Asamoah Gyan to outdoor band and launch album on Dec 29

Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan is set to unveil his music band, Asa Band, on December 29 at the Banquet Hall, State House.

The footballer, who is also a musician, will also use the occasion to launch the band’s maiden album, ‘Fly Away’.

The 12-man band, sources close to Asamoah Gyan tell the media, specializes in recording original highlife, hiplife, gospel, lovers rock and reggae songs.

Expected to attract some of the biggest names in the Ghanaian entertainment, sports and business sectors, the event will witness performances from the Asa Band led by Asamoah Gyan himself popularly known as Baby Jet.

Apart from the Asa Band, the event will also witness performances from Kwabena Kwabena, Stonebwoy, Jupitar, Steve Bedi and a host of others.

The source said Asamoah Gyan has been nursing the idea for the band “Since he started music with Castro,” and it is borne out of “His passion for music.”

The Black Stars captain, Shanghai SIPG of the Chinese Super League star, has been featured on three hit songs in recent years by Castro, known in real life as Theophilus Tagoe.

Castro and his female companion, Janet Bandu, went missing on Sunday 6, July 2014 while jet skiing in the waters of Ada in the Eastern region.

Castro and Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan were at the Peace Holiday Resort, a beach resort in Ada, together with some friends, for recreation when the unfortunate incident occurred.

Gyan first became famous for his music in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup with the release of the hit song ‘African Girls’ – a collaboration with Castro.

The duo released another hit collaboration soon after titled ‘Do the Dance’ before releasing another hit song ‘Odo Pa’ featuring Kofi Kinaata.

Janet Jackson postpones Unbreakable tour for surgery

US singer Janet Jackson has put her Unbreakable world tour on hold until spring to have surgery.

Jackson said her doctors told her she needs an operation "soon".

"Please pray for me, my family and our entire company during this difficult time," the 49-year-old asked fans. She said she would not be giving any details of her health condition.

Jackson began her tour last August in Vancouver and had dates across the US, Canada and Europe till next June.

Her next concert had been due to take place in Denver, Colorado, on 9 January.
In 2008, Jackson cancelled a string of concert dates after developing migraine-associated vertigo.

"It breaks my heart to tell you that I am forced to postpone the Unbreakable Tour," she said, adding that fans should hold on to their tickets.

"They will be honoured in a special way when the new schedule is announced."

Unbreakable is Jackson's 11th album - and the first studio album since her brother Michael died in 2009, prompting Janet to take a step back from the public eye.

Credit: BBC

Oil prices will reach $70 a barrel by 2020, says Opec

Oil producers' group Opec has said it expects oil prices to recover to $70 a barrel by 2020.

Prices have fallen from more than $110 a barrel in the summer of 2014 to less than $37 a barrel now due to oversupply and slowing demand.

But Opec said oil prices would begin to rise next year and, longer term, would rise due to higher exploration costs.

It expects the market share of Opec producers to shrink by 2020 as rivals prove more resilient than expected.

The group currently accounts for about 30% of the world's oil production, down from 50% in the 1970s.

Part of the reason for this decline is the emergence of vast quantities of shale oil produced in the US. This has also been factor in pushing down the price of oil to 11-year lows.

In its World Oil Outlook report, Opec said it expected supply growth from US shale to slow dramatically next year, as producers struggled to cope with such low prices.

Opec's strategy this year has been to allow prices to fall by maintaining production in the hope that, eventually, US shale producers will be forced out of business.Another factor in low prices, Opec said, was weaker economic growth, particularly in developing economies.

It highlighted China, where the "economy seems to be maturing and growth is decelerating faster than previously expected".

Credit: BBC