Kintampo: Accident claim driver’s life at notorious ‘spot’

A-38-year-old driver of a DAF articulated truck, Imoro Awudu lost his life on Thursday, in an accident that occurred at the same spot that claimed the lives of 61 people last year at the outskirts of Kintampo.
The driver’s mate sustained serious injuries and was receiving treatment at the Kintampo Government Hospital.
The articulated truck with registration number 8N1904 RN, which was loaded with gallons of cooking oil was travelling from Tema to Niger.
The accident occurred at about 9:40am at the spot, near the entrance of Kintampo Waterfalls on the Kintampo-Tamale Highway, where the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) bus collided with a DAF truck loaded with boxes of tomatoes and led to the death of 61people last year.
The Brong-Ahafo Regional Station Officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Chief Inspector George Takyi told Graphic Online that the driver was said to be speeding and lost control, landed at the shoulders of the road, summersaulted and landed with all four tyres facing the skies.
According to Chief Inspector Takyi, the two were rushed to the Kintampo Government Hospital but Imoro was pronounced dead on arrival.

Credit: Graphic News

It's unwise for Sarkodie to diss Krobo girls; his daughter is one - Kaywa

 

 Sarkodie has come under serious attack for a line in his rap in Kurl Songx’s Jennifer Lomotey, referring to Jennifer Lomotey as a Krobo girl with beads around her waist who Okomfo Anokye has cursed with fornication.

But Kaywa, the man who produced the song, says Sakordie has told him he would be unwise to diss any Krobo girl.

Kaywa is not only the producer of the song but the one who together with Kurl Songx decided to feature Sarkodie.

In an interview with Onua 95.1 FM on Saturday, he said Sakordie was rather praising Krobo girls. Kaywa again stated that he has spoken to Sarkodie and he said “I’m married to a Krobo girl, I have a daughter who has the same blood running through her and I will be unwise to diss Krobo girls”.

Kaywa told host Christian Agyei Frimpong that “if people are affected, then as a wise person, we will reconsider [the song]”. “That’s what we are doing as management now.

Management is meeting right after this, and we will work out something appealing not just to the chief but to everybody who has an issue with the song.” Kaywa further stated that there is an edited version which is going to be out soon, but he can’t retrieve what people may have on their phones and audio devices.

Esther Maseyo Azu, the convener of a Krobo advocacy group Kloma Hengme and Heritage Association, on entertainment talk show Anigye Mmre said that “we can’t force Sarkodie to retract, but as a rational human being, he should know better and apologise”.

“We want all Ghanaians to understand that we are registering our displeasure about his statements, our paramount chief Nene Sackitey II has given us his support and he has officially cautioned him to retract and apologise.

If he doesn’t, I can’t disclose the next line of action our elders are going to take against Sarkodie.”

Credit: 3News

NPP Delta Force threaten to arrest Kojo Bonsu over Rattray Park cost

A security force of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti region are threatening to arrest the former Kumasi Mayor, Kojo Bonsu over what they describe as waste of resources in building the Rattray park.

It was reported that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly spent a whooping 4.4 million dollars to construct the city’s modern amusement center, the Rattray Park.

According to the group, it is disheartening for the former mayor to spend such a huge amount of money which could have been channelled into infrastructural developments of which the people would have benefitted directly instead of that ‘needless’ park.

Speaking in an interview with Kasapa News, Akwasi Nsiah, organiser of the Delta Force, Kwadwo Bamba described as ‘weird’ the amount mentioned to have been spent on its construction.

He said, they have enough evidence which can compel the court to sentence Mr Kojo Bonsu to prison.

Mr Bamba added that one of the revealings through their investigation was that the caretakers of the place give a ticket of GHC10.00 but only GHC2.00 is paid into the coffers of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), a situation he described as worrying.

Man United overtake Real Madrid to top Forbes football rich list

Manchester United have replaced European champions Real Madrid as the world’s most valuable soccer team, according to the annual list published by Forbes on Tuesday.
United were valued at $3.69 billion, an 11 percent jump compared to last year. That was a testament to the team’s powerful brand and marketing acumen, Forbes said in a statement.
Barcelona are second on the list with a value of $3.64 billion while Real Madrid, who held top spot for the last four years, fell to third place with a value of $3.58 billion.
Rounding out the top five were Bayern Munich ($2.71 billion) and Manchester City (2.08 billion).
Six Premier League teams featured in the top 10, with United and City joined by Arsenal ($1.93 billion), Chelsea ($1.85 billion) Liverpool ($1.49 billion) and Tottenham Hotspur ($1.06 billion).
German champions Bayern Munich ($2.71 billion) were ranked fourth while Serie A champions Juventus ($1.26 billion) were ninth.
Forbes also said the average value of the top 20 teams rose 3 percent over last year to $1.48 billion.

Teddy Afro: Ethiopia's top artiste aims to heal the nation with the mic

In the midst of the political tension in Ethiopia, one man is hoping to turn around the situation through what he loves doing best. Singing.
Teddy Afro, a top Ethiopian artiste wants to heal the country with his mic. This is despite having previously had run-ins with the government leading to the banning of his tracks in 2005, four years after his career took off.
In an interview with the BBC’s Amharic service, Teddy who is based in the United States said he aimed at using his music to turn around the tensed political atmosphere. His latest track titled ‘Ethiopia’ is sung in Amharic – the dominant language of the East African giant.

Rather than misunderstanding each other, let's communicate, instead of conflict, let's love one another and long for peace instead of holding a grudge, let's forgive one another.

‘‘… for us to come out of the situation we are in, I believe the only choice is love. I’m sad with what has been happening recently, I’m hoping that our elders will continue to collaborate and find a solution that will leave the country better off for the next generation.
‘‘Rather than misunderstanding each other, let’s communicate, instead of conflict, let’s love one another and long for peace instead of holding a grudge, let’s forgive one another,’‘ he added.
The 6 minutes 37 seconds track recently helped him top the Billboard World Albums chart, a feat the musician celebrated on his Facebook page. He told the BBC that the current track has exceeded his expectations. It is said to have sold over 500,000 copies since release.
‘‘It gives me great joy, there hasn’t been an album that has been this well received to my knowledge. All of my music is based on love, like Martin Luther King said, hate is defeated with love, darkness with light.
The new single ‘Ethiopia’ was published on video sharing website Youtube on April 14, 2017 between then and now, it has been viewed over 5.2 million times. The track marked Teddy’s global breakthrough and his fifth album since he started off 16 years back.
Ethiopia’s political problems have been at the heart of spreading anti-government protests in the Amhara and Oromia regions of the country. The protests have been met by heavy security clampdown leading to deaths.
A six months state of emergency was imposed in October 2016 to help quell the protests, it was extended upon its expiration in April this year for a further three months.
Thousands of people were detained during the protests and a recent government report said over 660 people were killed. Addis Ababa has repeatedly refused to accept independent probe as demanded by the United Nations and the European Union.
But the call for reforms continue to pour in. The government has released 1000s of those arrested whiles others are awaiting trial for disrupting the peace.

Credit:  Africanews

Facebook CEO lauds Nigerian woman leading a huge online community

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has been talking about the impact online communities are making around the world.
He is due to address the global tech giant’s inaugural Facebook Communities Summit to be held in Chicago next month.
Ahead of the Chicago summit, he has been meeting people who have helped build meaningful Facebook communities. One of such people is Lola Omolola, a Nigerian who lives in Chicago.

Two years ago, she founded a secret Facebook group called Female IN, or FIN. It's a no-judgment space where more than a million women come to talk about everything from marriage and sex to health issues and work problems -- and it's helping end the culture of silence that exists for women.

‘‘Two years ago, she founded a secret Facebook group called Female IN, or FIN. It’s a no-judgment space where more than a million women come to talk about everything from marriage and sex to health issues and work problems — and it’s helping end the culture of silence that exists for women in some parts of the world.
‘‘I’m looking forward to meeting more admins like Lola and talking about how we can help them do even more to build community. I’ll share more info on the summit as we get closer, and I’ll stream the event live from my profile later this month,’‘. Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post published on Tuesday (June 6).
Female IN describes itself as ‘‘a movement of 1,000,000+ women focused on building compassion, providing support and nurturing the power of self-expression in a culture where women are meant to be seen and not heard.’‘
Facebook is the only medium through which they can be contacted and to access the group an existing member (known as FINster) is empowered to add other members.
He stressed how the platform continues to play a lead role in making the world more open and connected. He said there was, however, more to be done to promote mutual togetherness and to build a common understanding.
‘‘This summit will be the next chapter and we’ll discuss more of what we’re building to empower community leaders to bring the world closer together,’‘ he added.

Nigeria police say 14 died in Maiduguri attack, acting president visits city

An attack by Boko Haram jihadists on the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri killed 14 people, police said on Thursday, the first official toll.
The fighters had attacked the city’s suburbs on Wednesday night with anti-aircraft guns, said Damian Chukwu, police commissioner of Borno State, of which Maiduguri is the capital.
The attack was the biggest on the city for about 18 months.
Nigeria’s acting president is visiting Maiduguri after the attack which injured 24 others, his spokesman said on Thursday.
Yemi Osinbajo, to whom President Muhammadu Buhari handed power after going to Britain on medical leave on May 7, is in the city to launch an aid initiative for people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency, spokesman Laolu Akande tweeted.
Maiduguri is the epicentre of the eight-year fight against Boko Haram, and has been largely free of violence for the past two years.

Credit: Reuters

38 killed in Al Shabaab attack in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland

The death toll from al Shabaab attack on a town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday has risen to 38 from 20 reported earlier, a military officer said.
“Now we confirm 38 people, mostly soldiers, died and 18 others wounded.
I believe some were captured alive and taken away,” Major Mohamed Abdi, a Puntland military officer, told Reuters.
“Numerous, heavily armed al Shabaab fighters attacked us from every direction and after hours of fierce battle I was among those who ran for their lives.”

Credit: Reuters

43 people killed in accident on Zimbabwe - Zambia Highway

Over 40 people have been killed in a bus crash in northern Zimbabwe on Thursday after a bus on which they were traveling run into a tree, police in the country have confirmed.
The immediate cause of the accident according to police was due to loss of control of the vehicle by the driver. The state-affiliated Herald newspaper also reports that over twenty others have been sent to hospital.
“We were informed of the death of 43 (people). The bus was traveling to Zambia when the driver lost control of the vehicle last night in a corner,” Zimbabwean police spokesman Charity Charamba confirmed.
“We are always present at the scene of the accident, more details will follow,” she added.
The accident is said to have occured in the Nyamakate area near the Zambian border. Many travelers and businessmen regularly use buses to shuttle between the two countries.
Accidents are not uncommon in Zimbabwe, due in part to the poor condition of roads and vehicles. Last year, at least 30 people were killed in the collision of two buses that linked the two main cities of the country, Harare and Bulawayo.

Photo credit: The Herald Newspaper

Black Stars beat Gambia in friendly game

 The first half had just a handful of chances to cheer for the handful of supporters who trooped to the national stadium to watch the early kick off.
Ghana had chances to take the lead in the second half but squandered those moments. Coach Maxwell Konadu made a magical substitution when he replaced Richmond Lamptey with in-form Thomas Abbey and the latter, from a beautiful through ball from Zakaria Mumuni, looped the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper Modou Jobe into the yawning net.
The Gambians nearly equalised through an own goal but the follow-up corner kick was wasted as well.

The West African neighbours mounted more pressure in search for the equaliser and it paid off as Lamin Jallow from 20 yards hit a low shot to equalise for The Gambia.
Ghana immediately went into restoring the lead but missed a couple of more chances. In the 77th minute Ghana were awarded a penalty after Joseph Paintsil was brought down.

Goalkeeper Razak Abalora elected to effect the kick and did well to restore Ghana’s lead from the spot as he sent fellow goalkeeper Modou Jobe the wrong way.
Ghana held on to victory after 90 minutes.

Franklin Templeton not a person - Finance Minister corrects NDC MPs

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has corrected National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentarians who are under the impression that global investment firm Franklin Templeton, is a person.

The correction came on the floor of parliament Wednesday, where he explained the raising of $2.5bn on the international market last April.

The Finance Minister said, contrary to accusations by some NDC MPs that "government is selling all our bonds to one person", Franklin Templeton is one of the world's largest asset management firms with over $850m in assets.

Some NDC MPs led by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, claimed Franklin Templeton was a person.

But "for the avoidance of doubt, Franklin Templeton is not a person" the investment banker-turned politician said in parliament. He also explained that the 95% of the bonds bought by Franklin Templeton is not odd as claimed by the Minority.

This is because, in 2016 under the NDC government now a Minority in Parliament, Franklin Templeton bought heavily into Ghana's bonds. The Minority had also claimed there could be conflict of interest in the deal because Templeton Group has a position on the Board of Enterprise Group Limited, a company co-founded by the Finance Minister.

The Finance Minister was at pains to stress, the rules surrounding bond issuance make it highly unlikely for government officials to have any direct relationship with investors. He said this is because the bonds are bought by individuals only through licensed financial institutions.

Rejecting claims after claims, the Finance minister said there was "no inherent insider dealing" in issuing the bond because it is only through transparency that foreign investors can express interest in the long-term financial instrument.Ken Ofori-Atta also spent time to eventually dismiss claims raised by the Minority that the bond was denominated in dollars which weakens the cedi. The Minister said, the Minority may have had that impression because "the high participation of foreign investors created false impression that it was a US dollar denominated bond".

He stated "categorically that the bonds were denominated and issued in Ghana cedis...they were not dollar bonds" and expressed delight that using melting dollars to buy cedis will strengthen the local currency.He indicated that the query from the Minority is much ado about nothing because, the process used by the previous administration to raise money on the international market is the same process adopted by the new government. The only difference is that the results are better and investor confidence in Ghana is greater.

He tried to give the NDC MPs the benefit of the doubt saying it could be that their concerns were "genuinely borne out of a lack understanding of the actual process".

Nonetheless this view "may be deemed too charitable because the CVs of some of the persons involved are very, very strong".

Why government raised the bond

Laying down his facts, the Finance Minister said government is saddled with the payment of 10 billion cedis as its annual interest payment on past loans.

Breaking it down, government needs to cough up 1bn cedis on a weekly basis to service domestic debts. This amount is a 100% increase from what used to be the case in 2014. One billion cedis chews off one-third of the monthly tax revenue collected by the Ghana Revenue Authority.

Ghana once with a total debt of 36bn cedis in 2012, had a debt burden of 122bn cedis in 2016. He said for the past NDC government, the plan to deal with this debt is to "borrow more, tax more" which had " the obvious consequence of worsening the debt burden".

The depressing economic situation affected the purchasing power of Ghanaians, triggered job losses in an atmosphere of austerity and weakened the currency, he said.

This burden also leaves government with "very little cash" for essential social services.

The new NPP government, he said, "had no choice" but to "think outside the box" by designing a financial instruments which he said, do not raise the debt burden in any way.

Credit: GhanaWeb

One brother, two sisters among five killed in two separate road accidents

 Five persons, including a brother and two sisters, were killed in two separate road accidents in Yamunanagar district. Pankaj (18) along with his sisters Asha (20) and Mona (15), of Harthan village, were going to a relative’s house in a nearby village to attend a birthday party. Their motorcycle was hit by a tractor-trolley at about 9 pm on Tuesday when they reached near Ramnagar village on Sarasvati road. 
 They were rushed to primary health centre, Sarasvati Nagar, where Pankaj and Mona were declared brought dead. Deceased’s uncle, Jai Kumar, said the doctors referred Asha to Trauma Centre, Yamunanagar, due to her critical condition. She was brought to PGI, Chandigarh, where she succumbed. A pall of gloom descended the village after the death of three young persons from a family. 
In another road accident, Rajpal Singh and Sanjay Kumar of Bhiwani district were killed in a head-on collision between their canter and a truck on Yamunanagar-Kurukshetra road near Ishopur village on Wednesday. 
The police said that Rajpal was the driver of the canter and Sanjay was his assistant. The accident took place at about 6 am. Rajpal and Sanjay were rushed to Trauma Centre, Yamunanagar, where Sanjay died after a few hours. However, Rajpal was referred to PGI, Chandigarh, and he died on the way.

Credit: 
Shiv Kumar Sharma