much gas that we’ve picked up actual sound,” they wrote. “Here it’s amplified, and mixed with other data, to hear a black hole!”

    The post quickly went viral, garnering more than 429,000 likes and 101,000 retweets on the platform.

    Many on social media shared their differing opinions on the sound featured in the clip, which many described as being eery.

    “I’m not religious, but I’m starting to think that those souls sent to Hell actually end up in a black hole,” wrote one user. “Sound ON to be horrified.”

    Added another: “Everyone keeps talking about how scary this sounds but genuinely to me it just sounds like the song it makes. Everything vibrates and has a hum to it, she’s just singing to us.”

    According to NASA, the black hole is located at the center of the Perseus galaxy, located 240 million light-years from Earth.

    Scientists have known since 2003 that the area is filled with sound after pressure waves sent out by the black hole “caused ripples in the cluster’s hot gas that could be translated into a note,” the agency said in a news release from May.

    But the note was one that the human ear can’t pick up, NASA explained, which is why they used technology to interpret the sound.

    Source: People.com

  • Sylvester Stallone covers up tattoo of his wife with ink of late dog, ‘Rocky’ Castmate, butkus

    The Rocky actor, 76, Sylvester Stallone recently added a tribute to his late dog butkus, who appeared in the movie and its sequel, on his bicep, covering a previous tattoo of his wife Jennifer Flavin‘s face.

    “Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer; however, the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable,” Stallone’s publicist Michelle Bega told the Daily Mail after the outlet posted photos showing the actor’s tattoo coverup.

    She continued, “Mr. Stallone loves his family. The Stallones are presently filming a reality show together which will debut on Paramount+.”

    Stallone and Flavin celebrated their 25th anniversary in May, and marked the milestone occasion with respective Instagram tributes to each other.

    “Happy 25th anniversary to my amazing wife,” Stallone, 75, captioned a photo carousel of the pair. “There is not enough words to describe what this incredibly selfless dedicated, patient, woman has meant to our lives and I only wish they could be another 25! Thank you sweetheart!”

    In a post she has since deleted, Flavin, 53, wrote alongside her own snapshot collection, “Happy 25th wedding anniversary to us!  Thank you for always keeping me laughing, loving and protecting our beautiful family!”

    She concluded, “Our marriage keeps getting better every year! I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together!”

    Stallone’s new tattoo features a profile shot of the bullmastiff who died in 1981 from a heart attack, according to multiple outlets.

    Stallone has long professed his love for the canine, and in 2017, he posted a picture of his younger self and a puppy-dog Butkus on Instagram.

    At the time when the photo was taken in 1971, Stallone said he and the dog were “both thin, hungry and living in a flophouse above a subway stop.”

    In the post, he revealed he at one point had to sell the dog for $40 because he couldn’t afford to buy food.

    “After the screenplay for Rocky sold, and I could buy and buy him back, but the new owner knew I was desperate, and charged me $15,000 … He was worth every penny!” Stallone wrote.

    Source: People.com

  • Serena Williams shares sweet photo with daughter Olympia, bestie Meghan Markle

    Serena Williams turned her appearance on Meghan Markle‘s new podcast Archetypes into a family affair.

    On Tuesday, the tennis superstar, 40, shared a black-and-white photo on Instagram of her posing with her 4-year-old daughter Olympia and Markle, 41, while teasing her interview on Markle’s podcast.

    “I loved talking about so many important topics with my dear friend Meghan as her first guest on #archetypes for @spotify,” she captioned the snap. “It’s out now and worth the listen, especially if you’re ambitious ❤️”

    In the premiere episode, the duo discussed the double standard society sets for women who chase their dreams.

    In the opening of the episode, which dropped Tuesday, Markle said that the nuns of Immaculate Heart, the all-girls Catholic school in Los Angeles she attended from sixth through twelfth grades, always empowered the students to go after what they wanted.

    “This feminist ideology trickled down into nearly every aspect of my education. It’s probably safe to say into every aspect of my life,” she explained. “This message to me and my classmates was clear: our futures as young women were limitless. Ambition? That was the whole point!”

    “So I don’t remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ‘ambitious’ until I started dating my now-husband,” she said.

    Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

    Reflecting on life in the limelight as Prince Harry’s partner, she continued, “and apparently ambition is a terrible, terrible thing, for a woman that is — according to some. So, since I’ve felt the negativity behind it, it’s really hard to un-feel it. I can’t unsee it, either, in the millions of girls and women who make themselves smaller — so much smaller — on a regular basis.”

    Introducing Williams as “someone who embodies the spirit of ambition,” the two addressed the negative light society views ambitious women.

    “Often women are definitely put in these different boxes when we are ambitious or when we do have goals or when we reach our goals, it’s a negative connotation on how we reach the goals,” Williams said.

    Noting that the notion even applies to “little girls in a school room,” Markle pointed out that if a young girl “is ambitious or raises her hand more,” she’s likely to be labeled “bossy” because of her gender, to which Williams agreed.

    Markle and Williams first met at the Super Bowl in 2010 and immediately hit it off. They also appeared together at the 2014 Super Bowl, competing in DIRECTV’s Celebrity Beach Bowl. They played former NFL pros for the prize but made sure to make some time for fun on the sidelines.

    Since then, the Duchess of Sussex and Williams have supported each other, including Markle watching her friend play at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

    Source: People.com

  • Labianca ‘fights’ OSP over implicative report

    The management of La Bianca Company Limited has refuted claims that it obtained a custom advance ruling through “influence peddling or trading of influence,” noting that they have consistently obeyed the law when requesting advance rulings under the customs legislation.

    The company claims that it has not received any formal written documentation from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) about its findings.

    “Over the years, the company has, in accordance with due process, applied for customs advance rulings under the Customs Act 2015 (Act 891). Indeed, over the years, the company has been tax compliant and has discharged all its obligations dutifully. Due to the nature of the operations of importers like us, the Ghana Revenue Authority, per Act 891, conducts periodic post clearance audits to determine possible undervaluation or overpayments of taxes,” a statement from management said in part.

    The statement added that they believe that report findings contradict their recollection of events and submissions made to the office.

    It further stated that the management takes the findings of the Office of the Special Prosecutor seriously and has consequently instructed lawyers to take the necessary action on this matter.

    “The Labianca management will abide by the laws of Ghana as they are committed to contributing their quota to national development.

    “As importers of quality frozen foods, we will always comply with the laws of Ghana. We are committed to contributing our quota to national development by investing right in our cold store infrastructure, and value chain, creating jobs, and paying taxes,” portions of the statement further said.

    Below is the statement

  • Conti-Katanga clash: KNUST student remanded for threatening to kill fellow student to pacify gods

    The Asokore Mampong Magistrate Court has remanded Elvis Nsiah, a Level 200 student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), into police custody for threatening to kill a fellow student to pacify gods.

    According to a tweet from the Ghana Police Service, his detention is related to the recent altercation on August 18 between students from Unity Hall, also known as Conti, and University Hall, also known as Katanga Hall.

    The police explained that, Elvis Nsiah allegedly threatened to stab five Conti Hall students and kill one other student in order to appease the gods.

    He is set to reappear before the court on August 30 while investigations continue into the distances on the KNUST campus

    “As part of the investigation into the rioting that occurred on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, the Police have arrested suspect Elvis Nsiah, a level-200 student of university for the offence of threat of death.

    “The suspect is alleged to have threatened to stab five students of the Continental Hall of the university and kill one other student of the same hall to pacify what he refers to as the gods. The accused person was put before the Asokore Mampong Magistrate Court and has been remanded into police custody to reappear on 30th August, 2022. Meanwhile, the investigation is still ongoing to get all others involved in the rioting arrested to face justice,” the police tweeted.

    Background

    On the evening of August 18, there were violent scenes on the campus of KNUST as students of Unity Hall popularly known as Conti and University Hall popularly known as Katanga hall clashed.

    In an interview with Accra-based Asaase Radio, the University’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Dr. Daniel Norris Bekoe, explained that the attack was occasioned by a procession by Katanga Hall boys to mark their hall week celebration.

    According to him, when they got to Conti, the Katanga boys together with colleagues from Casely Hayford, Casford, from the University of Cape Coast; launched unprovoked attacks on the Conti hall residents.

    He narrated that the Conti Hall residents retreated, however, the Katangese continued their onslaught leading to the destruction of several properties.

    “Around 6:15 thereabout, the fellows of Katanga Hall including some alumni of the hall and their colleagues from Casely Hayford [Casford hall] in the University of Cape Coast were processing as part of the Katanga Hall week celebration. As part of the marching, they got to Unity Hall and then decided to launch an unprovoked attack on the fellows of Unity Hall. The students in Unity Hall decided to retreat and went into the hall and locked the gate but they decided to throw stones and ended up destroying 9 vehicles belonging to the hall fellows…(and) some staff of the hall,” Dr. Daniel Norris Bekoe said.

  • Customs bosses allegedly aided trucks under-declare goods, evade tax

    It has been disclosed that in October 2021, some senior officials within the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority assisted trucks in under-declaring goods and evading tax.

    A confidential letter by the then Deputy National Security Coordinator, Edward Asomani, in October 2021, indicated that Col. Kwadwo Damoah Commissioner of Customs Division of the GRA, ordered the release of some vehicles carrying commodities that had been impounded.

    The letter added that during the arrest, the traders called Col. Damoah to voice out their displeasure, subsequently, Kojo Bonsu, a Staff Officer to the Commissioner, then gave the detaining officer the order to release the trucks immediately.

    Col. Damoah has recently been in the news after a report by the Special Prosecutor implicated the office of the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority in corruption-related acts involving Labianca Company Limited.

    The OSP recovered GH¢1.074 million from the Company owned by a Council of State member, Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh.

    The money was recovered as a shortfall of revenue arising from the issuance of the unlawful customs advance, meant to be duties paid to the state following the importation of the frozen foods.

    In the wake of the report, some Anti-Corruption groups called for sanctions against the Commissioner.

    Colonel Kwadwo Damoah, has described calls for sanctions against him over the report implicating his office in corruption-related acts as unfounded.

    Below is the full confidential statement by the National Security on the Tax Evasion

    1. Reports indicate that a Customs Intelligence team of the Customs—Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (CD-GRA) led by John Agbawu, with assistance from operatives of the Special Monitoring Team (SMT) of the National Intelligence Bureau, on 08/10/2021, intercepted and arrested two cargo trucks at DZORWULU traffic Light, near Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra on suspicion of under-declaration and misdescription of goods.

    2. Gathered, the trucks, with registration numbers GW 6957 -13 and GT 8502 -16 from AFLAO, upon arrest, were escorted to the Customs Laboratory Division at Airport Roundabout for re-examination.

    3. It was revealed, after the re-examination, that a substantial number of goods in the trucks were undeclared and thus, no duties were paid on same. Kindly find attached the list of declared and undeclared goods in the trucks.

    4. It needs stating that, during the interception, the traders were discourteous towards the arresting officers, with one of them allegedly placing a to Col. DAMOAH, Commissioner of CD-GRA. Subsequently, AGBAWU received a call from one Kojo BONSU, Staff Officer to the Commissioner, instructing him to release the trucks unconditionally.

    5 Further, AGBAWU received another call from Adu KYEI, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, CD-GRA. who also gave similar instructions. Additionally, the trader who placed the call to Col, DAMOAH recorded the arresting officers on video, to be forwarded to him.

    6. Given the implications of this development, particularly those related to tax evasion, on the domestic revenue mobilization efforts of GRA, your outfit is urged to investigate the matter and update this Ministry accordingly.

    7. Your outfit is further urged to take necessary steps to prevent senior officials from undermining the work of customs officers at the various custom checkpoints across the country.

     

  • Kroboland: Nuaso town disconnected from power grid

    Power to Nuaso Old Town in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region has been cut off from the national grid by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

    The ECG’s action comes after some residents of the area allegedly threatened to pour hot and inflict cutlass wounds on the ECG and military officers should they fix the prepaid meters in the area.

    Per reports, the military men who were with the ECG officials retaliated by brutalizing the residents.

    According to the Public Relations Officer for ECG in the Tema Region, Sakyiwaa Mensah, power will only be restored when the residents consent to the installation of the prepaid meters.

    “We do not want a situation where we as a company would be piling on debt that we have not intended. This is how we operate in every other place.”

    “As we are not getting to do that [install the metres], before this outage, as part of the road map, we had said if you do not want the prepaid metres, we will disconnect you from the grid,” she said.

    Meanwhile, the Assembly Member for Nuaso Electoral Area in the Eastern Region, Samuel Torgbor, says two persons are currently receiving treatment from injuries sustained yesterday.

    The Yilo and Manya Krobo municipalities were previously without power for almost a month because of the impasse with ECG over the installation of the meters.

  • Ewuraba Eesi wins best gospel song of the year award

    Ghanaian Gospel Singer, Angela Esi Saki-Kordah whose stage name is Ewuraba Eesi has been awarded the best gospel song of the year at the 610music Western Music Awards 2022.

    This is the singer’s second comeback to the WMAs and she made history.

    The category was filled with notable musicians making the category a keenly contested one.

    The ‘Gospel Shatta’ as she is affectionately known emerged as the winner with her hit song ‘the Grace’ featuring renowned Ghanaian musician Nero X.

    The song which was released alongside a captivating video will draw you closer to God upon giving a listening ear.

    The Grace is undoubtedly one of the well-produced gospel songs for the year under review. In terms of producing quality music videos, just like the official video for this song, Ewuraba Eesi and Nero X did not fail to sweep us off our feet with the aesthetic performance, scenery, and choreography in ‘The Grace’.

    With over 25k views on YouTube ‘The Grace’ has impacted lives and circumstances and still counting beyond measures. It has also on other digital platforms received a greater number of streams after its release a few months ago.

    The video was directed by popular video director Tyron Phlims and the song was produced by multiple award-winning producer JakeBeatz.

    The 2022 Western Music Awards which has over the years awarded artists and their hard work came off on Saturday, August 20 at the Best Plus Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi.

    The event witnessed spectacular performances from several music greats.

    Meanwhile, Mr Bright Ameyaw (the executive producer cum her husband) who received the award on behalf of the singer thanked God, the media, team Ewuraba Eesi, her royals, colleagues and fans, bloggers, promoters and the entire management for contributing to this win.

    In addition, Ewuraba Eesi’s rising success has transcended boundaries. She has carve out an enviable niche for herself as one of the few gospel artistes promoting and projecting Ghanaian gospel music across the globe.

    She is famously known for songs such, Gyinapintsin, Aseda, Perfect love, Afehyiapa, Do a dance for Jesus, Gina la Yesu, The Grace, et al.

    Source: Modernghana

     

  • Porn and indecency under Ghana law (Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)

    Section 101A Definition of sexual exploitation
    (1) Sexual exploitation is the use of a person for sexual activity that causes or is likely to cause serious physical and emotional injury or in prostitution or pornography.
    (2) A person who sexually exploits (a) another person other than a child commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than 25 years; or (b) another person who is a child commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years and not more than 25 years.

    Section 278 Gross indecency
    A person who publicly and willfully does a grossly indecent act commits a misdemeanour.

    Section 278A Immoral or indecent customs or practices, bereaved spouses
    A person who compels a bereaved spouse or a relative of that spouse to undergo a custom or practice that is immoral or grossly indecent in nature commits a misdemeanour.

    Section 282 Indecent inscriptions
    A person who affixes to, or inscribes on, a place or thing so as to be visible from a public place, or affixes to, or inscribes on, a public urinal, or delivers to a person in a public place, or exhibits to public view from a building, a picture or printed or written matter of an indecent or obscene nature, commits a criminal offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding twenty-five penalty units.

    Section 283 Getting others to do the acts punishable under section 282
    A person who gives or delivers to any other person a picture or printed or written matter mentioned in section 282 with the intent that it be affixed, inscribed, delivered or exhibited as mentioned in that section commits a criminal offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding twenty-five penalty units.
    Section 284 Advertisements as to venereal disease declared indecent
    (1) An advertisement relating to venereal disease, nervous debility, or any other complaint or infirmity arising from or relating to sexual intercourse, and an advertisement claiming aphrodisiac properties for a preparation is, for the purposes of this Act, of an indecent or obscene nature.
    (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an advertisement relating to venereal disease published by or with the authority of the Minister responsible for Health.

    ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS ACT, 2008 (ACT 772)
    Section 136 Child pornography
    (1) A person who intentionally does any of the following acts (a) publishes child pornography through a computer; (b) produces or procures child pornography for the purpose of its publication through a computer system; or (c) possesses child pornography in a computer system or on a computer or electronic record storage medium, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than 25 penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not more than10 years or to both.
    (2) In this section—
    “child” means a person below 18 years;
    “child pornography” includes material that visually depicts (a) a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct; (b) a person who appears to be a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct; (c) images representing a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct; and (d) unauthorised images of nude children;
    “publish” means (a) distribute, transmit, disseminate, circulate, deliver, exhibit, lend for gain, exchange, barter, sell or offer for sale, let on hire or offer to let on hire, offer in any other way, or make available in any way; (b) have in possession or custody, or under control, for the purpose of doing an act referred to in paragraph (a); and (c) print, photograph, copy or make in any other manner whether of the same or of a different kind or nature to carry out an act referred to in paragraph (a).

    DEVELOPMENT AND CLASSIFICATION OF FILM ACT, 2016 (ACT 935)
    Section 20 Pornographic films
    The Board shall not approve for exhibition, a film which it considers to be pornographic.
    Section 28 Forfeiture of equipment
    (1) Where a person… (b) exhibits a pornographic film, the Board shall seize the film and the equipment used for the exhibition without limiting criminal proceedings that may be instituted against the exhibitor and apply to the High Court for forfeiture to the State of both the film and the equipment.
    (2) A seizure of the film and equipment is not a bar to any criminal proceedings that may be instituted against the exhibiter.

    POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES REGULATORY COMMISSION ACT, 2003 (ACT 649)
    Section 29(1) Prohibition on sending certain articles by post or courier
    A person shall not send by post… (d) an indecent or a pornographic printing, painting, photograph, lithograph, engraving, book, card or any other indecent pornographic article in whatever form; [or][ (e) a postal article that bears on the cover of it words, marks or designs of an indecent, pornographic, scurrilous, threatening or grossly offensive character.

    DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana

    Source: By Ace Anan Ankomah via The Finder

  • Kenya 2022 elections: ‘I look forward to working with you’ – Akufo-Addo to William Ruto

    President Akufo-Addo has congratulated His Excellency William Ruto, for emerging winner in the 2022 Presidential elections in Kenya.

    Whilst congratulating President-elect Ruto on his victory, as well as the Kenyan people for “their fortitude and maturity”, President Akufo-Addo expressed his delight at the peaceful atmosphere in which the elections were held.

    “I am delighted that your long years of meritorious service as a stalwart politician in Kenya will be useful to you, as you take on the onerous responsibilities that come with your new office”, the President told his Kenyan counterpart.

    He noted that the success of the 2022 election is yet another milestone in the pursuit of “our common aspiration” for democratic governance, rule of law and the inclusive participation of Ghanaians and Kenyans in the governance process of the two countries on the continent.

    “I look forward to working with you to champion the cause of our continent, and to strengthen further the historical bonds of friendship and co-operation that happily exist between our two countries and peoples,” President Akufo-Addo added.

    At the time of filing this report, the following leaders have sent congratulatory messages.

    * Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime Minister

    * Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somali President

    * Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwean President

    * Evariste Ndayishimiye, Burundian President

    * Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian President

    * Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan President

    * Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzanian President

    * Cyril Ramaphosa, South African president

    * Lazarus Chakwera, Malawian President

    * Umaru Sisocco Embalo, Guinea-Bissau president

    * Paul Kagame, Rwandan President

     

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Stop creating artificial shortage COPEC to fuel retailers

    The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) is calling on the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to check the issue of artificial shortage at some fuel stations.

    This follows complaints from some motorists concerning the lack of petroleum products at some pumps in particular areas in Accra.

    In a Citi News interview, Head of Research at COPEC, Benjamin Nsiah noted that NPA must sanction the fuel stations that create artificial fuel shortages.

    “COPEC has already been mentioning this particular event to the authorities, specifically NPA to ensure that when prices are about to change, they visit some of these retail outlets to check their tanks and ensure that there are products available. If any retail outlet comes to say there are no products, it means it is an intention to create a shortage.”

    Mr. Nsiah further allayed all fears of fuel shortage, adding that there was enough stock in the system to last a month.

    “We believe that there is not going to be fuel shortage in the coming month. What we know is that there is enough fuel to serve the market.”

    Source: Citi News

  • Nduom marks 3 years after revocation of GN Bank’s licence

    The founder and president of Groupe Nduom, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom,  has marked three years after the revocation of the licence of GN Bank.

    According to him in a Facebook post, three years ago, he had a dream to create a reliable, well-regulated financial institution that would be present throughout Ghana, but that ambition was deferred.

    He said since the revocation of the licence, thousands of young men and women [who worked for him] remain at home. Hundreds of millions of his assets have been either lost, abandoned, destroyed or rotting away.

    Dr. Nduom further noted that 300 branches of GN Bank remain locked up, “yet, our faith remains strong.”

    In his consolation, the former flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party, PPP, quoted Jeremiah 29: 11 to end his post. On the occasion of the third anniversary of the revocation, the renowned entrepreneur said, ”the unbanked remain unbanked, yet our faith remains strong”.

    “TODAY is three years since our dream to develop a safe and sound regulated financial institution present everywhere in Ghana was deferred. Thousands of young men and women remain at home. Hundreds of millions of assets have been lost, abandoned, destroyed or rotting away. 300 branches remain locked up. The unbanked remain unbanked. Yet, our faith remains strong.

    “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29: 11,” Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom concluded.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Bawku killing: Police investigate killing of 3 persons by unknown assailants

    The Upper East Regional Police Command has begun investigations into the killing of three persons at Bawku by unknown assailants.

    On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, three people were shot dead close to the entrance of the Bawku Senior High School.  They were returning from Bolgatanga in a commercial vehicle.

    The deceased are; Fatawu Ibrahim, Bunyaminu Adam and Ibrahim Abdulai.

    Even though the cause of the killing is yet to be ascertained, it has been linked to the ethnic disturbances in Bawku.

    The driver of the vehicle who sustained a gunshot wound in the leg together with one passenger managed to flee to for their lives.

     

  • Bawku-Bolga road has become a ‘killing field’ – Adib Saani

    The Bawku-Bolga road is becoming a dangerous route to ply, this is according to Security Analyst, Adib Saani.

    According to him, gunmen constantly attack drivers in a bid to target persons believed to be aligned with factions in the Bawku conflict.

    In an interview with Ghanaweb, Mr Saani indicated that, the situation has become so bad such that, commercial vehicle drivers thoroughly vet passengers before allowing them onboard.

    He noted however that such preventive measures have not curbed the attacks, adding that even the presence of security checkpoints do not deter gunmen from carrying out their operations.

    His comment was in relation to the killing of three persons on the highway near the Bawku Senior High School.

    “That road especially near the Bawku Secondary School also called Highways has become so dangerous commercial drivers carefully vet passengers before allowing them to board their vehicles. Assailants are able to ambush commercial vehicles and execute marked persons with impunity.

    “These marked persons are usually thought to have ties to either side of the conflict. Despite the existence of a security checkpoint, they are still able to successfully stage these operations,” he wrote.

    Online news portal, graphic.com.gh reported that three people were shot dead on the highway near the Bawku Senior High School yesterday Tuesday, August 16 around 2 PM.

    The deceased names were given as Muniyamimu Ashimu, 47; Fatawu Ibrahim, 37 and Mmam Abduali Ibrahim, 43.

    They were shot while travelling on board a vehicle from Bolga to Bawku.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Adwoa Safo has returned to the United States – Aide

    Nana Dubin Kwapong, an aide to Sarah Adwoa Safo, has said that the troubled MP for Dome Kwabenya has left Ghana once more, contrary to rumors that she had returned after a long absence.

    According to him, the embattled MP will be back when Parliament reconvenes to serve the people of Dome Kwabenya.

    “As we speak, the Honourable Member of Parliament [for Dome Kwabenya] is not in the country, she has gone back to the States and will be back in the country when Parliament reconvenes,” Nana Dubin said in a Joy FM interview on Tuesday, August 16.

    Sarah Adwoa Safo was reported to have returned to the country before Parliament went on recess on July 28, 2022.

    A recent Facebook post by the dismissed Gender Minister left many wondering whether she is returning to the country or not.

    Sharing photos of herself in what appeared to be a private jet while looking excited with a cheerful smile, the MP quoted Psalm 23:5 in her caption, “You prepare a table before me, in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”

    Political witch hunt

    The legislator earlier opened up about the ordeal she is facing in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    According to her, she has become a victim of a sustained political witch hunt by certain elements in the NPP and in Parliament for their own parochial goals.

    She expressed shock about how she is being treated differently by people, including members of her party for staying away from official duty in order to attend to personal issues involving her child.

    She said she had sacrificed a lot including her family for NPP but she is now being described as a traitor, “and there are schemes to oust me from my position as MP and Minister.”

    Dismissal from Office as a minister of state

    President Akufo-Addo relieved the MP of her ministerial position after staying outside the country for nearly a year amid calls from critics to get her axed.

    A letter signed by Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the Presidency said, the decision by the President to act on these calls on July 28, was “in accordance with Article 81(a) of the Constitution, the President of the Republic,  Akufo-Addo, has revoked the appointment of Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo, Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, with immediate effect.”

    Constitutional provision

    Article 81 of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that the office of a Minister of State or a Deputy Minister shall become vacant if

    (a) his appointment is revoked by the President; or

    (b) he is elected as Speaker or Deputy Speaker; or

    (c) he resigns from office; or

    (d) he dies

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • My removal as Gender Minister will help me focus on my parliamentary duties Adwoa Safo

    Sarah Adwoa Safo has broken silence following the termination of her appointment as the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister by President Akufo–Addo.

    According to her, the directive by the President issued on July 28, 2022, will afford her the time to focus on her work as the Member of Parliament for the people of Dome Kwabenya.

    In a letter to the Presidency dated August 5, Sarah Adwoa Safo wrote “Cognizant of my duties to the 75,000 constituents who elected me, this development is opportune and will afford me more time to concentrate on my Parliamentary responsibilities and Constituency engagements as well as consolidate the gains we have made as a government at the Constituency level in our quest to break the eight.”

    President Akufo-Addo in accordance with Article 81 of the 1992 Constitution relieved Sarah Adwoa Safo of her duties as Gender Minister.

    Her dismissal came at time when Ghanaians called on the government to replace Adwoa Safo over her absence from post for over a year due to personal reasons.

    According to the former Gender Minister, it was an honour to serve at “this all-important Ministry albeit for a short time.”

    She also thanked the President for his “understanding, compassion and unending devotion” throughout the period she faced difficulties.

    “Your kind support has been very much welcome and for that I remain eternally grateful,” she added.

    Sarah Adwoa Safo mentioned that during her tenure of office, the Ministry put in place enough mechanisms to ensure a harmonious society where the survival and development of Women, Children, Persons with Disabilities as well as other vulnerable persons in society to transform the Social Protection Framework into a robust and more responsive one.”

    Meanwhile, Sarah Adwoa Safo has revealed that all officials assets provided her have been handed over to the Administrator of the Ministry.

     

    Source: The Independent Ghana

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Tailors, dressmakers urged to take advantage of AfCFTA

    The Bono East Regional Minister, Kwasi Adu-Gyan, at the weekend, urged members of the Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association(GNTDA) to take advantage of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to sell their products beyond Ghana.

    He said members of GNTDA could also tap into the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) initiative and penetrate into the United States of America (USA) clothing market to make more profit from their profession.

    Mr Adu-Gyan was addressing the first annual conference of the Bono East chapter of the association at Nkoranza, which was held on the theme “Clothing Africa and Beyond, the role of the Bono East Region”.

    More than 100 tailors and dressmakers attended the conference to deliberate on how they can improve on their products to enable them to penetrate into the foreign market.

    Technology

    Mr Adu-Gyan urged them to also explore opportunities offered by technology to improve their business so that they can compete with their counterparts all over the world.

    “You can learn the latest fashion designs from the Internet. You can also sell your beautifully sewn cloths on the Internet,” he advised.

    He observed that social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Youtube, among others, were available for tailors and dressmakers to enable their products to reach out to a large number of potential customers.

    Mr Adu-Gyan said it was unfortunate that Ghana spent over $182 million to import used clothing in the year 2020 alone, which made it the largest importer of used clothing in the world.

    He gave an assurance that the government was committed to supporting the private sector to make it the engine of growth and create jobs for the youth.

    He observed that the introduction of the “Friday Wear” concept had helped sustain the dressmaking and tailoring industry.

    Friday Wear

    The Bono East Chairman of GNTDA, Samuel Asante Addo, commended the government for various initiatives that aim to protect the industry.

    He explained that even though the Friday Wear concept had helped to boost the work of members of the association, there was the need for two more days to be added to the initiative.

    He also appealed to the government to extend the free senior high school policy to apprentices to entice more youth into apprenticeship of the various vocations.

    Present at the function was the Municipal Chief Executive of Nkoranza South, Daniel Yaw Owiredu.


     

    Source: Graphiconline

  • Chamber of Commerce inaugurates Eastern Regional Council

    The Eastern Regional Council of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) has been launched and sworn in to help the Association extend its services in the region.

    The Eastern Regional Council of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) has been launched and sworn in to help the Association extend its services in the area.

    At a short ceremony held in the Eastern Regional Capital, Koforidua, last Wednesday, the President of GNCCI, Clement Osei-Amoako, swore in three persons as the Eastern Regional Executives and 13 others to form the 16-member GNCCI Eastern Regional Council.

    The Regional Executives sworn in were Stephen Oware, Albert Atuah Amponsah and William Atitso Amankwa as the Eastern Regional Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer, respectively.

    The other members who joined to form the council were Stephen Oware, Albert Atuah Amponsah, William Atitso Amankwa, Henry Okyere Boakye, Kwabena Boakye-Antwi, Kingsley Kyere, Patrick Mensah and Felix Berbiye.

    Others were Joyce Pechi-Anim, Dr Samuel Amoah, Samuel Freeman-Amoah, Kennedy Richard Oduro, Samuel Boateng, Bernice Kafui Akoto, Dr Mark Boadu, and Justice Kwabena Wilson, the Eastern Regional Director of the GNCCI.

    Expansion

    In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the President of GNCCI, Clement Osei-Amoako, indicated that as the Eastern Region contributed significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of the country, there was the need for the expansion of the Chamber of Commerce to the region to harness all private institutions and businesses from diverse sectors.

    He said that the expansion was necessary because the GNCCI was regarded as the leading private chamber and more businesses needed to fall under its umbrella to make their voices stronger on issues of concern to the business community.

    Mr Osei-Amoako said “some of the issues that we are confronted with between now and December have to do with the interest rate and inflation and these are the main macroeconomics we have to look at, but the difficulty is that they are supply driven and not under the mandate of the Central Bank apart from the interest rate”.

    The President of GNCCI urged businesses in the Eastern Region to join the GNCCI to also benefit from the support schemes and have business partners for the growth of their respective businesses.

    In an address read by the Deputy Director Administration at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, Stella Panwum, on behalf of the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, he charged the Eastern Regional Council of GNCCI to lead the way in identifying the economic potentials across the 33 municipalities and districts in the region and bring them into the mainstream economic and industrial value chain.

    He urged the council to, in its quest to develop businesses in the region, improve on the quality of their products, packaging and other features in the wake of the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) Agreement.

    He added that the agreement had enormous opportunities for businesses in Ghana but they should not lose sight of the fact that it was also going to increase competition in goods and services within the continent; hence the need for businesses to prepare adequately.

    Appreciation

    The Eastern Regional Chairman of GNCCI, Mr Oware, thanked the association heads for the trust reposed in him to lead the first council inaugurated in the region.

    He pledged to work hard with his team to achieve the target ahead by selling the association to all businesses in the region to expand their frontiers and help businesses grow in the region and the country at large.

    Source: Graphiconline

  • Parts of Tamale, Sagnarigu submerged in floods

    Numerous homeswere evacuated late Friday night as the Sagnarigu township and the Tamale metropolis were swamped by a torrential downpour.

    However, there has not been any report of casualty.

    The downpour, which lasted about six hours, also caused damage to an unspecified number of properties, while a number of cars, tricycles and motorbikes were swept away as sections of roads were completely taken over by the flood water.

    Checks by the Daily Graphic indicate that areas including Gumani, Kanvili, Tuunayili, Jisonayili, Kunyevila and Nyohini were severely affected.

    There was pandemonium at Gumani, as the main road linking Kanvili and Tuunayili was submerged by the flood water.

    Displaced persons

    Hundreds of residents who were affected by the flood in different parts of the metropolis are currently putting up with relatives and friends, while others were seen scooping water from their rooms when the Daily Graphic went round the affected communities last Saturday.

    Some residents of Rice City (Gumani), Jisonayili, Kanvili and Tuunayili, the hardest hit by the flood, were seen trying to salvage the remains of their soaked personal belongings.

    It was the timely intervention of the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) that prevented road users from being trapped in the flood in the affected areas.

    When contacted, officials of the Northern Regional Office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) said they were currently on the ground undertaking an assessment to ascertain the extent of damage caused.

    Days after the devastating flood, the victims are still counting their losses, although commercial activities have bounced back in the metropolis.

    A resident, Adam Salifu, whose house was completely submerged, said he had lost all his belongings to the flood.

    Another resident, Safia Amadu, blamed the flood on poor drainage systems and choked gutters in the area.

    While calling for the drainage systems to be fixed, as well as for other challenges resulting in the flooding situation to be resolved, she also called on the authorities to, as a matter of urgency, go to the aid of victims with some relief items.

    Flooding has become an annual phenomenon in the Tamale metropolis and its environs.

    Last year, the GNFS in the Northern Region averted a possible major fire disaster when it spotted a fuel leakage at a filling station and controlled its flow as a four-hour downpour flooded parts of the metropolis.

    Imminent

    The fire disaster appeared imminent and brought to mind the June 3, 2015 incident in Accra, as petrol from an underground storage tank of the fuel station at Vittin, a densely populated area on the main Tamale-Yendi road in the Tamale metropolis, floated on the flood waters that swept across the community.

     

    Source: Graphic Online

  • Former STC boss Samuel Nuamah Donkor passes on at 63

    A former Managing Director of Intercity STC Coaches Limited, Samuel Nuamah Donkor, has passed on at age 63, he died on Sunday.

    Mr Nuamah Donkor served as Minister of Health in the Rawlings administration and later as the Ashanti Regional Minister until the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost Election 2000.

    He became Managing Director of STC and handed over to Nana Akomea in 2017.

    Tributes have been pouring in, especially on social media, eulogizing him for paying his dues.

    Mr Nuamah Donkor is survived by a wife, Irene Nuamah Donkor and five children.

    As a politician and social worker, he was a Member of the first Parliament of the 4th Republic (Jan 7, 1993 to Jan 6, 1997), representing New Juaben North constituency under the membership of the National Convention Party (NCP).

    Under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in 1982, the then chairman Jerry John Rawlings appointed him as the Deputy Regional Coordinator for Peoples Defence Committees and Workers Defence Committees (PDCs / WDCs) and additional position as coordinator for New Juaben 1982 to 1992.

    Under Jerry John Rawlings administration in 1996 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Health before becoming the substantive Minister of Health in 1998.

    In 1999, he was appointed the Ashanti Regional Minister, a position he held until January 2001 when the National Democratic Congress handed over government to the New Patriotic Party.

    In March 2014, he was appointed the Managing Director of the Intercity State Transport Company limited (STC) in the National Democratic Congress, under John Mahama administration from 2014 to 2017.

     

    Source: Graphic Online

     

  • Meet Philip Quaque: The first African to be ordained as priest by the Anglican church

    The advent of Christianity and missionary work in the days of slavery and colonialism was clearly seen in the Gold Coast era.

    While the British merchants and rulers established their presence at the Cape Coast castle and other forts, missionary work was in full force and Philip Quaque, a son of the land became a leading force in the Anglican Church who was later ordained as the first African priest of the church.

    According to the Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation, Quaque, was born in 1741 at Cape Coast and grew up to become one of three Fante children taken to England to further their education and study missionary work.

    This was made possible through a missionary group called the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) in 1754.

    The SPG under the Anglican missionaries quickly began to expand their efforts in the Gold Coast in a bid to recruit African missionaries.

    Through the help of family connections, the group chose to send the young Quaque and two others to England for school to study religious and missionary work.

    The two others were Thomas Cobbers, William Cudjoe who later died in 1758 and 1766 respectively. With Philip faring better than the others, he was later baptized at St Mary’s Church, Islington on January 7, 1759.

    Before he was ordained as a minister in the Church of England, Philip was first known as Kweku Quaicoe, a name he later changed when he arrived in England.

    During his time in London, he studied Theology which later earned him the chance to be ordained as a minister of the Church of England in 1976 and also became the first African to attain the feat.

    That same year, Philip Quaque married Catherine Blunt, an English woman. The couple following the wedding ceremony returned back to Cape Coast the following year in 1977.

    Upon arrival, the Royal African Company employed Philip Quaque to serve as the chaplain at Cape Coast Castle. At his residence, he set up a small school focused on training Mulatto children who were growing in large numbers at the time.

    Shortly after arriving, he was faced with a rather deeper problem as he could not speak his native language of Fante as he was taken away to England at a very tender age.

    This made it difficult for him to communicate and connect with the natives of the land. Sadly, within a year another problem was posed to him as his wife, Catherine Blunt passed away at Cape Coast.

    Determined to continue his missionary work, Quaque re-married twice but this time to African women and in 1784, he was able to send his two children to study in England.

    During his time as a chaplain at Cape Coast, he become famous for his African heritage and English training which helped him to navigate the cultural, religious and racial divide which is still very evident for many clergymen to date.

    He is often remembered for his influence on Christian missions and schools established in the then Gold Coast. He helped many Anglican officials, people of African descent, common people and many others in diverse ways.

    At the time, he faced a number of setbacks out of which he wrote many letters to the SPG for support but received only three out of five responses in return.

    He was often times not compensated by either the SPG or the merchant group that ran Cape Coast castle, forcing him to barter trade in the local marketplace for food and supplies.

    While gaining popularity among the natives, the SPG and merchant groups that ran Cape Coast began accusing him of requesting remuneration with little focus on his missionary work.

    But this did not deter him as he become known for training a large generation of students who later rose to prominence in the then Gold Coast.

    Quaque is however associated with the promotion of the Anglican faith in the Gold Goast era which has now grown in many parts of the country.

    On October 17, 1816, Phillip Quaque passed away and was buried at the Cape Coast Castle. Through the years, Philip Quaque’s Day is celebrated at the Cape Coast Castle in remembrance of his works.

     

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Burial of Highlife legend AB Crentsil scheduled for November 5

    On November 5, 2022, the late Highlife musician, AB Crentsil, will be laid to rest in Ewoyaa, close to Saltpond in the Central Region.

    This was announced at his memorial service which was held a week after his death on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at the Bethel Methodist Church in Tema Community 8.

    A family member, Joseph Kofi Quainoo who announced the funeral and burial plans said a wake keeping and thanksgiving service will be held on November 4 and 6 respectively.

    The Highlife star died at The Bank Hospital, Accra on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.

    The memorial service was characterised by the singing of a series of hymns, a biography of the deceased and brief eulogies from selected guests.

    Many sympathisers, friends and family converged at the Bethel Methodist Church and later at the Community 8 Park in Tema to celebrate the life of Highlife great, AB Crentsil.

    Also in attendance are political figures mostly from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

    Former President John Dramani Mahama was in attendance to mourn the late AB Crentsil, who he described as a personal friend.

    He eulogised AB Crentsil for his music prowess and stage craft.

    Mr Mahama was accompanied by the General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC, Joseph Ade Coker, some Members of Parliament including, Isaac Ashai Odamtten,( Tema East), Joseph Tetteh, (Kpone Katamanso) and other officials of the party in the Tema East, Central and West constituencies.

    Also present are a number of musicians and officials of the Musican Union of Ghana(MUSIGA) and other players in the creative industry including, Diana Hopson, Bice Osei Kuffour(Obour), who is also MD for Ghana Post, Rex Omar, Ahuma Ocansey,, Clement Bonney, known in showbiz circles as Mr Beautiful, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah(KKD), Bessa Simmons, Lady Talata, Smart Nkansah among others.

    Biography
    Alfred Benjamin Crentsil, known in local and intemational music circles as AB Crentsil, was born to Alfred Benjamin Crentsil Snr and Esi Yaaba on January 15 1943 at Prestea in the Westem Region.

    He had his formal elementary schoo! education at the Bedu Addo Methodist Primary and Rev. Cleveland Middle Schools.

    After his middie school education, he was apprenticed as an electrician, following in the footsteps of his father who was himself an astute electrician, employed in the service of the Railway Company in Takoradi.

    However, this venture was shortlived, because his interest in music, which seed was planted at the tender age of thirteen (13) years while in Middle School under the tutorship of his mentor, Mr. Tandoh, gradually superseded any interest he had developed in the trade he was engaged in.

    In no time, he abandoned the trade and engaged all his energies in pursuing music as a career.

    AB Crentsil quickly mastered the rudiments of guitar playing and readied himself to play in live bands.

    He was profoundly gifted in the art of music composition and vocals. With these hamessed talents tucked under his armpit, he joined his first band, Strollers Dance Band which was based in Takoradi, in 1968. Subsequentty, he played in other bands such Os Lantics in Takoradi and El Dorados at Aboso.

    He was a founding member of the Sweet Talks Band which was based at the Talk Of The Town Hotel in Community No. 2, Tema, alongside seasoned musicians such as Smart Nkansah, the late Jewel Ackah and Pope Flynn. He formed his own band the Ahenfo Band in 1982.

    AB Crentsil had 25 albums to his credit: some of his songs which caught both local and international attention are Papa Samo, Landlord Abodwese, Devil, Osokoo among others.

    AB Crentsil was baptised into the Methodist Church from infancy and remained in the faith until his demise. For a good part of the fifty-two (52) years that he lived in Tema, he worshipped at the Bethel Methodist Church at Community No. 8, Tema.

    AB Crentsil left behind his beloved wife Elizabeth and eight children.

    Sermon
    The Bishop of the Tema Diocese and Chairman of the College of Bishops, Action Chapel International, Bishop Koffy Oko-Adjei in a brief sermon on the theme,  Impossible to finish all said as humans, it is not possible to finish our tasks on earth adding that people must pitch their task on earth on Christ, who is the only one who was able to accomplish whatever task was assigned to Him by God.

    Very Rev Major Ebo Ephraim (rtd) Superintendent Minister, Tema North Circuit of the Methodist Church who presided over the service urged all to remember the family in prayers.

    Source: Graphic

  • 2022 Homowo: Government will continue to support your good work – Dr. Bawumia to Ga State

    Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has said the government will continue to support the leaders of the Ga State to bring development to its people and the country as a whole.

    The Vice President gave the assurance when he joined the people of the Greater Accra Region on Saturday, August 13, 2022, to commemorate the 2022 Homowo festival.

    “It is a beautiful festival and our Chiefs are the custodians of our tradition and this is why on behalf of the government and our party I’m here to pay homage to all the key chiefs in the Ga state. Please continue to do all the things you’re doing to develop the Ga state. I want to assure you that we will be by your side to support you to continue to do the good work for the Ga state,” he is quoted to have said by MyJoyOnline.com.

    The Vice President was whole-heartedly welcomed by the Sempe Chief Nii Apan Osaadu I and his subjects.

    Dr Mahamudu Bawumia paid homage to some traditional authorities present.

    On behalf of government, the Vice President donated an amount of GHS50,000.00, which is to support the construction of the Sempe chief’s palace.

    He also presented food items to be used for the celebration.

    The festivity was also graced by former President John Dramani Mahama, the National chief Imam of Ghana Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, members of the diplomatic corp.

    On his part, John Dramani Mahama supported the celebration with a donation.

    The Ga people celebrate Homowo which is translated as ‘hooting at hunger’ in remembrance of a devastating famine arising from a drought that occured in their history in precolonial Ghana.

    The festival starts in the month of August with the planting of crops (mainly maize and yam) before the rainy season starts.

    During this period, noise making is prohibited or banned since it is believed that it will hinder the maturity of the crops.

    Even though it is a Ga traditional festival, many other ethnic groups also partake in the celebrations.

     

     

  • Did you lift the ban on campaigning dawn before Alan Health walk? Tangoba questions JFK

    Former Upper East Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage, has questioned the executive of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) about whether the ban on political activities has been lifted.

    The NPP’s General Secretary issued a press release in which he cautioned against open campaigns for the party’s flagbearer candidates.

    He indicated that until the ban on campaigning activities is lifted, persons seen openly campaigning will be sanctioned by the party.

    However, on Saturday August 13, 2022 some members of the political party called “friends of Alan” organized a health walk in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.

    During the walk, they displayed placards openly campaigning for the candidature of Alan Kyeremanteng.

    After the walk, leaders of friends of Alan made utterances that could divide the political party; something executives of the party have been fighting against.

    Reacting to the walk, Tangoba could not understand why the party will sanction it, especially when the General Secretary has openly said they frown on all open campaign activities.

    She wanted to know if the ban was lifted the dawn before the supposed health walk.

    Source: mynews.com

  • One dead, 17 injured after stage collapse at Spanish music festival

    One person died Saturday and 17 have been injured, three of them seriously, after a stage collapsed at a music festival near Valencia, Spain, according to local officials.

    Disaster struck at the Medusa Festival in the town of Cullera near Valencia at 4:18 a.m. local time “due to a strong gust of wind,” they said.

    The man killed was 22 years old, the Spanish Civil Guard told CNN.

    The Civil Guard, Spain’s paramilitary police unit that is in charge of the investigation, also said there was more damage than just the partial collapse of the stage.

    “Due to a strong gust of wind, the main entrance and the main stage of the Medusa Festival in Cullera fell to the ground,” a spokesperson in Valencia told CNN.

    There were about 50,000 people at the festival site when the incident happened, it said, adding that it took 40 minutes to evacuate people from the festival, with the exit doors functioning properly.

    Ximo Puig, president of the Valencia regional government, offered condolences to the victim’s family and friends in a Saturday tweet.

    “A terrible accident that shocks all of us. I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young man who died early this morning at the Medusa Festival in Cullera,” Puig said.

    Part of the stage collapsed at the Medusa Festival near Valencia.

    Early Saturday morning, festival management announced that they had suspended the festival.

    “Due to inclement weather occurring in the early hours of Aug. 13, 2022, and with the aim of guaranteeing the security of the concert-goers, workers and artists gathered at the Medusa Festival, the festival organization suspends its activity for the time being,” festival management said on Instagram.

    “The festival site is cleared as a preventative measure with the aim of facilitating the work of the emergency and security services at the Medusa Festiva,” it added.

    Videos posted on social media early Saturday showed strong winds and structures falling from the stage as large crowds of festival attendees were evacuated.

    The Valencia section of Spain’s national weather service (AEMET) said on Twitter that warm breezes were producing very strong gusts of wind and abrupt increases in temperature.

    Around 3 a.m. local time, the temperature was a blistering 40.5 Celsius (104.9 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Alicante-Elche airport, just south of the concert site, on the Mediterranean coast — with winds measuring 82 kilometers (around 50 miles) per hour.

    Temperatures have been soaring across Europe with droughts declared in several parts of England and wildfires in France.

     

  • The Netflix effect: Why Western women are heading to South Korea in search of love

    There was something puzzling about the young Western women staying at the youth hostels in Seoul, thought researcher Min Joo Lee.
    Unlike their Asian counterparts, who she saw squeezing in as many sights and shops as possible during their stays in the South Korean capital, these women — mostly in their early 20s — seemed uninterested in the usual tourist trails.
    Instead, for most of their days they would remain inside their hostel, sleeping or watching Korean TV shows — venturing out only after dark.
    They had come to the attention of Lee, who researches Korea’s gender and race politics as a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University Bloomington, because she was in town to find out what influence the rising international profile of Korean pop culture was having on tourism.
    After visiting eight hostels and interviewing 123 women, mostly from North America and Europe, Lee came to the conclusion that many had been drawn to the country by what she calls “the Netflix effect.”
    Hit Korean television shows like “Crash Landing on You” and “Goblin,” were selling more than men with beautiful faces and chiseled bodies like their stars Hyun Bin and Gong Yoo.
    They were offering a glimpse into a world where men were romantic and patient, an antithesis to what the women saw as the sex-obsessed dating culture of their home countries.
    South Korean actor Gong Yoo on October 30, 2019 in Seoul.

    The appeal of Korean men

    The women Lee interviewed were fascinated with Korean men who were portrayed on TV as being in touch with their emotions and willing to embrace their “effeminate sides,” Lee said.
    They considered Korean men cultured and romantic while complaining that men in their home countries often neglected their appearances and had one-track minds.
    Grace Thornton, a 25-year-old gardener from the United Kingdom, traveled to Seoul in 2021 after watching K-drama “Crash Landing on You” on Netflix.
    She was struck by how men in the show did not jeer at or catcall women on the street, as happens in her home country.
    In her eyes, Korean men are “gentlemen, polite, charming, romantic, fairytale-like, chivalrous, respectful.” She said it also helps that Korean men dress well and groom themselves.
    “(English men in comparison) are half drunk, holding a beer, holding a dead fish,” she said — a reference to what she said was the prevalence of fishing pictures in British male dating app profiles.
    And the appeal is not entirely about the men.
    As Thornton puts it: “In England, I’m very common looking and sound the same as everyone else. In Korea, I’m different, exciting and foreign. People pay attention to me. I felt special.”

    ‘International couples’ and professional boyfriends

    The popularity of Korean television shows with global audiences has coincided with a steady increase in the number of women tourists to South Korea.
    In 2005, 2.3 million women visited the country — compared to 2.9 million men, according to government data. By 2019 — the last year before the coronavirus played havoc with tourism — nearly 10 million women visited the country, compared to just 6.7 million men.
    At the same time, there has been an explosion in social media content centered on couples featuring Korean men with women from abroad.
    On YouTube, the hashtag “#Gukjecouple” (“#international couple”) has become a genre covering 2,500 channels and 34,000 videos, the most popular of which feature a Korean man with an American or European partner. Sometimes these videos feature couples pranking each other, playing on cultural differences, and sometimes they simply portray the couples going about their everyday lives.
    Among the proponents of the genre is Heo Jin-woo, a Korean YouTuber based in Seoul who once ran a channel devoted to videos in which he pretends to be the viewer’s boyfriend.
    The videos featured him acting as if he were on a video call with a lover, asking viewers how their day went or inviting them to dinner at the new Italian restaurant in town. He would speak in sleepy, soft tones with a slight Korean accent and pepper his speech with occasional Korean phrases.
    According to Heo, the channel amassed 14,000 followers, mostly foreign women in their 20s who were interested in Korean culture, but he shut it down after meeting his girlfriend Harriet, who is from the UK.
    The 'Jin and Hattie' show.
    Instead, the pair have created an “international couple” channel titled “Jin and Hattie.”
    It mainly consists of videos in which they “prank” each other based on misunderstandings and differences in their cultures.
    One video, titled “Making my Korean boyfriend jealous prank,” features Harriet wearing short dresses in front of Heo, who asks her to dress more modestly.
    “Don’t forget to wear your couple ring,” he says before Harriet lets him in on the joke and they embrace.
    The comments beneath the video — mostly from English speaking female fans — praise how respectful Heo is to his now wife.
    Since its launch in February 2020, the channel has gained 70,000 subscribers each month, according to analysis service Socialblade, and now has 1.7 million subscribers.
    Though the couple says the channel was never meant to be a business, their channels on various platforms have more than 3.5 million subscribers combined.

    Money spinner

    Hugh Gwon, a consultant specializing in YouTube channel management, is one of the original creators of “international couple” content.
    He said creators of couples channels who have more than a million subscribers can earn between 30 to 50 million won ($23,000 to $38,000) for each sponsored video.
    But the genre’s worth goes beyond the dollar signs — it is also about helping couples adjust to cultural differences.
    Gwon and his Australian wife Nichola run a blog called “My Korean Husband” that discusses intercultural marriage and reflects how attitudes to such relationships are changing.
    “paragraph_8BE467B3-EC0D-7555-277E-8CAA3E5BB3CA”>Nichola says the image of Korean men has transformed since she met her husband 10 years ago in Sydney.
    Back then, she grew used to hearing prejudiced comments such as peers saying that her husband was good-looking “for an Asian.”
    When she googled “Korean husband” after their engagement, most results were horror stories of Southeast Asian migrant wives married to abusive Korean men.
    Today, the search yields pictures of Korean celebrities and her blog, along with a Quora link to an anonymous user asking how one can find a Korean husband.
    She says the best “international couple” channels promote cultural understanding, but warns some are only selling looks and fantasies.
    The reality she says, is that women who are serious about settling down with a Korean husband should recognize there will be cultural differences to adjust to, such as living in a society known for long work hours and patriarchal gender norms.
    “(At first) you’re going to the Han River on picnics, and it’s all wonderful and you feel like you’re in a K-drama but then what’s the reality of actually having a family in Korea?” she said.

    A temporary pleasure

    Unfortunately, some women find after their arrival that the men they encounter are not as perfect as the ones portrayed on their screens.
    Mina, a 20-year-old student from Morocco, said K-pop and Korean TV shows influenced her decision to come to the southern city of Busan in 2021.
    The men she saw on TV were depicted as “respectful, good looking, rich men who are protective of you,” she said.
    But during her nights out, she was groped in a bar and propositioned for sex from strangers on the street. She felt some Korean men tended to believe that foreign women are more open to casual sex than local women.
    “We are temporary pleasure,” she said, adding, “Men are men, humans are alike everywhere.”
    Since then she has lost her enjoyment of Korean TV shows and no longer wants to date Korean men.
    Quandra Moore, a 27-year-old English teacher from Washington, came to Seoul in 2017 and searched for a partner through dating apps and in nightclubs. But she too was disappointed.
    She encountered racist attitudes — being rejected by one who told her to “go back to Africa” — and found many men seemed interested only in sex.
    In her experience, Korean men treated foreign women differently. “Why can’t we go to dinner first? It’s so crass. They know Korean women won’t tolerate it,” she said.
    It’s a point that Lee, the researcher, echoed, saying that some men felt they could treat foreign women badly with impunity because, as foreigners, they were limited to smaller social circles.
    Still, such is the draw that even those who have bad experiences are not always put off.
    Some women who flew home disappointed told Lee they felt it was their own fault they had not found their ideal man and would come back and try harder next time.
    “They clearly see that not all Korean men are (perfect), but they just need an alternative to the disappointing dating market back in their home countries,” she said.
    “They can’t really let go of it because they hope that the ideal dating relationships exist somewhere in the world,” she said.
    Source: CNN

  • Taliban break up rare protest by Afghan women in Kabul

    Taliban fighters have dispersed dozens of women protesters in Kabul, almost a year after the militant group seized power.

    About 40 women marched through the Afghan capital demanding rights, before the Taliban broke it up by firing into the air.

    The fighters seized their mobile phones, stopping one of the first women’s protests in months.

    Since the Taliban takeover, women rights’ have been severely restricted.

    The protesters chanted their demands for “bread, work and freedom”, carrying a banner reading “August 15 is a black day” – a reference to the day the Taliban captured Kabul in 2021.

    Some journalists covering the march were reportedly also beaten.

    In the year since the Taliban returned to power, they have issued various orders restricting the freedom of women – barring them from most government jobs, secondary education and from travelling more than 45 miles (70km) without a male guardian.

    In May, the militants decreed that Afghan women will have to wear the Islamic face veil for the first time in decades.

    If a woman refuses to comply, her male guardians could be sent to jail for three days – although this is not always enforced.

    There have been minor sporadic protests over the past year, but any form of dissent is being crushed.

    Afghanistan is the only country in the world that officially limits education by gender – a major sticking point in the Taliban’s attempts to gain international legitimacy.

    Girls have been banned from receiving secondary education, the ministry for women’s affairs has been disbanded, and in many cases women have not been allowed to work.

     

    Source: BBC

  • Britney Spears’ ex-husband Jason Alexander convicted over crashing wedding

    Britney Spears‘ first husband has been convicted of trespassing and battery after turning up unannounced at the US singer’s wedding in June.

    Jason Alexander, 40, accepted the charges. A judge sentenced him to 64 days – the time he has already served.

    He was tackled by security after gate-crashing the wedding between Ms Spears and her long-time partner, Sam Asghari.

    Alexander was married to the pop star, a childhood friend, in 2004. But the union was annulled after 55 hours.

    Spears, 40, and Asghari, 28, tied the knot in a private ceremony at the singer’s home in Ventura County on 9 June.

    But preparations were disrupted by Mr Alexander’s arrival. Shortly beforehand he had posted an Instagram Live story in which he said he was there to “crash” the wedding.

    His video showed him walking through Spears’ home looking for her, and then going into a marquee where the finishing touches were being put to a large display of roses.

    He claimed Spears had invited him, saying: “She’s my first wife, my only wife.” Alexander was arrested and taken to a local jail.

    “He was able to find his way onto the property and was confronted by security,” a police spokesman said at the time.

    “An altercation occurred with the security officers and that’s where the battery occurred… and during the altercation an item was broken, so that’s where the vandalism comes into play.”

    The ceremony went ahead despite the disturbance, attended by stars including Madonna, Paris Hilton,Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Ansel Elgort and will.i.am.

    In November, the singer was released from a controversial 13-year legal guardianship, under which her father Jamie controlled many aspects of her life.

    Her father, mother and sister were reportedly not at the wedding after relations broke down over the arrangement, and Spears’ legal battle to end it.

    Spears met her new husband, a personal trainer, in 2016 on the set of her music video for the song Slumber Party. She was previously married to dancer Kevin Federline from 2004 to 2007.

    Source: BBC

  • Who is Salman Rushdie? The writer who emerged from hiding

    Over a literary career spanning five decades, Sir Salman Rushdie has been no stranger to death threats arising due to the nature of his work.

    The novelist is one of the most celebrated and successful British authors of all time, with his second novel, Midnight’s Children, winning the illustrious Booker Prize in 1981.

    But it was his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, published in 1988, which became his most controversial work – bringing about international turmoil unprecedented in its scale.

    In the Islamic world, many Muslims reacted with fury to the book’s publication, arguing that the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad was a grave insult to their faith.

    Death threats were made against Rushdie, 75, who was forced to go into hiding, and the British government placed him under police protection.

    Iran quickly broke off relations with the UK in protest and the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa – or decree – calling for the novelist’s assassination in 1989 – the year after the book’s publication.

    But in the West, authors and intellectuals denounced the threat to freedom of expression posed by the violent reaction to the book.

    Copies of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses on sale in the UK, circa 1988.

    The Satanic Verses, published in 1988, brought about an international turmoil unprecedented in its scale

    Salman Rushdie was born in Bombay – now known as Mumbai – two months before Indian independence from Britain.

    Aged 14, he was sent to England and to school in the town of Rugby, later gaining an honours degree in history at the prestigious Kings College in Cambridge.

    He became a British citizen, and allowed his Muslim faith to lapse. He worked briefly as an actor and then as an advertising copywriter, while writing novels.

    His first published book, Grimus, did not achieve huge success, but some critics saw him as an author with significant potential.

    Rushdie took five years to write his second book, Midnight’s Children, which won the 1981 Booker Prize. It was widely acclaimed and sold half a million copies.

    Where Midnight’s Children had been about India, Rushdie’s third novel Shame – released in 1983 – was about a scarcely disguised Pakistan. Four years later, he wrote The Jaguar Smile, an account of a journey in Nicaragua.

    In September 1988, the work that would endanger his life, The Satanic Verses, was published. The surrealist, post-modern novel sparked outrage among some Muslims, who considered its content to be blasphemous.

    India was the first country to ban it. Pakistan followed suit, as did various other Muslim countries and South Africa.

    The novel was praised in many quarters and won the Whitbread Prize for novels. But the backlash to the book grew, and two months later, street protests gathered momentum.

    Demonstration Against Salman Rushdie's book The Satanic Verses in Paris, February 26, 1989

    Demonstrators were seen protesting against The Satanic Verses in Paris in February 1989

    Some Muslims considered it an insult to Islam. They objected – among other things – to two prostitutes in the book being given names of wives of the Prophet Muhammad.

    The book’s title referred to two verses removed by the Prophet Muhammad from the Quran, because he believed they were inspired by the devil.

    In January 1989, Muslims in Bradford in the UK ritually burnt a copy of the book, and newsagents WHSmith stopped displaying it there. Rushdie rejected charges of blasphemy.

    In Mumbai, Rushdie’s hometown, 12 people were killed during intense Muslim rioting, the British embassy in Tehran was stoned, and a $3m (£2.5m) bounty was put on the author’s head.

    Meanwhile, in the UK, some Muslim leaders urged moderation, others supported the ayatollah. The US, France and other Western countries condemned the death threat.

    Rushdie – by now in hiding with his wife under police guard – expressed his profound regret for the distress he had caused Muslims, but the ayatollah renewed his call for the author’s death.

    The London offices of Viking Penguin, the publishers, were picketed, and death threats were received at the New York office.

    But the book became a best-seller on both sides of the Atlantic. Protests against the extreme Muslim reaction were backed by the EU countries, all of which temporarily recalled their ambassadors from Tehran.

    An Indian Muslim wears a mask of Indian writer Salman Rushdie as he displays a placard condemning Rushdie during a protest in Bombay, 12 January 2004. During the protest against Rushdie's presence in the city, organised by several Muslim organisations, a reward of Rs.100,000 (2,199 USD) to anyone who blackens the face of Rushdie,who in his book The Satanic Verses allegedly made remarks against Islam's holy prophet Mohammed.An Indian Muslin wearing a mask of Rushdie was one of many protesting the author’s presence in Bombay in January 2004

    But the author was not the only person to be threatened over the book’s content.

    The Japanese translator of The Satanic Verses was found slain at a university north-east of Tokyo in July 1991.

    Police said the translator, Hitoshi Igarashi, who worked an assistant professor of comparative culture, was stabbed several times and left in the hallway outside his office at Tsukuba University. His killer has never been found.

    Earlier that same month, the Italian translator, Ettore Capriolo, was stabbed in his apartment in Milan, though he survived the attack.

    And the book’s Norwegian translator, William Nygaard, was shot in 1993 outside his home in Oslo – he also survived.

    Salman Rushdie

    Rushdie had to go into hiding and received police protection due to the backlash to The Satanic Verses

    A prolific writer, Rushdie’s later books include a novel for children, Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990), a book of essays, Imaginary Homelands (1991), and the novels East, West (1994), The Moor’s Last Sigh (1995), The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999), and Fury (2001).

    He was involved in the stage adaptation of Midnight’s Children which premiered in London in 2003.

    In the last two decades he has published Shalimar the Clown, The Enchantress of Florence, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, The Golden House and Quichotte.

    Rushdie has been married four times, and has two children. He now lives in the US, and was knighted in 2007 by the Queen for his services to literature.

    In 2012, he published a memoir of his life in the wake of the controversy over The Satanic Verses.

    The death sentence against Rushdie stopped being formally backed by Iran’s government in 1998 and in recent years the author has enjoyed a new level of freedom.

    But threats to his life always lingered under the surface, and Iran’s current supreme leader – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – once said the fatwa against Rushdie was “fired like a bullet that won’t rest until it hits its target”.

    Source: BBC

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