SOMETHING NEW NOW: June 2014

30 June 2014

President Mahama has not resigned as Ghana President - FELIX KWAKYE OFOSU

Ghana Government is encouraging the general public to disregard the letter and its contents that is circulating in some social media platforms about the resignation of President John Dramani Mahama.

The Police Administration has okayed the planned “Occupy Flagstaff House” demonstration scheduled to take place on Tuesday, July 1 after it initially warned it would not permit it.
The protest which was to take place in front of the Flagstaff House has, however, been moved to the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park for security reasons, according to the police.

Nana Akufo-Addo, Sunday, lamented the leadership crisis in Ghana and accused President John Mahama’s government of sending the nation backwards.
Addressing the UK Branch of the New Patriotic Party’s monthly public meeting on Sunday in Wood Green, London, the man vying to lead the New Patriotic Party in 2016 described the situation in Ghana as, “we are in an era of retrogression.”

Bjorn Lomborg argues that fossil fuels can fight poverty.

Bjorn Lomborg, President of Copenhagen Consensus Center, argues that before poor countries can move to clean energy, poor families need access to cheap electricity so they don't have to burn dung, cardboard, or twigs for heating and cooking. These dirty fuels produce indoor air pollution that is terrible for health (especially for children). Learn more at www.gatesnotes.com.

28 June 2014

NPP Wishes Muslims Ramadan Kareem.

The New Patriotic Party wishes Muslims throughout the country a happy Ramadan which begins on Saturday, 28th June 2014.

It is the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with a simple word - iqra. It is therefore a time when Muslims reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith and the responsibility that people have to one another and to God.

Economic integration key to Africa's success.

To release the potential of Africa as the beacon of hope for the entire world, there is surely need for Africa to integrate economically to champion this dream. In the post-independence period, integration has been a core element in the development strategy of African countries.
The importance that African countries attach to regional integration has been reflected in the high number of integration schemes on the continent. The integration is geared toward empowering Africa to take its rightful position in the global economy. It is a strategy toward partnership for transformation.
Economic integration is the unification of economic policies between different states through the partial or full abolition of tariff and non-tariff restrictions on trade taking place among them prior to their integration.

For the first time, Western stereotypes associating Africa with death, disease, poverty, and war are being replaced by the reality of demanding, brand-conscious consumers who happen to live in a challenging environment. For too long, “Africa” has been considered a homogenous mass rather than a multicultural continent of diverse citizens. The media-generated image of passive beneficiaries of international charity and financial aid is now giving way to one of active customers voicing their opinions on product performance, service quality, and advertising.

After all, the emerging affluent African consumer is as connected as the rest of the world, smartphone always in hand.

Moody's Investors Service has today downgraded Ghana's sovereign rating by one notch to B2 from B1. The outlook on the rating is negative.

The key drivers of today's rating action are the following:

1) Ghana's deteriorating fiscal strength, as reflected in the rising debt level and worsening debt affordability amid persistently high fiscal deficits.

2) The increase in Ghana's vulnerability to shocks given its large debt-refinancing needs and wide external imbalances

Fifa has revealed it was ready to pay Ghana's players their World Cup bonuses directly and deduct it from the Ghana Football Association's prize money.

After Ghana's players boycotted training in protest at not receiving their money, the country's government flew $3m in cash in a plane to Brazil.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke described the situation as "sad".

"The players have the right to receive their money but it would be much easier to do this by bank transfer," he said.

Michael Essien uploads Fun video on Instagram of Ghana team singing.

Michael Essien has posted a video on Instagram of his Ghana teammates singing, dancing and generally getting in touch with their musical side.

He said.

Is always fun to be around this guys our last training before last night game is a shame we didn't go through to the next stage but what a great team spirit from the boys I'm very proud of this guys.#blackstars

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Prat Jnr has said action taken by the Mahama-led administration to fly a cash amount of $3 million to the Black stars in Brazil has made the country a laughing stock.
“I was listening to BBC yesterday and the presenters were making fun of the move made by the government, Ghana has become a laughing stock”, Pratt said on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’.

President John Dramani Mahama has been elected Chairperson of the African Union’s High Level African Trade Committee (HATC).
His election on Thursday was at a meeting of the Committee shortly after the opening of the ongoing 23rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
President Mahama is taking over from Chad President, Idris Derby.

1223 miles from Africa to the UK on a tank of fuel.

British journalist Andrew Frankel was behind the challenge. He averaged 73.6 mpg (3.1 l/100 km) with the journey taking him from Tangier in Northern Africa to the UK, via two continents, four countries and three time zones in a total time of 27 hours on the road - shared with a relief driver - arriving at Goodwood in time for its appearance at the Festival of Speed.

Having covered a total of 1,223-miles (1,968 km), the original intention was simply to see if it were possible to get to the UK without refuelling, but on arriving at Goodwood late last night the fuel gauge was yet to register empty, the car still estimating an available range of 100-miles (160 km) - equating to a total range potential of 1,323-miles (2,129 km).

Four Reasons Skilled Workers Leave Africa - and How to Keep Them By Khalid Koser

Flexible immigration procedures are essential for skilled workers to move easily between countries and businesses. However, all around the world, there's a certain tension between the needs of governments seeking to manage immigration, and businesses wanting to hire the most talented people. As the global competition for talent intensifies, new policies for resolving this tension have emerged, including preferential visa regimes for certain types of workers and quotas.

One region that lags behind in tackling these issues is Africa. While the free movement of labour is a principle enshrined in certain sub-regional agreements, it is often either not ratified or not effectively implemented.

A picture of Ghana player John Boye, reportedly with his share of a $3 million bonus in cash, has gone viral on the Internet.

Ghana are in disarray after a remarkable 24 hours.

First, reports that the players had demanded their tournament bonus in cash emerged on Wednesday. As per the BBC, a plane was chartered to fly the money in from Africa before another picture emerged of it being taken to the players in convoy:

Cristiano Ronaldo Is the Most Popular Man in America Right Now for Scoring Againt Ghana.

A few minutes ago, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal against Ghana to give Portugal a 2-1 lead in their game. You can watch it in the Video above. And that goal very well may have just helped the U.S. clinch a spot in the knockout round of the 2014 World Cup. It also made a lot of U.S. soccer fans very, very, very, very, very happy.

Just take a look at how much love Ronaldo is getting on Twitter at the moment:

The Schalke's Bundesliga player Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari have been thrown out of the squad of the Ghana national football team at the World Cup in Brazil. Boateng should be clashed with coach Kwasi Appiah during training, Muntari is alleged to have become violent against official of the association Moses Arman Parker. The Ghanaian Association confirmed the suspension of both players on his website. In SPORT BILD online Boateng takes a position on the incidents.

Just as you thought Luis Suarez was to be the epitome of bad behavior in South America, Ghana have today revealed that star duo Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng have been sent home on the eve of their crucial match against Portugal for severe breaches of discipline.

The BBC report that AC Milan midfielder Muntari was guilty of an “unprovoked physical attack on an executive committee member”, while Boateng had used “vulgar verbal insults targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah”.

Neither player will take any further part in Ghana’s World Cup campaign and have “been suspended indefinitely”.

Ghana players receive cash awards at a hotel in Brasilia (Photo: Almir de Queiroz / TV Globo)

Apparently, the promise of the Ghanaian Football Association to pay the players, even on Wednesday, the award by qualifying for the World Cup was fulfilled. Around 20h, sent a delegation of the African country with the late money landed in Brasilia, where the team faces Portugal on Thursday. With police escort, responsible for the transport of values went straight to the hotel where the team is staying pathway was shown during the National Journal, TV Globo. According to Agence France Press, the award is around $ 3 million.

AKUFO-ADDO REPLIES DAN ABODAPKI: “KUFUOR HAD NO HAND IN YOUR PROSECUTION”.

The contents of an interview granted by Mr Dan Abodakpi on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show on Monday June 23, 2014, have been brought to my notice. Of particular concern to me are some allegations made by the former Minister of Trade under President Rawlings regarding his prosecution and subsequent conviction by the Accra Fast Track High Court.

It may be recalled that on February 5, 2007, the Court, after an exhaustive trial, found Mr Abodakpi and one other guilty on seven counts of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretences and wilfully causing financial loss to the State.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed serious concern about the scuffle between securitymen at the national headquarters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and another group of securitymen on Monday.

It has, therefore, called on NPP to not allow what happened to recur since, according to the NDC, “that behaviour is not democratic and does not conform to the norms and labour rules.

Africa's First Medical Tablet with Mobile Connectivity Recognized.

Recently, the Royal Society brought out its list of five winners of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, and the field covered a wide variety of technologies and fields. Ranging from breeding programs to what is believed to be the first medical tablet PC of African make, this collection of young people had a lot to offer, and said advances posed exciting new possible developments for the future.

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise started with a shortlist measuring 1,800 total applicants worldwide, and the five young winners, chosen by a panel of eight expert jurists, each received a prize of 50,000 Swiss francs—about $55,866 U.S.--in order to put some extra juice into the projects.

Ghana has sent a plane carrying more than $3 million in cash to Brazil to pay the World Cup appearance fees owed to the national soccer team, known as the Black Stars.

“The players insisted that they will want physical cash,” Deputy Sports Minister Joseph Yammin said in comments broadcast by Accra-based Citi FM. “Government had to mobilize the money and a chartered flight to Brazil. The money is in excess of $3 million.”

Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama contacted the team and the arrangements for payment were made after, the Ghana Football Association said in a statement on its website.

‘A Cut & Paste Job!’ Ghana FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi to sue Telegraph for ‘defamatory’ matchfixing allegations [Video]

The Daily Telegraph produced an undercover report earlier this week, in which they staged a set-up with the Ghana FA, in which they expose the football officials as matchfixers.

But Ghana FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi is having none of it – he says it was all a set-up, and that at no point on the Daily Telegraphs’ video do they mention the concept of, or word ‘matchfixing’.

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) Tuesday began a four-day closure of their shops to demonstrate against government policies that have allowed foreign nationals to take over the trading of most commodities in the country, President of GUTA, Mr George Kweku Ofori has announced.

GUTA is also using the closure of their shops to protest against a special three per cent levy imposed on imports as well as a 2.5 per cent increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) together with the continued depreciation of the local currency, the Cedi, which they said had affected their businesses.

Ghana's Asamoah Gyan Becomes 1st African to Score at 3 Different World Cups.

With a 63rd minute goal during Ghana's 2-2 draw with Germany at the World Cup on Saturday, Asamoah Gyan became the first African player to score at three different World Cups, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The goal was a shocking one in the game, as Ghana took an unexpected 2-1 lead over a team many believe will win the entire tournament. Unfortunately for the Ghanaians, Germany's Miroslav Klose netted the equalizer just eight minutes later, ending the match in a draw.

HARARE – Launching a business can be hard work, especially in Africa, where weak governance systems and inconsistent access to critical resources impede success. For Africa's farmers, the challenges are particularly pronounced. Given the vast economic and social benefits of a dynamic and modern agricultural sector, providing farmers with the incentives, investments, and regulations that they need to succeed should become a top priority.

The recent boom in Africa's telecommunications sector – which has revolutionised entire industries, not to mention people's lifestyles – demonstrates just how effective such an approach can be.

German fans who went to their world cup game against Ghana with blacked-up faces have been accused of racism.
A disgusted fan counted eight Germans in black make-up and posted on Instagram: "Worst, people are lining up to take pictures with them. Poor form, #Germany.#racism#racists#worldcup."
Now Fifa has promised an investigation, saying they will probe any evidence of discrimination or racism under its "zero tolerance rules."

With effect from February 25, 2015, any electrician who undertakes electrical wiring services without a certificate from the Energy Commission (EC) will be prosecuted, an official of the Commission has indicated.

As the Commission seeks to fully enforce the Electrical Wiring Regulations, 2012 (LI 2008) from that date, offenders of the law will be liable to a fine of 250 penalty units (equivalent of GH¢6000) or two years’ imprisonment or both.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has asked police to investigate two men over match-fixing allegations.

The association called in police to investigate the pair for allegedly "misrepresenting the GFA with an attempt to defraud".

The request came after the Daily Telegraph and Channel 4 reported match-fixing claims allegedly uncovered during a sting operation.

Funny US Ghana World Cup 2014 goals highlights animated by Taiwanese Animators.

By this time, most fans have seen the highlights from the United States’ 2-1 win over Ghana on Monday. This video recap from Taiwanese Animators, however, isn’t your normal highlight.
The video takes several shots at America’s lack of interest in soccer, featuring an ode to American football, some United States-Ghana foosball action and a hilarious depiction of what happened during 81-minute scoreless stretch of the game that even features a Game of Thrones reference.

Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari visits Brazilian community and hands out money to disadvantaged locals.

This World Cup has been known as much for its great sporting moments as it has for its heartwarming tales of human compassion - from Japanese fans cleaning up the stadium to Australia's Mark Bresciano tying a young mascot's shoelaces.

Now add Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari to that list - the 32-year-old reportedly sought permission from his coach for some time off to visit Maceio, an impoverished Brazilian community in Fortaleza, before his country's game against Germany.

In the video below, he is seen handing out bills from a wad of cash in his hand to the locals, while also making the effort to interact with them.

The former Portsmouth and current AC Milan player also delivered a top performance in the 2-2 draw with Germany.

West Africa and Europe trade: Who will benefit more?

On February 24, ten years after negotiating an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) negotiators agreed on a final document. The trade pact was supposed to be approved by the Heads of State at their 44th Ordinary Summit in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire.

ECOWAS leaders agreed in principle to the trade agreement but put it off until concerns raised by the regional heavyweight, Nigeria, were addressed before a final decision can be taken.

Ghana plays the best tie of the World Cup leveling 2- 2 with Germany.

Ghana held Germany to a 2-2 draw on Saturday despite veteran striker Miroslav Klose coming on as a substitute to tie the World Cup scoring record with the equalizer in their highly entertaining Group G match.

Klose now has 15 career World Cup goals, equaling the mark set by former Brazil star Ronaldo.

Regina, The German Octopus Predicts Ghana Win Over Germany World Cup match.

An important prediction has been made for World Cup game between powerhouse Germany and Ghana, Regina, the octopus at Berlin's Sea World aquarium, has already predicted Germany's win against Portugal.

A new set of challenges awaits Germany against the Black Stars.
The German national team’s opening match against Portugal surprised even the brightest optimists among Germany’s fans. The one team, which the German media feared the most at the start of the tournament, was demolished in a comprehensive fashion. Tomorrow evening, Joachim Löw’s team could potentially book their ticket to the knock out stages of the tournament.
For Germany, Ghana is a blast from the recent past. In the last World Cup Die Nationalmannschaft barely managed to pull off a win against the Black Stars, thanks to Mesut Özil’s wonder strike, the match’s only goal:

Man jailed for illegally exporting electrical waste to Africa.

Electrical goods being legally recycled. Joe Benson illegally exporting 46 tonnes of hazardous waste to Nigeria, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and the Congo Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

A waste dealer has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for illegally exporting tonnes of hazardous electrical waste to Africa, the Environment Agency said.

The agency's investigators found broken cathode ray tube televisions and ozone-depleting fridge freezers in four containers intercepted at ports between September 2012 and April 2013.

Joe Benson, 54, of Broad Street, Loughton, Essex, was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Snaresbrook Crown Court for illegally exporting 46 tonnes of hazardous waste to Nigeria, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and the Congo. He had earlier pleaded guilty.

Africa off to miserable World Cup start.

Defeat for Algeria on Tuesday completed a miserable start forAfrica at the World Cup in Brazil with only the heroics of aging Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba to enthuse over.

The 36-year-old came on as a substitute to help the Ivorians come from behind to beat Japan on Saturday but for the other four African representatives, their chances of a second round berth are already looking bleak with the tournament not yet a week old.

Algeria, the last of the African sides to get their finals campaign underway in Brazil, were beaten 2-1 byBelgium in Belo Horizonte.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho thinks the FA should donate any football fines that he has to pay to charity.

Rather than going to watch the World Cup in Brazil this summer, Mourinho has been visiting hungry children and HIV patients in Ivory Coast as a United Nations ambassador for the World Food Programme.

The Portuguese said he wants football to do more to support initiatives like the WFP, and suggested the FA should donate his football fines to good causes.

Ghana's Kindle library.

Craig Mod visited Ghana recently to check on the progress of Worldreader, an organization dedicated to distributing digital books to children and families in places like Rwanda, Ghana, and South Africa.

Those of us who work in technology tend to take religious-like stances over its ability to change the world, always for the better. My paranoia of trickery comes from an inherent suspicion towards technology, and an even deeper suspicion of presuming to know better.

TRACE International, the global anti-bribery association that works with multinational companies to enhance transparency and compliance in business, continues to expand its worldwide presence with new partnerships announced in Ghana, Turkey and Hungary.

"TRACE is making significant strides toward achieving a global standard for third party due diligence and anti-bribery compliance," said Alexandra Wrage, President of TRACE. "An increasing number of multinational organizations and governments see that their shareholders and constituents are demanding greater transparency."

Press release

More than 800 members of staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) will own houses before their retirement under a housing project launched in Accra, yesterday.

Under the project, workers of the GRA who own land in Prampram, Oyibi, Kasoa, Gomoa Nyanyano, Obakrowa and Adjin Kotoku will have houses built for them on the lands to be paid for in ten years with their contributions to be deducted at source.

Kwadwo Asamoah has pleaded to his coach, Kwesi Appiah, to play him in a more attacking position for Ghana's next game against Germany this Saturday.

The Juventus player, who naturally plays as a wingback, was positioned into a more defensive role at left back for Ghana in their 2-1 defeat to the USA in their opening game. Asamoah found it difficult to make the transition from his role in the Italian side's 3-5-2 formation to his country's 4-2-3-1 set up. He hopes after a disappointing result in the first game that his manager will move him into a more offensive role.

The Dutch Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Hans Docter, has proposed to the government to be tougher on cheap imports in order to save local industries from collapsing in order to derive the needed revenue.
The diplomat also urged the government to privatise some sectors of the economy and reform its customes procedures to reduce the burden on the state.
The Ambassador was speaking to the Daily Graphic ahead of a three-day visit of the Netherland’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms Lilianne Ploumen, who will be leading a 56-member business delegation to Ghana today.

Actor Djimon Hounsou Sums Up Despicable Way Western Media Portrays Africa And Why it Should Stop.

Government blundering making us all seem stupid.

Dear President Mahama!

My name is Nana Ama, a citizen of Ghana and I’m writing to tell you I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of your government’s poor decisions and the unbelievably stupid things some of your wayward representatives say. Seriously, you’ve got to do something about those decisions and comments; they reflect badly on me and make me appear dim-witted, which I’m not.

Ghana team officials said Wednesday that reports of a “player revolt” against coach Kwesi Appiah following the 2-1 loss to the United States at the World Cup weren’t true.

A radio station misinterpreted the reason why a news conference at the team base in Maceio was postponed on Tuesday, the Ghana Football Association said, denying players had refused to report for the conference.

A new biotech company in San Francisco will go after a population of patients far from the Bay Area — all the way in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Announcing its formation Wednesday, Serenus Biotherapeutics’ executives said they want to bring needed therapies to Africa: drugs that are close to commercialization, as well as treatments that are made by other companies and already on the market in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Body marking has been used for centuries in parts of Africa to indicate a person's tribal heritage. It's becoming less common but some people still want to carry the marks of their ancestors. This article contains images which some might find disturbing.

In the town of Ouidah in southern Benin, a voodoo ritual is about to take place following two days of celebration.

The Houeda ethnic group is one of a number in Benin which believes that scarring children - usually on their face - will connect them with their ancestors.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for making the time to be at this Press Conference. The NPP has since 2011 sounded alarm bells about the state of Ghana’s economy. Every time these alarm bells have been sounded, we have been met with derisory comments and insults by Government Ministers, NDC communicators, supporters and apologists. At the outset the language of government was “I care for you” which transformed overnight into a “Better Ghana Agenda.” Subsequently, they shifted gear to, “Unprecedented achievements” and, lately, “working for you”. Today, in the face of a glaring economic crisis, the talk is about “challenges”.

FIFA times Clint Dempsey goal against Ghana at 30 seconds, 5th fastest in World Cup history.

FIFA has officially timed Clint Dempsey's goal at 30 seconds into the United States' 2-1 win over Ghana.

Dempsey became the fifth fastest scorer in World Cup history on Monday in Natal.

The goal was initially timed at 29 seconds before being confirmed at one second later by FIFA on Tuesday.

We have been here before, as a team and as a nation. We have lost a battle, despite fighting a good and strong fight, but we have carried on, defied the odds, and risen up to win the “war.”
Yesterday’s game against the United States of America (USA) was only our first in the World Cup. Even though the USA scored within the first minute of the match, we did not despair. We maintained our focus and we came back to equalize. We came back to claim our glory. And we celebrate our team, the Black Stars, for shining brightly in the midst of what seemed like a very bleak beginning.

Vendors of Vodafone Ghana are grievously violating the directives of the National Communications Authority (NCA) which, among other things, bar the company from selling any new Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards to the public from June 6 until July 31.

According to them, they will not stop selling the cards because they have not been officially informed by Vodafone or any authority to stop. Consequently, they said, they would only stop selling if Vodafone recalled the cards from them and refunds what they invested to acquire the SIM cards from the company before the ban.

It was a day of celebration for the United States men's national soccer team. Ghana, who knocked the U.S. out of back to back World Cups in 2006 and 2010, were felled. The game might not have been pretty, but the celebration was justified. The three points were safe.
It was only natural that worldly travelers Delta Air Lines, home of awesome'80s preflight safety videos and photon showers, would want to congratulate the American team on their victory. The airline tweeted out two photos, each representative of a country--the U.S.A. and Ghana.

Ghana Rice Farmer Applauds Govt for Banning Rice Importation.

Alhaji Suhiyini Ziblim, a Ghanaian rice farmer and seller on Sunday said government's ban on rice importation through the borders of the Ivory Coast has given a boost to local rice production in the country.

He said: "Since October last year when the ban was imposed on the importation of rice from la Cote d'Ivoire, local rice production and sales has risen about 40 percent, a situation that is encouraging to local rice farmers to yield dividends for their year-long toil."

USA Holds On To Beat Ghana 2-1 at World Cup 2014.

The U.S. gets revenge against the team that knocked them out of the last two World Cups. USA faces Portugal next, Sunday, June 22. Ghana will take on Germany, Saturday, June 21.

The USA scored at the very start and the end of the game to take all three points as they recorded a 2-1 victory over Ghana in the opening match of their World Cup Group G campaign in Natal on Monday.

American striker Clint Dempsey netted after just 29 seconds, the fifth-fastest World Cup goal of all time, to put his side ahead, but it looked as though Ghana would rescue a point when Andre Ayew combined brilliantly with Asamoah Gyan to fashion an equaliser with eight minutes remaining.

Africa needs to first rely on internal investment if it is to achieve the infrastructure developments it urgently needs, the president of Senegal said Sunday at a regional summit.

"We rely on our own efforts to mobilise domestic resources, because of the shift in public development aid and the volatility of capital markets," President Macky Sall said at the Dakar Financing Summit.

The two day meeting of NEPAD the New Partnership for Africa's Development brought together the leaders of Mali, Nigeria, and Benin, with 300 delegates from across the continent.

Touching Social Experiment: Do We Need To Disguise Ourselves To Get Closer?

Pro Infirmis conducts an experiment: there are only a few people who don't have empathy with disabled people. Nevertheless, the passenger seat in the public bus next to Fabian often stays empty. Handicapped people are a regular part of our society. So, get closer

13 June 2014

Google Apologizes For World Cup Logo With Wrong Flag, Not “Ghana” Happen Again.

Google logo showing Ghana flag at top; Cameroon flag on bottom

Google scored a goal against itself by mixing up the flags of Cameroon and Ghana in a special logo highlighting the Mexico versus Cameroon match happening today in the World Cup. Well, it is Friday the 13th.

Google’s already fixed the logo and tweeted an apology with a pun:

Ghana-based Center for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training (CePAT), part of the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention’s (USP) Global Health Impact Program, is now using handheld anti-counterfeiting technology in its fight to detect fake anti-malaria drugs, a major problem in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Thermo Scientific TruScan instruments are ideal for the CePAT effort because of their streamlined user interface, ease of implementation and inherent specificity, designed to allow key personnel at the point of need to quickly and accurately detect counterfeit drugs.

Police have broken up demonstrations in Johannesburg's Soweto township after residents bared their rears in protest over the bucket toilet system.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the hundreds of people who had barricaded a road in Soweto on Wednesday, claiming their bucket toilets had not been emptied in over three months.

"They [the protesters] were showing their bums by taking their trousers down on the street... to show their anger with service delivery issues," Kay Makhubela, a police spokeswoman, told the South African Press Association (Sapa).

The Bank of Ghana(BoG) has dropped some measures on foreign exchange which will allow withdrawals from up to US$10,000 henceforth. These measures were taken off after BoG’s review of certain regulations imposed to foreign exchange last February.

A wide-section of the Ghanaian public believed it to be a significant cause of the fall of the Cedi.

Rising bond yields, mounting inflation and a weakening currency have taken the shine off Ghana, a country until recently hailed as a model for African growth.

An oil boom helped fuel five years of GDP growth above 8 percent making Ghana an emerging market star, a stable democracy whose population of 25 million was moving steadily into middle income status.

It is now, however, paying a steep price for not coming through with a new tranche of fiscal reforms. Political consensus is stymied, the public is dismayed by rising cost and the dream of new wealth is on hold.

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