The family of Newton Kwaku Boateng, a 48-year-old Ghanaian businessman based in South Africa (SA), has requested that the South African Police Service (SAPS) to provide the family with genuine autopsy on the remains of the deceased. Newton Kwaku Boateng according to the family was killed in his home in the Gauteng Province of South Africa on Thursday, March 2, 2023, after battling unidentified attackers for his life. The fact that the suspect and his collaborators haven't been apprehended over a month after the crime worries the family. The family pleaded with SAPS to carry out its duties expertly, particularly when it comes to protecting of foreign citizens. They alleged that the some security personnel handling the case were conspiring, scheming, and collaborating with the ailing deceased close associates, to change the findings of the actual autopsy performed by the government pathologist. The family therefore warned those in charge of the autopsy to better be diligent in doing their job in order to avoid any future predicament. "As a family, we are all begging for the administration of justice. We want justice because this man has a family and is caring for his children after such a tragic tragedy, the family added. Though the autopsy according to the family was done in Germiston SAPS (South African Police Service) Mortuary, they are yet to receive the report from the police. They alleged foul play, a cover-up in coordination with some security personal, and threats against the people chosen to supervise the autopsy. The late Newton Kwaku Boateng's family believes he was murdered, and that those behind the murder are seriously working behind closed doors to prevent the family from gathering information, particularly the autopsy report, which indicates the cause of death. Story by: Thinknewsonline.com

Donald Trump is the first former US President to be arrested on criminal charges. He is being arraigned at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on criminal charges said to be related to hush money payments made to adult film star, Stormy Daniels in 2016. He left his home at Trump Tower shortly after 13.00 local time (18.00BST). He waved to waiting cameras, making a fist, before getting into his car. It took just minutes for the former president's motorcade to make the 6.4km drive (4 mile) from his home at Trump Tower to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. During the drive, he posted on his social media website: "Seems so SURREAL -- WOW, they are going to ARREST ME" He appeared calm and serious as he walked into the courthouse, pausing to wave at the crowd. Credit: BBC

News reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that an officer with the Ghana Immigration Service has met his untimely death after he was shot by some unknown gunmen at Bawku in the Upper East Region. According to sources, the deceased (name withheld) was shot multiple times by the unknown gunmen. Two other officers who were with the deceased in the car at the time of the shooting sustained series of gunshot wounds. It is emerging that the injured are receiving treatment at the hospital. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghanaian rapper and songwriter, Ruth Eno Adjoa Amankwah Nyame Adom known professionally by her stage name Eno Barony says if she is the current mother of rap in Ghana then Belinda Nana Ekua Amoah popularly known as Mzbel is the grandmother in the music industry. According to Eno Barony, Mzbel has been one of her earliest inspirations growing up. In an interview monitored by Thinknewsonline.com, Eno Barony said "If I am the mother of rap, Mzbel is like the grandmother" "Every girl I knew at that time was dressing like Mzbel. It was a pleated short skirt, with a crop top and a little jungle bag" She added that Mzbel's songs were the number one songs played on streets adding that it got most girls dancing. "I be 16 years" Touching on her journey into the Ghanaian Music Industry, she explained that she never saw female musicians who were plus in size like her. She added that most of them were skinnier adding that it later became a bother to her. "People were talking too much about my image. Why are you like this? Why are you not going to look like this and stuff, so it was bothering me" "When I accepted myself as who I am, I did a song called 'Heavy Load' and I realised that 'oh, I had fans who are just like me and are looking up to me, the way I dress, everything I do" "So if you see a woman doing anything male-dominated, you don't doubt it" Ghanaian rapper, singer, and songwriter, Kwame Ametepee Tsikata known as M. anifest said "I think the existence of people like Eno Barony is the breaking of the glass ceiling moment" "I remember the first time I was on a radio station with her when I saw her, she out-rapped me. I was like 'my goodness, who is this one?" "The truth about why there are not many women involved in Hiplife and in the music space is that, the space, unfortunately is still quite sexist, you know" M.anifest added that it is difficult for a woman to operate in the male-dominated spaces. "Whether even it's as simple as night sessions in a studio" "Every successful music scene in the world has a lot of women in it" "So if you want to succeed, bring the galdem" Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Minister of Communication and Digitalisation Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has come under criticism for naming a library and tech hub after her mother. The Christiana Akua Brago Diawuo Library and Tech Hub was was inaugurated on Thursday, March 30 at Akim Oda in the Eastern Region. The facility was constructed at the instance of the Minister but supported by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Huawei Ghana, MTN Ghana and the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA). This has incensed some Ghanaians, who think the facility appears to be part of state-capture by officials of the incumbent government. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was at the event as the Special Guest of Honour. ”Recounting my past and acknowledging the contributions of my mother, Christina Akua Brago Diawuo, which has propelled me to my current state, I can only be thankful,” the Communications Minister wrote on Facebook. ”Thank you, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for joining me to inaugurate ‘The Christina Akua Brago Diawuo Library and Technology hub’ at Akim Oda, an honour to my mother.” Credit: 3news.com

Hajia Bintu has finally cleared the air on the source of funds she used in purchasing her Mercedes-Benz GLC63. The socialite and influencer revealed that contrary to popular opinion, she harnessed the power of social media and influencer marketing to buy herself the SUV. Bintu, 24, shot to fame in 2021 after videos of her curvaceous backside went viral and stunned netizens. Before her fame, she worked as a waitress at the Peduase Valley Resort. In a no holds barred conversation with Delores Frimpong-Manso on The Delay Show on TV3, the self-acclaimed slay queen said she had saved enough to purchase the almost $150,000 vehicle. "I saved a lot from my influencer deals and instant ads on Snapchat,” she revealed. The Tiktok star who currently lives in a $ 700-per-month apartment complex explained how she made money from instant ads. “If I post Instant ads on snap and make 500 cedis, imagine posting 5 or 10 a day, multiplied by a week and a total it in the month and this just one category of ads,” she said. She also maintained that the car was hers and will not be captured by a second owner in the future. “You know there have been times when people have said they own the car and later come out to say the real owner has come for it? We hope you won’t come and say the same,” Delay admonished. On the whereabouts of her Jaguar SUV, she intimated that she had swapped it to acquire the new Mercedes Benz. Credit: 3news

Some frustrated commercial motor riders have bemoaned how the seizure of their motorbikes by the Tesano Police Command three weeks ago is having a toll on their livelihoods. According to them, they are starving and therefore appealed to the government, especially the Greater Accra Regional Minister and the IGP to release their motor bikes. Numbering more than thirty (30), they indicated that their charges are mostly jumping of red lights at traffic intersections in the city. They also added that other road traffic regulations contribute to reasons for the confiscation of their motorbikes. Credit: Accratimesonline

Barely a week after losing the highly-rated Superintendent Effia Tenge, the Ghana Police Service is set to be hit with another high-profile exit as Commissioner of Police, Kofi Boakye is set to retire on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Effia Tenge is widely reported to have tendered her resignation to the top hierarchy of the police last week as she prepares to take on a new role in the Parliament of Ghana. As Ghanaians continue to digest the news that dominated the media space on Saturday, April 1, 2022, it has emerged that COP Kofi Boakye is also on his way out. The imminent exit of COP Kofi Boakye was disclosed by Kwame Sefa Kayi on the Friday, March 31 edition of his show. Sefa Kayi, while paying tribute to Kofi Boakye for the incredible things he accomplished in his career, mentioned Wednesday, April 5 as the day the celebrated policeman will officially retire from the service. “Next week Wednesday, Kofi Boakye will be sixty. He will retire next week Wednesday. I can’t tell if there will be a pull-out ceremony for him but next week Wednesday, he will leave the police service,” he said. His revelation drew a statement of eulogy from the guests on the show who are great admirers of COP Kofi Boakye. Dr Smart Sarpong reminisced how Kofi Boakye declared war on armed robbery in the Western Region and managed to reduce it to the barest minimum. He promised to attend the pull-out ceremony and honor COP Kofi Boakye if one is held in his honor. "There used to be a lot of robbery activities in the Western Region but he fought it. In Kumasi, he fought and won against armed robbery activities. We should set a day aside to celebrate him.” Opanyin Agyekum, the head of the linguistics department of the University of Ghana also commended COP Kofi Boakye for his tremendous service to the country. COP Kofi Boakye is widely remembered and celebrated for how he combated armed robbery activities in the Ashanti Region when he was the regional commander. Credit: ghanaweb.com

The Electricity Company of Ghana owes Bui Power Authority (BPA), the managers of the Bui Generating Station more than US$612 million, Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, the Chief Executive Officer has revealed. He expressed his disappointment in the inability of the ECG to pay the authority as the power produced and supplied to the company remained the only problem confronting the operations of the 404 Megawatts (MW) dam, situated in the Banda District of the Bono Region. Speaking in an interview with the media during a visit by Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister to the dam’s plant site at Bui, Mr Dzamesi said almost 99 per cent of the power produced was sold to the ECG. Accompanied by some members of the Bono Regional Security Council, as well as the District and Municipal Chief Executives, the Regional Minister was at the site to acquaint herself with hydropower generation and other operations of the authority. Mr. Dzamesi said, “I can assure you since the inception of the BPA, the ECG has never, ever been able to pay more than 30 per cent of what we generate. What I mean is for every 100 units of power generated, the ECG pays 30 units”, he regretted. "If the ECG can pay all the money, I think by this time we could do much more than what we are doing on the solar,” he stated. In 2022, he said the Authority raked in a US$74 million-dollar profit, the highest generated so far since the dam started actual production, but added the amount was inclusive in the ECG’s debt. "Last year, by the grace of God we had rainfall that was able to fill to the highest capacity of the dam’s level of 183 and we got little more over the 183-capacity level. So, we were able to make 1,554 gigawatts per hour last year,” Mr Dzamesi stated. The Chief Executive Officer said BPA had the biggest solar plant in the West Africa sub-region, saying it had targeted to construct a 250MW solar plant to augment power generation at the Bui Generating Station. Mr Dzamesi explained the authority was currently undertaking feasibility studies on the Western Rivers, and he was hopeful “by the end of the year, we will get contractors who would start very serious hydropower plant either on Rivers Pra, Ankobra or Tano." "The BPA is the first company to hybridize solar power and hydropower. When I say hybridization, it means a smooth transition from hydro to solar or from solar to hydro or the two of them moving together,” he said. Mr Dzamesi commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government for the support in making the authority to achieve its 250MW solar project. He said the BPA was undertaking serious expansion work on its solar project indicating “under his leadership, we have added 50MW of solar and by the end of the year we are adding additional 40MW on-land here, 50MW in Yendi, and 5MW on the dam’s reservoir here.” Source: GNA

Chelsea have sacked manager Graham Potter after less than seven months in charge following Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa. It was the Englishman's 11th defeat in 31 games since replacing Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge on 8 September. Chelsea have dropped to 11th in the Premier League - 12 points outside the top four - having spent more than £550m on new players this season. The club's owners said they were "disappointed" to sack Potter. Chelsea say Potter "has agreed to collaborate with the club to facilitate a smooth transition" and that Bruno Saltor, who worked with Potter at Brighton, will take charge of the team as interim head coach. In a statement, co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We have the highest degree of respect for Graham as a coach and as a person." He has always conducted himself with professionalism and integrity and we are all disappointed in this outcome. Chelsea host Liverpool in the Premier League on Tuesday and face Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on 12 April. There have now been 13 managerial changes in the Premier League this season - three more than in any other previous campaign - with Leicester also sacking Brendan Rodgers earlier on Sunday. "Along with our incredible fans, we will all be getting behind Bruno and the team as we focus on the rest of the season," the Chelsea owners added. "We have 10 Premier League games remaining and a Champions League quarter-final ahead. We will put every effort and commitment into every one of those games so that we can end the season on a high." He won 12 of his 31 games in charge in all competitions and managed 1.27 points per game in the Premier League - the joint-lowest of any manager to take charge of 20 or more games for Chelsea in the Premier League, alongside Glen Hoddle. Former Spanish right-back Bruno, 42, spent seven years as a player at Brighton before retiring in 2019 and moving into coaching. Potter was Boehly's first managerial appointment since taking over the club in May 2022, with the Englishman impressing in his three years at Brighton. Speaking to Sky Sports after her Chelsea side's Women's Super League win over Aston Villa on Sunday, boss Emma Hayes said: "Obviously I'm upset for Graham and the club. I know everybody wanted to make it work." "If the owners feel like they have to go in another direction then of course, as always, I support the decisions and wish Graham the best." "With 10 games left to play in the Premier League, I'm sure the boys will do everything to get us back on track. I'm a manager and I'm always gutted when managers lose their job." Potter replaced Tuchel, who won three trophies in 20 months at Stamford Bridge, in September when the Blues were sixth in the top flight, following a summer during which they spent £255m on transfers. Owner Boehly went on another remarkable spending spree in January, shelling out £288m. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez and Ukraine forward Mykhailo Mudryk were among eight mid-season signings - but the new additions have struggled to click on the pitch. Credit: BBC

Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says the general public will be in a better position to hold government accountable on what it uses its money for once they declare their taxes faithfully. The Vice President made these remarks following the launch of three initiatives of the Ghana Revenue Authority aimed at promoting tax payment as well increasing the domestic revenue mobilisation drive. Speaking at the launch, the Vice President said "When we faithfully declare our taxes, we’ll be in a position to hold the government accountable for what our tax money is being used for" Dr. Bawumia called on the public to join hands together to develop the country,” Explaining further, the Vice President noted that the initiatives comes with an Electronic Tax Compliance Certificate (E-TCC), GRA’s Tax Compliance Short Code *880# and Online Tax Returns Filing. "These initiatives are aimed at making it easy for customers to be tax compliant and make the payment of taxes easy from the comfort of ones home or office" Dr. Bawumia also noted that the E-TCC is a documentary evidence issued by the Commissioner-General of GRA is aimed at ensuring each tax-payer is up to date with tax payments and has also met all applicable tax obligations at the date of issue. He said "These electronic systems would also enable taxpayers to conveniently use the GRA’s taxpayers’ portal (www.taxpayersportal.com) to file their tax returns, apply for tax compliance certificates and make tax payments, using their personal computers, mobile phones, or computer tablets" Dr. Bawumia stressed that the new introduction would further provide a shift in attitude towards tax payments and enhance compliance in both formal and informal sectors of the economy. "These digital initiatives would promote transparency and accountability as well as minimise corruption in the country" "Taxes were the lifeblood of any country, which help to build nations worldwide and I want to commend GRA for buying into government’s digitalisation agenda to promote national development and economic growth" Dr. Bawumia also declared April as ‘Tax and Good Governance Month’ Commissioner General of GRA, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, on his part revealed that the GRA back in 2019 embarked on transformational agenda, and focused on three key pillars. The three, he explained include people, technology and service. The Commissioner-General is however bent on ensuring that technology is used to identify and simplify procedures and processes for tax payments. He appealed to all taxpayers and businesses to accept the GRA’s digital portals. He noted that the acceptance will drive them to file tax returns, initiate payments, and access other tax-related services. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Celebrated Ghanaian Actress, Jackie Appiah has shared her thoughts on the much-talked about LGBTQ brouhaha in Ghana. She shared her thoughts on an Accra-based television station on Saturday. She said "Mepawokyew, me dwene me ho ooo which literally meant "please, I am thinking about myself" "Menp3 as3m biaa which also meant "I don't want any case or trouble". There are talks about the LGBTQ in Ghana for sometime now. Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris and President Akufo-Addo have come under some pressure from some scores of Ghanaians following their comments on the subject. Ghana's Parliament is yet to pass a bill in law which frowns against LGBTQ in Ghana. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith