Multiple award-winning rapper, Michael Owusu Addo widely famed as Sarkodie has been summoned by an Accra High Court to testify on a case he knows about. The case involves Jude Osei versus Kantanka Automobile, Kwadwo Safo Jnr as reported by Ghanaweb. The High court looks forward to the appearance of the Coachella rapper on Monday, July 13, 2022, to give evidence on behalf of the plaintiff or the defendant. Kantanka Automobile and Kwadwo Safo Jnr. have been sued over a failed promise they made on their social media account, kantanka_daily. The plaintiff, Jude Osei is said to have received a direct message from the Kantanka_daily account on Twitter asking him to post a picture of the Kantanka's car on his page and would be rewarded if he can garner 30,000 retweets. Jude who was able to get the 30,000 retweets after a year and messaged them to ask for his reward but a disclaimer was sent to the general public should treat any tweet offering Kantanka Mensa for 30,000 retweets as a hoax. "Jude Osie raised concerns as to why the company was silent and never issued a disclaimer for almost a year and only announced it after he had gained over 30,000 retweets. Based on this, he headed to court. Jude Osei's lawyer, Felix Nana Osei argued that the account is not fake as the handle was once used to tweet a message to Sarkodie to which the rapper responded. The tweet was also retweeted by Kwadwo Kantanka Jnr. with the same handle, Kantanka_daily. He also argues that, even if the account was fake, the company should not have waited for over a year before issuing a disclaimer. They are however demanding: A declaration that at all material times the Defendants caused, allowed and or permitted me @kantanka daily Twitter account to carry itself as an agent of the 1st Defendant, damages for breach of contract and a declaration that @kantanka_daily entered into a valid contract with the Plaintiff to the knowledge of the Defendants among others." as reported by Ghanaweb. Credit: Pulse GH

Freedom Jacob Ceaser has shared a video of his infamous tigers enjoying their freedom in his Ridge home. The cubs stirred controversy and became a national topic after residents at the Wonder World Estates, Avenue Lincoln located near the British High Commission in Ridge, raised alarm over their fear of the wild animals in their vicinity. A few days after the debate sparked by the wildcats, the Ghanaian business mogul who owns the cubs has shared a video of the cubs playing football on his compound. Nana Kwame Bediako who is also known as Cheddar posted the video on his Instastory. The video which was shared prior to the just-ended Champions League finals was captioned "get ready for the finals, Liverpool vs Real Madrid, PDO vrs APC". Before this, the residents claimed they are not comfortable sharing the estate with the carnivorous animals and have called on appropriate authorities to relocate them. However, the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission has said that the two tigers belonging to the business mogul pose no threats to the inhabitants of the estate. Defending the rearing of the 7 months old cubs, the Ghanaian millionaire said he bought the wild animals for tourism purposes and that conversation had been ongoing between him and the Ghana Tourism Authority about where and how to keep them to boost the country’s tourism. He added that it was not his intention to endanger the lives of the residents with the tigers but rather to add value to Ghana’s tourism industry. Watch the video below: Credit: Pulse GH

A man and woman who were seen in a leaked sex video shared on social media have been picked up by some residents and flogged publicly in Wa. They were paraded at the forecourt of the Wa Naa's Palace on Tuesday (May 31, 2022) and lashed by a group. A video of the incident, which happened on Tuesday afternoon has been shared on social media. The girl and boy had been seen having sex in a leaked video. The video had a date stamp of May 29 [Sunday]. This, did not go down well with some youth, who picked them up Tuesday, tied them to a pole at the forecourt of the Wa Naa's Palace and flogged them. Graphic Online understands that there was a similar video earlier on, with another young girl who was seen advertising that she was a commercial sex worker, and does hook-ups. In the earlier video, the girl admitted she was a commercial sex worker and was available for hook-ups. The matter was reported to the elders at Wa and they decided that, anytime they come across any of such videos, they should look for the persons behind it and bring them to the elders, since Islam frowns on such acts. The motive, was to serve as a deterrent to other young girls and boys from engaging in such acts in Wa, according to a source who hinted Graphic Online about the incident. So, when this new video was spotted on social media, the youth went for the girl and boy, and paraded them Tuesday afternoon. They had sent them to the Palace to ostensibly report them to the Wa Naa, but when they got there and the Wa Naa was not around, a decision was taken to give them 100 lashes each. But that was later reduced to 20 lashes each. Watch the videos below: Credit: Graphiconline.com

The Minority in Parliament has expressed disappointment at the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Dampare over his response to the British High Commissioner. According to the Minority, it was not expecting such utterances from the IGP. Speaking to Journalist in Parliament on Tuesday, the Tamale Central MP said “We are concerned about the consistent undermining of freedom of expression guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution. That even a foreign diplomat cannot simply express her view, that how will this particular one go, how will this investigation go" “There is a difference between a Facebook post and a real and actual threat to the stability of our country. Probably they are running ahead of their shadows because they know what they are doing. So freedom of expression remains the most fundamental building block of democracy. Even a diplomat can be questioned simply by saying how will this one too go.” The utterances by the Minority Leader follow a statement from the Ghana Police Service warning the British High Commissioner to stay out of internal matters of the country. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The driver of a trailer carting cement died on the spot, with his mate and another in critical condition after an accident at Gomoa Assin on the Kasoa-Cape Coast Highway in the Central Region on Tuesday. The injured are currently receiving treatment at the Apam Catholic Hospital. Reports gathered indicate that the trailer with the registration number GM 3587- 21 traveling from Cape Coast towards Accra upon reaching a section of the road, rammed into a broken truck loaded with scraps parked in the middle of the highway. Officers of the Ghana Fire Service had to rush to the accident scene to extricate the deceased and the surviving injured persons who had been trapped in the mangled trailer. The Apam District Fire Service Commander, D01 Adolf Ankomah Nuamah, in an interview with GHOne TV News Yaw Boagyan condemned the fact that the driver of the broken down vehicle failed to erect a warning triangle to alert oncoming drivers. He’s sure if such a sign had been placed behind the broken truck this death and injury could have been avoided. Source: kasapafmonline.com

The Ghana Police Service has asked the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, to mind her own business. This is in reaction to a tweet by the Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, in relation to the arrest of Oliver Barker-Vormawor, convener of the FixTheCountry Movement. In a four-page letter signed by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare and sighted by JoyNews, the IGP noted that Ms Thompson’s act was unprofessional and seeks to undermine the credence of the Ghana Police Service. The letter follows a tweet by Madam Thompson indicating that she “will be interested to see where this (the arrest) goes’. The British High Commissioner on May 17, tweeted, “Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry Movement, arrested again, I understand for a motoring offence on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes.” Reacting to this, the IGP said the “tweet is a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 which enjoins diplomatic missions not to interfere in the internal affairs of their host country.” He stressed that all their engagements with the #FixTheCountry activist have been in accordance with the supreme laws of the country, thus, the Commissioner’s comment was “obviously made from either a biased or uninformed position.” According to him, “ordinarily, the Ghana Police Service would not have responded, however, we have learnt from previous, painful experience that it has not been helpful to ignore such misguided, unwarranted, and biased comments intended to tarnish the reputation of the Ghana Police Service and that of our country.” IGP Dampare further cited occasions in Britain where “religious groups” were tagged as terrorists for threatening the security of their country. He subsequently quizzed the moral authority Madam Thompson had questioning the modus operandi of the Ghana Police Service in dealing with persons who threaten the nation. “As our former colonial power and the source of our legal, judicial and criminal justice architecture and indeed, of our Police Service, we continue to look up to Britain among other countries for guidance with regard to how difficult situations are handled. “We note that some leaders of faith-based organisations in your country made pronouncements that were considered as national security threats, they were branded as terrorists, arrested, prosecuted and in some cases were extradited. This, we believe, your country did in its quest to safeguard the security of the state and ensure the sustenance of the peace the inhabitants enjoy,” he stated. He further quizzed, “Do you not think we the Ghanaian people also deserve a peaceful country?” After providing a comprehensive detail of police interactions and engagements with the activist, IGP Dampare asked the Diplomat to mind her own business. “For the moment we will recommend the Ghanaian saying, that might guide you in your diplomatic engagements. The saying goes ‘Di wo fie asem’ to wit learn to keep within the limits that concerns you.” Arrests of Oliver Barker-Vormawor Earlier this year, Mr Barker-Vormawor was charged with threatening the security of the state and granted bail in April. He was arrested again on Tuesday, May 17, by officers of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service and charged with careless driving. Meanwhile, Mr. Barker-Vormawor says he has been arrested three times this year alone due to his activism. He added that following those arrests, he has been sued three times – twice by the Ghana Police Service and once by the Electoral Commissioner. “Very bizarre that I had never been arrested in my life; yet, in just one year of #FixTheCountry activism, I have already been arrested three times. I have also been sued three times, twice by the Ghana Police Service and the Electoral Commissioner”, he wrote on Facebook after his re-arrest on Tuesday morning. Source: MyJoyOnline.com

The Paramount Chief of Abene Kwahu, Dasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, has made a profound statement that Ghana's history is hollow without the success story of Zoomlion Ghana Limited. He said the success story of Zoomlion makes Ghana a true sovereign state with its own indigenous companies solving Ghanaian problems locally for the benefit of the people. Dasebre Agyapong said, if not for the active cleaning of the environs and dredging of the Odaw and other rivers in the Greater Accra Region, the floods experienced in Accra would have been very devastating. Dasebre who is the President of the Kwahu Abene Traditional Council was speaking at a gathering of his people and the management and staff of Zoomlion Ghana Limited who were at his palace to pay a courtesy call in commemoration of the Akwasidee which has just ended. He urged Zoomlion to continue with its innovative works to make Ghana a better place. The Managing Director of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mrs. Gloria Opoku Anti who led the Zoomlion team expressed her company’s readiness to collaborate with stakeholders especially the traditional authorities who are the political roots of power in the Ghanaian setting to help propel the agenda of clean and green environment across Ghana. She introduced the One Million Bin Project (1MBP) to the Kwahuhene by presenting twenty (20) made in Ghana waste bins to the traditional area to facilitate waste collection at the palace and surroundings. Mrs. Anti said Zoomlion management understands the power traditional authorities have and that is the reason why the Executive Chairman Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong and the Chief Operating Officer of the Environment and Sanitation Cluster of the Jospong Group of Companies Mrs. Florence Larbi together with management decided to strategically include traditional authorities in the day to day activities to be able to realise its full potentials as waste management was purely a collective responsibility. "Nana Dasebre is highly recognized in Ghana and especially in the Kwahu Traditional Area where Ghana thrives in terms of tourism and that is the reason why Zoomlion decided on dealing directly with the chiefs and people of the traditional area, so that Nananom will inculcate in the people the habit of waste collection and management to further boost the tourism opportunities in this area" Mrs. Anti said the company relies heavily on Nana Dasebre and his chiefs and elders to distribute more waste bins in the area to properly manage the waste that is generated especially during the Easter festivities where the Kwahu Traditional Area is noted worldwide for. She presented assorted drinks and boxes of water with branded diaries, calendars and an undisclosed amount of money to the chief and his people. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

In line with Government’s objective of Decentralizing the Regulation and Management of Mining activities in the country, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. George Mireku Duker has inaugurated fifteen (15) District Mining Committees in the Eastern Region. The districts are: West Akim Municipality, Kwaebibirem District, Atiwa East District, Atiwa West District, Ayensuano District, Upper West Akim District and Dekyembour District. The rest are: Birim North District, Abuakwa South Municipality, Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality, Kwahu West Municipality and Fanteakwa South District. The inauguration and swearing-in of Members of the Mining Committees of the Districts in the Eastern Region was held on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at Koforidua, Eastern Regional Capital. Hon. George Mireku Duker who administered the oath of office, laid special emphasis on the responsibility handed over the committee which is to play an active role in the protection and management of Ghana’s natural resources. He explained to the members that they are to act as dedicated and firm partners to the district officers of the Minerals Commission in their bid to regulate and control Mining activities in their respective districts. The Deputy Minister who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem affirmed his confidence in the members to execute the task handed them by the government. “There is yet another important statutory imperative in relation to the management of the nation’s mineral resources, that is why we are all assembled here today. We are gathered here to inaugurate the Small Scale Mining Committee as established under section 92 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703). “The Committee, one of the many to be established across mining regions of Ghana, is to assist the District Office of the Minerals Commission to effectively monitor, promote and develop mining operations in their localities. “It has its work cut-out for it. Considering the calibre of its members, however, I’m honoured to declare that the Committee will succeed in its duty of ensuring an orderly, effective, efficient and sustainable small scale/community mining in its area of jurisdiction,” he said. Hon. George Mireku Duker observerd that since the assumption of office, the Akufo-Addo government has taken various steps to promote responsible mining and increase revenue from the sector. He mentioned the anti-galamsey fight and subsequent introduction of the Community Mining Scheme as a decisive and far-reaching step taken by government to grow the sector. He also referenced the acquisition of speedboats and empowering of various regulatory bodies as commendable initiatives by government. “That is why the Government of H.E. President Akufo-Addo has decided to confront the menace of illegal mining (galamsey) through various initiatives and policies. The government, he said, has amended the mining laws to enhance the sanctions regime, launched operation halt II to rid our waterbodies and farmlands of destructive and illicit galamsey activities, among other initiatives and policies. “On the other hand, the government through the sector Ministry, continues to support the regulatory efforts of the Minerals Commission in order to build an efficient, modern and sustainable small scale mining sector, involving both precious and industrial minerals.” Hon. Mireku Duker implored the committee members to be diligent in their work and disclosed that the Ministry will organize workshops for the various District Mining Committees to enhance their capacity and sensitize them about their core mandate. On his part, the Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Seth Acheampong lamented the negative impact of illegal mining on socio-economic activities in the region. He, however hoped that the inauguration of the District Mining Committees and the current Community Mining Scheme will help address these issues. He urged the committees to be abreast with the scope of their work and coordinate with relevant stakeholders to deal with the illegal mining canker. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

An official of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has revealed that it is illegal for people to send money to another person through a mobile money vendor. Patrick Frimpong Danso, who is a member of a Technical Committee fine-tuning the implementation of the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-Levy) has said although the practice is common it has always been illegal. “It is illegal. You can’t go to a vendor and say take GH¢200 and send it to someone for me. No. When you go to the vendor, you are going to do only two things: to do a cash-out or cash-in. So, either you are withdrawing money or you are putting money in your own wallet,” he told Joy News on Monday, June 30, 2022. He said the practice has picked up recently because people are trying to beat the 1.5% charged on mobile money and electronic transactions above GH¢100. “This thing has been happening for a long time but many don’t know it is illegal,” the GRA official stressed. The revelation by Mr Danso follows a report by the Business & Financial Times (B&FT) last week that contrary to fears that implementation of the E-levy would collapse the business of mobile money agents, they seem to be making money from a new revenue stream – cash-in transactions. According to the report, desperate attempts by some customers to avoid the E-Levy have triggered the increased cash-in or deposit transactions. Mr Danso from the GRA has revealed the Authority is moving to use technology to stop people to send money to other people through vendors.Dr Yaw Adutwum reveals location of ‘missing’ $1.2m after allegations of embezzlement He said a new technology would soon be deployed to make it impossible for vendors to send money to a mobile wallet that is not within a given distance. Watch the video below: Credit: myinfogh.com

Ghana is progressing steadily in becoming a tech-force around the globe as it has received several proposals from development partners to undertake ICT initiatives. The Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ama Pomaah Boateng has said. According to her, the quest by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to bridge the ICT gap has seen the implementation of the annual girls in ICT initiative in 3 regions this year with 2 yet to be done. Speaking to Journalist after the Mentorship session at the Girls in ICT event in the Ahafo Region, Mrs. Pomaah Boateng hinted that all efforts are being made for Ghana to catch up with the Technology world. “On a daily basis the world of technology is changinging and Ghana as a country cannot continue doing things on a slow pace so we have decided to speed up matters of digital skills for our students in order to meet the growing demand globally. We used to train 1000 girls in a year but we are training 5000 basic school girls nationwide and about 500 teachers this year because our agencies and development partners are ready and willing to help so we could expand the scope” Mrs. Pomaah Boateng told the journalists. Once Ahafo region is completed, the Ministry will then move to train girls in the Savannah region. Credit: kessbenonline.com

The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) says the lack of functional streetlights on the Sogakope bridge is not a problem. The Public Relations Officer of the Authority, speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse with Blessed Sogah on Monday, May 30, said the situation “is not as bad as it is”. According to Cecil Nii Obadai Wentum, this observation is after an assessment done by its engineers. Cecil Nii Obodai WentumHe said if the situation was that dire, the Authority would have attended to it. “We have done some assessment on it and I don’t think it was only recently that assessment was done, but the situation is not as bad as it is being put out there. If it is as bad as it has been put out there, I can assure you that our team of engineers would have dealt with it. So it is not as bad as they claim.” Cecil Nii Obodai WentumIn a yet to be aired documentary, JoyNews’ Blessed Sogah revealed that the bridge has been plunged into total darkness for five years. Blessed Sogah with Cecil Nii Obodai WentumAs a result, some residents say although the bridge makes transportation easy, there are constant accidents on the road, making it dangerous to ply on. “Seriously I think without this bridge, it will be difficult for cars to come and go out because without this, we cannot go to places like Kpando and the likes, and it is only this bridge that connects us to them,” one of the residents said. Source: Ernest Arhinful

Ghana will as part of this year’s Green Ghana Day scheduled for June 10, partner the British High Commission in Accra to celebrate Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee with a tree planting exercise at the Achimota Forest in Accra. The Sector Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor who paid a courtesy call on the British High Commissioner, H.E Harriet Thompson on Monday. Samuel A. Jinapor said "The idea is to mobilize British and Ghanaian citizens to plant trees at the Achimota Forest and have an occasion to launch the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Queen vis-a-vis the tree planting exercise which is going to take off on June 10, 2022" The occasion is also to help obtain maximum publicity locally and internationally on the two key events. On her part, Her Excellency(H.E) Harriet Thompson underscored the importance of the Queen's Platinum jubilee. She said "It is a special occasion in the U.K which has an aspect of tree planting and also falls in line with Ghana's Green Ghana Day event" H.E Thompson further pledged closer collaboration between the Commission and the Ministry to make the Green Day a resounding success. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated in 2022 in the Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The Principal beacon, involving The Tree of Trees (a 21m high 'tree' constructed of 350 smaller trees), will be lit in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The "tree of trees" marks the success of the Queen's Green Canopy Initiative, which is aimed to plant 1 million trees ahead of the Platinum Jubilee is also a nod to both the need for more trees and greenery globally. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith