Man, 20, Appears In Court Accused Of Beheading 18-Year-Old Woman Then Attacking Five People While He Was Being Treated In Hospital

The victim’s family said: ‘We are devastated as a family at the loss of Reema’

A 20-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a young woman who was beheaded in a knife attack.

Aras Hussein appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court today accused of murdering Reema Ramzan, 18.

Miss Ramzan, who was from the Darnall area of Sheffield, died on June 4 following an incident at a property on Herries Road, in the city.

Detectives said she suffered a severe knife attack resulting in fatal injuries, including the severing of her head.

Hussein, of Sheffield, is also charged with assaulting five people at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, where he was taken following his arrest by police.

He stood in the glass-fronted dock today flanked by two uniformed police officers.

Sporting full beard and short, dark hair, he wore a navy blue T-shirt and spoke only to confirm his personal details and that he understood the charge.

Hussein was remanded in custody following a 10 minute hearing and told he will appear again a Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday.

Miss Ramzan’s family issued a statement through police today.

It said: ‘Following the death of Reema, a loving and caring daughter and sister, we as a family would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks for all of the messages and support we have received from our extended family, friends, people in the community where we live and especially from the staff and students at Sheffield College.

‘These messages and support have given us strength and helped us to try to deal with the nightmare we have found ourselves in.

‘As a family, our thoughts now turn to being able to bury Reema and to let her finally rest in peace.’

Dailymail

Patient Jumps To Death From 4th Floor Of KATH

KATH

A patient on admission at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) jumped to his death from the fourth floor of the “D” Block where terminally and critically ill patients are hospitalised.

The patient, Owusu Ansah, allegedly removed the louvre blades from one of the windows in the ward about 3.50 a.m. Tuesday and hurled himself from the opening to land on the concrete roof of the nearby Chest Clinic of the hospital. 

Ansah, believed to be in his early 40s, died instantly. 
His ailment was, however, not disclosed.

The incident sent shock waves through the hospital, since it was the first time such an incident had occurred at KATH.

According to the police, it was professionally incorrect to disclose Ansah’s ailment, saying that was between the patient and his doctor.

His remains were taken to the morgue after security officials at the hospital had informed the police.
Pathologists are yet to work on the body, as the police have just started their investigations.

Ansah had been on admission at the hospital for some time and was put on the “D” Block.

According to the Second in Command at the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Office, Sergeant Godwin Ahianyo, the police were, in the meantime, treating the case as suicide.

Giving details, Sgt Ahianyo said a nurse on duty who was attending to an aggressive patient at the ward heard an unusual noise from an end of the ward.

She rushed to the scene and saw Ansah, who was on oxygen support, struggling to force his frame through a human-size gap in the window.

The nurse pressed the alarm bell at the ward and other hospital staff rushed in in response to the alarm in a desperate attempt to stop Ansah from falling.

However, it was too late because the patient had managed to squeeze his body through the window. 
The staff and other patients could, therefore, only watch the man plummet to his death.

“The scene was horrendous and had never been seen at the hospital before,” a worker at the hospital told the Daily Graphic.

According to him, there was nothing the nurse on duty could have done to prevent what happened.

Daily Graphic

‘A bright and vibrant boy who injected life into everything he touched’: Family pay tribute to four-year-old killed by mirror in Hugo Boss store

Austen Harrison, four, from Crawley, West Sussex, has been named as the boy who died after being struck by a mirror in a Hugo Boss shop at Bicester Outlet Village in Oxfordshire

This is the first picture of the four-year-old who died after being struck by a falling mirror at a Hugo Boss shop.

Austen Harrison, of Crawley, West Sussex, was killed earlier this month at the Bicester Shopping Village in Oxfordshire.

His parents have now released a photograph of their son and issued a public statement through their solicitor.

Mr and Mrs Harrison, whose full names were not given, said: ‘Austen was a bright and vibrant boy who injected life into everything he touched.

‘His energy and creativity will be missed every day by all who met him and by those who did not have the privilege to meet him.’

The family is planning to set up a foundation in Austen’s name to help improve the lives of other children, the family added.

Tragedy struck as the family shopped in the outlet store at around 8.40pm on June 8.

It is not yet known how big the mirror was or what caused it to fall but Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council’s Environmental Health department are investigating.

The tragedy struck as the family shopped in the outlet store at around 8.40pm on June 8

An inquest into Austen’s death is set to be opened in Oxford tomorrow.

Retailer Hugo Boss released a statement today about the tragic death of Austen Harrison.

It read: ‘All of us at Hugo Boss remain devastated at the death of Austen Harrison on Saturday June 8th after the accident on June 4th.

‘It is a terrible tragedy, we are receiving condolences for the family from Hugo Boss employees and other people from all over the world who share their sympathies.

‘We will continue assisting the authorities in any way with an investigation into the accident.’

An off-duty doctor treated the boy until emergency services arrived at the store.

The Health and Safety Executive said that they were not involved in the investigation as shops are the responsibility of local authorities.

The Bicester Village also published a statement at the time.

It said: ‘Everyone at Bicester Village is deeply saddened by this tragic accident. We send our heartfelt condolences to the family and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

‘The matter is now under investigation and there is no further comment at this time.’

Dailymail

Pharmacists suspend 2-months old strike

Drugs

Members of the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) have also called off their two-month-old strike. 

The Pharmacists who work in public hospitals across the country went on a strike in April over their market premium on the Single Spine Salary Structure. 

The market premium of pharmacists has been the problem between the GHOSPA and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) for over past 18 months. 

The Secretary of GHOSPA, Franklin Acheampong who confirmed to Citi News that strike has been called off said the decision was taken at a national delegates conference. 

According to him “members considered that, they have become aware of the various pleadings that have been made by the general public and their friends and so, taking into consideration the court proceeding going on in which the National Labour Commission seeks to enforce its ruling, the option for them now is to suspend their strike and resume work. The strike is almost three months now. We have had reports from various hospitals that the internally generated funds, obtained by the sale of drugs have fallen and it has affected a lot of institutions.” 

He also added that “these issues were all known before members embarked on strike we have had informal discussions from well-meaning Ghanaians and we know because we had a ruling there will be the need for us to wait for the final verdict.”

Citifmonline

STATEMENT: Don’t Mass Up At Airport To Welcome Akufo-Addo

Nana Akuffo-Addo

The leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will like to urge its teeming supporters not to mass up at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) tomorrow Wednesday 19th of June 2013 as the 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo returns from a short trip to the United Kingdom.

Intelligence gathered shows that it will not be in our interest and to the larger public interest to mass up at the airport to welcome him.

It is therefore advised that all party faithful who wish to show solidarity and welcome Nana Akufo-Addo back are welcome to do so at his residence at Nima on Thursday during the day.

We are grateful to all who have kept faith with us and have shown concern.

We are also thankful to the general public for the support and prayers.

Long Live the NPP.

Long Live Ghana.

Kukurudu!

……signed……

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie

General Secretary, NPP.

Source: Communications Directorate, NPP/Ghana

Jerry John Rawlings

Former President of Ghana, Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings, on Monday said if Nigeria and other parts of Africa must get it right and strengthen democracy, corrupt politicians must not be allowed to go scot-free.

This came as former Interim Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, declared that religious fundamentalism poses a serious threat to the nation’s democracy, including other parts of Africa.

According to Rawlings, Nigeria must not continue to pay lip service to eradicating corruption, especially against the backdrop that poor, petty thieves get imprisoned for several years while businessmen evade taxes in millions of dollars and politicians embezzle state funds and go unpunished.

Speaking yesterday at a conference on Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, organized by the National Institute for Legislative Studies, Abuja, Rawlings said: “We cannot continue to pay lip service to the strengthening, empowerment and independent management of our multiple anti-corruption institutions.

“We live in countries where poor, petty thieves get imprisoned for several years while businessmen who evade taxes in millions of dollars or a politician who misappropriates millions of state funds escape punishment.

“These inequalities are recipes for the retrogression of our democracies and we cannot allow the negative tide to continue. A democracy that cannot provide socio-economic justice cannot be a healthy democracy and will remain vulnerable and fragile.”

He noted that the primary challenge for emerging democracies in Africa was the failure of Western democracy to acknowledge its inherent flaws and encourage a system of democracy that was dynamic, home grown and imbued with the socio-cultural backgrounds of individual African states.

Rawlings, who noted that a practicing democracy that could not create the climate to correct economic ills and corruption, could not and would not be a democracy, added that a democracy that could not protect the sanctity of its electoral process was engaging in a fraudulent electoral coup d’etat.

According to him, equally destructive is the unfortunate practice of using money to buy the conscience of the electorate.

“Democratic institutions across the continent are poorly equipped to offer the best support to governments. As a capacity building institution dedicated to providing professional research, advice, training and advocacy for members of the legislature, your organization is in a unique position to be a pacesetter in empowering our senators and parliamentarians to better serve the interests of their constituents,” Rawlings said.

Speaking at the event which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, former Interim Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, stressed the need for Africa and Nigeria, in particular, to deepen democracy by ensuring that there was internal democracy in political parties.

He said: “Religious fundamentalism is posing serious threat to democracy in parts of the continent, particularly in West Africa, North Africa and in the Horn of Africa. There is, therefore, an urgent need for the countries concerned to constitutionally separate the state and religion and also enforce the provisions of the constitution in this regard.

“Another major challenge to democracy is corruption. Corruption debars progress and discourages foreign investors. It is encouraging that many African countries have established agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption.”

Source: Vanguard Nigeria

KATH

A patient on admission at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) jumped to his death from the fourth floor of the “D” Block where terminally and critically ill patients are hospitalised.

The patient, Owusu Ansah, allegedly removed the louvre blades from one of the windows in the ward about 3.50 a.m. Tuesday and hurled himself from the opening to land on the concrete roof of the nearby Chest Clinic of the hospital. 

Ansah, believed to be in his early 40s, died instantly. 
His ailment was, however, not disclosed.

The incident sent shock waves through the hospital, since it was the first time such an incident had occurred at KATH.

According to the police, it was professionally incorrect to disclose Ansah’s ailment, saying that was between the patient and his doctor.

His remains were taken to the morgue after security officials at the hospital had informed the police.
Pathologists are yet to work on the body, as the police have just started their investigations.

Ansah had been on admission at the hospital for some time and was put on the “D” Block.

According to the Second in Command at the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Office, Sergeant Godwin Ahianyo, the police were, in the meantime, treating the case as suicide.

Giving details, Sgt Ahianyo said a nurse on duty who was attending to an aggressive patient at the ward heard an unusual noise from an end of the ward.

She rushed to the scene and saw Ansah, who was on oxygen support, struggling to force his frame through a human-size gap in the window.

The nurse pressed the alarm bell at the ward and other hospital staff rushed in in response to the alarm in a desperate attempt to stop Ansah from falling.

However, it was too late because the patient had managed to squeeze his body through the window. 
The staff and other patients could, therefore, only watch the man plummet to his death.

“The scene was horrendous and had never been seen at the hospital before,” a worker at the hospital told the Daily Graphic.

According to him, there was nothing the nurse on duty could have done to prevent what happened.

Daily Graphic

The Minister of Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has stated that government will do everything possible to ensure that special schools in the country are given the needed attention.

She said the Ministry of Education will liaise with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that grants for the schools are released on time to avert the current hardship some of the schools are facing.

“Generally speaking, sometimes the money is not released on time and it is always a challenge for the schools, especially those that have special needs. So we are going to liaise with the Ministry of Finance to do whatever we need to do to ensure that the monies are released on time,” she said.

She said the Ministry will also make a case for funds to be released for the completion of structures in the various schools to cater for the increasing number of children.

“We need to make a case for the structures to be completed because we know that the students have special needs and we need to help them as much as we can,” she noted.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang gave this assurance when she visited some schools in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions to supervise the commencement of the 2013 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

At exactly 9:00am most students were ready for the English Language paper one which was followed by part two of the same paper and Social Studies paper one to be written later in the afternoon.

The minister, together with the heads of department of her ministry toured the Kanda Cluster of Schools, Achimota School, Accra Girls Schools, Anunmle Junior High School and the Legon Junior High School in the Greater Accra Region and the Mampong Demonstration School for the Deaf and the Akuapem Mampong School for the Blind.

At the Accra Girls School, one of the centres for the examination, 457 students from 15 schools were expected to sit for the English Language paper one examination, but four students were absent as at 10:00am when the minister visited the school.

There were two students from the 220 students expected to take part in the exam that did not turn up At the Anunmle Junior High School

Nine deaf students and 24 blind students also took part in the exanimation.

Prof. Agyemang expressed satisfaction at the smooth commencement of the examinations and encouraged the students to abide by the regulations of the exams adding that she had confidence they will make good grades.

At the Ledzekuku Municipality some teachers were seen as early as 8:00am in classrooms leading students in morning devotion to seek the face of God for the exams.

Teachers and head teachers who were present at morning assembly of the LEKMA Cluster of School told candidates to remember the rules and regulations guiding the examinations and also reminded them not to forget their index numbers since failure to indicate it could affect them adversely.

It was noticed that some students writing a major examination for the first time were accompanied by their parents apparently to give them moral support with some expressing high confidence.

Examination papers had also arrived early that morning and supervisors together with some policemen were on guard, indicating that the seal will only be broken after all students were set for the paper at 9:00am.

Kanda Schools

At the Kanda Cluster of Schools, candidates were busy with Social Studies paper one when the newspaper visited the school in the afternoon.

The supervisors in charge, Nutifafa Mortey and Mrs. Odame-Larbi indicated that a total of 494 students from nine public schools which include Nima no. 1 and 2 JHS, Ring Road East JHS and the Institute of Islamic Studies and St Kizito RC JHS.

They stated that the number this year is an improvement on that of previous years, adding that most students, in recent times, have attached some seriousness to their academic work except for two students who travelled outside the country and so have absented themselves from the exams.

Some students in the primary schools in the capital were, however, asked to stay home and report after the completion of the ongoing examination.

Teaching staff in various schools left the school premises when the examination begun. Some schools were seen with police officials and others had no police official or health personnel.

Minna Oye Mensah, chief examination supervisor at Grace Preparatory School said the school is hosting six additional schools in the municipality, adding that, there was no record of special students except one student from Grace Preparatory who had travelled outside the country.

She said “so far everything is going on well. Students from various schools reported on time, even though the educational material arrived quiet late. So we began 10 minutes after 9:00 am”.

At the JT Cluster of Schools, students were fortunate to start on time since their educational facilities arrived early.

The Chief Examination Supervisor, Gilbert Avafia, said the school is hosting six schools, of which two are private, giving a total number of 341 students sitting for the examination.

BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri, Lady Agyapong & Ernest Nutsugah

Bishop Oral Agyei Blankson performing the anointing.

The Director of Mother Care School, Miss Sheila Acquah Asare, has assured parents of the school’s preparedness for the impending Basic School Certificate Examinations (BECE), and urged them not to exercise any fears with regards to their children’s performance during the examinations.

She said a lot of collaboration had gone on between management and teachers to sufficiently ensure that teachers prepared the candidates for the BECE examinations which were due to start Monday, June 17-24, 2013, nationwide.

The Director said this on Sunday June 16, 2013 during the school’s annual “Anointing Service” held for BECE Candidates, held at the forecourt of the school, located at East Cantonments in Accra.

Miss Sheila who beamed with confidence said the school was presenting 54 candidates for the BECE examinations. She reminded them that the school had over the years built a track record of training its candidates to appreciate hard work rather than resort to cheating during the examinations.

The Director charged the candidates to uphold this very admirable quality of the school and uphold excellence in discipline adding that, they should neither indulge in cheating nor encourage any action that would likely mare the good reputation of the examination and their future.

Bishop Oral Agyei Blankson of The Wonders Chapel International at La-Trade Fair in Accra who performed the Anointing service described the school as one with a difference, a place where God dwelled, and had a passion of nurturing children in the fear of God.

The Headmistress of the school urged the students to believe in themselves and their abilities. He also highlighted that they should make it their core value to come out successfully and make it to their first choice schools.

In a related development, the school held its elections to elect its prefects. Master Gilbert Annang and Miss Sandra Sarfo Konadu   won overwhelmingly to take up those positions as Boys and Girls Prefect, respectively.

A statement to this effect stated that they would take the oath of office during the school’s graduation next month.

By Solomon Ofori

Nii Ansah Sasaraku

The Dzasetse of Nii Arde Nkpa family from Kokrobite, Langma and Tuba in the Greater Accra Region, Nii Ansah Sasaraku III, has been jailed 30 days by an Accra High Court for contempt.

The court presided over by Justice Elizabeth Ankamah slapped the jail sentence because the chief was said to have defied a court order.

The court also warned Nii Kojo Ababio IV of James Town, for his involvement in the case.

The court was said to have ruled that Nii Ansah Sasaraku III was not the legally recognized head of the Nii Arde Nkpa Family. The said chief, with the aid of Nii Kojo Ababio IV, wrote a letter to Nii Arde Nkpa that he had been destooled as the head of family.

The facts of the case are that, after the installation of Nii Ansah Sasaraku III as the Dzasetse of the Nii Arde Nkpa family, he allegedly imposed himself as the head of the family against a legalized appointed head of the family, Rev Nii Tackie Tagoe.

Because of the existing confrontation, Nii Sasaraku III then took the family to court seeking an injunction on the head of the family and Daniel Nii Arde Tagoe, the administrator of Kokrobite, Langma and Tuba Lands.

A Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice Offei dismissed the application describing it as frivolous and vexatious.

Nii Sasaruku failed to abide by the court ruling and continued to operate as the Dzasetse and also as the head of family.  He then wrote a letter to Nii Arde Nkpa that he had been destooled.

The jailed chief was said to have started re-selling lands which were already sold by the family and organized land guards to pull down private properties and structures with the aid of the James Town Mantse.

The Dzasetse even went to the extent of appointing head men in the villages and further wrote a letter to the Municipal Chief Executive of Ga South that he had destooled Nii Arde Nkpa.

The two then wrote to the Lands Commission that he, Sasaraku was the Dzasetse and the head of family contrary to the ruling.

Not able to take it anymore, the family initiated contempt proceedings at the High Court in Cocoa Affairs Division against the two respondents.

Delivering his ruling last Friday, Justice Ankamah said the fact that Nii Kojo Ababio was the paramount chief of James Town did not in any way give him the right to unnecessarily interfere in other family affairs.

He escaped punishment because in his statement of defence, he told the court that he was not aware of the earlier ruling against Nii Sasaraku III.

In the case of Nii Sasaraku III, the court admonished that he was fully aware of the ruling and should not have acted otherwise, so the court sentenced him to one month imprisonment.

Counsel for Nii Sasaraku, George Heward Mills, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy and convert the sentence to fines, but the court opposed the application.

 By William Yaw owusu 

some customers present at the gathering

The Ashanti Regional Commercial Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Adu Botwe has cautioned members of the public against illegal electricity connection.

According to him, as ECG attempts to improve power supply, it would be in the best interest of consumers to secure authorized electricity connections offered at concessional rate.

Speaking at a forum organized by the company in Obuasi, the ECG Commercial Manager said they have also been working hard to combat corruption and other vices.

Mr. Adu noted that illegal power connectors would be arrested and prosecuted since the crime was detrimental to the delivery of quality services.

He said that meters are the bona fide property of ECG and that consumers only pay for the services and not the meters as a participant at the forum sought to portray.

He took participants through the processes in the acquisition of meters.

“The customer must ensure that he/she follows the normal procedure and obtains an official receipt of any payment of services rendered to him,” the ECG Commercial Manager advised.

“You should avoid the use of middlemen and when in doubt check the name and staff number or request to examine his or her ID card,” Mr. Adu Botwe added.

The participants, on their part, expressed dissatisfaction with poor service delivery by the utility company.

The participants, made up of artisans, hairdressers, dressmakers and small-scale operators, were drawn from Obuasi, gold city.

Mention was made of frequent power cut and lackadaisical attitude towards the fixing of faults.

The Regional Public Relations Manager, Erasmus Kyere Baidoo schooled participants on generational shortfalls on the part of Volta River Authority (VRA), challenges with the Boil Supply Point (BSP) and other natural factors.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi

Many people are unable to buy food to eat but the United Nations (UN) Food Agency confirmed that Ghana met internationally-established targets in the fight against hunger.

The UN’s agency named Ghana among 38 countries worldwide that have met the target set for achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 1 ahead of the 2015 deadline. The target is to halve the proportion of hungry people.

It additionally named Ghana among 18 countries that have achieved the more stringent World Food Summit (WFS) goal, having reduced by half the absolute number of undernourished people between 1990-92 and 2010-2012.

José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), in a newly released statement said: “These countries are leading the way to a better future. They are proof that with strong political will, coordination and cooperation, it is possible to achieve rapid and lasting reductions in hunger.”

He urged all countries to increase momentum and aim for the complete eradication of hunger in line with the Zero Hunger Challenge launched in 2012 by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“Globally, hunger has declined over the past decade, but 870 million people are still undernourished, and millions of others suffer the consequences of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including child stunting.”
“We need to keep up our efforts until everyone can live healthy, productive lives,” he added.

He said globally food insecurity presently is largely a problem of access to the resources or services needed by families to produce, purchase, or otherwise obtain enough nutritious food.
Graziano da Silva said agriculture plays a pivotal role in providing access to food, adding that more than 70 percent of the poor live in rural areas and most of them depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood.

He stressed the need to improve agriculture to deal with the situation.

By Cephas Larbi

MoneyGram has provided boreholes to three communities in the Upper West, Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions in line with its objective of helping to extend portable drinking water to deprived communities nationwide.

The company provided the boreholes at separate times to the people of Asuboi in the Ashanti Region, students at the Wa School for the Blind in the Upper West Region and inhabitants of Abokobi in the Greater Accra Region.

It constructed efficient mechanised boreholes and provided a poly tank to serve as a source of water supply for the people.

MoneyGram intervened following media reports that the inhabitants were facing water challenges.

The success of the Abokobi project, as well as the other projects, has been well accepted by all stakeholders, especially the beneficiary communities since MoneyGram intervened at the right moment.

MoneyGram is promising to invest more in the water and sanitation sector in the deprived communities.

MoneyGram, an international money transfer company, has been operating in the country for over 10 years.

It has invested substantial amount of money in some deprived communities nationwide in a bid to help cushion the lives of the people.

In a related development, MoneyGram has ended a joint seminar for its agents in Ghana and Nigeria as part of efforts to sensitize them on security, anti-fraud and other compliances.

About 100 operators of MoneyGram services were trained by experienced resource persons.

Senior staff and unionised workers of Taysec Construction Limited have indicated that they are embarking on a sit-down strike to press home their demand for serenity in the company and also the expeditious resolution of a recent standoff.

According to the workers, the company’s foreign and Ghanaian shareholders have been embroiled in litigations in recent times.

They stated that the development is likely to deny workers  their service entitlements.

In a press release issued jointly by the senior staff and unionised workers in Accra, they noted that it is their right (as per Act 651, Part III 9& 10 of the Labour Act 2003) to work in a safe and stable environment.

The workers from Taysec Construction Limited, Taysec Homes Limited and Taysec Facilities Management Limited said in the last few months they have witnessed the struggle for control of the company by the two British shareholders, namely Messrs Geoffrey Michael Fisher and Liam Francis McVeigh, Managing and Operations Directors respectively, on one hand, and Asuama Yeboa Abebrese, the Ghanaian shareholder and Financial Director on the other.

They said on 4^th September, 2012, the three shareholders, Messrs Fisher, McVeigh and Abebrese signed a board resolution commencing separation proceedings and relinquishing the issued shares of Messrs Fisher and McVeigh to Abebrese.

The resolution went on to request the appointment of an independent valuer to value the companies.

International accounting firm KPMG was appointed to value the company shares and they subsequently submitted a valuation report.

At another shareholders’ meeting on Thursday, 30^th May, 2013, all three shareholders agreed to adopt the median value stipulated in the valuation report in the presence of their lawyers at the offices of Fugar and Co., who acted as mediators in the matter.

At the meeting, they said it was agreed that Mr Abebrese should formally make an offer for the shares of Messrs Fisher and McVeigh.

On 31^st May, 2013, Mr. Abebrese, in fulfilment of the resolution, communicated his offer to buy out Messrs Fisher and McVeigh while also he acquired the shares of Messrs Fisher and McVeigh in all the companies as per the terms of the offer.

It is our understanding that by virtue of the acquisition, Mr Abebrese becomes 100 per cent shareholder of Taysec Homes and Taysec Facilities Management and 95 per cent shareholder in Taysec Construction Limited.

All the above dealings and meetings between the shareholders were mediated by Fugar and Co., Legal practitioners who are also solicitors for the companies.

Messrs Fisher and McVeigh, upon receiving the offer letter and acquisition of share notice on 31^st May, 2013, wrote a notice purporting to dismiss Mr Abebrese as an employee of Taysec and caused the notice to be placed on the front door of the head office on the night of 3^rd June, 2013.

“Although we acknowledge that we are not shareholders of the above companies it goes without saying that it is our dedication, sweat and hard work that built this company and made it one of the most reputable firms in the country.

“The current impasse has now degenerated into mudslinging, untrue allegations and use of security personnel to create a hostile environment in the full glare of members of staff,” they emphasised.

By Samuel Boadi

MTN and Ashcell officials in a photograph with the Ashanti Regional Muslim leadership

MTN Ghana says it has spent $1.6 billion to improve its network and enhance communication.

It has also invested in 4,600 kilometers of fibre optic cable across the length and breadth of the country in addition to constructing three ultra-modern switch sites at Kaase in Kumasi and other places.

James Basintale, MTN General Manager for the Northern Sector, said these interventions are geared towards enhancing MTN’s network in the country.

He made the disclosure on Wednesday when the Muslim leadership in the Ashanti region honoured MTN for helping Muslims in the area.

Mr. Basintale noted that his outfit has also built 10 ICT centers across the country to promote ICT learning in all the regions of the country.

The Muslims, led by Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumum Harun, read a citation highlighting MTN’s good works for Muslims over the years.

They later presented a plaque to MTN and Ashcell, authorized distributors of MTN products in Ashanti region for their support to Muslims.

Sheikh Mumun Harun enumerated the significant role that MTN and Ashcell have played to enhance the lives and activities of Muslims in the area.

Ustaz Burhanu Deen Baba of the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam’s office appealed to MTN to establish an ICT center for Muslims in the region to enhance the learning of ICT.

Jerry Otchi, Corporate Services Executive, Ashcell, was happy Muslims in the area had acknowledged and appreciated their good works, promising his outfit’s readiness to offer more help to Muslims.

 From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi

President John Mahama

Government says it wants to plug all financial leakages caused by multinationals, who deliberately rebrand to evade taxes after five years of operation in Ghana.

Measures would be put in place to secure financial leakages in the oil and gas sector and by large the general extractive industry.

President John Mahama, who made this known during the plenary session of the G8 Summit in Lancaster, London in the United Kingdom (UK) on the theme: ‘Trade, Tax and Transparency’ said, “In Ghana, government has a vibrant media, strong civil society organizations, and is also a signatory to the Extractive Industries, Transparency Initiative (EITI) that will ensure that money accrued from the industry would be properly accounted.”

The President said apart from that government has also set up an accountability measure to ensure that the Ministry of Finance every year comes out with a report to Parliament to explain to all Ghanaians how much was generated from the sector and how it was utilized.

Ghana, Guinea, Tanzania and Senegal were invited by Prime Minister David Cameron to attend this year’s summit on account of the good governance, democracy and adequate measures to ensure transparency in the extractive industry.

President Mahama said Ghana’s transparency was evidenced by the fact that all financial reports were published for public consumption while budgets were presented to highlight achievements and failures.

He promised to leverage the rate of transparency that serves as an impetus and springboard for government to perform better in subsequent years.

According to him, the practice whereby companies were given tax holidays was injurious to the state coffers.

President Mahama called for the deregulation of investments in energy, agriculture and roads to speed up infrastructural development of the country.

He said Ghana’s deregulated investments in the telecommunication industry have yielded adequate benefits in the spread of technology.

He gave the assurance that liberalization in other sectors could yield similar benefits in various African countries.

President Mahama called on other African leaders to open up their economies to intra-African trade to harness the comparative advantage of various countries and promote the movement of goods and services on the continent.

GNA

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Jerry John Rawlings

Former President of Ghana, Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings, on Monday said if Nigeria and other parts of Africa must get it right and strengthen democracy, corrupt politicians must not be allowed to go scot-free.

This came as former Interim Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, declared that religious fundamentalism poses a serious threat to the nation’s democracy, including other parts of Africa.

According to Rawlings, Nigeria must not continue to pay lip service to eradicating corruption, especially against the backdrop that poor, petty thieves get imprisoned for several years while businessmen evade taxes in millions of dollars and politicians embezzle state funds and go unpunished.

Speaking yesterday at a conference on Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, organized by the National Institute for Legislative Studies, Abuja, Rawlings said: “We cannot continue to pay lip service to the strengthening, empowerment and independent management of our multiple anti-corruption institutions.

“We live in countries where poor, petty thieves get imprisoned for several years while businessmen who evade taxes in millions of dollars or a politician who misappropriates millions of state funds escape punishment.

“These inequalities are recipes for the retrogression of our democracies and we cannot allow the negative tide to continue. A democracy that cannot provide socio-economic justice cannot be a healthy democracy and will remain vulnerable and fragile.”

He noted that the primary challenge for emerging democracies in Africa was the failure of Western democracy to acknowledge its inherent flaws and encourage a system of democracy that was dynamic, home grown and imbued with the socio-cultural backgrounds of individual African states.

Rawlings, who noted that a practicing democracy that could not create the climate to correct economic ills and corruption, could not and would not be a democracy, added that a democracy that could not protect the sanctity of its electoral process was engaging in a fraudulent electoral coup d’etat.

According to him, equally destructive is the unfortunate practice of using money to buy the conscience of the electorate.

“Democratic institutions across the continent are poorly equipped to offer the best support to governments. As a capacity building institution dedicated to providing professional research, advice, training and advocacy for members of the legislature, your organization is in a unique position to be a pacesetter in empowering our senators and parliamentarians to better serve the interests of their constituents,” Rawlings said.

Speaking at the event which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, former Interim Head of State, Chief Ernest Shonekan, stressed the need for Africa and Nigeria, in particular, to deepen democracy by ensuring that there was internal democracy in political parties.

He said: “Religious fundamentalism is posing serious threat to democracy in parts of the continent, particularly in West Africa, North Africa and in the Horn of Africa. There is, therefore, an urgent need for the countries concerned to constitutionally separate the state and religion and also enforce the provisions of the constitution in this regard.

“Another major challenge to democracy is corruption. Corruption debars progress and discourages foreign investors. It is encouraging that many African countries have established agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption.”

Source: Vanguard Nigeria

Ebo Barton Oduro

Pressure is mounting on the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Ebo Barton-Odro to resign, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in the Martin Amidu versus Waterville case.

The latest to demand the resignation of Mr. Barton-Odro is the Progressive People’s Party, which wants the Cape Coast North Member of Parliament to first remove himself from the position of Deputy Speaker to “restore dignity to Parliament”.

The PPP further wants Mr. Barton-Odro to step down as a Member of Parliament “as a sign of respect and remorse for his actions against the State when he was Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney-General”.

Mr. Barton-Odro as Deputy A-G, publicly defended the state’s failure to file a defence to claims brought against it by Water Holdings Ltd. and businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome. He insisted the state had no case and that attempting to defend the actions brought against it would have resulted in further liabilities. The state, therefore, entered into settlement agreements with the claimants in which tens of millions of dollars were paid to them.

A former Attorney-General, Martin Amidu maintained the monies were wrongly paid to the claimants. He took his case to the Supreme Court which last week granted his reliefs and ordered Waterville to return to the state an amount of 25 million Euros is illegally obtained.

A statement issued Tuesday by the PPP’s National Secretary, Kofi Asamoah-Siaw said: “The PPP campaigned on the platform of incorruptible leadership and we wish to hold Mr. Barton-Odro to this principle”.

“We cannot continue to glorify persons whose actions or omissions have injured the State by giving them additional responsibilities especially in positions where they are expected to hold governments or the executive accountable”.

The PPP called on President John Mahama to “demonstrate a clear and present commitment to the fight against corruption and put pressure on the party he leads to strip Mr. Barton-Odro of the position if he refuses to resign.

“It has become more evident the need to separate the Attorney-General’s Office from the Ministry of Justice so that corrupt officials would not procure party cards as an insurance against prosecution”.

Myjoyonline

Nana Akuffo-Addo

The leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will like to urge its teeming supporters not to mass up at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) tomorrow Wednesday 19th of June 2013 as the 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo returns from a short trip to the United Kingdom.

Intelligence gathered shows that it will not be in our interest and to the larger public interest to mass up at the airport to welcome him.

It is therefore advised that all party faithful who wish to show solidarity and welcome Nana Akufo-Addo back are welcome to do so at his residence at Nima on Thursday during the day.

We are grateful to all who have kept faith with us and have shown concern.

We are also thankful to the general public for the support and prayers.

Long Live the NPP.

Long Live Ghana.

Kukurudu!

……signed……

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie

General Secretary, NPP.

Source: Communications Directorate, NPP/Ghana

Kofi Adams

Joseph Bediako, a leading member of the National Democratic Party (NDP,) has labeled spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams as a traitor.

He consequently charged the former first family to sack him.

Mr. Bediako said Kofi Adams’s hypocrisy led to the disqualification of NDP, formed by former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, in the 2012 polls by the Electoral Commission (EC.)

He angrily threatened to stop offering services to the party if Kofi Adams is spared by the Rawlingses after his misconduct.

Bediako alleged that Adams, then an insider of the newly-formed NDP, took steps to prevent the flagbearer from participating in the elections.

“Kofi Adams contributed from within to make sure that the NDP was disqualified by the EC last year,” the NDP guru told Ash FM, a radio station based in Kumasi.

“If the Rawlingses do not sack Kofi Adams I will not perform any NDP work.”

“I will not work for NDP if Kofi Adams is not sacked by the Rawlingses,” he vowed, stressing that but for Kofi Adams’ unfaithfulness and hypocrisy, the NDP would have participated in the 2012 polls.

Bediako criticized the Mahama administration for promoting corruption among its officials.

According to him, the NDC administration, since its assumption of office, has done nothing to improve the lives of the populace.

Touching on the Supreme Court case in which Nana Akufo-Addo and some NPP stalwarts are contesting the results of the 2012 presidential polls, Bediako stressed that the petitioners have a strong case.

He taunted NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who represented the President in court, for exposing his lack of knowledge about the case.

Bediako observed that Mr. Nketia, during cross-examination, fumbled on countless occasions and also struggled to even articulate his views in English, a situation that put the respondents in a tight corner.

 FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi

Akwasi Oppong-Fosu – Minister Local Government

The Auditor-General’s report on the management and utilization of District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) for 2011 has revealed that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies across the country misappropriated  a total of GH¢43,975,431(GH¢44million) of the district assemblies common fund before the creation of the new 46 assemblies.

The report noted that deficiencies found in the operations of the district assemblies created the avenue for some officials of the assemblies to mismanage public funds and resources, stressing that the deficiencies and lapses were identified in transactions such as cash management which recorded massive irregularities, unsubstantiated payments, misappropriation and misapplication of earmarked funds for development programmes, as well as procurement and contract irregularities.

In the Greater Accra region, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Ledzekuku/Krowor Municipal Assembly, Adentan Municipal Assembly, Ga East Municipal Assembly and the Dangme West district assembly were found to have disbursed a total of GH¢587,139 without proper documents to acquit the payment vouchers to promote accountability and transparency as well as value for money.

The AMA paid the highest amount of GH¢301,741 to individuals and group of people without proper documentations followed by the Ledzekuku/Kromor municipal assembly which also paid GH¢183,153 without proper documentations.

The GA East municipal assembly in the Greater Accra region misapplied a whopping GH¢260,000 out of its DACF allocation to meet recurrent expenditure it termed as urgent while it also misapplied GH¢2,166 out of its HIPC expenditure on the 27th National Farmers’ Day celebrations contrary to the guidance on usage of the HIPC Funds.

According to the Auditor-General, the project engineer of the Ga East Municipal Assemnbly approved variations totaling GH¢377,204 for some projects without the approval of the tender committee of the general assembly.

The Adentan Municipal Assembly, which was also cited for a number of irregularities, was also found to be at fault in the award of contracts to 44 individuals for the construction of drains from Japan Motors to Nanakrom at a cost of GH¢88,344 without passing through the tender process.

In the Ashanti region, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Adansi North Municipal Assembly, Asante Akim North Municipal Assembly and Bosomtwe district assembly were seen as the highest spending MMDAs with seven other districts spending a total of GH¢1,371,464.26 without the relevant expenditure documents.

In the Eastern region, 18 municipal and district assemblies were found to have made payments totaling GH¢2,485,391 without supporting vouchers for expenditure documents

The worst culprits were the Suhum/Kraboa/Coaltar, Birim North, Birim South, New Juaben Municipal, Akuapem North and Lower Manya district  assemblies, which made payments of GH¢614,223; GH¢606,627; GH¢302,156; GH¢140,584; GH¢134,578 and GH¢129,174 respectively in that respect.

Four district assemblies in the Eastern region namely Asuogyaman, Fanteakwa, Birim South and West Akim municipality were also found to have paid a total of GH¢769,636 to contractors for projects which were either not executed according to specifications or not executed at all.

Asuogyaman and Fanteakwa topped the list with GH¢587,494 and GH¢100,494 respectively.

East Akim Municipal Assembly was singled out for most money spent on abandoned projects, that is, GH¢533,582 on projects that were eventually abandoned.

The Auditor-General asked the assembly to recover all payments for which no work was done.

In the Brong Ahafo region, Asunafo South and Techiman municipalities were seen as the highest spending assemblies whose activities did not meet the Financial Administrative Regulations while the Gomoa East and Agona East district assemblies were the worst culprits in the Central region.

The Auditor-General, Richard Quartey expressed concern about the grave misapplication and mismanagement of the common fund due to managerial lapses, weak monitoring procedures at the ministerial, legislative and administrative levels of the assemblies as well as non-compliance with legislative framework and instrument.

He blamed the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for not exercising its monitoring roles well and said all those officials found to have failed to exercise discretion and proper accounting should be dealt with according to the laws of the country.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr

Asamoah Gyan

Asamoah Gyan’s joy of scoring Ghana’s second goal against Lesotho-his third in two games was cut short last Sunday after the World Cup qualifier.

The Al-Ain talisman went to his hotel room with room-mate, John Boye, who incidentally grabbed Ghana’s opener only to realize his financial remuneration of $10,000 has vanished into thin air.

And when the former Sunderland forward reported the matter to the Hotel’s front desk, it was discovered via a CCT camera that an impersonator walked in, in a Black Stars apparel posing as Gyan and collected the card (Key) to players room.

The impersonator succeeded in bolting away with the said amount, Gyan’s  laptop and  an expensive wrist watch belonging to AC Milan midfielder, Sulley Muntari.

At the time of putting this piece together, management members of the Black Stars had convened a meeting and  agreed that should the hotel fail to reimburse Gyan, they would subtract the missing money from the team’s hotel bill.

Gyan, who did not sound too bothered about the incident pointed out in an interview “I realized my winning bonus had gone when I entered the room. I will leave everything in the hands of the team’s management.”

 By Kofi Owusu Aduonum

Golf sensation Nicolo Catto shot spiritedly to engrave his name as the winner in the maiden Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) special golf at the Tema Country Golf Club.

Catto, playing on handicap nine ,recorded an impressive net score of 67, to win the men’s Group A event, making it his second trophy in less than a month after winning the MTN Asantehene Gold Cup in Kumasi.

And for his brilliance performance in a special competition designed to honour the current Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Army Vice Adimirer, Mathew Quarshie, he picked a giant trophy, CPE and six months free subscription

Lower handicapper Alex Fiagome trailed with just two strokes after recording a 69 net score to beat Rev E.K Amazado on count back.

Mrs Adelaide Owusu-Adjapong, who currently boasts of a new handicap of 20 won the lady’s A event having recorded a 69net score to lift a trophy, CPE and three months free subscription.

Aku Yaba, 73 net and Margaret Ivy Oppong 74net followed in that order, while Helen Appah grabbed the lady’s ‘B’ event with lady captain Cherie Hammond picking the second prize.

It was J. Otoo, 70net who finished first in the men’s ‘B’ category with R. Boateng 73, beating Hon Felix Owusu-Adjapong on count back to win the second spot.

Vice Admirer Quarshie, a member of the Club described the gesture as a huge honour saying “I am touched by this wonderful gesture, it’s indeed an expression of your goodwill. I am very grateful and I consider the gesture as great honour, especially to Dr Owusu Baah, captain of this great Club and to all of you, for sacrificing your Saturday to be part of this program.”

He pledged to ensure high degree of discipline in the army during his tenure.

The 18-hole competition was sponsored by Zipnet and in his reaction about the event, the Executive Director Strategy, Marketing and Consumer Market, Mr Emmanuel Mensah-Baah said in plain words, “I am enthused about the turn out and how organized it was. My company wants to make business communication easier for people, hence our involvement in this competition; it’s been a huge success.”

From Kofi Owusu Aduonum, Tema

Joseph Yammin

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Joseph Yammin, has indicated that the only sure way to develop football properly is to pay particular attention to juvenile soccer.

To the Minister, this move would help the youth and people get involved in the game and take children from the streets.

And in an attempt to realize this dream, he stated that government has taken steps to re-invigorate the traditional inter-school and college sports competition.

At the launch of the Omo Fantastic 5 Games a few days ago at the Lizzy Sports Complex, he mentioned, “In addition to the re-invigoration of traditional inter-school and college sports competition, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is in collaboration with the Metropolitan and District Assemblies to establish at least one well resourced sports infrastructure in the districts to enhance the development of sporting talents.”

He added, “I am also happy to announce that plans are far advanced for the take off of the construction of the Cape Coast Stadium while planning for the Ho Sports Stadium is almost complete.”

Despite contributions by some corporate bodies to the development of sports in the country, he called those who were yet to make commitment in that regard to emulate the shining example of those who have taken the lead.

He gave such bodies, government support regarding tax rebate saying, “As a Ministry, we are working carefully to ensure that the necessary tax regimes or arrangements are incorporated in the new sports law to appropriately reward sponsors and donors for their contributions towards sports development.”

He expressed the wish that top prize for the event, a lifetime all expense paid trip for the winning school to Brazil 2014 World Cup would help improve performance and competition.

Hon Yammin commended the sponsors (Unilever Ghana) as well as the organizers for their interest in sports and their tremendous support to sporting activities in the country.

 By Kofi Owusu Aduonum

Abubakar Mohammed (L) with Solak after the sister city conference last week

The Mayor of Cigli, a city in Turkey Av, Metin Solak, has officially extended an invitation to footballers in the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) for the official signing  ceremony of the friendship between the two cities.

Also making the trip for the expected high profile ceremony are  officials of  TMA, businessmen and women as well as the press from Tamale.

A contingent of 75 persons, led by the Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji Harunah Abdulai  Friday, would fly out of the country tomorrow for the ceremony scheduled to come off this Thursday.

The presiding member of  TMA,  Adam  Abubakar  Mohammed,  struck acquaintance with  Mayor Solak in a sister city conference last week  to strategise how the two cities could exchange ideas in their respective endeavours for their mutual benefit.

“We had a fruitful discussion when we last met in Turkey and the Mayor Solak thought it prudent to extend an official invitation, and I strongly believe something beneficial to both cities would be realised after the ceremony,” said Abubakar Mohammed in an interview.

By Kofi Owusu Aduonum

Mario Balotelli

Zico has slammed Mario Balotelli and Neymar for “spending too much time on their activities off the pitch”.

Both players have already made quite a name for themselves, but the former Brazil star has urged them to focus solely on their football if they want to become the best.
Zico feels Balotelli has the potential to become one of the best players in the world, but has urged the Italy international to focus solely on his performances on the pitch.

“Neymar and Balotelli have the same problem. They spend too much time on their activities off the pitch,” Zico was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Neymar

“In my days, players were only thinking about publicity during holiday and on rest days. Nowadays, they are always clubbing and looking to entertain themselves, though. Neymar is dragging himself from one show to another.

“Balotelli is a great player, though, although he must learn to control his temper. Opponents will always try to provoke him.

“He is a very intelligent player on the pitch and can carry the team. I don’t think he is overrated. He’s not a phenomenon yet, but he could become one. He has the potential to become one of the best players in the world. It’s all up to himself.”

Both Balotelli and Neymar will be looking for success on the pitch this summer as they feature at the Confederations Cup for Italy and Brazil respectively.

The victim’s family said: ‘We are devastated as a family at the loss of Reema’

A 20-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a young woman who was beheaded in a knife attack.

Aras Hussein appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court today accused of murdering Reema Ramzan, 18.

Miss Ramzan, who was from the Darnall area of Sheffield, died on June 4 following an incident at a property on Herries Road, in the city.

Detectives said she suffered a severe knife attack resulting in fatal injuries, including the severing of her head.

Hussein, of Sheffield, is also charged with assaulting five people at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, where he was taken following his arrest by police.

He stood in the glass-fronted dock today flanked by two uniformed police officers.

Sporting full beard and short, dark hair, he wore a navy blue T-shirt and spoke only to confirm his personal details and that he understood the charge.

Hussein was remanded in custody following a 10 minute hearing and told he will appear again a Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday.

Miss Ramzan’s family issued a statement through police today.

It said: ‘Following the death of Reema, a loving and caring daughter and sister, we as a family would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks for all of the messages and support we have received from our extended family, friends, people in the community where we live and especially from the staff and students at Sheffield College.

‘These messages and support have given us strength and helped us to try to deal with the nightmare we have found ourselves in.

‘As a family, our thoughts now turn to being able to bury Reema and to let her finally rest in peace.’

Dailymail

Austen Harrison, four, from Crawley, West Sussex, has been named as the boy who died after being struck by a mirror in a Hugo Boss shop at Bicester Outlet Village in Oxfordshire

This is the first picture of the four-year-old who died after being struck by a falling mirror at a Hugo Boss shop.

Austen Harrison, of Crawley, West Sussex, was killed earlier this month at the Bicester Shopping Village in Oxfordshire.

His parents have now released a photograph of their son and issued a public statement through their solicitor.

Mr and Mrs Harrison, whose full names were not given, said: ‘Austen was a bright and vibrant boy who injected life into everything he touched.

‘His energy and creativity will be missed every day by all who met him and by those who did not have the privilege to meet him.’

The family is planning to set up a foundation in Austen’s name to help improve the lives of other children, the family added.

Tragedy struck as the family shopped in the outlet store at around 8.40pm on June 8.

It is not yet known how big the mirror was or what caused it to fall but Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council’s Environmental Health department are investigating.

The tragedy struck as the family shopped in the outlet store at around 8.40pm on June 8

An inquest into Austen’s death is set to be opened in Oxford tomorrow.

Retailer Hugo Boss released a statement today about the tragic death of Austen Harrison.

It read: ‘All of us at Hugo Boss remain devastated at the death of Austen Harrison on Saturday June 8th after the accident on June 4th.

‘It is a terrible tragedy, we are receiving condolences for the family from Hugo Boss employees and other people from all over the world who share their sympathies.

‘We will continue assisting the authorities in any way with an investigation into the accident.’

An off-duty doctor treated the boy until emergency services arrived at the store.

The Health and Safety Executive said that they were not involved in the investigation as shops are the responsibility of local authorities.

The Bicester Village also published a statement at the time.

It said: ‘Everyone at Bicester Village is deeply saddened by this tragic accident. We send our heartfelt condolences to the family and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

‘The matter is now under investigation and there is no further comment at this time.’

Dailymail

Double tragedy: Charleigh Disbrey, 15 (left), and Mert Karaoglan, 18 (right), both died last night after being hit by a train close to Elstree and Borehamwood station

A teenage boy and a girl from the same secondary school died after being hit by a train just outside a station in a suspected suicide pact.

Charleigh Disbrey, 15, and Mert Karaoglan, 18, were found on the tracks around 200 yards from Elstree and Borehamwood station.

The pupils went to Hertswood Academy in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, where they were in years 10 and 13.

Charleigh, known as CJ, dreamed of being a professional musician and had posted videos of herself performing on YouTube.

In a final video posted five days before she died, the schoolgirl had recorded herself singing David Guetta’s Titanium.

Last night paramedics were called at 9pm to the scene where Charleigh and Mert were hit by the cross-London First Capital Connect train service from St Albans to Sutton.

The train was travelling at speeds of up to 90mph when it hit the two teenagers.

Charleigh, who only turned 15 last Friday, said she had auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent and Must be the Music.

She wrote online: ‘I have gone for pre auditions on must be the music and Britain’s got talent. I perform in school assemblies.

‘Whenever it is possible, I have been the lead part in two musical performances at school (secondary school) I am soon going to be recording my own album at my school recording studio.

‘I Write and compose A LOT of my own music and music is the only thing I ever do.’

Mert, who was in the sixth form, was studying A-levels in Media, Photography and Business.

He wrote last month that he hoped to attend Hertfordshire University to study Visual Effects and would be working on his film making through the summer months.

He said: ‘I am currently studying Photography as an A Level subject within Hertswood School,and the reason why I have taken that subject is because I have a big interest within photography and how we can simply document our lives by taking photographs and how technology has improved over the years to take photography as a subject or a hobby to new levels.’

As news of the double tragedy broke today, flowers were left at the scene which said: ’Rest In Peace, CJ and Mert. Never forgotten’.

Friends of the pair paid wrote on Twitter ‘R.I.P Cj and Mert such wonderful and talented people, you will be truly missed xxxxx.’

Another person wrote: ‘R.I.P CJ and MERT!! So sad!! Thoughts are with family and friends!!’

A spokesman for British Transport Police said the deaths were not being treated as suspicious.

He said: ‘Two teenagers who died after being struck by a train close to Elstree and Borehamwood station are believed to be 15-year-old Charleigh Disbrey and an 18-year-old man. Both were from the Borehamwood area.

‘The incident was reported to BTP at 8.57pm and was attended by officers from BTP and Hertfordshire Constabulary.

‘Medics from East of England Ambulance Service also attended the incident but sadly the two teenagers were pronounced dead at the scene.’

Superintendent Phil Wilkinson said: ‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the two teenagers involved in last night’s tragic and acutely sad incident.

‘Although my officers are continuing their investigations, as part of our work to prepare a file for the local Coroner, there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances and no one else is believed to have been involved.’
Roger Perkins, a spokesman for First Capital Connect, said: ‘Two youths were hit by our St Albans to Sutton southbound service, 200 yards north of Elstree and Borehamwood station on the Thameslink route.

‘There were no passengers on board the train but there were two drivers in the cab, both of whom are being offered our full care and support.

‘The emergency services were on the scene investigating and, together with Network Rail, we have been doing everything we can to help.

‘This was a shocking incident and our hearts go out to those involved. We have been giving our full support to our employees who were at the scene and will do all we can to help the emergency services in their investigation.’

Dailymail

Chris – a freelance photographer who once served in the Navy – suffers with is a hereditary form of cancer but he didn’t know about his risk because he was adopted. He was given just six months to live but is still alive, eight months after the wedding

A bride-to-be has organised the wedding of her dreams in just 10 days after her terminally-ill husband proposed to her.

Cancer sufferer Chris Clark, 41, proposed to his girlfriend Charlotte within minutes of finding out his condition was terminal.

With the help of family and friends, it took just 10 days to organise the wedding they had dreamed about.

Charlotte, 30, had made an online scrapbook of her dream wedding months before Chris’s illness, which helped her with a speedy wedding turnaround.

Chris was told he may only have months to live by medics at Warwick Hospital last September after being diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer that had spread to the stomach.

He had started suffering pains in his side while on holiday which grew in intensity, and was also feeling tired and had lost his appetite.

After a series of tests, Chris, a photographer, was diagnosed with secondary cancer in July 2012.

The couple, from Offchurch near Leamington, Warwickshire, found out it was terminal in September and were told nothing more could be done to treat the tumour.

Chris, 41, said: ‘I already knew I wanted to be married to Charlotte so when they said it was non-curable I knew what I was going to do.

‘When I was told the news it was like an explosion, I felt deaf and a bit disorientated. I just got up and walked out as they said I’ve got to have more tests.’

Chris and Charlotte were sitting in a hospital waiting room five minutes later, in a state of shock, when he turned to her and popped the question.

Then just minutes after, he was in a hospital bed undergoing another round of gruelling tests.

Family and friends were informed of his prognosis before the couple told them their good news.

‘Our engagement was always going to happen, it was only a question of when,’ added Charlotte, a social worker who met Chris six years ago at a wedding.

After his proposal, Chris broached the idea of having a quick register office ceremony.

But it was not quite what she was hoping for, because for the six months before Chris became ill Charlotte had been planning her dream of a rural church wedding.

She had compiled an online scrapbook with her wedding wish-list, detailing everything she wanted from the venue and who would be bridesmaids to the design of her wedding dress.

Charlotte says, ‘The whole day was just like the wedding I had dreamed of. We have been together for six years, and have always known we would get married, but had been taking our time.

‘Even though Chris hadn’t asked me yet I would save links and pictures in a folder on my tablet that I would want in my future wedding.

Dailymail

Brink of death: Michael Evans (pictured in hospital), 28, suffered serious brain damage and had his life shattered after he was hit in the head by 21-year-old Daniel Brzozowski

A 28-year-old man was left with half a skull after he was punched by a drunken Polish boxer in an unprovoked late night attack

Michael Evans, 28, suffered serious brain damage after he was hit in the head by Daniel Brzozowski, 21.

Mr Evans, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, was knocked out and smashed his head on the pavement after the blow.

He was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where a CT scan revealed he had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, bleeding on the brain and a broken jaw.

Brzozowski, of Yarmouth, was sentenced to three years in prison at Norwich Crown Court yesterday after he admitted causing grievous bodily harm.

The Polish immigrant, who has a baby, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

But Mr Evans’ mother Linda Etheridge, 50, has blasted the sentence.

She said last night: ‘It’s disgusting. He took my son’s life.

‘Michael’s walking round at the moment with half a skull.

‘I have to take him where he wants to go. He can’t go anywhere by himself.’

She fears her son will never work again after the devastating assault.

‘His right hand can’t work at the moment but he’s practising with the Xbox controller,’ said Mrs Etheridge, of Yarmouth.

‘He can’t use a knife and fork or a pen.

‘We’ve only just been able to get him to go out, up town. He would freak out.

‘He was always out with his mates before – he liked pool and nights out.’

She said Michael’s memory is now so poor he could not recognise his two-year-old niece when she visited him.

‘Michael is a different lad completely. The way he talks is different, his laugh is different,’ she added.

‘He was convinced he was Batman and could jump off buildings but luckily that’s passed,’ said Mrs Etheridge.

‘As he’s got better we’ve had to explain things to him. When we explained how his injuries had affected him he was apologetic.’

‘He remembers places he used to go and places he used to work. He used to work at a hotel in Essex and he remembers it like yesterday. But he couldn’t tell you what he did yesterday.’

Mr Evans was out with friends in the town centre when his group was involved in a bust-up with Brzozowski and his friends.

Michael was walking away with his hands in his pockets when he was hit in the head by the amateur boxer.

Brzozowski, who moved here from Poland eight years ago, went home after the vicious attack, calmly got changed and was going out to a nightclub when he was arrested after police tracked him on CCTV.

Mr Evans’ stepfather, Andy, 60, said the last seven months since the late-night attack last November have been ‘hell’.

He said: ‘Nobody could tell us if Michael was going to live or die. It was constant stress.’

Michael is due to have a special titanium plate fitted in his skull on June 27, but his parents are taking events day by day.

‘Hopefully there will be a bit more improvement then, but really they can’t tell us,’ said Mr Etheridge.

‘It’s all in the lap of the gods.’

‘Michael’s still struggling to walk, as he has a fused hip, and had learned a special way of coping with it before the attack.’

‘He’s a 28-year-old 12-year-old at the moment.

‘He has no memory of the incident and he has no idea of what this guy looks like or anything.

‘It’s been hell,’ said Mr Etheridge. ‘If we weren’t so strong it could have easily divided us.’

Mr Etheridge attended yesterday’s court hearing and has watched CCTV footage of his son being attacked.

He said of Brzozowski’s three-year jail term: ‘It’s what I expected.

‘He was charged with it being GBH without intent as it was one punch. I don’t think it’s right, but I suppose that’s the law.’

Chris Youell, prosecuting, said Mr Evans nearly died from the unprovoked attack, had to have an emergency operation and spent three months in hospital.
Recorder Mark Dennis told the thug as he jailed him: ‘It was yobbish, violent behaviour, late at night, when in drink.

‘It was a life-changing event for the victim, who will never be the same person again.

‘You know how to punch and how to hurt someone, and you know the consequences of a heavy punch.’

Mr Burrows said after the case: ‘This is a very sensitive case with devastating effects all round.

‘No-one ever minimises the level of injury or wider impact it has on the victim’s family members.

‘This single punch in drink will haunt Daniel for many years, if not the rest of his life.’

Ross Burrows, defending, said Brzozowski ’misjudged the situation and felt threatened’.

‘He threw the punch because he was trying to protect his group. His intention was to punch and run.

‘It will stay with him for the rest of his life. He has not been out since and does not drink. It was a moment of madness.’

Inspector Nick Cheshire, of Norfolk Police, said last night: ‘This was an unprovoked attack which left an innocent man with serious head injuries, having been enjoying a night out with friends in Yarmouth.

‘Brzozowski was arrested a short time later and was still drunk whilst in custody.

‘The majority of people drink responsibly. But the minority who do drink to excess and behave violently or anti-socially cause a disproportionate amount of trouble and distress to the local community.’

Dailymail

Ackah Blay

Ace guitarist Ackah Blay and his Abiza Band will on Friday, June 21, electrify the 2013 edition of Fete de la Musicque slated to take place at the Alliance Francaise in Accra.

Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for Culture, Fete de la Musicque is simultaneously held in more than 100 countries in Europe and all over the world. Completely different from a music festival, Fete de la Musicque is, above all, a free popular festival, open to all musicians and groups who want to perform.

This music day allows the expression of all styles of music in a cheerful atmosphere. It aims at large audience working to popularize musical practice for young musicians from all social backgrounds.

Ackah Blay and Abiza Band, having toured a number of cities in Denmark, will display skills acquired from collaborations with a number of Danish and other Scandinavian groups and musicians.

Ackah Blay and his band will mesmerize audience with its brand of music, which is characterized by heavy instrumentation and a vocal accompaniment that would simply engage the audience, who would have no choice but to sing alongside Ackah Blay.

Also on the bill are diverse bands including Naterial and Balinga, who will be performing throughout the day with various styles and inflections that would represent music from many cultures and parts of the world.

Ackah Blay and Abiza band have, in recent years, taken the country by storm with a variety of compositions that stand in between tradition and modernity.

Ackah Blay has performed with a number of renowned musicians and bands. These include Jewel Ackah and the Butterfly Six, Amandzeba Brew, Hugh Masekela, Kojo Antwi, Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Dela Botri, Opoku Ayim and Sonti Ndebele.

In 2007, he went on a 17-nation tour of Eastern and Southern Africa with dynamic musician Rex Omar.

The group performed and held workshops in countries such as Kenya, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia and Madagascar.

Blay has also performed with diverse musicians and groups in Sweden, Belgium, Australia, Norway, France, Holland and the United Kingdom. Early this year, he was instrumental in recruiting and mentoring groups for the New Music Ghana project.

Institut Francais (Ghana) and Alliance Francaise (Accra) are supporting Fete de la Music 2013 in Accra.

By George Clifford Owusu

Bblakk Rasta

Reggae musician and radio presenter Blakk Rasta, who is not happy about the way the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) is being organised has added his voice to calls on Charter House, organizers of the awards, to separate the dancehall/reggae category into two different categories.

In a letter to Charter House, Blakk Rasta registered his disagreement and pleaded with the organisers to separate the dancehall/reggae category into two different categories.

He explained that at the recently ended VGMA’s reggae was combined with dancehall in the same category which truly went against roots reggae, the original reggae from the creators of the genre.

“You might know that there is a sudden upsurge of dancehall in Ghana which generally talks about violence, sex and gangsterism even though a few live up to the societal billing. May I know what dancehall is in Ghana? Is it hip-hop music with Patois lyrics or what? This upsurge has drawn a heavy radio airplay for dancehall at the detriment of roots reggae which has been tried and proven as the only survivor in the reggae world. What this means is that, there is a huge unfair competition between the two and therefore should not be combined.

“Nevertheless, at the Grammys, this is done because America is a country where priorities in music relegate reggae to the back bench as a ‘necessary evil’ unlike in Africa where the backbone of our music can never afford to push reggae away.

“In short, as Ghana’s reggae president, I write to say that, you are killing out roots reggae if you continue with this unfair competition. Please, separate them, at least. Please, do not copy the Grammys’ bad habit.

I will also like to say that, roots reggae music has never been entertained on the main stage since the inception of the GMAs. Are we saying the genre or artistes are not entertaining enough to move the crowds, Remember that reggae brought Obama to Ghana and brought the world’s spectacle to the country you are organizing the awards for/in,” said, Blakk Rasta.

Blakk Rasta stressed that reggae music has won more international awards for Ghana than azonto, hiplife and gospel which in itself is not a genre but heavily sponges on reggae rhythms in Ghana.

He urged the organisers of the awards to give reggae music a lifeline to feed the insatiable entertainment appetites of Ghana, adding, “Please, do not suffocate reggae music if you truly want to support and promote Ghanaian music. We see it as more than just a genre but a culture and order from our great African heroes and prophets.

I congratulate you on the just ended awards and say, more grease to your elbows as we look forward to better VGMAs with fair genre representation”.

Dzifa Gomashie

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries Hon Dzifa Gomashie has bemoaned the negative reportage on happenings in the industry and personal vilifications by some entertainment journalists, entertainment show hosts and panel members on various radio and television entertainment shows. She was speaking during a courtesy call on her by a delegation from the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).

The delegation from the union was led by its President, Bice Osei-Kufuor (Obour) together with some Executives and members of the Union.

The visit was to officially congratulate the Minister on her assumption of office and to welcome her to the fold of a new Ministry and also offer the Union’s support for her during her tenure at the Ministry.

Hon Gomashie admonished that decorum, circumspection and due-diligence should be utilized by all persons that are involved in the creative sector, especially when they have the opportunity to speak and write on various subjects pertaining to the sector.

The Deputy Minister appreciated the gesture by the Union and stated that, she was very committed to ensuring that the entire creative sector would be properly managed. She however intimated that although she was an industry player with foreknowledge of many of the gnawing issues confronting the industry, her vision for the creative sector must be in line with the vision of the Minister and the entire ministry.

She however expressed her worry over the seeming confusion and in-fighting amongst the many groupings within the creative industries. She stated that, it would be to the benefit of the sector if it was represented as a united front which would facilitate meaningful progress for the industry.

She called on the Union and the entire sector to support her in prayers and in deeds in order to make the Ministry successful, sustainable and progressive.

On his part, the President of MUSIGA, Bice Osei-Kuffour, aka Obour, expressed his delight at the formation of a new Ministry for the creative industries and was particularly excited about the fact that, the Deputy Minister has been and still is a strong player in the industry.

He assured her of the union’s support for the Ministry in the bid to push the industry to new heights.

Herty Borngreat

Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Gospel Artiste of the Year Herty Borngreat, has expressed worry over what she described as a deliberate attempt by certain people to tarnish her brand, person and family.

According to a statement issued on her behalf by her management team, the gospel musician pleaded with her fans and members of the general public to disregard the series of malicious media publications against her brand, person and family that have been put out by the Flex entertainment newspaper and circulated on a couple of online media houses.

This open clarification has become necessary because it has become evident that persons in charge of the content of the said newspaper have continuously put out one-sided negative fictional tales meant to reduce Herty Borngreat to ridicule and hate in the minds of right thinking members of society.

The statement said Herty’s management has observed that “more and more people continue to call on our team to seek confirmation and explanation of the said negative reports but judging by the growing numbers of worried fans and supporters, we deem it prudent to make an open and public clarification through the media.

These malice inclined reports started in the months leading to the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) and have continued till date and even getting more personal and vitriolic”.

It said aside the personal attacks on the brand, person and family of Herty Borngreat, the management also observed a pattern by Flex newspaper to put out stories that seeks to create bitterness and enmity between the artiste and her colleague musicians.

“One of the most recent instances was a fabricated news report alleging that Cwesi Oteng had made some rather offensive statements against Herty. This report was very widely circulated and although Cwesi Oteng has categorically denied the contents of the said story, the fabricators continue to circulate it without shame.

“The same fabricators took centre stage in circulating reports that Gifty Osei had also made some rather unfriendly remarks against Herty.  It is public knowledge that Editor of Flex Sammy Baah, in the  previous VGMA went from one media house to the other arranging for publicity and promotion for Gifty Osei and he continuous to be an important part of her management team.

We plead with him to stop putting out stories that make it seem as if Gifty and Herty are at war. The two are gospel musicians and belong to one Body of Christ. They have a sole aim of propagating the gospel of Christ through their music. They are partners and not rivals,” the statement added.

The management expressed gratitude to the media and the general public for supporting Herty Borngreat in her musical career.

The artiste is currently working on her next album and preparing for the Africa Gospel Awards where she has been nominated for the Discovery of the Year category and would be relying on the prayers and support of all fans.

EL

Ghanaian rapper and producer EL will be performing at the third eviction show of the Big Brother Africa The Chase reality show this Sunday.

Since the inception of this season’s show three weeks ago, some Africa acts have already rocked the eviction show.

During the first eviction show on June 2, Ugandan duo, Radio and Weasel performed at the event followed by female music sensation Victoria Kimani’s impressive performance on June 9.

EL, born Elom Adablah, will be the third act this season at the eviction show which will see two out of five housemates – Biguesas, Neyll, Annabel, Natasha and Pokello – leave the show.

EL’s ‘Something Else’ album, which also has hit songs such as ‘Kaalu’ and ‘Auntie Martha’, has enjoyed massive airplay across the country. It was adjudged album of the year at the 2013 Ghana Music Awards.

The burnt Kumasi market

There have been so many fire outbreaks that we seem to be losing count of them. The Kumasi market inferno, which has expectedly thrown many households into a state of uncontrollable despair, is one of the latest in a series of fires to afflict the country.

We hear that the US fire investigation experts are still around and have gone to the latest fire scene to probe what could be behind the seeming intractable fire outbreaks.

It is our hope that the Americans would come up with a credible report that can adequately replace the series of speculations being bandied around by politicians with a view to pulling the plugs on the infernos.

The irresponsible speculations, unfortunate as they are, have found in the minds of the gullible a place to fester thereby widening the destructive chasm of local politics. That is after all their objective for embarking on that filthy journey.

It is instructive, though, that the average Ghanaian is now able to winnow the grains from the chaff, laughing off the crazy and largely unsound speculations. Otherwise why would supporters of a political party set ablaze a market perceived to be their stronghold? It sounds crazy.

It is our expectation and that of the rest of Ghanaians that the experts would expedite action on their work and release a report which would not only be credible but capable of generating workable recommendations that would close the chapter on the fires.

Such a report must be  publicised so all Ghanaians would understand what really caused the fires which politicians have turned into a propaganda quarry to advance their filthy cause .

Information about how some markets are being guarded by armed security personnel, especially in Tamale, is an indication about how desperate we have become about the scary situation.

We must all be our neighbour’s keepers and become more security conscious than we have been, as an alternative means of obviating the fires. Questions about the efficient performance of our newly-tooled Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), especially their response to emergencies, have been raised in some quarters and we concur with the queries.

Why have they so far been unable to stop the fires from spreading beyond their starting points to the extent that whole markets are razed to the ground? A national discourse on this drawback would be a wonderful idea as we wallow in this state of helplessness.

The state-of-the-art fire engines acquired at expensive cost to the state should have put us on top of such dreaded conditions.

Perhaps while looking at the causes of these mysterious fires, we could, as a matter of urgency, ask questions about what is drawing the GNFS from being on top of the fires. We hope that the Kumasi fire is the last in the series anyway. Enough is enough!

Students writing thier B.E.C.E exams

After close to a decade of basic education, kids across the country begin a weeklong of examinations that will enable them to gain admission to senior high schools when the next academic year is due.

It is a critical period in the educational life of these children and they need all the support from us to see them through the stressful moments.

They have never passed through this before and would need the psychological and physical support from parents, teachers and even siblings who have already passed through the hurdle to enable the kids to surmount the seeming challenging hurdle.

It is our prayer that the weeklong academic activity would be devoid of the blemish which characterised an aspect of the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) a few weeks ago and which led to the cancellation and rescheduling of one of the papers.

Such would be too much stress for these kids who are writing their first public examination today and so all must be done to ensure a leak-proof examination.

When a few candidates are given the unfortunate and regrettable access to examination papers to give them an advantage over their colleagues, the punishment of a cancellation which follows affects the many others who would otherwise not have had such smelly advantage.

It is rueful, therefore, when other candidates suffer such omnibus punishment for the sins of a few privileged others.

The writing of public examination, the kind the kids are undergoing today, is surely one of the critical acid test for the noble attribute of honesty. It should, therefore, not be compromised on the altar of providing a certain so-called advantage for some candidates which long-term repercussion is bound to be counterproductive to the kids and the nation as a whole. In view of this, we are passionately calling on parents, teachers and candidates alike to avoid this path of dishonesty as a critical means of ensuring a future where we would have honest human resource, which the country can rely on in a most dignifying fashion.

When kids at this stage of their educational life are introduced to cheating, they grow up erroneously thinking that it is normal to cheat in examinations. We stand the risk of raising kids who would grow into cheats when we ignore the drawbacks such conduct bestows upon us.

Previous candidates, who were nabbed over cheating, had their names and schools published in local newspapers. We shudder to think about the psychological blow such kids would suffer seeing their names and even pictures splashed on the pages of newspapers.

They cannot be held responsible for such misdemeanor because kids cannot at their age ask to be given access to examination papers unless the subject is broached by teachers and other adults including, in some instances, parents.

It is important that we educate our kids about how to get used to preparing for examinations without   relying on cheating to pass. Let us help in protecting the integrity of public examinations from this stage.

Nuumo Ogbamey III, Sakumo Wulomo

Last Thursday, some traditional rulers in Ga expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and therefore demanded that he be sacked by the President.

Chiefs, the custodians of our heritage whose powers have largely been diminished with the inception of colonial rule and lately self-government, are nonetheless important partners in national development whose cooperation should not be ignored.

It would appear however that consulting them over critical issues within their traditional areas of jurisdiction rarely occurs when crucial decisions are being taken by the President’s representative in especially Accra.

In Ga or the nation’s capital, there is no doubt that there is bad blood between the CEO and the chiefs of the various traditional areas it consists of, a situation which calls for the attention of the President.

We are hard-pushed for a good reason why the AMA boss for instance refused to come out of his office to meet a delegation of chiefs which called on him as alleged by Nii Amarkai, one of the chiefs.

Brooding over their concerns, we are left with no option but to conclude that the CEO has had his way for far too long and must necessarily be checked in the interest of the progress of the nation’s capital.

His handling and remarks following the market fires that hit Accra recently left much to be desired.

The calls of the chiefs, without doubt, were made to coincide with the appointment of officials of the assemblies by the President.

It would therefore be appropriate for the President at this time to consider all the issues raised with a view to taking the best decision that would benefit the whole of Accra and the country as a whole.

Some of the issues raised by the chiefs and concerned indigenes of Accra represent part of the hydra-headed integrity challenge in the country today.

The underhandedness which features in public life today has not spared the AMA, almost faded subject in the country.

It is a very serious allegation when a public officer varies contracts without recourse to laid-down procedures because the action immediately raises questions about integrity, which should be tackled immediately. This is what the chiefs have levelled against the AMA boss.

Information reaching us suggests that this has gone on for a while now but it would seem that being a national malaise and one which has failed to attract the attention of government this one too would follow the same fate. We hope that we are wrong.

Being verifiable allegations, we support the call that government probes it rather than confining it under the carpet because doing so would be at the peril of our social fabric which is already seriously under the threat of massive public sector corruption and graft.

It goes without questioning that a public officer who can vary contracts at will, can mishandle funds without looking over their shoulders. That is the situation at the AMA and many others across the nation.

Drugs

Members of the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) have also called off their two-month-old strike. 

The Pharmacists who work in public hospitals across the country went on a strike in April over their market premium on the Single Spine Salary Structure. 

The market premium of pharmacists has been the problem between the GHOSPA and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) for over past 18 months. 

The Secretary of GHOSPA, Franklin Acheampong who confirmed to Citi News that strike has been called off said the decision was taken at a national delegates conference. 

According to him “members considered that, they have become aware of the various pleadings that have been made by the general public and their friends and so, taking into consideration the court proceeding going on in which the National Labour Commission seeks to enforce its ruling, the option for them now is to suspend their strike and resume work. The strike is almost three months now. We have had reports from various hospitals that the internally generated funds, obtained by the sale of drugs have fallen and it has affected a lot of institutions.” 

He also added that “these issues were all known before members embarked on strike we have had informal discussions from well-meaning Ghanaians and we know because we had a ruling there will be the need for us to wait for the final verdict.”

Citifmonline

Sylvester A. Mensah in the middle with the rest of the Nigerian Delegation.

Ghanaians who signed up for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) yesterday instantly received their National Health Insurance Identification cards, courtesy to the scheme’s new biometric process.

Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Sylvester A. Mensah, who disclosed this to journalists at a press conference, indicated that the programme which commenced on Monday would be run on pilot basis.

The targeted group of persons for the six weeks pilot programme would be the military and police personnel.

“We are piloting the instant issuance of the IDs from Monday and during this period, all registrations are going to be biometric. After a month and a half, the programme will be rolled out across the country. Our systems are set. We have tested them in-house and have been found to be efficient. The 6 weeks test period is meant to satisfy ourselves that, what we see in the system is exactly what we expect to see when the roll-out commences,” Mr Mensah stated.

The Chief Executive appealed to all persons, who in the past had  difficulties accessing healthcare services as a result of delays in ID cards distribution, to enrol with the new programme.

A 15-man delegation from Nigeria who was in Ghana to study the NHIS were also given the chance to scrutinise the scheme and carry home its success stories.

They included Senator Chris Ngige, Representative of the Senate Chairman, Committee on Health, National Assembly; Dr Abdurahaman Sambo, Executive Secretary, NHIS Nigeria and Dr Kenneth Korve, General Manager, Planning, Research and Monitoring Department, NHIS Nigeria, among others.

According to Dr Korve, a member of the Nigerian delegation, Ghana’s NHIA needed to improve on some of the deficiencies it was encountering such as the delay in the payment of monies to service providers.

“This is because of the method of payment which is free for service. The administrative cost of paying free-for-service is very high. Once capitation is paid, you reduce the cost but then, the provider will want to cheat in some way or the other. Since it is insurance, the people who are not paying – the exempt group – are too many.  You have more than 70 percent of clients who are not paying and in insurance principles; you will discover that the funding will be a problem. In this case, Government will have to heavily descend to provide the funding,” Dr Korve said.

He, on the other hand, commended the government structure in Ghana, adding that the structure operated more like a unitary system “where you can say something in Accra and it is heard and taken in another region. This is not the case in Nigeria because the system there is more complicated.”

 BY Nii Ogbamey Tetteh

Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor

Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor has charged newly qualified medical doctors from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to make God their partners in their practice.

Addressing the first batch of final year medical students of the university, Dr Addo-Kufuor said “my personal experience as a Christian doctor practising for almost four and a half decades, I can testify it is God’s blessing that makes success in any human endeavour possible.”

The occasion was under the theme: “Fundamental Factors And Guiding Principles Leading To A Successful Life In Practice.”

He also highlighted that as believers in the medical profession, the new doctors should not forget to pray regularly and ask God to bless their work as doctors adding “you will need God as partners.”

The function which took place last Saturday at Elmina’s Coconut Grove Resort was a spectacular event during which the graduates had the rare opportunity of listening to wise remarks from a personality like Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor whose public office service was sufficiently documented.

He told his audience many human factors such as high level of integrity, humane disposition, modesty, sense of responsibility, efforts at continuing professional education, developing good relationship with colleagues, patients and the society at large were the very success determiners in one’s career.

He pointed out to the qualified medical doctors to strive to maintain decency, be knowledgeable, respectable and be helpful to human beings, which the general public expected from them. “The best example of what I am talking to you about is the almost automatic discount given to doctors when they go to insurance companies to register their cars,” he said.

Again, he cautioned, “You must decide early in your career the area of your specialization. Fortunately, we have a Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, and many excellent residency programmes in the teaching hospitals in Ghana.”

He charged the doctors to remain in Ghana and through the residency programmes to obtain the fellowship diploma in the area of their specialization.

Many Ghanaians he said were better educated, had access to the internet and well informed about the medical conditions for which they contacted the doctor for treatment. In view of this, therefore, he went on, “The young doctor must therefore be well informed, current, and competent. Such a doctor is respected and trusted by his colleagues and his or her services are sought after by the patients.”

Dr Addo-Kufuor, a former Defence Minister with oversight responsibility for the Interior Ministry is associated with the School of Medical Sciences, KNUST since 1986 as lecturer in Internal Medicine. To his credit is the Addo-Kufuor Prize for the best student in internal medicine which is awarded every year during the oath-swearing ceremony.

By A.R. Gomda

Korle Bu

A 16-year-old Ghanaian teenager, based in the United States, has donated 50 digital thermometers worth $2,500 to the Children’s Ward of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Master Joel Bervell, President of Hugs for Ghana, a non-profit organisation, is an 11th Grade student at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, Washington State.

According to the student, he was inspired to support underprivileged children in schools and hospitals when he and his family visited Ghana.

Master Bervell said he saw the state of the hospital and needy school children, who could not afford to buy basic learning materials like books and pens.

He said he decided to form the organisation to raise funds among his colleagues in school where they were encouraged to donate money, as little as one dollar a day for one week, to help purchase the items for the hospital.

“Students were made to realize that there is a world in need beyond their view and also to know that it takes a little effort to eventually make a difference,” Master Bervell said.

“Hugs for Ghana” is a student-led organisation which is dedicated to helping needy children in hospitals, schools, orphanages and other child related services in Ghana.

Its mission is to show love, hope, confidence and warmth to the hearts and lives of children in the country.

Mr Bervell stated that the organisation also raised funds through a cultural programme it held in the local community of Mukilteo where people came together to learn about Ghanaian culture.

He also provided information to the community about the needs of the less privileged children in the country.

Mr Bervel noted that the event was able to raise money for the organisation’s goal to buy the thermometers.

He said some thermometers would also be given to other health institutions like La General Hospital in Accra and Eikwe Hospital in the Western Region. Mrs Rebecca Lartey, Deputy Director of Nursing Services at the Ward, received the equipment on behalf of the Hospital and expressed gratitude to Mr Bervell for his initiative.

She called on other individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the Hospital.

-GNA

Rabies infected dog

TWO PEOPLE died from rabies outbreak in the Asunafo North and Asunafo South Districts in the Brong Ahafo Region between February and April this year.

Dr Kenneth Gbeddy, Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Veterinary Service in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani on Wednesday said the two, a man and a woman were the victims, but did not disclose their districts.

He said veterinary officers were undertaking vaccination exercises to bring the situation under control, adding that, last year, two people also died from rabies in the Tano North District and Tano South District of the Region.

Dr Gbeddy pointed out that the Service was concerned about the rabies outbreak because it could infect all mammals, including dogs, cats, horses and cattle when they come in contact with infected wild-life.

He appealed to the general public to ensure their pets especially dogs and cats were vaccinated annually against the disease to avert any future occurrences.

The Regional Director of the Veterinary services advised people who were bitten by dogs or cats to rush to the nearest hospital for vaccination and do careful examination to save their lives, and explained that the two people died because they reported to the hospital late.

Dr Gbeddy said dogs and other animals suspected to have rabies should not be killed but must be chained by the owner for two weeks to be monitored because dogs infected with rabies would die 10 days after biting a person.

He said after the dog had died, the person bitten should be vaccinated against rabies since any delay could cause the person’s life.

He stated that veterinary sponsored programmes by the Municipal and District Assemblies had stopped due to lack of funds and was no longer undertaking surveillance or monitoring in the rural areas to vaccinate animals free of charge.

He pointed out that stray dogs in the communities were dangerous and should be captured and killed under the assemblies’ bye-laws, and noted that, people were dying because of non- enforcement of the bye-laws.

Dr Gbeddy mentioned aggressive dogs; dogs hiding in dark places, dogs that bite any animal on sight, dripping of saliva from the mouth and sudden change of barking were some of the signs of dogs infected with rabies.

He asked the general public to report such sudden changes in their dogs to the veterinary personnel to eliminate them from the communities since their presence was a threat to human life.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Veterinary Service                                                         noted that dogs and cats were human friends and therefore needed to be cared for to make their stay in the communities comfortable.

GNA

TB Joshua

If I am a comedian without any concept of political correctness, the SCOAN tragedy would have been a fertile field for crack comic punch lines.

With my unorthodox views about the so-called contemporary men of God, I am tempted to take a swipe at the victims to tickle my readers. But, to go for the jugular at their expense is poor taste. Besides, I am a cultural conservative, though there are some of our cultural practices I will not touch with a ten-foot barge pole, however, there are some that I celebrate with flourish shrouded in an unmitigated passion. I believe that you don’t peddle evil and insinuation about a departed soul, at least, for the sake of the grieving family. And I will do my best not to hit below the belt.
There is a truck load of blame to go around, but my burning rage about this tragedy and the sting of my pen will be felt by our politicians, not to mention the tangential complicity of the current government. Also, the ecclesiastical community will, as well, be consumed in the vortex of my anger.
It takes tragedies of this kind to make people sit up and ask the right questions. Sadly, we’ve been bombarded by the wrong questions left, right and centre on the terrestrial, print and electronic media. Some have even attempted the sacrilege of blaming the victims, which is rather a ridiculous soft target that leaves the main culprits of this avoidable disaster to sip their cocktails in the comfort of their homes, while they strategise to the lead the charge the other way. But, we are not all blind.

It is a known fact that one of the fatalities went to the meeting with his car. It doesn’t take the brains of Einstein to extrapolate that he was relatively a well-to-do person, based on Ghanaian standards.

Now, the question that will not go away is why will a person like that expose himself to mortal danger, or better still fall for this 419. The answer is not farfetched, and it is very glaring. Anybody who sweats for a living in Ghana is desperate and anxious for tomorrow. Can you blame them? Not quite! The simple reason is that the economic situation keeps deteriorating year in and year out without any possible end in sight, courtesy of our politicians.
We all know that it is a Herculean task to solve all our economic problems. On the other hand, there are certain avoidable self-immolation economic behaviours any serious government can steer away to alleviate the suffering of hard working Ghanaians. For example, the avoidance of the crippling ubiquitous inflation. Some of the SCOAN victims are successful businessmen and women, and they have tried everything, but how can you guarantee your future financial security when you are operating in an economy, in which inflation can wipe out totally your life savings within a decade. There are certain types of inflation that the government cannot practically do anything about, especially, when oil prices shoot up. But, the home grown inflation deliberately created by our politicians for their own selfish ends is what perforates my heart each time I look at the figures.
At the inception of the Fourth Republic, when politicians became ‘accountable’ to the electorate, the exchange rate was hovering around ¢390 to the dollar. By the time Rawlings left office it was ¢3,550 to the dollar – the national currency had lost 90% of its value. At the end of Kufuor’s tenure it took ¢10,500 to get hold of a dollar; the cedi further lost 70% of the value that was bequeathed to him in 2001. That of the last four years has been abysmal, even with the additional income coming from oil. The months leading to the last election saw the shredding of the cedi. If the Bank of Ghana had not floated bonds to mop out the excess liquidity, it would have been disastrous. Applying unnecessary financial manipulation of the currency, which is avoidable if they had done the right thing in the first place.

The main source of our economic woes is the perennial hyper-inflation. What actually sustains this pernicious problem is the fact that the incumbent government always waits till election year, and then speeds up projects that should have been spread over the four years, purposely to bribe the electorate. They then release money for the completed projects, flooding the economy with excess liquidity. It is just like having a whole year rainfall coming down in a single day. Definitely, you are going to have flood, no matter how sophisticated the drainage system is. The unintended consequence, which they do not really care about, is a weakened currency, as a result of fierce competition for the scarce foreign exchange for purchases of capital goods, and ordinary traders cashing in on the brisk economic activities. The direct effect is the increases in the prices of our imports. The advantage we should have gained with an export drive is non-existent because our main export, cocoa, is not a life-sustaining commodity and does not fall into that category, where we can push to sell more. Besides, our productivity regime is not refined enough to take advantage of a weak currency to embark on an aggressive export drive – it is, therefore, a double loss for us. The most eye-watering damaging effect to the economy is that interest rate is pushed up to make the banking business worthwhile for the operators.

Secondly, in addition to the corruption, the stealing of state funds couched in the benign language of ex-gratia to assume some air of legitimacy is what is screwing all Ghanaians. The ridiculous salaries paid to the unproductive Members of Parliament (MPs) – legislators who don’t have mind of their own. It is hard to believe that demand and supply does not apply to this bunch of opportunists. Any idiot at all can become an MP, yet they claim they are better than teachers, doctors, pharmacists, and what have you. The supply of every commodity is what determines its price. The supply of MPs is literally limitless. Still, they are paid these outrageous salaries, which destroy moral and blights our productivity. Productivity is what determines the strength of a currency, and not financial manipulation or gold reserves, as some ignorant economists will have us believe.

Furthermore, what really gets my blood boiling in my arteries is the blatant disregard of the countless protests against the addition of the 45 new constituencies. It was sold as a constitutional requirement, which is absolute bonkers. They forget that the Constitution was written to serve our interests, but not to enslave us, as the creation of the 45 new constituencies encapsulate.

Thirdly, our primary schools are just playgrounds for Ghanaian children. Though there are some underlying reasons for the dreadful state of affairs, for example, the lack of motivation, poor nutrition, parental negligence, etc. Surely, that should not cause seven schools in the Denkyembuor District in the Eastern Region to score zero pass rates in their junior Basic Entrance Certificate Examinations (BECE). These are some of the things that fuel the desperation of Ghanaians to run into the arms of these heartless, inconsiderate, and selfish so-called men of God like TB Joshua. Their anxiety is palpable.

One writer recently wrote a pathetic piece entitled ‘TB Joshua provides alternative for Ghanaians – Doctors can go to Bed’. I need not comment on this crass article. It is very sad that in this day and age, people cling on to such nonsense and promote this group of ignorant mammals who attack their victims like a wild beast. They bust them open and shred their flesh like a discarded document, and play with their minds like two year olds.

The ecclesiastical institution that a few years ago could boast of men of virtue with a genuine call from God to do his work has now become a den of thieves. About 50% of them are crooks, and the rest, who are sincere, believe their own stupidity. The authentic ones are incredibly rare and very hard to find.

In the past it used to be ‘a calling’, it is now a profession that is attracting thieves and tricksters. They have become spiritual psychics like the way medical doctors are able to diagnose your ailment from what you tell them. The epidemic of family feuds in the country can be laid at their doorsteps. If anybody is having a hard time, or does not have the funds to treat a disease as a result of the incompetence, stealing and chicanery of our political leaders, the diagnosis is always none other than a family member. Some are so dangerous to the extent that they even accuse little children of being fortresses of evil spirits.

After their insidious diagnosis, they offload the burden of proof on to their victims. They tell them if you have enough faith you will be healed. So if you don’t get healed it is not their fault, because you don’t have enough of the faith currency. For them to get away with it is beyond me. I cannot answer the question why some people don’t get healed, but it is presumptuous on their part to assume that if you don’t receive your healing or breakthrough, as they poetically put it you don’t have faith. Paul, who could raise the dead, lived with an ailment all his life after his conversion. He even asked the Lord to heal him, and he was told my grace is sufficient for you.

Miraculous healing does happen. There are cases where terminally ill patients have made remarkable recovery without any medical explanation, while nobody is praying for them. I can’t believe that very well-educated people fall for this. Even the late President Mills, a whole professor, fell under the spell of TB Joshua. The state of mind and the circumstances of a substantial number of Ghanaians can be likened to the proverbial drowning man. They clutch at anything; that is why they fall victim to an obvious conman like TB Joshua. It is their anxiousness to eliminate the pain and uncertainties in their lives that led the SCOAN victims to exchange that precious gift of life for a mere placebo holy water that never was.

The churches have become just like a social club, as a form of insurance to cater for any future eventualities. However, they employ unqualified actuarist ‘pastors’ who pay themselves obscene salaries for the privilege. They are literally bad insurance companies. A Nigerian congregation engaged in a shameful self deprecation for allowing their pastor to travel first class, while they could easily buy him a jet. So, jet they bought, while there are very poor people in the same congregation who could use, not charity, but hard ball productive investment to engage them. Jesus said, the son of man has no place to lay his head, but those who want to take up his mantle, now live in castles. Jesus did not own or ride in a chariot, but they now fly in their own jets – what an irony.

If you want a life insurance – buy a policy from any reputable insurance company. Better still, form churches in your homes and read the bible because the bible says, where two or three have gathered in my name, I am in their midst.

Lastly, this is what I think. The victims of the SCOAN disaster should be redeemed. The leadership should be prosecuted for corporate negligence because that is what they have become – a corporate money making machine that swindles their customers with cheap products such as holy water and inefficacious prayers that cost nothing.

By Philip Kobina Baidoo Jnr

Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh

The congress people who have been heaping abuses on Mr. Martin Amidu, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and our Justices of Peace must be squirming.

The NDC corrupt architects of fear and panic must be feeling that feel.

The NDC chairman had proposed many ways for getting rid of judges. Now we know there is a way to take back stolen motherland money. You need a vigilante Amidu and a bench ready to protect the motherland from congress embezzlement.

To some of us, it is bitter sweet; though more sweet than bitter. It is sweet we have the money back and it is sweet we have citizens of the Martin Amidu kind. It is also sweet we have justices who will put the nation first notwithstanding a corrupt executive’s machinations and bribery attempts.

What a twist of fate for the motherland. What an irony that Mr Amidu is the child of an ostensible house-cleaning accountability and probity revolution that ended up producing the most corrupt set of ingrate self-styled revolutionaries who subsist only on thieved public funds.

It is these corrupt elements who ended up designing and implementing atrocious judgment debt payments out of the motherland’s treasury.

They perpetrated, and are still engineering, a deplorable practice that has crippled the finances of the motherland, stripping it of all flesh and leaving only bones for the rest of us with dog teeth to chew.

Important as it is in the motherland’s search for governance that promotes justice and fairness, the Martin Amidu act is heroic.

It is nonetheless only a tiny vindication of the ideals of a coup that has left the scar of arrogance, ineptitude, mediocrity, greed, avarice and incompetence in a National Democratic Congress group, which passes well as National Destruction Congress.

As for the Justices, their vindicating verdict will go a long way to restore hope in my compatriots as pertains to responsible use of the motherland’s money, the tax money my compatriots sweat to put into the national treasury.

The judgment has come at a time when every bit of hope appeared to be disappearing.

The Justices have redeemed the good name of the bench from their colleagues who ‘failed to protect the public purse.’ They have actually enhanced the image of the judiciary.

We cannot wait for similar rulings by the Justice Apau sole commission. And we cannot wait for those who stole our elections to be denied the exercise of power achieved by theft.

For once, let the President of the Republic show faith with my compatriots. Let the President show faith with the motherland. Let the President set up an escrow account into which all the monies directed to be retrieved by the esteemed justices, all GHC41m of it, will be paid.

An instituted board of trustees comprising GNAT, TUC, GMA and GBA representatives, supported by the Ghana Institution of Engineers must administer the fund.

The board will advertise for education and health projects to be implemented, under its supervision, in each of the one hundred and seventy districts in the motherland.

My concerned compatriots and I don’t want the money to be paid into the consolidated fund so that it gets channeled back into a different judgment debt servicing. It has been cold sweat by Martin Amidu and it has been bold decision by the Justices. Let no President make it all come to nothing by failing to take the money back with speed.

It is extremely heartwarming to learn that there are citizens like Mr Amidu and justices like the nine who sat on the Waterville case; compatriots who will reject bribery in favour of doing good in the name of the motherland and in the public interest.

The judgment is greater than just in the national interest.

It is a major dent in the corruption campaign and a huge push for the anti-corruption effort. It is a rare feat; a very, very rare feat where sons and daughters of the motherland will give up bribery money for their pockets in the public interest.

Thank you Mr Amidu, thank you Justices of the Supreme Court. Keep staying by the side of the deprived of the motherland and she will ever be grateful. It is slow and sometimes not easy to notice. But we seem to be progressing with the courts ready to take on executive abuse of power, corruption and mismanagement of the public purse.

Observers at the observatory are busy watching and waiting for action from the President who is expected to execute the judiciary decision to retrieve the stolen money.

Closely being monitored also is where the money will go once retrieved.

How long it takes to refund the money and what it ends up used for once retrieved will determine a President’s commitment to the motherland’s cause.

Agya Kwaku Ogboro

“I’ve learnt to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery”—Aeschylus, Son of Euphorion.

The word ‘traitor’ originated from the Old French word ‘traitour’ and the Latin ‘traditor’, meaning “one who delivers”. The phrase simply means one who exposes his country or friend to the enemy. A traitor is therefore one who betrays their country, a friend, a trust or a cause.

A friend is someone who stands by you in times of weakness or need. He is there to laugh with you when you are happy, and cry with you when you are sad. You may expect danger from your enemies and detractors, but not from a friend.

It is bad enough to have a stranger or detractor betray you. But when it is someone you call a trusted friend, it is deeply hurtful. It makes you feel deceived, despised, cheated, humiliated or stabbed in the back. Most often it comes as a surprise. That is why it is so painful. You do not expect to be hurt so badly by someone you thought you could trust; so you are left in disbelief and heart-wrenching pain. That is why this sort of betrayal is most painful.

When Dr Arthur Kwabena Kennedy, aka Arthur K, returned from the United States of America and decided to ride along with those on the Great Elephant, he was received with open arms. He then took advantage of the party’s liberal policies to contest its flagbearership position for the 2008 election. After selling his message to members of the party across the length and breadth of the country, he shockingly got a solitary vote in a contest won by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He was subsequently made the Communications Director of Nana Addo’s campaign. Many were those who opposed his appointment with the excuse that he was not a dyed-in-the-wool member and was likely to betray the party in rocky times; but Nana Addo stuck to his guns.

By virtue of his position, Arthur K was allowed into the inner circles of the party. He was trusted by all and given unhindered access to the flag-bearer and every party material. It is no longer news that the party lost the 2008 elections by a slim margin of less than 40,000 votes.

A few moons later, the party woke up only to be greeted by the news that Arthur K had written a damning book about his party. He took advantage of his privileged position to chronicle what he thought were the reasons for the Elephant’s defeat in a book titled, “Chasing the Elephant into the bush”.

His actions angered many people in the party. They were angry because Arthur K had delivered the party to its political enemies. They felt used, cheated and betrayed. Some called him bastard, while others called him traitor.

Indeed, anyone who has ever experienced betrayal in a relationship would tell you how difficult it is to recover from such an experience. Betrayal is a destructive force that leaves many ruins in its wake. Betrayal changes everything. The damage done is sometimes irreparable and the trust is totally lost. Wounds run deep, hearts are broken and anger persists. The person you once viewed as an angel becomes the devil incarnate to you.

That was exactly how the beautiful relationship between Arthur K and his party degenerated. Everyone viewed him with suspicion. The once affable Communication Director suddenly became a persona non grata in the party. The mistrust his party people had for him was made evident by the way they rejected him during the party’s primaries in the Abura-Asebu Kwamankese constituency elections.

Since then nothing negative about the party was heard from him until his ‘partner in treachery’ (PIT), Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey, put sand in the party’s gari a few weeks back. In a desperate attempt to defend his PIT, he once again betrayed the party’s cause under the guise of an open letter to the Chairman. He accused the party of intolerance, yet he failed to provide a single instance where the party executive had been intolerant of opposing views.

Abusuapanin, assuming his allegation of intolerance by members of the party is true; wouldn’t it have been better if he had privately written to the party chairman to express his concerns? Is it not obvious that he made the letter open so he could wash the party’s dirty linen publicly under the guise of giving good counsel? I liken his recent actions to someone who laughs with you, while secretly back-stabbing you in the dark. Certainly, his open letter was nothing but sanctimonious effusions of a traitor.

Arthur K is gradually gaining notoriety as a man not to be trusted among his party people. He has time and again broken the trust the party has reposed in him. It is unfortunate that he has not learnt any lessons from his earlier betrayal. Fools, they say, are the ones who never learn; and I know Arthur K is no fool. It is the reason I’m still baffled at his refusal to learn from his mistakes.

Dr Martin Luther King Jnr once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.” I wish Arthur K reflects deeply on these words.

See you next week for another konkonsa!

Holy Bible

Rev Dr. W. Kennedy of the United States describes a Christian home as consisting of ‘’a God- fearing father, God fearing mother and God-fearing children.’’ In other words, a Christian  home is one in which the father, mother and children live with Christ, live in Christ, and live for Christ, and each one of them plays his or her role by the teachings of Christ.

The role of the husband in the Christian home is estimated to be eight-fold. In this article, we shall examine what is reputed to be the most important- his role as the head of the family, in line with St. Paul’s teachings: “The husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23)

However, in order to see the husband’s role in its correct perspective as the head of the family, it would be expedient for us to first of all look at the two awfully abnormal extremes in which we sometimes find it. Firstly is the case when the husband goes to the extremes of adopting a bossy, dictatorial attitude where his rules or orders are always final and must be obeyed by the wife and children.

Secondly, is the horrible extreme where the husband rather unwillingly or unwittingly relegates his headship role to the wife who then controls the affairs of the husband or entirely controls the home.

In the first extreme case, the husband acts as an imperial king, strutting majestically in the house and shouting noisy orders and commands to the wife and children, which must not be challenged, but should instantly be obeyed. In such a home, neither the wife nor the children have any say in decision making. They are reduced to some sort of servants or robots. Considering himself as the overall boss of the family, the  husband alone makes decisions over all issues, and is thus not prepared to share the financial burdens of the household with the wife, even if his financial strength is weak.

There was for instance a house in which a seamstress housewife secretly got to know of the meagre pay of the husband who often went a borrowing every one week before ‘pay day.’ She thus felt pity for the husband, and therefore considered it wise to suggest to him that she could help with some money every month- ending that would cover one-third of the family expenditure, so the that  husband would have a financial breather and be able to do some savings.

The husband vehemently rejected this laudable idea, thinking the wife’s contribution might undermine his authority in the house. He retorted: ‘’ Hey, what do you think of me? Know that l am the man of house.  If l can ‘t  look after you, l wouldn’t have married you. Don’t bring yourself …’’ and that wife was shouted down.

But debts continued to swarm up on him, and his creditors continued to harass and disgrace him every ‘payday,’ until people in the house sarcastically nicknamed him ‘’wofa no no ‘’meaning ‘’uncle guy debtor’’. That was a leading phrase in an old time Akan song which ran thus;’’ Wofa no no, oto  a onntua ka o aye,owura no no, ye bedan no ka o aya’ (literally meaning: ‘’uncle guy debtor, who buys on credit, and fails to pay for it, uncle guy, his creditors are going to demand from him’’).

The wife felt highly ashamed of such monthly disgraceful incidents, and bitterly wept in respect of the husband’s plight which was caused by his own bossy attitude. But the man still remained adamant : he wouldn’t -receive any financial assistance from the wife.

What would you do, reader, if you were the wife? Still force your financial contribution on him? Run away from the house every month ending? Divorce? (This is prohibited by Christ). Or what?

Take the other extreme case where the wife becomes the virtual boss of the house, and authoritatively takes control of affairs in the house. Here the husband unwittingly or unwillingly relinquishes his management authority to the wife, and thus he  becomes  hen-pecked (what is known as’ okotobonku’ in Akan). The word ‘okotobonku’ is a three-tier Fante inflexion: ‘okotoo’ (a coward), ‘bo ‘ (beat ),’nku’ (kill him).That is an extremely cowardly person who sheepishly stands at one place to receive beatings even unto death without his being able to make an effort to react in self- defence-a robot husband!

It is unfortunate that some Christians, according to some sociological  surveys by a group of undergraduates, have such henpecked, cowardly husbands who have virtually sold their headship rights to their wives to take the commanding heights of the family management, instead of making their wives become junior partners,

How the wife becomes the head of the home could be due to two factors- : what sociologically are analysed  as economic and spiritual. The is to say, the wife must have been a person who has got more money; or perhaps the husband must have lost his job; a must have become unemployed; or receives little income from whatever job he is doing. In this case, the wife (who has money)becomes a ‘ provider’ in the house, and with her economic or financial power, she is allowed to control everything  the  house the wife then assumes virtual headship of the house, contrary to what the Scriptures say,

But the head is always the man, who should lovingly consider  the wife as a lovable companion, a consulting sister, and a counseling  mother more of it next week. God’s blessing.

It is in the home that children learn good or bad habits from their parents, uncles aunts and senior brothers and sisters; and whatever is learnt by the children in their formative years sticks in their minds and remains indelible and influential.

The male child oftertimes imaginatively make his father or uncle a hero, mentor, paragon of virtues or an exemplary character and begins to imitate wherever he does, whether it is good or bad. The female child also secretly hero-worships her mother or aunt and begins to ape behavior   and manner of speech.

All these imitations become part and parcel of the child’s character in later years. Take for example, a home where the father drinks akpeteshie or beer or palm wine. The father sends the male child to buy him ‘quarter’ (of akpeteshie) each the weather is cold, or when the father feels in tired after work.

The father drinks the akpeteshie, winces the face and spits out the last drop in a ‘ phew-fieinn’ splutter of the month. As he manly beats his chest saying ‘’nsa no ye de paa, eye nsa pa paa’’(‘’The rum is too sweet, it’s a good dirink’’). Now l feel warn, l feel too good.’’

Meanwhile the child might be looking on from somewhere, and later, with his playmate, he might imitate the drinking behavior of his father. And before his adolescent age (from13-20 years). He begins his drinking practice secretly. He takes a little of his father’s ‘ akpeteshie-in-bitters’ hidden in his cupboard.

If the father is a smoker, the child learnt how to smoker, first by practicing it with pieces of lighted straw, then with some thrown-away stubs of real cigarettes. In his twenties, the child becomes a smoker. He has acquired that bad habit from his father! Of course, the smoker father cannot exercise any moral right to stop his child from smoking. The child simply won’t listen to that.

Sometime ago, a smoking and drinking father tried to stop his 18-years old son from drinking and smoking: The child’s reaction? Very simple. He asked: ‘’Dada ,you say drinking and smoking are bad. But if they are bad why do you do such things.’’

The father had no tangible reply to the child’s question. The child assumed that drinking and smoking are good, because his father was doing just that!

But who says smoking or drinking is good? They both foul the breath and destroy the lungs and the body which is God’s temple. So the Holy Spirit decrees against them through St Paul. ‘’Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If any one destroys God’s temple is sacred, and you are temple’’ (l cor. 3: 16, emphasis added).

Thus smokers, drinkers and adulterers are not keeping their temples sacred. Such people are destroying their temple, and by their behavior they are teaching their children to destroy their temples so to be destroys by God!

Indeed, the Devil is always ready to defend smoking, drinking, fornicaton, adultery, gambling ect. With strange  theories. The drinker would be prompted by Satan to say: ‘’ After all. Chris turned water into wine; St. Paul wrote to Timothy to drink a little wine,’’

Yes, the Devil also knows the Bible, and can quote and misquote to defend drinking and smoking just to prove that these are not evils but good. Remember, he quoted only to misquote to temple Chris after his 40 days’ fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). And in each case Chris had to beat him by a genuine quotation and genuine interpretation because Chris himself was learned in the word of God.

Unfortunately most Christian  fathers mother are themselves not well-versed in Bible. Lost of  them only read the Bible on Sundays when the priest or pastor in the pulpit quotes a verse, and they only flip through the Bible sheets to get the verse to read as the pastor reads on. So the Devil fines it easy to convince several parents to fornicate and drink and smoke. And their children copy them quite easily.

  By Apostle Kwamena Ahinful

Dr Lawrence F. Tonye Biaka

My dear readers, this piece is about a lady from Cameroon who undertook nursing training at the now famous ST. Veronica’s Medical Centre, also known as Biaka Health Complex in Buea, South West Region of Cameroon.

The medical centre was established in 1982 by Dr Lawrence F. Tonye Biaka, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist to provide health care services to fellow Cameroonians.

It started as a small institution and then grew to provide obstetrical/gynaecological, paediatric and general medical services to the people.

In a bid to positively impact the health of Cameroonians, Dr. Biaka ventured into the training of nurses in 1998.

Today, the centre boasts of the St. Veronica Polyclinic, St. Francis School of Nursing and Midwifery, St. Francis Higher Institute of Nursing and Midwifery and the St. Francis School of Health Sciences.

These schools provide quality education to nurses, midwives, medical laboratory scientists, medical secretaries, geriatric nurses, medical sales representatives.

The lady, Wotebba (not her real name), after her nursing training at famous medical center, moved to a very remote village in another country.

When she was going, her friends mocked her since they thought she would rot in a remote area.

“Wotebba, you are crazy why should you a beautiful lady like this decided to go the village to waste your life?”  her colleagues asked.

She told them that she was convinced God was directing her to go the community.

One of the graduating colleagues rebuked her severely.

She mocked Wotebba and told her that she had been offered a job in one of the European countries and that she would be swimming in Euros after her tenure in the village.

Wotebba refused to heed their advice and travelled to that community.

Indeed, she forged on and refused to be discouraged.

After two years in the area, a local herbal medicine man taught her a lot of herbal cures to treat rare diseases.

She used her brains rapidly to create things, and Wotebba bought a vast tract of land and used it to grow rare herbs and plants.

She put up a small laboratory with some of the locals and they produced applicable and efficient drugs.

One day, a Russian Para –medic group visited the area and they recognized the work of the village nurse.

They gave her some funds and she ventured into big time business by producing high-quality drugs.

By Amos Amaglo

Is this the iWatch? Apple’s latest TV commercial shows and iPhone user wearing a mysterious gadget on his wrist – and it resembles artist’s impressions of what a much-rumoured iWatch could look like

Apple may have given the world a glimpse of the iWatch – or played an elaborate practical joke on millions of iFans.

The firm’s latest iPhone advert shows a user listening to an iPhone, but with a mysterious gadget on his wrist.

Although the screen cannot be clearly seen, many online users have speculated that the gadget is in fact Apple’s much rumoured iWatch.

The so-called ‘iWatch’ is set to take on Google’s Glass eyewear in the wearable computer market.

The speculation has let to hundreds of Apple fans creating their own mockups of an iWatch.

However, some onlookers have also pointed out that the device looks uncannily like Apple’s current iPod Shuffle, which has wrist mounts available for it it turning into a basic watch.

The advert comes just weeks before Apple’s WWDC event for developers, where it tradictionally reveals new products.

This year it is expected to reveal a major overhaul of its iOS software, which reports claim will replace the current software with a ‘flat’ design being overseen by the Sir Jonathan Ive, the firm’s London-born design boss.

However, it has also been rumoured the firm could also reveal details of its much rumoured TV service – and even unveil the iWatch.
Recently MacUser magazine revealed its idea for the watch, shown below.

‘We worked with 3D artist Martin Hajek to conceive, design and construct a plausible Apple watch,’ said Adam Banks, Editor in Chief of MacUser magazine.

‘The brief we gave ourselves was that it had to feel like something we could actually imagine buying from an Apple Store.

‘We came to the conclusion that Apple’s most likely play would be to keep its watch as conventional as possible, with the feel of something classic rather than excitably innovative.’

This ruled out the ‘slap wrap’ design featured in a recent Apple patent, which harked back to the 1980s toy craze.

‘We came back to the classic leather strap, something Apple could make well – like the iPad Smart Cover, for example – but for which third parties could also offer alternatives.

The magazine also believe the watch will look similar to Apple’s current iPhone 5 design.

‘We based the body of the watch on the iPhone 5, because its jewel-like bevelled finish seemed ideally suited to a device in the form of jewellery,’ said Banks.

The team believe a first generation iWatch may not include a webcam, and will rely on an iPhone for its data connection.

It also believes Apple may come up with a clever solution for conserving battery life.

‘Apple would surely find a nice solution: it has numerous patents on motion and position sensors, and could come up with a way of guessing when you’re going to look at your watch.

‘A simpler solution might be to formalise the wrist-twisting gesture that typically accompanies checking the time.’

However, Banks also admits the magazine has no insider knowledge.

‘Anyone who tells you they know what Apple is planning doesn’t know Apple’s planning.

‘But anyone can guess, and those who know Apple best can guess better.’

Dailymail

Improved: Scotland-based Touch Bionics says the latest i-limb boasts unparalleled dexterity and superior control and ease of use

A teenage boy who lost an arm and a leg as a baby has become the first person in the UK to be fitted with a prosthetic hand that is so advanced it can be controlled via a smartphone app.

Patrick Kane, 16, is now sporting the i-limb ultra revolution, which can be remotely-controlled and comes complete with an iOS app allowing the wearer to control its grip.

Patrick can also take advantage of five individually powered digits – including a rotating thumb – on the prosthetic, which is Scottish firm Touch Bionics’ most advanced yet.
The teenager, from London, lost all of the fingers on his left hand after contracting meningococcal septicaemia – the virulent form of meningitis – when he was just nine-months-old.
Doctors were also forced to amputate Patrick’s right leg below the knee, and part of each finger from his right hand.

The student – who was fitted with his first prosthetic through the NHS shortly after his first birthday – previously wore an i-limb ultra, but has now become the first person in the UK to be fitted with the new, more advanced version from the brains at Touch Bionics.

Featuring a rotating wrist and an aluminium chassis, the firm claims their creation is the most dextrous prosthetic limb ever made.

It’s unique app capability means the wearer can choose from a range of 24 different grips at the touch of a button. The app can also offers training on how to best use the device and can diagnose problems with it.

Previously Patrick could use only four pre-set grips on the go, and would have to return to his computer to alter the settings.

The i-limb is so sensitive it can be used to grip a single sheet of paper, play Connect Four or tie shoelaces – but it is also powerful enough to withstand the strain of 90kg weights in the gym.

The covering can be made to match the wearer’s natural skin tone, but Patrick chose a jet black version of the i-limb, which costs from £25,000 to upwards of £80,000, depending on how far up the arm it needs to extend.

‘I have only had it for 24 hours and it’s not so much that it allows me to do new things but it will allow me to do things more smoothly and naturally,’ Patrick said.

‘The movement runs much more smoothly. I have been practising playing Connect 4 with it.

‘There are custom grips I can choose so if I have a certain tennis racquet or cricket bat I could choose a grip for it to fit it perfectly and it will remember that.

‘I also use it in the gym, on the rowing machine and using weights and pulleys,’ he said.

The advanced prosthetic uses muscle signals to shift into a series of pre-set patterns.

It achieves this by using electrodes in the wrist to pick up electrical impulses created by contracting muscles, which are interpreted by a computer in the back of the hand.

Each of the fingers bends at the joints and can be adapted to fit around any shape of object the owner wants to hold.

These pictures show Patrick using his new bionic hand to grasp a range of items from a smartphone and a water glass to a rubber ball and a single coin.

The bionic hand can also be used for various tasks from typing to tying shoe laces.

It comes in black or neutral, can automatically return to a natural position after a period of inactivity and is powered by a battery.

The device is so technical that users have to undergo rigorous training in order to get the most out of it.

 Dailymail

A phone too far? The Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone was the first ‘phablet’ but now an even bigger version has been launched

It is the biggest smartphone on sale, with a giant 6.3inch screen.

Samsung’s new Mega Galaxy handset look more like a tablet than a phone – and has already been slammed as ‘just too big’.

Samsung hopes the big design will appeal to commuters and others who regularly watch films on their gadgets.