Burkina Faso president resigns after protests. Update: 30-Oct-2014

Blaise Compaore, the president of Burkina Faso, has been forced to leave power after days of protests by tens of thousands of.people calling for his ousting. He announced his resignation in a statement on Friday and called for a 90-day transition to "free and transparent" elections in the West
African country. "I declare a vacancy of power with a view to
allowing a transition that should finish with free and transparent elections in a maximum period of 90 days," said the statement, read
on local radio and television by presenters. It was unclear who was in charge of the country following his resignation. "As of today, Compaore is no longer in power," Army Colonel Boureima Farta earlier told tens of thousands of protesters who had gathered in front of the army headquarters.
Arsene Evariste Kabore, the former editor-in- chief of RTB Television in Ouagadougou, told Al Jazeera that Compaore had left the capital on Friday, travelling towards the southern town of Po, near the border with Ghana. Compaore had been in power since a 1987
coup against then-President Thomas Sankara, Compaore's longtime friend and political ally,
who was shot dead.
Protesters stormed the parliament building in Ougadougou on Thursday and set part of it ablaze in a day of violence around the country aimed at stopping a parliamentary vote that would have allowed the president to seek a fifth term in office. In a concession to the protesters, the
government withdrew the bill from
consideration. But the move did not calm protesters, and General Honore Traore, the army's joint chief of staff, later announced that the government and parliament had been dissolved and a new,
inclusive government would be named. At least one person was killed and several others wounded during the unrest, authorities
said, and a curfew was put in place from 7pm to 6am. Imad Mesdoua, a political analyst speaking to
Al Jazeera from London on Friday, said details about the possible transition of power were scarce.
He said the opposition was demanding civilian rule, but the army was expected to take on a
central role in the country's Mesdoua future. "There are reports of looting and unrest in
other parts of the country, outside of Ouagadougou. The army will continue to play a strong role," he said. The EU called on Friday for the people of Burkina Faso to have the final say in who rules their country. "The European Union believes that it is up to the people of Burkina Faso to decide their own
future. Any solution must be the result of a broad consensus and respect the constitution," a spokesman for the bloc's diplomatic service said.

Irate Kyebi Zongo NDC Youth Vandalize Party Office Updated: 30 -Oct- 2014

Reports reaching GhNews indicates that irate Zongo Youth of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC ) in Kyebi have vandalized the Abuakwa South Constituency
Party office of the NDC . According to our correspondent Nana Adjei,
the incident took place around 08 :00 hours Thursday morning but the motive for the attack is not yet known . “ ..the Zongo Youth walked for almost a mile from the Zongo community to the Party office and as it stands now; the whole building has been destroyed . Office equipments and furniture was not spared either. This took place in the full glare of the public ," he narrated . “ But the reasons for which the youth would vent their spleen on their own party is yet to be known ,” he added. However, the Kyebi Police command has cordoned off the scene pending the commencement of investigations .
More details to follow .. .

Ghana is No. 1 ‘wee’ consumer in Africa – NACOB Officer. Update: 30-Oct-2014

An officer of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has stated that Ghana is the highest consumer of marijuana in Africa. He said the country is ranked 3rd in the
world. He added that Ghana's ranking was captured in a United Nations report a couple of years ago. Daniel Akwasi Amankwa, the Divisional Supervisor for Demand Education of NACOB, made this known at the opening of a two-day
forum on non-custodial sentencing in Ghana on Thursday, October 30.
The ceremony was held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Mr Amankwa was making a case for a drug court system in Ghana, stressing that the United States of America (USA), once a leading
consumer of drugs, has been successful in implementing that system. “Besides, there are over 20 countries including Australia and New Zealand which has adopted
the drug court system,” he said.
He advocated the piloting of that system in Ghana in order to reduce the high number of marijuana consumers in the country.

FPSO workers complain and lay down their tools 2014-10-30

Accra- the FPSO workers of MODEC Ghana Limited, the company that runs FPSO Kwame Nkrumah have laid down their working tools at the Jubilee fields, Talk of Ghana reports. This mean oil that was coming from the plant would not be coming anymore until the situation is resolved. The 40 workers who belong to the MODEC Ghana Local Workers Union say they are tired of poor working conditions as compared other
colleagues.  According to them, they are paid between Gh2, 500 to Gh3000 a month while their expatriate counterparts take an average of between $5,000 to
$10,000, a difference of about 800%. Secretary for the Workers’ Union, Eric Ofori told GhNews they are not resuming work until something positive is heard from their employers. “We are sitting down; we are not working
until our demands are met. We have resolved that we are not going to go back to work until our grievances are met,” Mr.
Ofori told Kwesi Aboagye.

Account for workers’ pension fund – Ade Coker tells gov’t. Update: 30 - Oct - 2014.

Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ade Coker, has called on government to account
for the second tier pension contributions of the public sector workers. Speaking on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo”, Ade Coker expressed worry over the rate at which public
workers adopt strike actions as means of addressing their concerns. According to him, strike actions retard the progress of the economy. He therefore was of a strong view that the government cannot absolve it since it has
been in administration for five years. “You cannot run away from it…Because this country must move on. The strikes are retarding our progress.” To the NDC Regional Chairman, the authorities of the pension scheme should reveal to the striking workers where their monies have been kept and the investments made on their
contributions.

Striking Workers Agree To Negotiate With Government Updated: 29 -Oct- 2014

Striking public workers have agreed to return to the negotiation table despite a suit filed by
government . Negotiations between the two- striking workers
and government - to end a six day old strike stalled , Tuesday, with the workers angry over government 's decision to send them to court. The workers say government cannot send them
to court and to the National Labour
Commission while still inviting them for negotiations. They ended Tuesday 's meeting inconclusively
with the hope of soliciting legal advice from their lawyers .
The workers wanted to find out from their lawyers if it was possible to still negotiate with government whilst the writ was still pending .
After that Joy News can confirm that the workers have agreed to return to the negotiation table .
The decision to return , according to Joy News' Fred Smith, coincided with government 's decision to withdraw complaints filed at the
Labour Commission . Hopefully on Thursday the two groups would
once again try to find a solution to a strike that has left students stranded and patients doomed .
Both teachers and health workers are part of the 12 labour unions that have gone on strike in protest over what they say is government 's
poor handling of the tier two pension scheme . The workers are asking government to relinquish the management of the tier two
pension scheme to the various labour unions - something government is not ready to do.
They are also asking government to make public how much has accrued to the tier two pension scheme and the interest involved .
Government is yet to make that public even though the sector Minister Haruna Iddrisu has
promised that the Bank of Ghana as well as the National Pensions Regulations Authority will provide full disclosure on the amount accrued to the tier two pension scheme later this week .

Govt Withdraws Suit Against Striking Unions Updated: 28 -Oct- 2014

The government has withdrawn a complaint it had filed at the National Labour Commission
( NLC) against the twelve striking labour unions . The labour groups embarked on an indefinite
strike in protest of government ’ s decision to manage their second- tier pension funds. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice
last Friday filed a suit on behalf of
government , praying the High Court to declare that the indefinite strike embarked upon by the public sector workers was illegal and that the workers should return to work . However, the Executive Secretary of the NLC, Dr Bernice Welbeck said in an interview on Citi
FM that although the Commission had received the complaint from government on Thursday, the commission received a letter withdrawing the complaint the following day. She said, “Records show that on Thursday, October 23 a complaint was filed by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations but the following day we received a letter withdrawing the complaint from the
Commission . So as we speak at the moment , there is no complaint before the labour commission .”

Shatta Wale Again! Assaults Man After Kidnapping Him Updated: 28 -Oct- 2014

Controversial Ghanaian musician, Shatta Wale , on Sunday allegedly brutally assaulted a man at
his East Legon residence after virtually kidnapping him. The man, who gave his name as Rashid Abu,
told Daily Guide that Shatta Wale beat him up in the presence of his ( Shatta’s ) manager , Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, aka Bull Dog, and some macho men , over an amount of GH 150 the musician owed him. Attempts to speak to Bull Dog or the controversial musician were unsuccessful as
their lines were not active. Text messages sent to Bull Dogs phones also did not elicit response before press time . Shatta Wale , known in real life as Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr ., and his purported
hoodlums allegedly picked Rashid from his shop at Adabraka Sunday afternoon under the pretext that he was going to pay the GH 150 he
owed the young man at his East Legon residence . “ He came to pick up some outfits worth GH 150
from my shop five months ago but refused to pay. After some time, when I called he refused to answer. I called him on Sunday; he picked it
and started insulting me . He even told me that he was not going to pay me my money . Later he came to my ‘Blow Money Fast’ boutique at
Adabraka in the company of some ‘ macho men’ and Bull Dog . He asked that I join him in his car so that he pays me my money ,” Rashid Abu stated . He asserted that he was reluctant to go but
after pleadings by Bull Dog, he entered the car , adding that Shatta Wale drove him all the
way from Adabraka to his house and later forced him to kneel down and apologise for calling to demand for his money . GH 50 Notes According to the young businessman who is believed to be in his 30 s, Shatta Wale gave him
several slaps with a bundle of GH 50 notes while Bull Dog looked on .
Rashid , who naturally tried to defend himself, was cautioned by the ‘macho men ’ not to venture , else they would kill him. “ When we got to his house , the ‘macho men ’ opened the gates and once we got in , Shatta Wale asked me to kneel down and he begun
slapping me with a bundle of GH50 . I tried to defend myself but his thugs warned me to stop , else they would kill me right there. Bull
Dog even told me to do what Shatta Wale would tell me else I would be severely beaten up ,” he narrated . Rashid told this paper that Shatta gave him the bundle of the GH 50 notes he used in slapping him and instructed him to pull his money out of it . “ I refused but after the ‘ macho men ’ had threatened to give me more slaps , I took the money , counted GH 150 for myself and gave him the rest, ” he added . The victim has since reported the incident at
the Central Police Station in Accra. He was prepared to purse the assault case in court, he told Daily Guide. Shatta Wale , as an artiste , has gained notoriety for insulting persons and institutions whose
opinions about him he does not agree with. He was recently in the news for publishing on his social media page , some four videos of
himself making derogatory and insulting statements against Charter House. The musician also hurled insults at his colleague musicians , workers of Charter House and owners of the company. A portion of the video has even been said to border on threats.
Charter House, a private company with expertise in events management and production , later sued him for defamation .
They are demanding GH 10 million as damages
for the defamatory comments made in the four videos that the artiste had uploaded on the social media . At the first hearing, the court granted an order restraining Shatta Wale from making further
defamatory remarks about Charter house. Shatta Wale is now begging for an out - of- court settlement of the case and has formally written
to lawyers of Charter House to that effect. The case has been adjourned to November 2 , 2014 .

Shatta Wale Again! Assaults Man After Kidnapping Him Updated: 28 -Oct- 2014

Controversial Ghanaian musician, Shatta Wale , on Sunday allegedly brutally assaulted a man at
his East Legon residence after virtually kidnapping him. The man, who gave his name as Rashid Abu,
told Daily Guide that Shatta Wale beat him up in the presence of his ( Shatta’s ) manager , Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, aka Bull Dog, and some macho men , over an amount of GH 150 the musician owed him. Attempts to speak to Bull Dog or the controversial musician were unsuccessful as
their lines were not active. Text messages sent to Bull Dogs phones also did not elicit response before press time . Shatta Wale , known in real life as Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr ., and his purported
hoodlums allegedly picked Rashid from his shop at Adabraka Sunday afternoon under the pretext that he was going to pay the GH 150 he
owed the young man at his East Legon residence . “ He came to pick up some outfits worth GH 150
from my shop five months ago but refused to pay. After some time, when I called he refused to answer. I called him on Sunday; he picked it
and started insulting me . He even told me that he was not going to pay me my money . Later he came to my ‘Blow Money Fast’ boutique at
Adabraka in the company of some ‘ macho men’ and Bull Dog . He asked that I join him in his car so that he pays me my money ,” Rashid Abu stated . He asserted that he was reluctant to go but
after pleadings by Bull Dog, he entered the car , adding that Shatta Wale drove him all the
way from Adabraka to his house and later forced him to kneel down and apologise for calling to demand for his money . GH 50 Notes According to the young businessman who is believed to be in his 30 s, Shatta Wale gave him
several slaps with a bundle of GH 50 notes while Bull Dog looked on .
Rashid , who naturally tried to defend himself, was cautioned by the ‘macho men ’ not to venture , else they would kill him. “ When we got to his house , the ‘macho men ’ opened the gates and once we got in , Shatta Wale asked me to kneel down and he begun
slapping me with a bundle of GH50 . I tried to defend myself but his thugs warned me to stop , else they would kill me right there. Bull
Dog even told me to do what Shatta Wale would tell me else I would be severely beaten up ,” he narrated . Rashid told this paper that Shatta gave him the bundle of the GH 50 notes he used in slapping him and instructed him to pull his money out of it . “ I refused but after the ‘ macho men ’ had threatened to give me more slaps , I took the money , counted GH 150 for myself and gave him the rest, ” he added . The victim has since reported the incident at
the Central Police Station in Accra. He was prepared to purse the assault case in court, he told Daily Guide. Shatta Wale , as an artiste , has gained notoriety for insulting persons and institutions whose
opinions about him he does not agree with. He was recently in the news for publishing on his social media page , some four videos of
himself making derogatory and insulting statements against Charter House. The musician also hurled insults at his colleague musicians , workers of Charter House and owners of the company. A portion of the video has even been said to border on threats.
Charter House, a private company with expertise in events management and production , later sued him for defamation .
They are demanding GH 10 million as damages
for the defamatory comments made in the four videos that the artiste had uploaded on the social media . At the first hearing, the court granted an order restraining Shatta Wale from making further
defamatory remarks about Charter house. Shatta Wale is now begging for an out - of- court settlement of the case and has formally written
to lawyers of Charter House to that effect. The case has been adjourned to November 2 , 2014 .

ATL Closed Down Updated: 27 -Oct- 2014

The Akosombo Textiles Limited ( ATL) has been closed down indefinitely, as auctioneers from
Vans Mart are preparing feverishly to auction the firm to defray its indebtedness to financiers .
ATL, over the years, has reportedly defaulted in the repayment of loans it secured from banks such as Ecobank , Standard Chartered , Ghana Commercial Bank , ( GCB) Universal Merchant Bank ( UMB ) and Agricultural Development
Bank ( ADB) , among others. On Friday , October 24, 2014 , court bailiffs in the company of police officers and legal representatives of some of the banks were seen
putting huge padlocks on the gates of ATL to prevent workers and management from entering the premises. Information gathered by BUSINESS GUIDE indicated that during the latter part of 2013 ,
Ecobank and two other banks, Standard Chartered Bank and Universal Merchant Bank Ltd commenced separate legal actions against ATL at the Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra.
A source revealed that all attempts by the company to get government assistance failed after the start of proceedings . This compelled
the court to freeze the assets of ATL to settle its indebtedness.
The banks have since attached the assets of the company to protect their various interests . The execution process involved the closure of the entire factory and seizure of movable assets , including the company ’s Mercedes
Urvan buses with registration numbers GT 7317 U and GT 7316 U and eventual sale of the property.
A source told BUSINESS GUIDE that “ in our estimation ATL would be no more by the end of the year if steps are not taken to stop Ecobank
and the other banks from selling the assets of ATL. ” According to the source , there was the need
for an urgent bailout from the government to save ATL “ because about 1, 000 employees would lose their livelihood if ATL is sold by
mid- December 2014 .” Friday ’s execution team included the
auctioneers ( Vans Mart ), police officers and court bailiffs .
The team was led by John -Mark Alifo Esq , Senior Legal Officer at Ecobank and William Asare Bediako, Head of Remedial at Ecobank . Both men politely declined to speak to the paper.
Efforts to speak to lawyers for the bank - BA Williams & Co (Sackodar Chambers) and the Human Resource Manager of ATL, E . K Darko proved unsuccessful.

‘ Abuga Pele Is Responsible For GYEEDA Fraud ’ - Fmr Sports Minister Updated: 28 -Oct- 2014

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Clement Kofi Humado , yesterday said the former National Coordinator of the National Youth
Employment Programme (NYEP ) , Abuga Pele , should be held responsible for any financial loss caused to the state . He said some of the memos and invoices submitted by the National Coordinator of the NYEP – now Ghana Youth Employment and
Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA ) – to request for release and payment of huge
sums of money for supposed consultancy service turned out to be deceptive, and he ( Humado) could therefore not be held
responsible for Abuga Pele ’s wrongdoing . “ I can’t be held responsible for a claim which
is deceptive and later turned out to be false . I based my judgement on the credibility of Abuga Pele. The deliverables he claimed were
done . I do not know for a fact what he had done ,” he told an Accra Financial Court presided over by Justice Afia Asare Botwe.
Mr . Humado was concluding his cross- examination yesterday at the ongoing trial of Philip Akpeena Assibit , Chief Executive Officer
( CEO) of GIG and the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP ) for Chiana -Paga , Abuga Pele, in what has become the ‘ GYEEDA Scandal .’
The $522 ,882 Payment Concluding his cross- examination led by Carl Adongo , counsel for Abuga Pele, Mr . Humado , who is also the
immediate past Minister of Agriculture and MP for Anlo , said that he was only two months in
office when the National Coordinator raised the memo requesting for payment of a
whopping $ 522, 882 for consultancy services rendered by the Management Development and
Productivity Institute/ Goodwill International Group ( MDPI/GIG) consortium . He admitted approving the $ 522, 882 payment
but said the approval was supposed to pass through what he called the ministry ’s due diligence process, starting from the Chief
Director then the Internal Auditor.
Asked why he approved the $ 522, 882, Mr . Humado told the court that there was a memo from Abuga Pele justifying work done and that
persuaded him to make the approval saying, “ I approved it because of the claims made by the
National Coordinator ; not that I knew the deliverables had been done . I was barely two months in office . As a colleague MP , I believed that he was doing the right thing . ” Salary Approval
Mr . Humado , who is the 4 th Prosecution Witness (PW ) , said that as minister , he had
oversight responsibility over four agencies , including NYEP / GYEEDA, but insisted that he did not
approve their salaries , rather they had developed a payment plan to take care of all expenses. “ I did not approve GYEEDA monthly salaries . I asked them to submit monthly payment plans, and salaries were included ,” he told the court. He said it was the National Coordinator who approved salaries for GYEEDA because the agency was almost autonomous saying, “ approval for payment plan does not mean
that specific payments can be done .” Crossfire When counsel asked him why he claimed
GYEEDA was autonomous but approved its payments , Mr . Humado said inflows were outside the ministry ’s account and he could only monitor with the aid of the payment plan. Counsel again put it to him that the $ 522, 882
was not on the payment plan but went ahead to approve the payment , but the witness insisted
that the approval was made to allow due diligence to commence before the payment . Mr . Humado admitted that it was his Chief
Director who had given a working instruction that the amount be paid into MDPI account and added the funds were from the NYEP but
the memo had to be submitted to the ministry for approval.
According to him, Abuga Pele did not comply with the ministry ’s directive not to authorize payments exceeding GH ¢ 20, 000 saying , “ Initially, there were no problems but later at EOCO, they said there were problems with all
the payments authorized by the National Coordinator . ”

Court’ s Question
When the judge asked witness if it was his evidence that the NYEP Coordinator was not supposed to spend beyond the threshold of GH
¢ 20, 000 as directed by the ministry , he said that was the case and added that Abuga Pele
crossed the threshold . When asked again what he did as minister after his directive was breached, the witness said whilst he was minister , the issue of
overspending by Abuga Pele never came to his notice .

Charges
The Chiana- Paga MP is facing six counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state under Section 179A (3 ) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29 ), to the tune of GH¢ 3 ,330, 568.53 ; two counts of abetment under Sections 20 (1 ) and 131 (1 ) of the Criminal
Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29 ) and one count of intentionally misapplying public property,
contrary to Section 1 (2 ) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD 140).
Mr . Assibit, who is the first accused person , is also facing six counts of defrauding the state
of an amount equivalent to $ 1 ,948 ,626. 68 by false pretences , contrary to Section 131( 1 ) of
the Criminal and Offences Act 1960 ( Act 29 ) and five counts of dishonestly causing loss to
public property contrary to Section 2 (1 ) of the Public Property Protection Act , 1977 (SMCD 1 ).

3 Teacher Unions Declare Another Strike Updated: 28 -Oct- 2014

Three teacher unions in the country will begin another indefinite strike from Tuesday.
The Unions are the Ghana National Association of Teachers ( GNAT), the Coalition of Concerned
Teachers (CCT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers ( NAGRAT) . Though the three teacher unions are already
on strike with other labour groups , the latest strike declared by them [ three teacher unions ] is to protest the non- payment of their transfer
grants and vehicle maintenance allowances. They say efforts to get government to address their grievances have proved futile.
The three unions maintained that they will not call off their strike even if the forum protesting the non-payment of their pension
funds call off the ongoing strike.
According to Citifmonline, the National Vice President of NAGRAT, Angel Kabonu said “if our
grievances are not addressed teachers will remain on strike until our grievances are addressed .”
Responding to an earlier defiance by their members to strike , Mr . Kabonu said: “The situation the media reported earlier did not
reflect the true situation. I want the media to go on the ground again and you will see a different situation”. Various labour groups embarked on a strike on October 22 to protest against their tier two
pension funds which was in the custody of government . The workers want government to release the funds, for them select a fund manager of their choice but government is insisting on selecting
a fund manager for them . The strike has led to the closure of some public schools and some public institutions. Government has described labour ’s action as
unlawful and unnecessary. It has dragged the various labour unions to court in a bid to seek interpretation of the Pensions Act.

GFA to appeal CAF disqualification of Black Starlets 22:44 | 26.10.2014

The Ghana Football Association has begun an appeal with CAF following the disqualification of the Black Starlets following protest by Cameroon The Ghana Football Association has filed an appeal with the CAF Appeals Committee over the decision of the CAF U-17 Organizing Committee to disqualify the national U-17 team of Ghana, the Black Starlets from the 2015 U-17 Championship. The football governing body of Ghana is
dissatisfied with the decision of the CAF U-17.Organising Committee ban Ghana. Cameroon launched a protest against seven players of the Black Starlets after losing 2-1
to Ghana in the first leg match of the third round of the U-17 Championship qualifiers. CAF Medical Committee made adverse findings against two players with subsequent tests [in the presence of CAF Medical Committee
member] in Ghana using the F-Marc procedure for age determination. CAF later wrote to GFA claiming the analysis of the MRI report from the Medical Centre in Ghana contradict the analysis of the CAF experts despite Radiologist Consultant who carried out both the initial MRI tests and
rescanning confirming the player under review is within the age limit.

Gov’t has no business managing pension funds – Lawyer. Update: 26 - Oct - 2014.

A private legal practitioner, Yaw Oppong, has supported calls for government to hand over the management of the second tier pension scheme of public sector workers to a private body. Funds deducted since the introduction of the scheme is being held in trust by government but Mr. Oppong believes the various labour groups should be given the opportunity to
appoint their own trustee since the scheme is funded by them. “In my view since the Act says that it is
privately funded and managed, and it comes from occupation or it is occupational- related, then the persons whose monies or whose
properties are the subject of these particular instruments of trust, must be the ones who should appoint their own trustee because the basic principle of trust is that, the basic owner of the property is the one who will choose his
own trustee. "…These monies belong to the workers, so it is
the worker or the person whose monies have been deducted who should have the right to appoint his own trustee,” the legal practitioner said. “The question to ask is that who owns the property? The property which is the subject
matter of the second tier. Who does it belong to. As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t belong to the government or any employer,” he added. About 12 labour unions embarked on an indefinite strike on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 to protest government’s failure to pay their tier two pension funds into a privately managed account.
Government has threatened to challenge the position of the labour groups. But speaking on
Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue, Mr. Oppong clarified that government cannot sanction the unions since their decision to protest is legitimate. Meanwhile government has resorted to the
court to seek interpretation of the Pension Act. Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations,
Haruna Iddrisu said: “Government intends through the Attorney General to proceed to court to seek a proper interpretation on aspects of provisions of the pensions Act and some clarifications on the second tier pension scheme and the role of employer and employee in the management of the fund”.

Real Madrid Beats Barcelona 3 -1 In El Clasico Updated: 25 -Oct- 2014

Real Madrid conceded in the fourth minute but fought back to beat archrival Barcelona for a
3 -1 victory in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Neymar gave Barcelona the early lead with a strike set up by Luis Suarez , who made his Barcelona  debut after a four- month ban for his infamous World Cup bite . But Ronaldo equalized for Real Madrid from the spot kick, thanks to Gerard Pique' s handball in the box. Then took the lead for good in the second half from the most unlikely source . Pepe 's header in the 50 th minute gave Real
Madrid the 2 -1 lead . Benzema finished off a
masterpiece of a counterattack sparked by Isco in the 61st minute to make it 3- 1 .

Huge amounts paid as judgment debt. Update: 25-Oct-2014

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, a Consulting Director at the Centre of Public Accountability of the
University of Professional Studies, on Friday said GH?217, 971,388.00 had been paid as judgment debt in 2011. He said, “Financial irregularities have become
an annual ritual because of lack of monitoring and supervision and non-adherence to financial laws and regulations in the country”.
Mr Dapaah said this in Tamale during a sensitization workshop on the findings and recommendations of the Auditor General’s
Public Accounts of the country from 2009 to 2011. The event, which was organised by SEND-
GHANA in collaboration with the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), was to educate and sensitize participants on the results of the
findings and recommendations identified by the Auditor General on the public accounts of the country between 2009 to 211.
It was also to build the capacity of selected Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) on the role of the Audit Report
Implementation Committees (ARCs) and the mechanisms for the implementation of the recommendations of Audit reports as well as citizens’ role in ensuring good governance by demanding accountability at the local level.
Mr Dapaah urged the government to put in place a public sector financial management system to ensure the public funds were
properly protected and managed.
Mr Vitus Azeem, Executive Director of GII, said his outfit had commissioned and produced a
report dubbed: ‘Show me the Money’ which looked at the guides in the Auditor General’s reports over three years and actions taken on these reports as part of the activities under the project.
He said the GII would facilitate activities in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and the Northern regions with Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) as participants especially those from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Education (MoE), Interior, Health and the Ministry of
Youth and Sports. Mr Azeem said GII had implemented several
activities, which specifically aimed at helping to improve transparency, accountability and to promote good governance in Ghana. The GII, a local chapter of Transparency
International (TI) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing a project aimed at consolidating transparency and accountability in Ghana. Mr Azeem also launched a book titled: “Show
me the money” as part of the programme.

Mortuary men on strike; families stranded at Korle Bu. Update: 24-Oct-2012

Mortuary attendants at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital are on strike leaving many families who have brought their deceased relatives
stranded. The Korle Bu morgue is preferred by many to store their corpses because it has sufficient
space and the necessary facilities to serve the purpose.
The attendants belong to one of the 12 labour unions who have declared an indefinite strike
demanding that government allows them to manage their Tier Two pension scheme. Health workers, as well as other public sector workers, including the Judicial Service Staff Association, Ghana Education Service and
CLOGSAG, have withdrawn their services. The Ghana Medical Association has withdrawn its out-patient services and is only.attending to emergency and in-patient cases. Thus, the families thrown into mourning are left with no other option than to send the
dead bodies to other morgues.
One of the stranded victims at the Korle Bu mortuary who spoke to Adom News said he had brought his 16-year-old daughter who
died on Friday morning only to be turned away. He said the mortuary attendant told him the facility was not receiving new corpses due to
the strike. The distraught father added that, the family is contemplating sending her to a private morgue for safe keeping.
One of the attendants who spoke to talkofgh.blogspot.com on condition of anonymity expressed regret at the inconvenience caused, explaining that they are only attending to families who want to collect their bodies at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the situation at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital morgue is different as a skeletal staff was seen working. Pathologist at the unit, Paul Aidoo said though
they are part of the group on strike, staff at the KATH facility are doing it with a human face to prevent any mayhem.

5 Ministries Waste 246 . 5 Million Ghana Cedis In 3 Years Updated: 24 -Oct- 2014

Financial irregularities in five ministries between 2009 and 2011 cost the nation GH¢ 246. 5 million, according to an abridged version of the findings of the Auditor-General ’s Report published by Ghana Integrity Initiative ( GII) , the anti corruption organisation..These “irregularities ” described in the report include poor cash management practices, non-
collection of outstanding debts, procurement and contract irregularities, payments not
supported by appropriate.documentation , stores irregularities, misappropriation of cash , payments of unearned salaries , payroll irregularities , and major breakdown of controls
over tax administration . The report “Show Me the Money ”, reviewed the Auditor General’ s Report of the Ministry of Finance . Ministry of Education , Ministry of
Health , Ministry of Youth and Sports and.Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’ s Department .
It shows the deep seated systematic nature of mismanagement in the country, and the failure.of authorities to act to stem or punish what sometimes appears to be plain stealing , but
has been given the label of " financial irregularities ”. The report calculated the total amount of
“ financial irregularities” in the Ministry of Finance to be GH ¢ 11. 9 million, GH ¢80 .7 million, and GH ¢ 54 .6 million in 2009 , 2010
and 2011 respectively . At the Ministry of Education , financial irregularities amounted to
GH ¢ 717,029 , GH ¢ 2 million and GH ¢ 3. 3 million within the same period . The recurring financial irregularities at the Ministry of Youth and Sports were tax
irregularities , petty cash not accounted for, and unpaid staff advances. These irregularities
amounted to GH ¢ 14,037 million, GH ¢1 . 2 million and GH ¢ 278,733 million in 2009 , 2010 and 2011 .
At the Ministry of Justice and Attorney - General ’s Department , total irregularities uncovered amounted to GH ¢ 48. 469 in 2010 ,
and GH¢ 16 .3 million and US $ 65, 929 in 2011 . There were no adverse audit findings in 2009 .
According to GII ’s report , which was presented by Mr . Albert Kan- Dapaah, the consultant for
the project , the objective of the report to ascertain the extent to which audit findings and recommendations have been implemented. However, beyond verbal assurances from key
officials that action had been taken, the report ’s authors could not be establish or verify whether the audit findings had truly been acted upon . “It is not the normal practice of the Auditor- General to ascertain whether action has been taken on their audit recommendations of the previous year . The Auditor- General, therefore, does not have any record on actions taken,” the report’ s authors said. “ At the same time , the ministries were
reluctant to allow access to their books and records by the public ,” they added. Mr . Kan-Dapaah, who is a former chairman of.the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament,
said in his presentation that audit findings must be acted upon , otherwise the whole audit.assignment is rendered useless. He also said.the responsibility to ensure that actions are taken and sanctions applied as necessary is
placed on the Audit Report Implementation Committees ( ARICs). The creation of ARICs is mandated by section 30 of the Audit Service Act 2000 (Act 584) ,
which provides that bodies and organisations which are subject to audit by the Auditor- General must establish an ARIC . According to Mr . Kan -Dapaah, the ministries studied generally did not attach particular.importance to the role of the ARICs between 2009 and 2011 , although frantic efforts were being made in the last year to establish the.ARICs and ensure their efficacy.
The report revealed that in all the three years that were examined , the five ministries did not comply with the statutory financial reporting requirements demanded by the Financial Administration Act , 2003 , compelling the Auditor- General to restrict himself to an audit of transactions of the MDAs, as opposed to an audit of their financial statements. The report therefore called on government to
take steps to compel the MDAs to comply with this requirements, as the current practice limits the scope of the audit as is envisaged by the law .

Gay Doctor appears in court today Update: 24-Oct-2014

The Medical Practitioner, Ali Gabasi who has been accused of sodomizing and infecting a 16 year old male student with HIV is expected in court today, Talk of Ghana reports. Dr Gabasa has been in the hands of the authorities, his 48 hour permissible time for a suspect to be detained ends on Friday. Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Criminal Investigations Department
(CID) of the Ghana Police Sevice, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) J. B Dankwa said even though investigations are still ongoing, the senior doctor at the Effia- Nkwanta Hospital in Takoradi in the
Western Region will appear before court today. “We are continuing investigations and it is likely we will send the suspect to court today, whether or not investigations are
completed. We are enjoined by law to arraign suspects 48 hours after they have been picked up,” he added. The Ghana Health Service says it will not protect Dr Gabass if he is guilty or not they say they will give law room to take its
course. The victim, whose name has been withheld, has been infected with HIV, but Dr Sulley Ali-Gabass says he cannot be blamed for the HIV. He says he is HIV
negative and could not possibly be the source of the virus.

UK Demonstrators Demand Apology From Mahama Updated: 24 -Oct- 2014

A group calling itself concerned Ghanaians in the United Kingdom want President John Mahama to apologize to them over some
comments he allegedly made during a visit to the country . The Public Affairs Director of the group, Nana Ansah Obofour on Talk of Ghana said President Mahama during an interaction with the Ghanaian community in the UK told them that “Ghana ’s economy was doing very well, there are jobs, infrastructure development , there are lights there are water and there is nothing which shows that the economy is bad.” He said the president further advised them
that “when they [relatives ] call us [from Ghana] and they tell us that the economy is bad they want to dupe us .” The comment according to Obofour is “ offensive” and “ insulting ” because the president painted a wrong picture of the
economy to them , hence the need to apologize . He questioned why the president said that saying “ even if at all if I support my relative
back home in Ghana is it the concern of the president ?” Meanwhile, the group on Thursday
demonstrate against President Mahama in London over what they call worsening economic conditions in Ghana . In a related development about twelve labour
unions in Ghana have declared an indefinite strike action to protest government ’s failure to pay public service workers their tier two pension funds into a private account.

Allotey Jacobs: NDC Will Use Tricks To Win Election 2016 Updated: 22 -Oct- 2014

Bernard Allotey Jacobs, Central Regional Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress, yesterday gave indication
that his party would employ ‘sulia ’, to wit, tricks, to win the 2016 general elections . According to the aspiring Regional Chairman of
the NDC , they will make sure that Ghanaians are ‘ well- fed’ , adding that once that has been done , they can play ‘sulia ’ game with the NPP to win the elections . He was speaking as a co- panelist, with NPP
National Women Organiser , Otiko Afisa Djaba, on Adom TV’s ‘ Badwam ’ yesterday . He was commenting on the statement by Dr Richard Amoako -Baah , Head of the History and Political Science Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology , that the NPP should be dissolved if it fails to win the 2016 elections the ‘wobbly NDC ’.
The NPP National Women’s Organizer considered the statement by Allotey Jacobs
very insulting to the intelligence of the Ghanaian electorate . “ You see , by what he said, the NDC believes
stealing the nation ’s money and starving the people is the way to win elections, so that once the money has been piled up, they can
satisfy the temporal needs of the electorate close to the elections using their own money , just to buy votes. And this is what they have
been doing over the years and this is an insult to the voters ,” Mr Otiko later told the New Statesman . She regretted the fact that even though
businesses are collapsing in the country because of the ‘dumso - dumso ’ and other unfavourable business conditions, including
corruption, with life now very unbearable for.all , except those close to the nation ’s resources , President Mahama and his NDC
remain insensitive. “ They are only thinking of how to use the people ’s own money to play ‘sulia ’ on the NPP to win the elections ; they are only thinking about winning elections and not how to make life better for the people , as they claimed with their own failed Better Ghana Agenda. Ghanaians must open their eyes and sit up and make sure the NDC does not take them for granted and deceive them again,” Mr Otiko added .
According to her , all the corruption and looting of the nation ’s resources going on, as
evidenced by the Brazil thievery and other corruption scandals , are all part of the NDC ’s ‘sulia ’ game to use the people’ s own money to
win the election, as they did during the 2012 election . She accused the Mahama -led administration of
not setting its priorities right , explaining that was part of the reason important projects like
the Ghana gas project, which was supposed to have to have completed long ago, are still
behind schedule. “ That is also part of the reason why the NDC,
in spite of the suffering of the people , can mobilize about $20million to build up that
edifice as office, ” Otiko stressed , adding : “ They have failed in doing their part of the social
contract they entered into Ghanaians to give them a better Ghana, and I think the electorate should not allow the NDC to play
their ‘ sulia’ game with their own money , as they did in 2012 , to deceive them again. ”

Liverpool 0 v 3 Real Madrid

Real Madrid silenced anfield with three first half goals from C. Ronaldo and Benzema. Ronaldo is one goal shot of Raul's record and hope to equal or better break the record when the two sides meet again in two weeks time.

Uefa Champions league results update: 22-10-2014

Atl Madrid 5 v 0 Malmö FF
                  
Olympiakos 1 v 0 Juventus

Liverpool 0 v 3 Real Madrid

Ludo Razgd 1 v 0 FC Basel

Bayer Levkn 2 v 0 Zenit St P

Monaco 0 v 0 Benfica

Galatasaray 0 v 4 Bor Dortmd

Anderlecht 1 v 2 Arsenal

IMF Questions Ghana Over Growth Rate Figures Updated: 22 -Oct- 2014

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is asking the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) explain how it arrived at the 6 .9 percent figure as the country ’s estimated growth for this
year . A top official of the GSS confirmed this to Citi Business News. According to the IMF, the figures the Service published just last week were different from
the ones they sent to the Fund .
In an email sent to the Statistical Service, the IMF questioned the methodology they used in arriving at the 6 .9 % annual growth estimates for 2014 and how the net indirect taxes were.computed .
The Ghana Statistical Service is expected to respond soon . The said letter was also copied to the
Controller and Accountant General
Department . The International Monetary fund has projected
the economy will grow at 4 .5 % this year contrary to government ’s estimates of 7 .1 %. The last time the IMF questioned figures from
the Bank of Ghana over the country’s debt to GDP ratio , they backtracked , claiming their
official was looking at projected figures ..Sanjeev Gupta, Deputy Director , Fiscal Affairs
Department for the IMF said at the Fiscal Monitor Report briefing in Washington , that.“ the debt -to- GDP ratio in Ghana is 71%, not
60 %; so it is much higher than you
mentioned. ” This is contrary to the figures the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Ghana
released after examining the health of the economy at the end of June 2014 . Officials from the IMF are expected back in Ghana in November to begin the third round
of talks for a bailout programme.
On October 9 , the team leading Ghana ’s negotiations with the IMF traveled to Washington in the United States to begin the second round of negotiations over an
economic bailout programme.

This Man Is The World’s Poorest President, But The Reason Why He’s Poor Will Surprise You.

You might not believe it, but Jose Mujica, president of Uruguay since 2010, is known to be the world’s poorest president. Jose donates more then of 90% of his $12,000 per month salary to benefit the
poor and to help small entrepreneurs. If we need more of anything in this world, it would be more people like this! This man doesn’t put value on his appearance or clothes. He is criticized for his posture and clothes, but Jose puts more value on other things in life instead.
Before his presidency, he was a guerilla fighter for Tupamaros, which acted like “Robin hood.” They literally robbed evil banks, gun clubs, and other businesses to
give to the poor. He truly believed that his value was not in gaining more money, it.was in the wellbeing of his country and
people. He was imprisoned 2 times for a total of 14 years and shot 6 times after an.escape attempt, But he still continues to fight for the people even in his high office
now as president of Uruguay.
Mujica could live in the beautiful
Presidential house, but has chosen a more humble place to live. He is a honest example of a president that gives up his own comfort for the wellbeing of others.
…He lives, on a farm with his wife and dog. He is also working to
change the fancy presidential house into a museum that pays honor to past presidents. There’s no reason for money, fame, and a nice place to sleep when you can be humble and live on a farm. This
president lives the life! His part time farming job, keeps him aware
of the struggles and life that most other people of his country go though. He also grows and then sells flowers from his.farm. He drives his old 1987 Volkswagon Beetle. He doesn’t need a fancy Bentley, because he doesn’t care about having a extravagant
appearance. His people are what matters and what matters are his people. Jose’s protection consists of two guards and his 3 legged dog named Manuela. Even though he is known as the poorest president, he strongly disagrees. He says,
“I’m not the poorest president. The poorest is the one who needs a lot to live… My lifestyle is a consequence of my wounds.
I’m the son of my history. There have been years when I would have been happy just to have a mattress.” This president’s example is a testament to how we should live our lives. We don’t
need more things to be happy. In fact some of the most wealthy people in the world, have their wealth stored in the currency of unselfishness, kindness, and
true love.  Maybe its time for a change? The world needs more people like this. Don’t you agree?

Labour Unions Declare Indefinite Strike Updated: 21 -Oct- 2014

Labour unions will from Wednesday, October 22 embark on an indefinite strike . According to them , the action has become
necessary because of government ’s failure to.pay their tier two.pension contributions. The unions that declared the strike include the
Health Services Workers ’ Union, Ghana Registered Nurses ’ Association , Ghana Medical
Association , Ghana Physician Assistants ’.Association, Government and Hospitals
Pharmacists ’ Association and the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists . The rest are the Coalition of Concerned
Teachers, Ghana National Association of Teachers, Teachers and Education Workers Union , National Association of Graduate
Teachers, Judicial Services Staff Association of Ghana and the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana. They have directed all their members to stay
away from their offices from Wednesday “ until further directives are issued .”.Speaking at a press conference on behalf of the
labour unions in Accra, the acting General Secretary of the Health Services Workers ’ Union , Reynolds Tenkorang said the unions had
on several occasions complained to the President on the release of their pension funds, but all fell on deaf ears . He added that they also petitioned the.Parliamentary Select Committee on.Employment, Social Welfare and State.Enterprises but that also yielded no results ..He said; “ we wish the press to also note that.during the period, there have been countless.meetings and interactions with the body
mandated to oversee pensions in Ghana, that is.the National Pensions Regulatory Authority.”
According to Reynolds Tenkorang , the first.beneficiaries of the tier two pension scheme are supposed to receive their lump sum next
year adding that “ they are in the dark as to where to claim the second tier benefits .”

Fuel Prices Down By 2 Percent Updated: 20 -Oct- 2014

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA ) has announced a two per cent reduction in fuel prices .
The price change takes effect from Tuesday October 21 , 2014 .
A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the NPA , Yaro Kasambata said the reduction is in accordance with reduction in the prices of crude oil and petroleum products on the world market.
It said the NPA has thus, directed all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs ) to comply with the price reductions accordingly .

Shatta Wale Absent From Court .. . Interlocutory Injunction Placed On Him Updated: 20 -Oct- 2014

The Accra Fast Track High Court on Monday October 20 , 2014 sat to hear the case between owner of event Management Company,
Charterhouse and its CEO Mr . Iyiola Ayoade and self-acclaimed Dancehall King , Shatta Wale
real name Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr . Talk of Ghana's correspondent reports from the Fast Track High Court that counsel
for both parties were present but the “ Enter the net ” hit maker was nowhere to be found in court.
According to the report Shatta Wale was represented in court by his father Mr . Mensah and his Manager Lawrence Nana Asiamah
Hanson aka Bulldog . The case which lasted barely 45 minutes in
court this morning at the Fast Track High Court saw the two plaintiffs , Charterhouse and Mr. Ayoade, winning an interlocutory injunction
against Shatta Wale. This implies that Shatta Wale and all his
associates have been stopped by the court from releasing anything on Charterhouse and anything or anybody affiliated with Charterhouse be it in writing in social media , in music, Radio, TV, video or through any other form of communication or publication .
In the main case of defamation, Shatta Wale ’s lawyer pleaded with the court for an out of court settlement and asked for one month within which they believe by then the case might be settled amicably between the two parties , but Lawyer for Charterhouse and Mr. Ayoade, Lawyer Egbert Faibelle said one month was too long for a possible out of court settlement so the court agreed and a two- week
ultimatum have been given after which if both parties are not able to settle the case out of court, the case would be recalled . The case has therefore been adjourned to
Monday November 3rd. We are also reliably informed that even before Monday ’s court hearing,
counsel for Shatta Wale had quietly written an.official letter to Charterhouse and Mr . Ayoade for an out of court settlement but
Charterhouse have not replied the said letter yet and Shatta Wale ’s lawyer consistently.pleaded for an out of court settlement in court
today. We are also informed by sources from within Charterhouse that several individuals ,
cooperate bodies and some prominent associations in the entertainment industry have
pleaded on behalf of Shatta Wale to Charterhouse and Mr. Ayoade to forgive the dancehall artiste and take the case out of the court.
Public Relations Officer for Charterhouse , George Quaye confirmed that there have been
several pleas from very prominent people including politicians ,Chiefs, Men of God and people from the entertainment industry apologizing on Shatta Wale ’s behalf and calling
for a cease fire. He also confirmed that indeed Shatta Wale ’s lawyers have written an official letter asking
for an out of court settlement adding that Charterhouse has not officially replied the letter yet. Asked if Charterhouse will possibly consider an out of court settlement as pressure continues to mount on them to do so, George Quaye said
that the decision is beyond him assuring that immediately any decision he would make known .

“I ' m Prez of Ghana .. .I Haven’ t Decided We Host AFCON 2015 - Mahama Updated: 19 -Oct- 2014

Ghana has not decided to host the Africa Cup of Nations for 2015 , President John Mahama has clarified. He told Ghanaians in the United Kingdom where he is visiting that: “We haven’t taken a
decision to host” . “ I am President of Ghana , I chair cabinet. No
such decision has been taken by cabinet advising me to accept to host” . The President’s clarification follows an avalanche of civil society opposition to comments by Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga that the West African country had the capacity to host the AFCON in January 2015 should original host, Morocco, decide to pull out due
to fears over the deadly Ebola Virus Disease ..Morocco has asked CAF to consider postponing the event , but the African football body insists on holding the game per the original schedule. It has written to Ghana and South Africa to consider hosting in the stead of Morocco, should the North African country pull out . Ghanaian civil society groups including OccupyGhana , Christian Council , and an adhoc anti- Afcon 2015 social media group, fear Ghana could be importing the haemorrhagic fever into the country if it accepts to host the
game. President Mahama , however , said : “ I want to tell you that we will take the best interest of
Ghanaians at heart. As President , I don’t want to see Ebola spread to my country and so if Morocco expresses concern that that is one of the concerns for which they want a postponement, we are going to look at that carefully before we host AFCON or not , but
certainly 2017 we are putting in a bid for it ”.

Why Ghanaians Urinate In Public - Mensa Otabil Updated: 19 -Oct- 2014

Motivational Speaker and Preacher Mensa Otabil has said Ghanaians urinate in public because the system within which they grow up
lacks optimal wisdom to govern their behaviour . “ The same Ghanaians who’ll urinate in the
street here go to London and their body functions the same way, but they don’t urinate on the street . Why ?” he wondered .
The Founder and General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church ( ICGC ) said Ghanaians refrain from the bad habit abroad
because those systems have structures that govern people’ s bahaviour . “ They are governed. Their desire is governed. They would hoard whatever they are feeling for five hours to get to the right place to deposit it . How come here they have no patience ?” he asked his congregation on Sunday October 19, 2014 when he taught the church about wisdom. According to him, Ghanaians do not restrain themselves from urinating in public back at home “because the wisdom for the governance of the space we have, is weak” . “ Wisdom is the principal thing ”, he reiterated , but clarified that the governmental nature of
wisdom , which he was referring to was not restrictive to political governance . “ The fifth dimension of wisdom is that wisdom is governmental. That is ruling with fairness and equity. Now I know when I say governmental the first thing you think about is the government . But in the Hebrew society where much of the wisdom we know in the Bible originated from , the first governmental system was the family ”.

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“I am the sexiest, daring, annoying, but the best Ghanaian female artiste in Africa” – Kaakie

I remember during my primary school days when teachers asked for a description of myself in one sentence, I fumbled. It’s usually
very hard to condense all the description you could give of yourself in one sentence. Even as
an adult, same thing happens when I go for interviews; and am asked to describe myself in one sentence. This “one sentence” description of yourself, is not the easiest of tasks. But, well, this is not
the case for Kaakie. Over the weekend “The white carpet”, an
entertainment show on JoyNews on multi TV, hosted dance hall queen Kaakie. The queen diva as popularly called when asked to describe herself in one sentence took a deep breath and without punctuations, she said; “I am the most sexiest, daring, annoying but the best Ghanaian female artiste here in Africa, the world and
aiming to empower women, and very sweet”. Think otherwise? Well you can take a swim in the ocean but Kaakie won’t care. The Diva who was just describing herself in one sentence added that she can be very naughty at times. Who would think the daring Kaakie will
fear anything? Well everybody has fears and Kaakie's biggest fear at the moment is Nigeria's Jesse Jagz. The two have been nominated in the same category “Reggae Dancehall” in the 2013 Channel ‘O’ awards. But the sexy dancehall queen assures herself and her fans; “I won’t board a plane to South Africa and come back with nothing. I’m hopeful irrespective of my competition.” The last time Samini was on “The White Carpet”
he referred to Kaakie as his little baby, so it didn’t come as a surprise when Kaakie responded in similar fashion, when asked who
Samini meant to her, that: “Samini is like my father, brother and everything to me”. She added that the 30% of “Patwa” she speaks
is by kind courtesy, Samini Meanwhile Kaakie has entreated all her fans to keep praying for
her and look forward to a whole new Kaakie after the channel O awards.

Pope Suffers Synod Setback On Homosexuals Updated: 18 -Oct- 2014

Pope Francis has suffered a setback as proposals for wider acceptance of gay people
failed to win a two-thirds majority at a Catholic Church synod. A draft issued half-way through the meeting of senior clerics had called for greater openness towards homosexuals , and those who had
divorced or contracted a civil marriage. But those paragraphs were not approved , and stripped from final the report . The Pope said the full draft document should nonetheless be published .

Regional results from the NPP's Presidential primaries

Ashanti Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 91.89 % Participation Rate. ( 23011 out of 25042 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 21418   - 93.33 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 1257  -  5.48 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 273   - 1.19 %
Total Rejected Votes 63
47 out of 47 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Brong Ahafo Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 91.39 % Participation Rate. ( 13661 out of 14948 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 12633   - 93.25 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 752  -  5.55 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 162   - 1.20 %
Total Rejected Votes 114
29 out of 29 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Central Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 93.86 % Participation Rate. ( 11267 out of 12004 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 10780   - 96.23 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 379  -  3.38 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 43   - 0.38 %
Total Rejected Votes 65
23 out of 23 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Eastern Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 91.99 % Participation Rate. ( 14911 out of 16209 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 14571   - 97.96 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 258  -  1.73 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 45   - 0.30 %
Total Rejected Votes 37
33 out of 33 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Greater Accra Results of the Flag
Bearer's Election 86.86 % Participation Rate. ( 18659 out of 21481 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 17657   - 94.87 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 793  -  4.26 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 161   - 0.87 %
Total Rejected Votes 48
34 out of 34 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Northern Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 95.90 % Participation Rate. ( 12622 out of 13162 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 11856   - 96.50 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 343  -  2.79 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 87   - 0.71 %
Total Rejected Votes 336
31 out of 31 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Upper East Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 95.20 % Participation Rate. ( 5966 out of 6267 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 5459   - 93.78 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 244  -  4.19 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 118   - 2.03 %
Total Rejected Votes 145
15 out of 15 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Upper West Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 88.28 % Participation Rate. ( 4594 out of 5204 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 4146   - 94.64 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 189  -  4.31 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 46   - 1.05 %
Total Rejected Votes 213
11 out of 11 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Volta Results of the Flag Bearer's
Election 73.28 % Participation Rate. ( 9151 out of 12487 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 7532   - 83.33 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 1372  -  15.18 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 135   - 1.49 %
Total Rejected Votes 112
25 out of 26 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Western Results of the Flag Bearer's Election 84.24 % Participation Rate.
( 11865 out of 14084 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 11423   - 96.72 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 329  -  2.79 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 58   - 0.49 %
Total Rejected Votes 55
26 out of 26 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

Headquarters Results of the Flag
Bearer's Election 39.79 % Participation Rate. ( 113 out of 284 Special Delegates Voted.)
CandidateName Votes Percentage
Akufo-Addo, Nana Addo-Dankwa 99   - 87.61 %
Kyeremateng, Alan Kwadwo 9  -  7.96 %
Addai-Nimoh, Francis 5   - 4.42 %
Total Rejected Votes 0
1 out of 1 Voting Centers
Have Reported.

FULL TEXT : Nana Addo's Speech After Being Declared Winner Of Primary Updated: 18 -Oct- 2014

STATEMENT BY NANA AKUFO -ADDO AFTER DECLARATION OF VICTORY IN NPP PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ON 18 TH OCTOBER,
2014 AT THE EFUA SUTHERLAND CHILDREN ’ S PARK , ACCRA .

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it .
I thank the Lord Almighty for his continuing.blessings on our beloved Ghana, the NPP and
myself . I thank, from the bottom of my heart, the thousands and thousands of NPP members –
polling station executives , electoral area co-ordinators, constituency executives , regional
executives , National Council and National Executive Committee members, National Council of Elders , Members of Parliament, past national officers , founding members and ordinary members and youth of the party – for this overwhelming show of support .
I am profoundly grateful and truly humbled by the massive confidence you have reposed in
me . You have put an enormous responsibility on my modest shoulders, but I want to assure
you that I shall do everything humanly possible , under the guidance of Almighty God , to justify your confidence. I congratulate my opponents, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and Hon. Francis Addai-Nimoh , for their competition , and appreciate the gracious call that Alan Kyerematen made to me earlier this evening about my victory. I congratulate
also those who did not make the shortlist of five and those who did , but dropped out of the race to support me, my good friends, Hon . Joe Ghartey and Hon. Kofi Osei -Ameyaw . We will all co- operate and work together to advance
the cause of the NPP and Mother Ghana. That.is what the people of Ghana and the membership of the NPP expect of us. I am grateful to those in the party, from the
national to the polling station level , who were responsible for the organisation of this successful election , and to the members of the Electoral Commission , who supervised it . My thanks also to the Police Force for their
service. I thank warmly all those who supported my candidature and participated in my campaign .
This historic result could not have been achieved without your hard work and enthusiasm .
I acknowledge with thanks the extensive coverage given to the conduct of the campaign
by the media . My final thanks goes to my beautiful lady, my
wife Rebecca , my children and family for their constant support and encouragement . Without
them , I cannot go forth . Tonight’ s declaration brings to an end the
process of internal reorganisation of our party. We have now to gird up our loins , put ourselves together and get ready to face the
big battle of 2016 . We , in the NPP, have a sacred , two-fold duty . We must rid our country , through the peace of the ballot box, of this incompetent NDC government of John Dramani Mahama , and relieve the Ghanaian people of the unjustifiable hardships and
difficulties they are encountering.
We are then to form a government for Ghana where we will reverse the decline of our nation , do the work of the Ghanaian people
with integrity and bring about their rapid progress and prosperity . We have the men and women who can do it . We can fulfil , in our
generation, the dreams and ambitions of our founding fathers to build a free, prosperous ,
modern African nation, governed on the principles of democratic accountability, the rule of law and social justice . Let us be up and
doing. God bless Ghana . God bless the NPP. God bless Mother Africa.
Thank you.

EC Officially Declares Nana Addo Winner Updated: 18 -Oct- 2014

The Electoral Commission has officially declared Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo as winner of the presidential primary of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP ). He secured 117, 413 votes representing 94. 35
per cent as against 1 , 128 votes representing 0 .91 % by Francis Addai Nimoh and 5 ,908
representing 4 .75% by Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen .
He has thus secured the mandate of the party's delegates to lead the NPP in the next general elections.
The total valid votes added up to 124, 449. According to the EC 's official figures , 1277 votes were rejected. In all, the total votes cast
was 125,726..Meanwhile, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and.Francis Addai Nimoh have congratulated Nana.Addo Akufo for winning the primaries to lead.the NPP in the 2016 Election .

Speech of President Mugabe...

Read the speech of President Mugabe...True Story:

1. Racism will never end as long as white cars
are still using black tyres.
2. Racism Will never end as long we still wash
first white clothes, then other colours later.
3. Racism will never end if people still use black
to symbolise bad luck and WHITE for peace!
4. Racism will never end if people still wear
white clothes to weddings and black clothes to
the funerals.
5. Racism will never end as long as those who
don't pay their bills are blacklisted not White
listed. Even when playing the pool (snooker), you
haven't won until you sink the black ball,and the
white ball must remain on the field.
BUT I don't CARE,SO LONG AS I'M STILL USING THE WHITE TOILET PAPER TO WIPE MY BLACK
A*S, I 'M STILL FINE! (Mugabe speech) LOL.
What do you think about this speech ?