Kotoko on revival mission against AshGold

Both Kumasi Asante Kotoko and AshantiGold have had their own peculiar issues in the Ghana Premier League in the past weeks. While Kotoko have dropped closer to the relegation zone after two defeats to Berekum Chelsea and WAFA, AshGold’s seven-point gap has now been reduced to two after picking a point in their last two matches.

Sunday’s cracker at the Baba Yara Stadium means a lot to both teams. Kotoko need all three points to halt their poor run and move away from the bottom three. The Miners on the hand are under pressure to save their top spot as Berekum Chelsea continue to mount a hot chase. The last meeting between the two sides ended 2-0 in favour of Asante Kotoko, who made it to the finals of the MTN FA Cup scheduled for late August.

At the Accra Sports Stadium, relegation-threatened Great Olympics will take on Medeama Sc hoping to bag the three points to help them in their relegation escape. The Wonder Boys must be wary of Medeama’s Nathaniel Asamoah, who has fired 15 goals to occupy the top spot on the scorers chart.

High-flying WAFA, make a short trip to Accra to face Liberty Professionals at the Carl Reindorf Park, while Hasaacas host bottom-placed BA United at the Essipong Stadium.

Heart of Lions must begin to pick points in order to survive the stern relegation test. Yusif Abubakar’s charges come up against Wa All Stars in Kpando after falling heavily to Hearts of Oak in the mid-week action.

In Dormaa Ahenkoro, former champions Aduana Stars are favourites against Inter-Allies.

Fresh from a great mid-week action, Hearts of Oak will be seeking to extend the form to the Len Clay Stadium in Obuasi, where they are paired with Edubiase FC on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Berekum Chelsea failed to overtake AshGold, at least temporarily, after losing 2-1 to Bechem United in the first week 24 kick-off on Friday.

Obama's official visit to Kenya

President Barack Obama landed in Kenya on Friday with a mission to strengthen U.S. security and economic ties, but his personal connection to his father's birthplace will dominated the trip that Kenyans view as a native son returning home.

Kenya is a critical Western ally in the battle against the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab, which massacred 148 people in April at a Kenyan university near the Somali border. Obama held talks in Nairobi on security cooperation.

He also spent private time with family members and was part of the global entrepreneurship summit where he delivered a speech.

"Just as anybody is curious about their heritage, visiting Kenya provides him an opportunity to make that personal connection," Valerie Jarrett, a senior aide and family friend of Obama, said in an interview.

We bring you a collection of pictures on the US president's trip

Don’t pay for ambulance services - NAS

 

 

Emergency ambulance services carried out by the National Ambulance Service (NAS) for patients are free, Prof. Ahmed N. Zakaria, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAS has said.

He explained that the cost of the emergency services were borne by the government irrespective of the status of the patient being offered the service.

Consequently, he had cautioned that under no circumstances should anyone ask patients to pay for a service or should patients or their relations pay for a service.

There have been media reports about some patients complaining that they were asked to pay for the ambulance service before being conveyed to the hospitals.

A case in point was in Tema where during the 2014 annual review meeting of the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, some health workers reportedly appealed to the NAS to issue receipts of payment to patients who paid for their services.
According to the health workers, some patients were asked to pay without being issued any receipts.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Prof. Zakaria said it was illegal for anyone to charge a patient.

The government, he explained, continued to bear the cost because emergency ambulance service was not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS).

The CEO, however, said efforts were being made to get the emergency ambulance service to be captured under the NHIS to relieve government of the burden.

The NAS was designed to provide an immediate response to patients with life-threatening situations.

Emergency ambulances convey patients to the nearest hospital so that the patient can receive immediate medical attention.

Prof. Zakaria said there had been a systematic improvement in the response time of ambulances to emergency call points.

From 20 minutes in 2009, the response time was reduced to 17 minutes in 2013.
That, however, still fell below the internationally accepted response time of eight minutes.

He pointed out that the survival of a patient was highly contingent on the response time of the emergency team that was why the NAS took great interest in working to further reduce the time.

Reasons the CEO assigned for the failure to meet the internationally accepted response time included wrong directions to incident or accident scenes, inaccessible scenes, bad roads, traffic congestion and disrespect for ambulance sirens.

Against the backdrop, he called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to speed up their street and house naming projects to facilitate the direction to incident centres and eventually improve response time.

Synagogue collapse: IJSER "The International Journal Of Scientific Engineering And Research" contradicts coroner’s verdict

An article published by ‘The International Journal Of Scientific Engineering And Research’ (IJSER) has questioned the verdict of a Lagos State Coroner’s Court ruling the tragic collapse of a building within The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) last year was due to structural failure.

The respected international journal published the article in its July edition, titled, ‘Elimination Of Structural Failure And The Placement Of Chemical Explosives For The Infrasonic Weapon As The Cause Of The SCOAN Building Collapse’, written by a weapons expert Paul Iguniwei.

Iguniwei, who is a lecturer at Kaduna Polytechnic College of Science and Technology, argued that the only viable scientific option to explain the unique nature of the controversial collapse was an ‘infrasonic weapon’.

"Having analysed the CCTV footage, personally visited the scene and made critical observations, I am convinced an exotic kind of weapon employing the infrasonic characteristic was used to cause the collapse of the building," he wrote in the article, available online at IJSER’s website.

"It was deduced that the collapse resulted from a high energy infrasound absorption by the building leading to a high energy resonance of the constituents’ atoms of the building," he further explained.

Upon personal inspection of the ill-fated building site at The SCOAN, the scientist observed that the "foundation columns are still intact, with no stress or cracks on the steel and concrete pillars protruding from the earth", ruling out the verdict of structural failure as a possible cause.

"The CCTV footage showed a collapse that is not consistent with other known buildings which have collapsed as a result of structural failure," he further clarified.

Referring to the groundbreaking research of French scientist, Vladimir Gavreau, Iguniwei explained the scientific evidence behind sound being used as a weapon capable of mass destruction.

"Resonance can be induced electromagnetically by an infrasonic pulse generator, which can establish a link, for instance, to a building like that of The SCOAN that collapsed," he wrote.

"Once this connection occurs, the power level of the generator can be increased, which would automatically transfer the energy to the building. If the power or intensity level is high or very high, the building can suffer a crumbling collapse."

Iguniwei posited that although it is rare for infrasonic weaponry to be used, there is currently a lot of research ongoing into its capabilities.

In his concluding remarks, he noted, "Certainly our science tells us that infrasound weaponised with a high enough intensity can cause vibrations to structures at the atomic level causing the kind of destruction we saw happen at The SCOAN premises."

The International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research describes itself as ‘a one-stop, open access source for a large number of high quality and peer reviewed journals in all the fields of science, engineering and technology’.

According to their website, the journal only publishes an average of 20% of article submissions it receives. Its editorial board comprises of 12 respected scientists from nations such as United States, Portugal, Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Iran.

It would be recalled that Lagos State Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe ruled the collapse was as a result of ‘structural failure’, a verdict The SCOAN strongly opposed, insisting the building was ‘sabotaged’.

Ghanafest 2015 The Best Yet?

The best place on earth to spend the last weekend of July this year is definitely Chicago, Illinois. Why do we say this? The Ghana National council, GNC, and the Ghanaian youth in Chicago have lined up a highly attractive entertainment package that is too good to be ignored! First it is rumored that no other persons than the first couple of Ghana, His Excellency, President Mahama and First Lady, Lordina Mahama, heard about this enthralling package and they immediately changed their itinerary to make sure they are in Chicago for Ghanafest! Wow, so why not you and I? Ghanafest is the mother and the most spectacular of all African cultural events in the diaspora! No wonder the Ghanaian youth in Chicago cunningly spiced up the Ghanafest weekend with their own schedule of impressive activities!





The weekend kicks off with one of the greatest song writers of Ghana, Bisa K. Dei featuring in a pre-Ghanafest show at the Koncrete, 1675 N Elston, Chicago IL from 10 pm to 3 am on Friday July 24 2015. Bisa K Dei features on hits songs such as Odo Carpenter, Person to Person, Azonto Ghost, Mansah Metanfo, Madanfo, Give it to Baba and many more!



The gigantic one is Ghanafest, at the Washington Park, near the University of Chicago. The scenery at the park will take attendees of Ghanafest to Ghana! Yes, you will be in Ghana without a passport and a visa! Why not? The rumor in town goes that the President of the Republic of Ghana will be at Ghanafest 2015 with some Ministers of state, and other dignitaries! Chiefs and Queens from Ghana; local Chicago Chiefs and Queens and their royal cortege will depict a typical African Royal Durbar. Ghanaian celebrity drummer who plays five man drums alone and co-star with Paul Simon in the past, Okyerema Asante, and the popular Ghana Dance Ensemble will delight attendees with an expected epic performance! Smart Frimpong and the Nyansapo Band will not be denied a place at this majestic gathering! They are also expected to put up a memorable show as the President of Ghana and the First Lady look on!

There will be traditional Ghanaian food and cuisine! Up and coming Ghanaian artist, Solomon Adufah will be working on the canvass at Ghanafest. ABC news documentary film crew who are making a documentary on Mr. Adufah will be at his stand. Ghanafest attendees are therefore guaranteed once in a lifetime Ghanafest experience.It will be Kikiki!



The Emcees for the occasion are Jennifer Nartey, and Tulip Tulip from High Life Radio in Virginia. D.J Master Pee and others will be at their best as usual!



The after Ghanafest party will feature Bisa K Dei again at the Chika Hall, 435 N Bolingbrook Dr., Bolingbrook, IL. From 10 pm to 3:30 am.

On Sunday July 26 2015, the Ghanaian youth in Chicago have scheduled an all-white BBQ get together at 6300 S. Cornell, Chicago IL. The event starts at 2 pm and ends at 10 pm. Food and drinks will be free!





Top deejays like DJ bonsu , DJ chieff , DJ odikro , DJ akuaa from Wshington DC and DJ iamdjzaga all the way from Ohio are lined up to thrill you over the weekend!

How can you not afford to be there? Pack your bags and head to Chicago! It's a weekend you and your family cannot afford to miss out on! Meet you there!

Tetegu grateful for traffic light

The chiefs and people of three communities have commended the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) for installing a traffic light at Tetegu Junction, which has drastically reduced road accidents at the intersection.

Hitherto, no day passes without accidents being recorded, some of them fatal.

This compelled the three communities—Tetegu, Oblogo and MacCarthy Hill—to send a request to the Ministry of Roads and Highways, through the GHA, to take
remedial measures to stop the carnage at the junction.

Mr Edmund Cudjoe, the Assembly member for Oblogo -Tetegu in the Ga South Municipality, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, also commended the chief executive of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), the director of road safety and police commander at Weija for their concern and swift response to the request for safety measures to be put in place to protect lives and property at Tetegu Junction.

He also commended Nii Kojo Sammy Danso, Chief of South West MacCarthy Hill; the Tetegu stool and the Ga South Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Jerry Akwei Thompson, for spearheading the installation of the traffic lights.

Mr Cudjoe said the traffic lights had helped to check the rampant road accidents, adding that since the installation more than two months ago, no fatal accident had been recorded.

He said that was not the first time the GHA had assisted residents in the Ga South Municipality, citing the construction of a steel bridge at Tetegu and the gravelling of the road from the Tetegu Junction to Tetegu. The drainage system in the area is also in good shape.

Vote for right people to bring progress – NCCE

The Afigya-Kwabre District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Wilberforce Zangina has appealed to voters in the upcoming district level poll to make the right choices by electing candidates who would bring them development.

He said they should “not give their votes just to anybody but to those they are convinced would best represent their interest, hopes and aspirations.”

Making the call through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Kodie, he said “the yardstick should be the individual’s own personal record”.

He said it was important for all to recognize that the caliber of candidates chosen by the people would to a large extent determine the performance of the assemblies and the unit committees.

That is why they need to exercise correct judgment.

Mr. Zangina rallied the people to show interest and to actively participate in the elections to strengthen local governance to transform their living conditions.

He said the chronic voter apathy that had characterized the district level elections must change.

They must display the same level of enthusiasm shown during the presidential and parliamentary polls to make it successful.

He asked everybody to take their civic responsibilities seriously and these include exercising their right

Tagging gov't critics NPP is NDC strategy –MP

The Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee says it is a political strategy of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to smear all government critics.

Mr. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu said this strategy of the NDC is designed to cow all critical masses and silence them into docility whilst it mismanages the country’s economy without being held accountable.

“In my work as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, I have met civil society people who have vowed not to talk because they will be tagged politically if they do,” he said.

The Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central was speaking on Joy FM and MultiTV’s news analysis programe, Newsfile Saturday, July 25, 2015.

He was discussing the controversy generated by a meeting of eminent religious leaders and some leaders of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the residence of former president John Agyekum Kufuor.

The meeting was called by the former president to calm the raging tensions and rancorous disagreements in the opposition party.

The selection of the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensa Otabil, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle has generated controversy.

Presidential Staffer, Dr. Clement Apaak, just like many NDC spokespersons, said the three religious leaders have exposed their affiliation to the opposition party.

He said their acceptance to attend the meeting confirms long-held suspicions that they are adherents of the NPP.

Clement Apaak argued that it was no coincidence that the most ardent critics of the government’s actions have been these three leaders.

But Mr. Agyemang-Manu dismissed the assertions as nothing but the same old tired strategy of the NDC to discredit all major critical voices in the country and render them impotent by simply tagging them NPP.

There is no basis to call the eminent religious NPP simply because they were invited by former president Kufuor to mediate a dispute between members of the NPP.

“When I have a problem, I will go to my pastor or my priest,” so there is nothing strange about inviting religious leaders to mediate a disagreement between party members, he argued.

The Dormaa MP said, “The NDC knows that they have mismanaged the economy and have lost the confidence of the people so what they are interested in doing now is to say NPP is not ready for power.”

“The wish of the NDC that NPP disintegrates before the 2016 elections will never happen,” he asserted firmly.