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Wednesday 7 November 2012

Our basic schools were never under trees - Presby church

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has said its basic schools on government’s published list of schools removed from under trees were never under trees.

The government recently published a list of 600 schools it claimed to have removed from under trees.

The list had the Osu Presby Boys Primary, Osu Presby Girls Primary/JHS and Osu Salem '5' Primary on it.

The church said the schools have had classrooms for a very long time. Speaking to Citi News, the District Minister of the Osu Ebenezer Presby church Reverend Dr. Nana Opare Kwakye said government only offered to renovate the schools.

“It was an existing building, not a school under a tree. Government only helped to refurbish the building by re-roofing and changing door locks,” he said.

Rev Kwakye also opined, “The Osu Presby Cluster of Schools are very old schools and most of the people in the church and community have come from that school so these are not schools under trees.”

source: citifmonline

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Melcom had no permit

It has been established that the Melcom multi-storey shopping complex at Achimota in Accra, which collapsed today does not have the necessary building permit.

The Member of Parliament for Okaikoi South, Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, disclosed to Joy News that she has reliably been informed, when she enquired from the building inspector for the area, that the building has no permit.

The MP whose jurisdiction the building falls under wondered why the company was given permit to commence business in a building which has no permit.

She promised to take the issue up in Parliament when the House reconvened January next year.

“I spoke to the building inspector, to my surprise he is telling me they never gave permit for this building. And I asked him, if they didn’t, how come the building was put up until now and they have not done anything about it.

“Moreover, they have given them business operating permit to operate and they know they have not given permit to the building itself.

“So I told him that I am going to take them on as a Member of Parliament for the area.”

Madam Elizabeth Sackey asked the public not to always direct their attention and anger at politicians, but should at times focus them on technocrats who are directly responsible for such things “to sit up”.

The Mayor of Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Alfred Vanderpuye confirmed on Joy FM’s Top Story Wednesday, hours after the incident, that the six-storey building has no permit.

Mr Vanderpuye appealed to residents to ensure that they obtain the necessary permit for their buildings. He noted that most people put up structures without permit, and warned that they would severely be dealt with when caught.

He said his outfit has been combing the city of Accra for the past two years finding building without permit, “but how we missed this one, we are going to find out”.

He said the owner of the building and the building inspector for the area have been summoned for a meeting tomorrow, and assured, “we will get to the bottom of it”.

He denied having earlier knowledge of the fact that the building had no permit.

He assured that the Assembly, together with the other rescuers, would do all it could to “ensure that every life in there would be saved”.

Meanwhile, President Mahama has tasked the rescue team to work throughout the night to ensure that persons trapped under are rescued.

President John Dramani Mahama has given a strong indication that the person whose negligence caused the collapse of the shopping complex would be dealt with.

A member of the rescue team told Joy News 48 people were rescued as at 5:40pm and were sent to 37 Military Hospital, Korle Bu and Achimota hospitals.

An official of the Melcom Group Limited said 55 people work in that building, but could not tell if they were all present when it collapsed on Wednesday morning.

He said the shop was commissioned in January this year.

"We are doing everything possible to see that help reaches those who need it. Our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies goes to the families of those who may have lost their lives," the company wrote on facebook this morning.

source: Joy online


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Soulja Boy Apologises For Posting Pictures Of His Penis Online

One of the many differences between famous and non famous people is their attitude to their intimate areas. We keep our privates private. But for some celebs, their privates are very public.

Rapper Soulja Boy is the latest lad to have a "big reveal", after uploading a full frontal picture to his Tumblr account yesterday.

Fans were quite surprised to see Soulja standing to attention, and he took the picture down and made an apology.

He wrote "I apologize to ever seen that, accident."

Soulja Boy is in good company - N Dubz' Dappy, Alison Pill and Scarlett Johansen are just a few of the stars who have been involved in nude photo leaks over the last few months.

Soulja, 22, is best known for his single 'Crank That'. If ever he wishes to release a sequel to 2011's Soulja Boy: The Movie, he's now got some dramatic material to centre the story around. And he'll save money on wardrobe costs...



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2 Celebrities Join NPP

Good old Katawere aka Agya Afari of hit television drama series ‘Efiewura’ fame, and award-winning musician Adane Best, on Monday officially joined the campaign wagon of Nana Akufo Addo, presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Katawere, known in private life as Ebenezer Donkor, mounted the NPP campaign platform and urged several thousands of listening electorate to cast their vote in favour of Nana Addo on December 7.

The old actor received huge applause and cheers when he started dancing ‘Azonto’ on the campaign stage as part of his theatrics to entertain the NPP party faithful. Adane Best, on his part, used his hit ‘Jata Bi’ song to entertain party faithful that had gathered for a mini rally at Chorkor, a popular Accra coastal town.

The musician thrilled the crown when he appeared on stage with a puppet leopard, dancing to his ‘Jata Bi ‘song as he called for votes for Nana Addo.

On same day, several members of the creative arts industry including hi-life musician Kwabena Kwabena; movie producer and Public Relations Officer of the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) Socrate Sarfo; music producer Mark Okraku Mantey, Fredyma, a sound engineer and music producer; actresses Vivian Jill Lawrence, Mercy Asiedu, and Auntie B. of ‘Efiewura’ fame; actor Bill Asamoah; musicians C-Zar and Naa Agyeman and many others visited the Nima residence of Nana Akufo-Addo to assure him of their support for the December 7 polls.

It is significant when members of the creative arts industry publicly declare their support for an opposition political party and the NPP candidate, Nana Addo, aware of this, expressed his appreciation to the celebrities.

Nana Addo repeated his pledge to make the creative arts industry one of his top priorities if given an opportunity to serve as president of Ghana.

He explained that the creative arts sector, if managed properly and with the requisite structures put in place, could rake huge revenues for the country and also be an enviable source of income for its stakeholders.

Reports said several more celebrities would be declaring support for Nana Addo and would be regular features on his campaign platforms.


Source;news one


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Rihanna to premier 'Diamonds' today

iNewsGh can confirm to you that Robyn Rihanna Fenty popularly called Rihanna would be premiering her new video 'diamonds' today. iNewsGh would bring to you the video as soon as it is premiered..

source: iNewsGh

Cover phot: Hard Times



Joseph Yaw Frimpong has released the cover photo for his upcoming poem 'Hard Times'. This new poem would talk about the difficulties in which some people go through to make ends meet. It would talk about the difficulties people from all walks of life go through just to get 'something small.'

It would be released on Saturday 10th November, 2012 on this www.inewsgh.blogspot.com, www.spyghana.com, www.obimansoradio.com, www.ameyawdebrah.com and many more. You can follow him on twitter @frimpong4u

source: iNewsGh

Causers of Melcom disaster will pay: Mahama warns

His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama has promised to deal squarely with those whose negligence caused the Melcom disaster to happen.

The president also assured that specialized workers, as well as sniffer dogs would be brought on board to complement the “good work” of the combined rescue team underway. 

The President said “Whoever is responsible for this negligence here will pay a price,” he told the media, after a brief inspection of the scene.


more soon

Achimota Melcom collapses, 5 dead, 70 rescued

The ultra modern 6 storey Melcom-Achimota branch which is barely a year old  has collapsed.Reports reaching iNewsGh indicates that about 45 people have been trapped in the building

Rescue efforts are under way to remove the people who have been trapped in the building.

The building is barely a year old.


The President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama on his twitter page said ''My prayers are with the workers, shoppers and others who are trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Achimota Melcom building''


He has also visited the site after cancelling his Upper East regional campaign

FROM BBC

A multi-storey department store has collapsed in the capital of Ghana, Accra, trapping dozens of people in the rubble.
Rescue efforts are continuing, with officials saying that at least four people died in the Melcom store.
The BBC's Sammy Darko, who has visited the scene, says 42 people have been pulled out alive.
Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama said he had suspended his campaign for next month's election.
The government has declared the area in the city's Achimota neighbourhood a disaster zone.
'Terrified'

Vice-President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur went to the site and co-ordinated rescue efforts at the building, which opened earlier this year.
As night fell, hundreds of rescuers continued to dig through the rubble, amid fears that more people were trapped.
Mr Amissah-Arthur said the building had collapsed shortly before the Melcom store was due to open for business.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by the large crowd that had gathered at the site, he added.
"There's so much noise that it's not possible to hear the trapped people asking for help," Mr Amissah-Arthur said.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Melcom said it had rented the building which housed its Achimota branch on a 10-year lease.
"This is indeed a very tragic incident," it said.
"We are doing everything possible to see that help reaches those who need it. Our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies goes to the families of those who may have lost their lives."
Our reporter says customers often queue outside the store before it opens and officials say they believe about 50 people may been inside at the time of the collapse.
Eyewitness Ama Okyere told the AFP news agency she was very close to the shopping centre when the building came down.
"I had to run for my life. I was so terrified. I believe there are lots of people trapped under this because this is a heavily patronised shopping mall in the area."
Family members tried to call relatives feared trapped beneath the rubble on their mobile phones, AFP reported.
Another witness, John Owusu, said he heard a bang before the building collapsed.
President Mahama, in a tweet moments after the building collapsed, said: "My prayers are with the workers, shoppers and others who are trapped in the rubble of the Achimota Melcom building."
He has cut short his campaign in the north of the country and has flown back to Accra to see the rescue effort.


source: iNewsGh

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National best farmer is NDC foot soldier


Millions of farmers across the nation, who are toiling tirelessly to feed the nation, are going to be gnashing their teeth in absolute distress over the decision by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to unjustifiably award an activist of the party as the 2012 National Best Farmer.

On Friday last week, thirty-eight (38) year-old Lemuel Kwashie Martey of Mannah Farms Limited in Accra, was adjudged the 2012 National Best Farmer among all the thousands of redoubtable farmers in Ghana.

For his prize, he will have a three-bedroom fully furnished house and a pick-up vehicle.

However, investigations conducted by this paper at Mataheko, a suburb of Afienya in the Kpone Katamanso District in the Greater Accra Region indicates that the 2012 best farmer, Mr. Lemuel Kwashie Martey has done little or nothing to deserve such award, or even to be named as the regional best farmer let alone the national best farmer.

Scouts sent by the Daily Searchlight to Mataheko yesterday, where Mannah Farms is located, unravelled the mystery that surrounds the whole scheme to award Mr. Lemuel Kwashie Martey as the best farmer for 2012 at Abokobi.

It was established by this paper that Mr. Kwashie who has been adjured the 2012 best farmer has only about 5 acres of rice farm and a big pool of water he has termed as a dam where he breeds fish at Mataheko.

According to the people, who spoke to Daily Searchlight scouts, they have registered their displeasure against the government and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for not doing diligent work in finding the background of Mr. Kawshie before giving him the best farmer award for the year 2012.

A source who took the scouts around the 5 acre rice farm and the dam said the land in which Mr. Lemuel Kwashie Martey was farming on was the same place the 2006 best farmer used and apart from that Mr. Kwashie do not have any livestock, no cattle ranch whatsoever to warrant him winning this noble award.

Tradition has it that the best farmer needs to be able to grow varieties of crops and also have livestock in addition to be able to win the award.

Some of the farmers in the country who spoke to this paper said they are very shocked of the whole incident.

“We are very unhappy about this situation and we are urging the ministry to immediately investigate this matter because the real farmers are not been recognized and those who are not farmers and loyal to one particular government are been given awards,” fumed old man at Mataheko.

This paper also established that Mr. Kwashie Martey who won the 2012 best farmer is also loyal NDC foot soldiers and executive at Kpone Katamanso. He has normally been going to people's farms to brag that he owns the farm when he does not.

This paper can say on authority that the village near Mataheko which Mr. Kwashie has named as rice city has only one rice mill and a generator.

When this paper called him to clarify the allegation, he said it was a team of learned people from all the universities in the country who came to him to check his activities and if anything the paper could contact them and the ministry to verify for the whole public.

When Mr. Kwashie Martey was asked again by this paper to even show any other farming activity apart from his five-acre rice farm and the fish pond, he could not but insisted that he still deserves the national best farmer award.

source: Daily Searchlight

Obama's victory will help Mahama to beat Nana Addo: Okudzeto

The Deputy Information Minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa has predicted a win for His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. He made this prediction in reference to Obama's victory of his fierce contender Mitt Romney.

President Obama beat his Republican challenger Mitt Romney by securing the 270 Electoral Colleges needed to secure a second four-year term in office. With Florida's 29 electoral votes still undecided, Mr Obama won 303 electoral votes to Mr Romney's 206.

He said on JOY FM that the problems confronting the USA were created by the Republicans and therefore, the electorate felt it was not fair to quickly bring them back after four years.

He therefore prophesied that Obama's victory would be replicated by Ghanaians. Sam Okudzeto Ablakaw believes the December elections will favour the NDC as has been the trend in outcomes of US elections and how they impact those of Ghana since 1992.

“Those who are superstitious believe anytime democrats win, NDC wins and this has been happening since 1992. I am not superstitious but it is a good feeling that what keeps happening will happen,” Mr. Ablakwa maintained.

source: iNewsGh

Ghanaian club Berekum Chelsea named fourth best club in Africa


Ghanaian club Berekum Chelsea have been named the fourth best club in Africa for the month of October, the IFFHS has revealed in its latest ranking.

The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), which chronicles the history and records of association football, published its October ranking of the best 400 football clubs in the world showing the Ghanaian club among the best in Africa.

Ghanaian giants Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko were not named among the top ten clubs in Africa as they have struggled recently to make an impact continentally.

Caf champions Esperance Tunis once again emerged as the first African team on the list, conserving their 61st position from last month although losing half a point to finish at 148.5 but still besting top sides like FC Porto of Portugal, 71, French clubs Lille, 77 and Bordeaux, 79 and Newcastle, 83.

Second African club on the list is Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman with 129 points, retaining their 82nd position, while another Sudanese side Al-Merreikh Omdurman came third with 113 points and sitting at 117 position.

Ghana’s Chelsea FC Berekum are the fourth African team on the list, obtaining 113.5 points and sharing the 117th position with French Ligue 1 champions Montpellier.

CAF Champions League 2011 finalists Wydad Casablanca of Morocco are the fifth African side and 141 overall, while Mali’s Djoliba AS and Egypt’s Al Ahly finished sixth and seventh respectively at 159 and 162 on the list.

The top ten African clubs

1- Esperance Tunis, Tunisia (61st with 148.5 points)

2- Al-Hilal Omdurman, Sudan (82nd with 129 pts)

3- Al-Merreikh Omdurman, Sudan (117th with 113.5 pts)

4- Chelsea FC Berekum, Ghana (117th with 113 pts)

5- Wydad Casablanca, Morocco (141th with 104.5 pts)

6- Djoliba AS, Mali (159th with 98.5 pts)

7- Al Ahly, Egypt (162nd with 97.5 pts)

8- Sunshine Stars, Nigeria (176th with 93.5 pts)

9- Desportivo Interclube, Angola (196th with 88 pts)

10- Stade Malien, Mali (235th with 81pts)

souce: Ghanasoccernet

Why are people so mean to single people?


In a world that celebrates romance and finding The One, people can be rather rude to single people, writes James Friel.

No-one is supposed to be single.

In the course of my life, I have loved and lost and sometimes won, and always strangers have been kind. But I have, it appears, been set on a life of single blessedness.

And I haven't minded. Or rather, I realise, I haven't minded enough. But now I kind of do. Take dinner parties. There comes a moment, and that question: "Why don't you have a partner?"

It is usually asked by one of a couple, with always a swivel of the eye to his or her other half, so really two people are asking this question.

And I struggle to answer: "I have never found the right person... I am a sad and sorry manchild... I am incapable of love... I am a deviant, and prefer giraffes."


Any answer will fail to satisfy. The questioner expects no happy answer. I am only covering up my bone-deep, life-corroding loneliness. The questioners know this, and the insight they believe it affords comforts them. They are safe.

They look down from the high castle of coupledom, protected from such a fate. But if I were to ask: "Why have you settled for him? Why are you stuck with her? Were you so afraid of being alone?" such questions would be thought rude, intrusive.

Last week a friend of mine went on a date. A foolish thing to do. The man she met had been married three times and had a child by each wife. An example of emotional continence I'm sure you'll agree. And he asked my friend, single and childless, why she had failed at life.

It was a shortish date. Failed at life?

Single people can also feel this way about other single people, and about themselves. You see, no one is supposed to be single. If we are, we must account for our deficiencies.


A recent book claims on its cover that single people might be the most reviled sexual minority today. But it's not just today.

Take the word "spinster". It is withering and unkind. The word, of course, is innocent, but its connotations are unhappy, dismissive and disrespectful.

A few years back, in an age of Bridget Jones-type heroines, the novelist Carol Clewlow wondered about a female reader of her own generation, a woman who had long decided not to twin her destiny with another's. She wrote a novel about this single state. About spinsters.

She called it Spinsta.

She delivered Spinsta to her agent, who was delighted, as were her publishers. A campaign was initiated. Various columnists and celebrities were to be asked to consider and celebrate this word, but then another word came back from the booksellers.

That word was "no". They would not stock and no one would pick up a book with such an ugly word as its title. The novel was retitled Not Married, Not Bothered.

When I speak of this subject with women, the conversation, the anecdotes, are plentiful, wry and amusing.


With other men, gay or straight, the talk is more wistful, hesitant, inconclusive, and even a little pained.

Legal now, the gay man must also account for not having a partner. We even agitate for marriage. To be recognised as couples not just by the law - which is right - but by God, which is redundant. But couples rely on such iron definitions, need them.

Someone might take them to be single, and no one is supposed to be single. And yet I am. Carol Clewlow described me as a male spinster. I admit I was a little bothered until she added "like George Clooney".

Cool, I thought. I could go with that. But Google "male spinster" and there is much bother at the term. Top of the search list is an unreasonably popular piece from London's Evening Standard.


It reads: "A male spinster is an unmarried man over the age of 35, a moniker that implies at best these men have 'issues' and at worst are sociopaths. One fears for these men, just as society has traditionally feared for the single women. They cannot see how lonely they will be."

How kind this fear sounds. No-one is supposed to be single. To be single must mean to be lonely but far lonelier are those who fear being alone.

Namely, the "I" who is incomplete without a "you". The "me" who is without substance or purpose unless rhymed with a "we". Those tyrannised by the need, the obligation, to go about this world in pairs.

In order to argue for the single person, it seems one must criticise the couple; the culture that coerces us into coupledom, the religions, the familial pressures, the pop songs, the movies, the game shows, the gossip, the unavoidable, inescapable pressure to conjoin, to love.

Freud has it that we become ill if we do not love, and songs tell us we must succumb to a love that - bonding us - will devastate us too. I am nothing, nothing, nothing, if I don't have you. How kind is such a love? Isn't it a little punitive?


Laura Kipnis, in Against Love, has a chapter called Domestic Gulag, and the prison rules a couple must follow:

You can't leave the house without saying where you are going
You can't not say what time you will return
You can't leave the bathroom door open - it's offensive
You can't leave the bathroom door closed
You can't have secrets

Nine and half pages later, Kipnis concludes: "The specifics don't matter. What matters is the operative word, can't. Thus is love obtained."


And Michael Cobb reminds us in a book called Single that Plato defined love as our name for the pursuit of the whole, our desire to be made complete. But Plato has Aristophanes remind us that this pursuit - this need to be completed, this quest for coupledom - is a punishment.

Perhaps single people secretly wish to reclaim an original state of being, somehow sense that we do not need to be completed by another, somehow sense that we are able to complete ourselves. The single person might just be too self-possessed.

Perhaps we are too honest to be coupled. Perhaps we cannot tell another person: "I love only you. And I will love you forever."

It's quite difficult to tell someone the more truthful: "I love you, you know, for now."

Sorry. The single person might just be too self-possessed.

Personally, I don't wish to make satiric judgements against the couple because such judgements - patronising, dismissive and even fearful - are what I resent when asked to explain why I persist in being single.

I want to describe myself more positively and not against some grain that abrades both me and anyone else who believes and lives differently.

My favourite character in literature is the difficult, unclubbable Lucy Snowe from Charlotte Bronte's Villette. At the conclusion of her slippery and singular tale, she manages in her lone voice to define herself as wife, widow and spinster all at once and so none of these at all but - simply, complicatedly - her own marvellous, darkly brave and tricksy self.


And I would rescue, too, that martyr, the maligned Miss Havisham. Because I don't believe the single person has a sceptical or reductive notion of love but suspect, rather, that they might be compelled by an even higher, almost unrealisable, conception of it.

In the world through which we move, increasingly, we do not expect our relationships to endure. Increasingly, our relative affluence and advances in new technology allow us to live comfortably alone.

Increasingly, this is what we seem to be doing: we are choosing to live alone. We need stories not about how to become couples. They are legion. We need stories about how to be single, and how to be kept amazed and awake by a joy of our own manufacture.

Although I was born single, I never considered that this would continue to be my fate.

This piece is based on an edited version of James Friel's Four Thought

Send us your comments using the form below. A selection will be published later.


source: BBC






Obama second term: What it means for the world

1. MIDDLE EAST

The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen writes: In his victory speech, President Obama told Americans that 10 years of war were ending. But turbulence in the Middle East means that military action, perhaps even new wars, will push back on to his agenda.

The Syrian war is leaking into neighbouring countries. Second-term President Obama is likely to authorise more support of the Syrian rebels, short of direct US military intervention.

An even bigger decision awaits on Iran. If by next summer the US and its key allies still believe that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, despite talks and sanctions, Mr Obama will have to decide whether or not to attack Iran's nuclear sites, or to give Israel a green light to go to war.

America has to build new relations with Arab countries that have elected Islamist political leaders, and to respond if the Arab uprisings continue to spread to US allies in the Gulf. Another crisis between Israel and the Palestinians is overdue. When it comes, Mr Obama will be tempted to revive the push for peace he abandoned in his first term.

Behind every decision will be the knowledge that, despite its huge military power, America's political leverage in the Middle East is in decline.

2. EUROPE

The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels writes: Europe will be waking up this morning with a general sigh of relief. Opinion polls have always shown President Obama to be more popular than Governor Romney across the continent - but for most governments, too, continuity in Washington is better than a changing of the guard. The US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner - as well as the President himself - has been closely involved in discussions on the eurozone. The EU is so embroiled in its internal debates on the eurozone crisis that it doesn't want any external distractions.

The EU has also been working closely with the Obama administration on a variety of foreign policy issues - Iran in particular. Even if some of the key personnel change in a second Obama term, the President's victory means there will be no dramatic change of course for European capitals to deal with.

3. CHINA

The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing writes: President Obama's victory comes just a day before the start of China's once-in-a-decade leadership change, so for China's leaders the focus for now is firmly at home - and not across the Pacific.

But during the US presidential campaign, both candidates were highly critical of China, taking Beijing to task over what they saw as the country's unfair trade practices. Some of the sting from those accusations could well linger long after election day. Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years - particularly over economic issues.

Beijing is also deeply worried about President's Obama strategic "pivot" back to Asia. Some officials believe that Washington is trying to contain the rise of China. It will be these issues that will dominant arguably the most important diplomatic relationship in the world.

4. AFGHANISTAN 

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul writes: Much in Afghanistan is viewed now through the prism of the ending of the US-led combat mission here. A change in Commander-in Chief was unlikely to make much of a difference to American policy - there was little difference between the candidates, aside from Mitt Romney's claim that he would listen more to generals on the ground.

The question facing President Obama is how quickly do the remaining troops come home, and how many are left here after 2014. Military commanders would like a more gradual withdrawal, and a force of 10,000 plus to remain. But the White House, with a renewed mandate, is likely to press for an accelerated exit, with fewer American soldiers and marines remaining to assist Afghan forces, after 2014.

5. IRAN

The BBC's Mohsen Asgari in Tehran writes: Many in Iran were concerned that a Republican win would mean war, and believe a Barack Obama victory makes life safer for the people, because the US will move quickly to set up a new round of talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

However, some Iranian political activists believe that Barack Obama's victory will give rise to more pressures on Iran. "Barack Obama enjoys considerable popularity in the international community, which Romney really lacks, and it will help him reinforce the coalition against Iran and build up more pressure on the country," said Naser Hadian, a political professor at Tehran University.

Which would be more acceptable for Iran: Mr Romney and his Israeli allies imposing a cessation of uranium enrichment or a President Obama who might give Iran peaceful nuclear rights? From that viewpoint, Iranians are very happy to see Barack Obama once again in the White House.

6. PAKISTAN 

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad writes: Pakistan's military, which controls the country's national security policy, has traditionally felt more comfortable with Republican governments in the US. Democratic leaders, on the other hand, have tended to be rather cold towards it, due to its position civil liberties, democracy and nuclear weapons.

During President Obama's first term, US-Pakistan relations appeared to have hit rock bottom. The US continued to express concern over Pakistan's alleged support for militant groups. Pakistan remained angry over drone strikes on its territory, the killing of Osama bin Laden in a covert US operation on Pakistani soil, and Nato attacks on some Pakistani border posts.

But Mr Obama's victory means the US' proposed "end game" in Afghanistan is likely to pick up steam, and from a Pakistani perspective, take on a clearer shape. Pakistan has been complaining that American strategy in Afghanistan is vague, and that its own potential role as an important player in the Afghan peace is being ignored.

Analysts here predict that the Obama victory is likely to increase pressure on the Pakistani establishment to facilitate US goals in Afghanistan.

7. AFRICA

The BBC's Andrew Harding in Johannesburg writes: President Barack Obama made only one, cursory trip to sub-Saharan Africa during his first term. So how much will change in Mr Obama's second term? That question was, perhaps understandably, barely mentioned in an election campaign that focused on pressing domestic issues and the Arab uprisings.

Behind the scenes, American diplomacy will no doubt continue to be furiously in demand. The start of the second term is likely to be preoccupied with more of the same: international efforts to remove Al-Qaeda-linked rebels from the north of Mali - by force or negotiation or both - and efforts to ensure that Zimbabwe and Kenya avoid repeating the violence that wrecked their last elections.

So far, there is no sign of a grand "Obama Doctrine" for Africa - and perhaps that's a good thing, given the diversity and complexity of the continent. Mr Obama has left it to others to warn about the dangers posed by an insatiable China, but his second term may give him an opportunity to move away from the distorting "war on terror" preoccupations of Mali and Somalia, and focus on the broader issues - trade in particular - that he raised three years ago in Ghana.

8. RUSSIA

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow: Russia has received the news of President Obama's re-election with cautious optimism. Moscow feels it knows President Obama: it has worked with him the last four years. And, after all, he is the man who famously launched the re-set in US-Russian relations.

But this will be no "buddy-buddy" relationship. President Obama may have hit it off with the previous Russian leader, Dmitry Medvedev (they once went to a burger bar together), but relations with Mr Putin are proving more challenging. There is concern in Washington at the current human rights situation in Russia; at the same time, there is suspicion in the Kremlin that the US is funding and supporting President Putin's opponents.

Add to all of this Moscow's concern at US plans for a missile defence shield in Europe, Nato's potential further enlargement to the east and major differences over the conflict in Syria, and it is clear the mutual distrust is growing. Time for a re-set of the re-set?

SOURCE: BBC







Obama re-elected as US President


President Barack Obama has been re-elected to a second term, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

America's first black president secured the 270 votes in the electoral college needed to win the race.

In his victory speech before supporters in Chicago, Mr Obama said he would talk to Mr Romney about "where we can work together to move this country forward".

Mr Obama prevailed despite lingering dissatisfaction with the economy and a hard-fought challenge by Mr Romney.

His Democrats also retained their majority in the Senate, which they have held since 2007, while Republicans kept control of the House.


The BBC's Mark Mardell in Chicago says the president is challenging his opponents, asking them to work with him.

With Florida's 29 electoral votes still undecided, Mr Obama won 303 electoral votes to Mr Romney's 206.

The popular vote, which is symbolically and politically important but not decisive in the race, remains very close.

Mr Obama greeted jubilant supporters and congratulated Mr Romney and Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan on their hard-fought campaign.

"We have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come," he said.


Mr Obama said he was returning to the White House "more determined, and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do, and the future that lies ahead".

He pledged to work with Republican leaders in Congress to reduce the government's budget deficit, fix the tax code and reform the immigration system.

"We are an American family and we rise and fall together as one nation," he said.

In Boston, where his campaign was based, Mr Romney congratulated the president and said he and Mr Ryan had "left everything on the field" and had given their all in the campaign.


Referring to the struggling economy, Mr Romney said that now was not the time for "partisan bickering and political posturing", and that Republicans and Democrats must "put people before politics".

"I so wish that I had been able to fulfil your hopes to lead the country in a different direction but the nation chose another leader and so I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation," he said.

Under the US constitution, each state is given a number of electoral votes in rough proportion to its population. The candidate who wins 270 electoral votes - by prevailing in the mostly winner-takes-all state contests - becomes president.

On Tuesday, the president held the White House by assembling solid Democratic states and a number of important swing states such as Colorado, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin. His narrow victory in Ohio, a critical Mid-Western swing state, sealed the victory.


Billions spent
Mr Romney won North Carolina and Indiana, both of which Mr Obama won in 2008, as well as the solid Republican states.

But he was unable to win in Ohio or other states needed to breach the 270 threshold.

Also on Tuesday's ballot were 11 state governorships, a third of the seats in the 100-member US Senate and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

Mr Obama's victory came despite lingering high unemployment - 7.9% on election day - and tepid economic growth.

But voters gave him credit for his 2009 rescue of the US car industry among other policy accomplishments, and rewarded him for ordering the commando mission that killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan last year.

He and Mr Romney, as well as their respective allies, have spent more than $2bn (£1.25bn) - largely on adverts in swing states.

source: BBC





Becca To Replace Eazzy As The First Lady For Lynx Entertainment

I  won’t lie Lynx Entertainment is the best when it comes to artist branding, too bad things ain’t cutting it for them. But guess what, with their new recruits, they are coming to take over again, YES! again. Asem and Eazzy left them sadly which made the group a bit shaky.

Information reaching us has it that ‘her royal sexiness’ Rebecca Acheampong aka Becca is set to be released to by her management, Kiki Banson (RKB records) to Richie Mensah’s LYNX Entertainment.
Ghana’s award –winning sensational afro pop musician is known to have chalked lots of successes under the management of Kiki Banson’s EKB records.

Following the release of her debut album ‘Sugar’, with the record label, the songstress has been seen moving from grass to grace not overlooking her much talked about music video with the Nigerian rapper MI, a video touted to cost an estimated $ 50.000.

Obviously, the gorgeous songstress seemed to have grand slam with her manager and alleged boyfriend Kiki Banson of EKB records therefore the rumor of her sudden swap left our team hungry for truth. Upon thorough investigations, sources close to both record labels indicated that Kiki Banson would want to venture into something different apart from managing Becca. If this turns out to be not just mere speculation but the truth, then it is likely Kiki Banson might part ways with the sexy songstress.

Information from within revealed that, Kiki Banson thus EKB records deemed LYNX Entertainment worthy to take Becca on, career wise.

Indeed this would be good news for LYNX Entertainment considering the departure of the record’s biggest artist, Asem followed by the hottest first lady of the label, Eazzy.
As to if LYNX Entertainment would be able to keep Becca’s standards or more, our team would monitor and keep you updated.

source: Zion-felix

Lady Gaga's Producer DJ White Shadow Slams Nicki Minaj: 'You're Not Talented'


A producer who has worked extensively with Lady Gaga has taken to Twitter to blast Nicki Minaj in a seemingly unprovoked attack, claiming she isn't talented.

DJ White Shadow produced the majority of Lady Gaga's second studio album Born This Way album, including songs 'Americano,' 'Bloody Mary' and 'The Edge of Glory'.

On Tuesday, something appeared to have rattled his cage because he tweeted: "Ok. Nicki Minaj. F**k you. Get a grip. You are lucky, not talented. Stop. Please stop. XO. DJWS."

The tweet was deleted shortly after, but White Shadow addressed his comment again, later writing:

"Oops didn't mean to delete that. But I don't recall what I said, basically it was "come on son" to nicki. Cause you are wack."

Nicki's dedicated fans were clearly furious with the jabs and bombarded the DJ with defensive messages on behalf of the rapper, however, White Shadow was standing by his opinion.

"You can be judgmental. My views are my own. I am by myself. I don't hate. It's not hate, just dislike for poor taste," he replied. It isn't known what caused White Shadow to launch into a rant about the Young Money rapper.

The 'Starships' hitmaker hasn't responded to the comments, no doubt busy with her new three-part reality show, Nicki Minaj: My Truth, in which she addresses her turbulent relationship with American Idol co-judge Mariah Carey.

"I think Mariah met her match this time, and I don't think she was expecting to meet her match," Nicki says on her show.

"I'm super nervous and anxious for the first day on American Idol. I'm still second guessing my decision. I'm probably going to be a hundred times guessing this decision because I'm human. It's a big job", Nicki said whilst cameras followed her around as she prepared for her first day on the talent show last month.

source: entertainmentwise

Tuesday 6 November 2012

FULL TEXT OF PREZ RAWLINGS' STATEMENT TO THE FORMER PARTY EXECUTIVES WHO CALLED ON HIM TODAY.

My dear former executives and elder statesmen of the National Democratic Congress;

Let me first express my sincere gratitude for finding the time and energy to travel from various parts of the country to converge here in the supreme interest of the party.

At times such as this, I wish many who currently hold the helms of the party have the same level of deep commitment and love that you exhibited in the past and which has manifested yet again, today. I thank you once again for this great show of deep sense of belonging to our political tradition.

My dear friends and senior colleagues; I am also deeply touched by your plea that I overlook the deep problems our party has encountered since 2009 and join the campaign trail.

I have in recent public statements expressed my desire to see the NDC win theelection and have also expressed the feeling that John Mahama has brought some sense of hope to the NDC.

What has really given me hope, however, is the fact that you as former Chiefs of our party have noted with concern the problems that encounter our party and which cannot be wished away simply by the possibility of an electoral victory.

It is important that your statements here today are not cosmetic and will be followed up with real action and words of reproach and action to the current leaders of the party, some of whom approach party issues as if they have nounderstanding of the issues that affect the ordinary people of Ghana.

As a party we have failed in several aspects of governance, particularly with respect to offering confidence to the people that they will receive justice at all times. I need not delve into the details because you are aware of these and I have stated them several times over.

When I speak publicly against my own party it is with deep hurt, but I cannot betray the people who held this party up and gave it a life when many had little belief in us. You more so than others did so because of our religious adherence to the basic principles of probity and accountability. Corruption in its various forms and especially lack of justice in government leads to national instability.

I enjoin all of you here to hit the campaign trail. Your input is valuable to the cause so don’t go back home and watch from the sidelines.

Events of the past three years have led to divisions some of which led to the establishment of the NDP with the aim of salvaging the ideals of the P/NDC.

We may however have to call on our dear brothers and sisters in the NDP, the party leadership and membership to consider seriously withdrawing parliamentary candidates from constituencies where the NDC has credible candidates.

I hope to play my part in this election period. I am four years older than I was in 2008 and all the exertion plus my international roles mean I am a tired man. I was hoping to retire after the last election but unfortunately things did not fall in place the way they should have.

We must keep the channels of communication open so we can work hand in hand tore-ignite the revolution to restore our party to its rightful position of respect and value in our society.

Corruption and injustice has never had and will not ensure any future in national governance.

Thank you

Free Streaming of IEA vice presidential debate

CLICK PLAY TO STREAM


Photo Soulja Boy goes nude on tumblr


The 'Kiss me through the phone'' hit maker thrust his manhood to people who followed him on tumblr!

He later apologized by saying ''"I apologize to ever seen that, accident."

However, we at iNewsGh think that it is deliberate and a means of getting his popularity hyped for an event he is planing to undertake.

source: iNewsGh

Please follow us on twitter @iNewsGh

Konadu: Vote NDC out in the 2012 elections

Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings has asked Ghanaians to vote the National Democratic Congress(NDC) out of office since they don't deserve a second term in office.

She said during an interview on Asempa FM that corruption has now become a norm rather than the exception in the country. She also maintained that NDC had failed to deliver on its promise to Ghanaians in the heat of campaigns of the 2008 elections, to reduce poverty, corruption and economic hardship to the barest minimum, if they were voted into government.

She also said that her government (NDP) will will place the Ghanaian above politics and ensure basic social amenities are provided to make life more comfortable for the masses. According to her, her government will provide needed facilities at various educational levels to ensure that children get the required education that will go a long way to liberate them, after graduating from school.

She condemned what she termed as moves by some NDC faithful to bribe NDP parliamentary candidates to step down from the race, describing the practice as “high corruption.”

Nana Konadu urged the about 170 NDP parliamentary candidates not to yield to financial influence, saying that they can use their numbers to bargain to change policies in parliament to suit their own (NDP), in the event that the court does not rule in her favour to enable her to contest the presidential polls. 

Rawlings to campaign for Mahama

Ghana's former President Jerry John Rawlings has rescinded his decision not to campaign for the sitting president of Ghana.

The spokesperson of the ex-president, Kofi Adams, made this known to the public when he was interviewed on Asempa FM by Ekosii Sen.

According to Kofi Adams, the former President rescinded his decision. The reason given was that he( Rawlings) has seen some changes under the leadership of his excellency John Dramani Mahama.

According to Kofi Adams, the former President has had a meeting with the national executives and some senior members of the National Democratic Congress.

source: iNewsGh

''Short man'' Nana Addo's platform was raised during the IEA meeting: NDC group


PROTEST AGAINST IEA’S PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR NANA ADDO IN TAMALE

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media,

Ahead of the IEA Vice-Presidential debate, we of FOJODRAMA wish to hereby register our utmost disapproval of a blatant act of favouritism and preferential treatmengt given to the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) during its recent Presidential Debate held at the Radach Hotel in Tamale.

At the said event, the IEA provided the NPP candidate with a 1-foot raised platform hidden behind his podium on which he stood to tower over his much taller contestants for an obvious psychological advantage.
None of the other three candidates, namely President John Mahama of the NDC, Dr Abu Sakara of the CPP and Mr Hassan Ayariga of the PNC were given any such raised platforms to stand on.

It is a known fact that Nana Akufo-Addo is naturally the shortest of all the nine certified presidential candidates in the 2012 elections. We of FOJODRAMA believe height does not really matter in the race to the presidency. However, we find the attempt to hide the fact of Nana’s diminutive stature at such an important function where most Ghanaians were seeing their presidential candidates for the first time, is to say the least, reprehensible.

This is even more so, when one considers that this was done in secrecy to the extent that the raised platform behind Nana’s podium had been covered with the same blue woolen carpet that covered the entire conference room and it was hidden behind his podium in such a way that it was imperceptible to anyone inside the hall.

It was only the press corps on the second floor upstairs as well as the three other presidential candidates who could see the raised platform on which Nana Addo stood to deliver his contribution to the debate throughout the entire duration.

If Nana Addo had any genuine reason for requesting that he should be given such a preferential treatment, and if the IEA felt such a request was genuine, they should have informed the public about it, and made everybody aware that they were watching an NPP candidate who was talking down at them from a raised platform.

At such an event as the IEA forum, where Ghanaian voters get to see their candidates shoulder-to-shoulder for the very first time, they deserve to be given the right to choose their leader and president by taking into consideration all the factors that they deem to be important to them.

It is the right of voters, for instance, to choose a president who would represent the nation at the UN General Assembly for instance, and would be able to reach the level of the microphone used by all other speakers without requesting for special raised platforms anywhere.

This right, we believe, is what the IEA took away from the electorate by that reprehensible act of falsifying Nana Akufo-Addo’s height to the millions of Ghanaian voters, and the several hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.

It is on behalf of this multitude that we call for nothing but an unreserved apology from the IEA, in addition to the other three presidential candidates who mounted the podium that night to present themselves to the people of Ghana without any deception in whatever shape or form, believing in an equal platform and level playing field, which was literally denied them.

A further promise by IEA not to repeat this kind of deception and favouritism in future events, especially those coming up on November 6 and 20, would be most welcome..
Thank you.

Signed

GEORGE TETTEH-WAYOE ESQ
(Spokesperson, FOJODRAMAMA)
Barrister At Law and Solicitor of the Supreme Court, Ghana.

source: iNewsGh

Prez denies $170b theft claim


President John Mahama has denied rumours he has diverted into his phantom personal Swiss Bank account a $170 billion World Bank loan meant for Ghana.

President Mahama says rumours of that nature will not deter him.

He was addressing a rally in the Upper West regional capital Wa to round up his campaign tour of that part of the country last night.

“They are writing all kinds of things on the internet, that I have taken 170 billion world bank money and I have to put it in a SWISS bank account. It’s the funniest story I’ve ever heard,” the president said.

He said the lies being peddled will not save the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from the defeat staring in their faces, adding “who Jah bless, no man curse.”

The President has toured the three northern regions in the past one week expounding his Advancing the Better Ghana agenda.

He has also commissioned a number of projects while urging contractors to speed up various developmental projects in that part of the country.

source: radioxyzonline

US heads for cliffhanger election

US presidential rivals Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are spending their last day of campaigning visiting swing states and urging supporters to vote.
Mr Romney went to Florida, where polls suggest he has the edge, and then to Virginia, New Hampshire and Ohio.
Mr Obama appeared in Wisconsin, accompanied by Bruce Springsteen, before going on to Iowa and Ohio.
The election will be decided by a handful of swing states, with Ohio in particular seen as crucial to victory.
Mr Obama and Mr Romney are running almost neck-and-neck in national polls, in a campaign that has cost more than $2bn (£1.2bn).
But surveys of the nine-or-so battleground states that will determine the election show Mr Obama narrowly ahead.
Legal challenges

The race has been most intense in Ohio - no Republican has ever made it to the White House without winning there.
Mr Romney would become the first Mormon president of the US if he wins on Tuesday.
In Fairfax, Virginia just outside Washington DC, the former Massachusetts governor said the president had failed to make good on the promise of his 2008 campaign and it was time for a new direction.
"Look at the record," he exhorted supporters.
"Talk is cheap, but a record is real and it's earned with effort. When the president promised change, you can look and see what happened. Four years ago then-candidate Obama promised to do so very much but he's done so very little."
He summed up his pitch to voters: "Do you want four more years like the last four years? Or do you want real change?"
He was due to end his campaign with a late-night rally in New Hampshire but made the surprise announcement that he would extend campaigning into election day itself - visiting Ohio and Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
In Wisconsin, singer Springsteen helped warm up the Madison crowd for Mr Obama before the president appeared.
Mr Obama told the rally: "You may be frustrated with the pace of change. I promise you, so am I sometimes. But you know that I say what I mean and I mean what I say.
"I said I'd end the war in Iraq, and I ended it. I said I'd pass health care reform - I passed it. I said I'd repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' - we repealed it. I said we'd crack down on reckless practices on Wall Street, and we did.

 "So you know where I stand, you know what I believe, you know I tell the truth - and you know I'll fight for you and your families every single day as hard as I know how, you know that about me."

Thirty million Americans have already cast their ballot through early voting across 34 states. In the 2008 presidential election, 130 million people voted.
With the election expected to be decided by a razor-thin margin, both sides are readying teams of lawyers for legal fights.
Democrats in Florida have filed a legal case demanding an extension of time available for early voting, citing unprecedented demand after voters reportedly queued up for hours on Sunday,
In Ohio, Republican election officials will go to court on Monday to defend an 11th-hour directive to local election officials that tightens requirements needed for provisional ballots to be counted.
A final poll published on Sunday by Ohio's Columbus Dispatch newspaper gave Mr Obama a 2% lead - 50% to 48% - over his rival, within the margin of error.

Activists have been stepping up efforts across the crucial swing states.
In Wisconsin, student volunteers have been putting in 14-hour days in an effort to deliver the state for Mr Obama, the BBC's Paul Adams reports from Madison.
An opinion poll on Sunday for ABC News and the Washington Post put the two candidates at 48%, with even voters who term themselves independents split evenly on 46%.

Mr Romney remains favoured among whites, seniors and evangelical Christians; Mr Obama among women, non-whites and young adults.
The election is decided by the electoral college. Each state is given a number of electoral votes in rough proportion to its population. The candidate who wins 270 electoral votes becomes president.
A handful of governors, the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are also up for election on Tuesday.
Republicans are expected to keep control of the House, while Democrats were tipped to do the same in the Senate.

The God of Heaven has chosen sexy, saucy singer Mzbel and award-winning actor Majid Michel to become a prophetess and an Evangelist respectively - says pastor.

This was revealed by Leader and Founder of Baidoo Gospel Church International, Nyame Akwaa Paemuka
Senior, who said he had seen this in a vision from Jehovah God.

“I saw in a vision that I was in a very big church with a huge congregation and when it was time for preaching it was Majid who went forward.

He was dressed in an all-white suit and as he was preaching people were receiving their healing; the blind started seeing and the deaf started hearing. Cripples were leaving their wheel chairs and running forward.

“I asked God what that meant and He said Majid has been chosen and destined to become an Evangelist.

God told me that the fame Majid has earned over the years would become a major tool through which he would spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Paemuka Senior told NEWS-ONE in an interview on Tuesday.

The man of God said he was yet to disclose the vision to Majid in person because the actor was on location in Nigeria.

Paemuka Senior said he had however told Mzbel of a vision he saw, to the effect that she would become a Prophetess very soon and be known as ‘Osofo Maame Akua’.

According to the pastor, he was on Adom FM’s evening program when he asked the Producer to call Mzbel on phone for him to inform her of her divine calling from God to become a Prophetess.

“Henceforth anyone who calls her Osofo Maame Akua or Osofo Maame Mzbel will be blessed but if you do not add Osofo Maame to her name, you would be cursed.

She may either marry a pastor and join him to do God’s work or she would eventually start her own church and become a Prophetess.

“When God speaks we must obey rather than attack the integrity of the prophets.

I have seen these things in a vision from God and it is my duty to bring them out and tell the whole world.

You better believe it and pray about it because what God told me about Kennedy Agyepong that he was bound to get into trouble had come to pass.

When I first said it, no one believed me. People called me an attention seeker,” Paemuka Senior stated.

He said the Baidoo Gospel Church International was based in Akomadan in the Offinso North district of the Ashanti Region.

Meanwhile Mzbel has declined to comment on the development and Majid was out of the country therefore could not be reached.

Source: news one

Monday 5 November 2012

Tehoda speaks again: My dismissal is a cover up


The former Deputy Head of the Commercial Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Mrs. Gifty Mawuenyaga Tehoda, has vowed to pursue justice in the cocaine turned baking soda case until the real culprits are found.

Consequently, she has challenged the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to make public their findings after its investigations into the matter.

Mrs. Tehoda threw the challenge in a follow-up to our front page story on Friday with the headline, “I Will Spill the Bean.... I' have been sacrificed.”

She insisted that, she was arraigned before court based on the investigations conducted by the BNI and wondered why the same institution had asked that she should be discharged unconditionally by the court, and yet the Police Service disregarded the verdict and dismissed her.

Insisting on her claim, that she had been sacrificed, Mrs. Tehoda again wondered why she was indicted together with Deputy Superintended of Police (DSP) Kofi Tudzra, the Commander in-charge of the Narcotic Unit of the Police Service, and yet she was the only one taken to court.

“Two of us were indicted based on the evidence before the BNI, and yet one person is at post and I have been dismissed,” she alleged.

Mrs. Tehoda maintained that, she had not been treated fairly and described her dismissal as a ploy to cover up and use her as a “scapegoat”.

She asked, “What evidence do the police have” and referred to a purported police inquiry into the matter which she said did not take place.

The former Deputy Head of the Commercial Unit, said her dismissal which the police claimed was based on recommendations of the Central Disciplinary Board was inappropriate.

“There has not been any service inquiry or trial, because my lawyers objected to it, and that the matter was then before the court.”

“What was then the basis for my dismissal. I insist that I did not appear before a service inquiry neither was there a trial that found me guilty of any offence,” she said.

Mrs. Tehoda, therefore, called on the BNI to make public their findings so that Ghanaians and the world would know the truth. She referred to portions of the earlier publication which indicated that she threatened the IGP and the Police and said “she was rather directing her anger at the BNI.

“Since it was the BNI that prosecuted me, I could not have ignored them. My challenge is for them to come out with the truth since some worse evidence have emerged,” she said.

Mrs Tehoda alleged that a number of officers had been arrested by the BNI in connection with the matter and challenged them to mention their names.

“I have right to know who did that wicked thing to me, my family and friends, the condemnation is going on, those who believe me are still supporting, but the irony is that I have been dismissed and I have to fight this injustice even though the court has discharged me unconditionally,” she said.

source: The Ghanian Times

Government publishes 600 schools under trees that have been removed


The NDC government has released a tall list of schools under trees which they have been able to remove since they came to power. This information was published by the Deputy Information minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa.

Click here to view the total number of schools under trees that have been removed.

Full list of schools under trees that have been removed

Wenger:v We can't win the league

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has conceded his rebuilt team are 'very far behind' the genuine trophy contenders at the top of the Premier League after their latest defeat at Old Trafford.


The narrow nature of the final score line as Manchester United beat the Gunners 2-1 win on Saturday disguised the alarming gulf in class between the two sides and Wenger has been honest enough to accept Arsenal have ground to make up if they are to challenge the top three in England's top flight.

When asked whether his side are realistic challengers to Manchester's big two and Chelsea, Wenger responded: "At the moment you cannot say that we are because we are far away," accepted the under-pressure Arsenal manager before insisting he has not given up on closing the gap in the coming months. Being with the top three is still the target by the end of the season.

"We've played away at United, City, Liverpool and Stoke, so we've many difficult away games. We have got positive results and the 1-1 at Man City was a good result. We didn't suffer there by comparison to the United game."

Wenger accepts his side's defensive performances have dipped after their promising start to the season as he admits his side look vulnerable when they are put under pressure.

"I just think we are not on full cylinders and looked much more vulnerable defensively than we did at the start of the season," stated Wenger. "There's no obvious reason for that. Also, United have quality up front. They score against everybody and they scored against us as well.

"We had a lot of the ball, but didn't do enough with it. You feel it was a bit of an illusionary domination. We had a lot of the ball but they created more chances and deserved to win the game."

Wenger went on to claim Patrice Evra 'made the most' of the challenge that led to Jack Wilshere being sent off at Old Trafford, as he accused referee Mike Dean of being naïve.

"The red card was very harsh," added the Arsenal boss. "When you tell a player, 'For the next foul you're going to get a second yellow', it is a signal to everybody in the opposing team to dive. Of course they then do it. If you get a warning, you are saying to the other team that with the next foul, if you dive, the player is off. Why do referees do that? It's absolutely naive. To me, Wilshere's tackle looked a regular challenge."

Meanwhile, Wenger is reported to be furious with much maligned full-back Andre Santos after he was caught by TV cameras at Old Trafford swapping shirts with former Arsenal team-mate Robin van Persie at half time in Saturday's match, with the Daily Mirror claiming Wenger demanded an explanation from his Brazilian defender and left him in little doubt that the gesture was not appropriate.

Arsenal fans reacted furiously to Santos' memorabilia hunt, with supporters who were already calling for the struggling full-back to be replaced flooding social networking sites to condemn his moment of inappropriate mid-match affection with Van Persie.

source: espn

US set for final campaigning day


US presidential rivals Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are approaching the final day of their election battle in a frantic fight for swing state votes.

Mr Obama is scheduled to appear in Madison, Wisconsin, accompanied by Bruce Springsteen, before going on to Iowa and Ohio.

Mr Romney is due in Florida - where polls suggest he is ahead - in Virginia, New Hampshire and Ohio.

Analysts say the election will come down to a handful of swing states.

Mr Obama and Mr Romney are running almost neck-and-neck in national polls, but polls of many key battlegrounds show Mr Obama narrowly ahead.

However, neither camp is exuding absolute confidence, the BBC's North America editor Mark Mardell reports.


The campaign has been most intense in Ohio, which no Republican has ever lost and still made it to the White House.

The pair spent Sunday addressing crowds across the country, with Mr Romney speaking in Pennsylvania, a state his aides insist he can now win on Tuesday.

Mr Obama held rallies in New Hampshire and Florida and carried on to Ohio and Colorado in the evening.

In Florida, Democrats have filed a legal case demanding an extension of time available for early voting, citing unprecedented demand.

In Ohio, Republican election officials will go to court on Monday to defend an 11th-hour directive to local election officials.

Last month, a federal appeals court reinstated early voting on the last three days before Tuesday's election.


The ruling overturned a state law saying early voting should end on the Friday before the election, making an exception only for voters living overseas and for military personnel, who tend to favour Republican candidates.

Critics say this potentially favours the Obama camp.

Race 'tightening'

A final poll published on Sunday by Ohio's Columbus Dispatch gave Mr Obama a 2% lead - 50% to 48% - over his rival, within the margin of error.

Both candidates visited the Buckeye State on Sunday, with Mr Romney telling crowds in Cleveland that Mr Obama has failed in his pledge to be a "post-partisan" president and criticising his record.

"He's been divisive, blaming, attacking, dividing and - by the way - it's not only Republicans that he refused to listen to, he also refused to listen to independent voices."

Later on Sunday, he spoke in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, his first visit there in the final stages of the campaign. Democrats say the Romney team's last-minute decision to campaign in the state is a sign of desperation, but polls do show a tightening race.

"The people of America understand we're taking back the White House because we're going to win Pennsylvania," Mr Romney told the crowd in Morrisville.

Mr Obama made another appearance in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Stevie Wonder opened a huge evening rally.

Earlier in the day at a rally in Concord, New Hampshire, Mr Obama said: "We have come too far to turn back now."

He said he would work across party lines to break the political gridlock in Washington, but would not compromise on priorities such as healthcare and college financial aid.

Activists have been stepping up efforts across the crucial swing states.

In Wisconsin, student volunteers have been putting in 14-hour days in an effort to deliver the state for Mr Obama, the BBC's Paul Adams reports from Madison.

An opinion poll on Sunday for ABC News and the Washington Post put the two candidates at 48%, with even voters who term themselves independents split evenly on 46%.

Mr Romney remains favoured among whites, seniors and evangelical Christians; Mr Obama among women, non-whites and young adults.

The president also remains slightly ahead in most of the nine-or-so swing states that will determine the election.

The president also remains slightly ahead in most of the nine-or-so swing states that will determine the election.

Opinion polls published on Saturday showed him well-placed in Iowa, Nevada and Ohio, but most remain within the polls' own margins of error.

The election is run using an electoral college. Each state is given a number of votes based on its population. The candidate who wins 270 electoral college votes becomes president.

source: BBC






Daddy Lumba and Kwabena Kwabena release new NPP campaign song

Two of Ghana's sensational musicians , Daddy Lumba and Kwabena Kwabena have released a new campaign song for the NPP presidential candidate. Listen to the song below





source: iNewsGh

Rihanna And Katy Perry ‘Barely Talking Since Chris Brown Reunion’


Rihanna and her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown may be on the verge of getting back together but there’s one person who is allegedly far from happy, and that is RiRi’s celebrity BFF Katy Perry.

The pair, who are known to be good gal pals are “barely talking” since Rihanna has publicly become close to her ex, who was convicted of beating her up in 2009.

A source has told the New York Daily News that “there has been tension” between them, and that Perry didn’t go to the ‘Rude Boy’ singer’s Halloween party.

Instead, Katy has been hanging out with her Hollywood pals Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, despite having sat with Rihanna when she kissed Chris Brown on the lips in front of a stunned audience at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year.

The insider added that Katy is worried that “Rihanna is making a huge mistake and doesn’t want to be a part of it.”

But it hasn’t all be fun and games for Katy and the ‘Twilight’ actors as the ‘California Gurls’ singer has allegedly “warned” Kristen over hurting Rob again, after the 22-year-old was caught cheating this summer with her ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’ director.

According to a Now source, he said: “Katy didn't think Rob would ever get over the humiliation. She told K-Stew that she'll be an outcast if it happens again.”

source: entertainmentwise

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