Oil giant Saudi Aramco on Wednesday surpassed Apple as the world’s most valuable firm. Aramco’s market valuation was just under $2.43 trillion on Wednesday, according to FactSet, which converted its market cap to dollars. Apple, which fell more than 5% during trading in the U.S. on Wednesday, is now worth $2.37 trillion. Energy stocks and prices have been rising as investors sell off equities in several industries, including technology, on fears of a deteriorating economic environment. Apple has fallen nearly 20% since its $182.94 peak on Jan. 4. The move is mostly symbolic, but it shows how markets are shifting as the global economy grapples with rising interest rates, inflation, and supply chain problems. Aramco stock is up over 27% so far in 2022. In March, the oil giant reported that its full-year profit last year more than doubled due to soaring oil prices. Apple passed Saudi Aramco to become the world’s most valuable publicly-traded company in 2020. Credit: Business News

Tributes have started pouring in for world renowned Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) specialist and President of the Ghana Sickle Cell Foundation, Professor Ohene-Frempong, who passed away in the USA on May 7, 2022 after battling a rapid progressive cancer. A professor of pediatrics and Director Emeritus of the comprehensive Sickle Cell Centre at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA, Prof. Ohene-Frempong was an advocate for the condition in Ghana and a global leader who devoted an increasing amount of time to Sickle Cell Disease work in Africa. Among those who have paid tribute to him are the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. Tributes He was instrumental with helping move discussion on SCD in Ghana to the front. The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has sent a message of condolence to the family, describing his death as a big loss to the nation. “I have received with sadness, the news of the passing away of my friend, Prof Kwaku Ohene-Frempong who until his death, was the president of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana. “Prof was a highly accomplished globally renowned in his area of speciality. He was a very humble and caring person He was passionate and committed in his research and practice in helping people living with sickle cell disease. His loss is indeed, a big loss to Ghana. My condolences to the family,” Dr Bawumia tweeted. The Sickle Cell Disease Association of America also posted on its website: “We will greatly miss Dr. Ohene-Frempong’s dedication, passion and intelligence.” “It is with heavy hearts and great difficulty that we announce the passing of Prof. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, the West African Genetic Medicine Centre (WAGMC) Sectoral Advisory Board Chair (SAB). Prof. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong passed away peacefully on May 7,” the board also announced on its website. “Prof. Ohene-Frempong was an important and inspirational member of the WAGMC team since its inception. “He dedicated his medical career to improving the lives of people with SCD. WAGMC mourns a great loss,” the WAGMC further said. Profile Prof. Ohene-Frempong has been an advocate for disease in Ghana and around the world and has researched extensively on the disease. Born in Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region, Prof Ohene-Frempong obtained his Ordinary and Advanced Level certificates from Prempeh College. His excellent academic and impressive athletics credentials earned him scholarship to go to Yale University in 1966 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in. He continued to Yale School of Medicine and graduated in 1975. He then proceeded to Tulane University where he established the Sickle Cell Centre of Southern Louisiana and served as its first Medical Director. He also became the Director of the Section of Paediatric Hematology-Oncology and Associate Professor of Paediatrics at Tulane University of Medicine. In 1986, Prof Ohene-Frempong returned to Philadelphia and became the Director of the Sickle Cell Programme under the Division of Hematology, under his leadership, the division earned a grant from the National Institutes of Health to set up one of US's 10 comprehensive Sickle Cell Centres. Passionate about Ghana and keen to bring his knowledge to benefit his community, he undertook his doctoral thesis on “Child Health in Ghanaian Community” as a result of what he was exposed to when he worked at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi in 1974. He thus extended his research work to Ghana and led the Philadelphia Hospital to team up with other stakeholders in Ghana to undertake project in screening newborn babies to know their sickle cell status in Kumasi and Tikrom. That project led to the expansion of the sickle cell centres in Ghana as well as became the led advocate for replicating that project nationwide as well as make it an integral part for healthcare for babies in Ghana at all health centres. He also founded the Sickle Cell Foundation in Ghana to provide a voice, support, advocacy and intervention for SCD patients in the country. He run regular clinics for patients at the Sickle Cell Clinic at the 37 Military Hospital. Prof Ohene-Frempong also served as a member of the Sickle Cell Disease Advisory Committee of the National Institute of Health (1986-1990) and was also elected the President of the SCD Association of America in 1991 and ended his two-term in 1998. He remained an advisory board member of the Sportsman. While at Yale, he captained the college’s track and field team and set both indoor and outfoot records in high hurdles. He continued to represent Ghana and competed in 1970, set a new national record in the 110 metres, a record that was broken in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Games. During his graduation from Yale University in 1970, he was awarded the William Mallory Award for the Best Student-Athlete. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), gave him the Silver Anniversary Award in 1975 an award that recognised six distinguished former student-athletes on their 25th anniversary as college graduates. In 1999, he was named as one of the first inductee into the International Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame alongside, Arthur Ashe, the first black tennis star. In 2001, as part of Yale University's 300th anniversary, he was selected as one of nine former athletes of Yale as the first recipients of the Willam H.W. Bush Lifetime of Leadership Award. Credit: Graphiconline.com

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Marwako Fast Food, Amin Lamptey has revealed that medical bills of some customers who were admitted following a food poisoning incident from its restaurant have been paid. According to him, the Fast Food Restaurant had to foot the bills as a mean of apology to its customers following the unfortunate incident. Speaking to an Accra-based radio station, he said "The medical bills of some customers have been paid. We have also visited other who were discharged at their homes. This is an unfortunate incident and we apologise" He also hinted that the company is corporation with the police as investigation are ongoing. It is however emerging that some of the affected customers are threatening to sue the Fast Food Restaurant. The rather unfortunate incident has left the leadership of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to shut down the East Legon branch of Marwako. It is emerging that other relevant agencies have also been shut dow. Story by: Think News Desk Report

The Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ussif has revealed that his Ministry has completed all renovation works at the Nation's Wembley, Accra Sports Stadium. According to him, Government is working vigorously to ensure that it upgrades all sporting infrastructure in the country. "With Accra Sports Stadium, phases one, two, and three, currently we have completed all renovation works at the Accra Sports Stadium" Baba Yara Sports Stadium, phase one has been completed, and we are working on phase two to ensure that all the issues that CAF has indicated, we meet all these requirements and also ensure that the facility can host any other tournament. Cape Coast Sports Stadium, phase one is done, Sekondi Sports Stadium, phase one is currently ongoing, they are working on phase two. We have put up ninety Astroturfs across the country and we must state on record that when we came into existence, we met only two astroturfs. The Minister further hinted his Ministry will ensure that persons who travel with the various sporting disciplines in the name of media are indeed Journalists. Responding to whether Government intends sponsoring the Ghana Premier League, he said the Akufo-Addo administration is in talks with the Football Association on how it can support the league. He further called on corporate institutions to come onboard and sponsor the Ghanaian Premier League. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Thinknewsonline.com can confirm that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has shut down the East Legon branch of Marwako Fast Food Restaurant. According to the FDA, the action was taken following some allegations of suspected food poisoning. In a tweet sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, the FDA tweeted "The FDA has taken notice of complaints from the public about the suspected food poisoning at the East Legon Branch of Marwako Restaurant. We have closed down the restaurant and together with other relevant agencies, started investigations.” “We have closed down the restaurant and together with other relevant agencies, started investigations, we wish to assure the public that the issue would be thoroughly investigated and appropriate actions taken", it stated. The FDA says it will do everything possible to ensure that there are no future occurrences. It is emerging that over 50 people were affected by the food poisoning. Sources further adds that the Management of Marwako Fast Food Restaurant have sorted out the medical bills of the over 50 people. Below is a screenshot of tweet: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Musician Kidi has proven that he is not only good at music but also good at heart. The "Golden Boy" or call him "Lord Kidi", on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, entered the studios of Okay FM for an exclusive interview and came to meet Kwesi Ackon, a 'good samaritan' taxi driver whose gesture has gone viral on social media platforms. The taxi driver has been receiving tonnes of commendations after a video popped up showing him returning a sum of GHC 8400 to a trader who left the money in his taxi. The act, which many find to be rare in this age and time in Ghana, has attracted nationwide attention. The "Artiste of the Year" of the 2022 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) gifted the taxi driver GHC 5000 as a token of appreciation for his kind act towards the trader. Kidi was extremely touched by the driver's action and prayed the blessings of God upon him. Story by: Prince Antwi

A Taxi driver and member of the Church of Pentecost, is being celebrated by the whole world for showing patriotism and high integrity, having returned an amount of GHS 8,400.00 he found in his taxi cab to the owner. Ackon, 37, who fellowships at the Onyametease Assembly in the Kokomlemle District of The Church of Pentecost, is said to have picked an old lady on Easter Saturday from the Mallam Atta Market in Accra to her residence at Teshie. The old woman, a trader, unfortunately, left her apron in which the money was concealed at the back of the taxi cab. Kwesi saw the item the following morning when he was cleaning the car. He showed it to his wife and they agreed to return it to the old woman. He traced the trader to her residence in Teshie after closing from the Easter Convention on Sunday afternoon. Apparently, the old woman, who had been weeping throughout the whole period over the missing money, could not hold her tears when the driver returned the money intact to her. The whole community joined her to celebrate the driver amidst tears of joy. The woman donated GHS 500.00 to him as his fuel and some fishes to him in return. The news about the patriotic gesture of Kwesi Ackon broke out when Manasseh Azure’s “The Fourth Estate” interviewed him and posted it on Facebook. Many media houses have also interviewed the illustrious member of the church. The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, after hearing of the news, dolled out GHS 20,000.00 to him, while some individuals have also donated various amounts to him for his singular act. Indeed, The Church of Pentecost’s ‘Possessing the Nations’ agenda which aims at influencing every sphere of society with Kingdom values and principles and thereby leading many people to Jesus Christ, is on course. Credit: Pentecost News

The Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Sugandh Rajaram has launched Tinker Coders and Stemrobo, a robotic, coding and an artificial intelligence program in Accra. According to him, the Tinker Coders and Stemrobo will help provide a holistic in the development of a child. Speaking at the official launch in Accra on Wednesday, he said "This is a very important initiative by Maurya Education with the help of Technology development, Tinker Coders to strengthen the affairs of inculcating innovation culture among the young people in Ghana" "We are at an interesting stage of our lives. We are now floating on the plans of technology. What we learned yesterday is not the same as today" "There is the need to learn over and over again. This new cycle can be maintained if the stakeholders come together and ensure that this comes to stay" "It is important for us to understand how technology works and know how it addresses the challenges of today" "We have to ensure that we impact this in the minds of the kids. This tells how important our relation with Ghana is. What Indian has achieved in the last seven and half decades, we have to share it with our brothers and sisters in Africa" "A decade and half, we gave this a huge shot and we are proud today. Through technology, the third largest ecosystem has been built in India. He was optimistic that great technology experts and innovators will be churned out from this project. He wished a great success to Maurya Education and its stakeholders. Stemrobo Technology is said to be on a mission to reform the primary to senior High school education with the basics of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Arts) to provide a holistic approach in the over all development of a child. Stemrobo Technology according to Maurya Education have been focusing on the experiential based learning as an important tool for a child to understand the laws of nature and be a part of it. The Leadership of Maurya Education Limited says on the overview, it is looking at a STEM and Innovation lab in 2000+ schools, over 1 million+ enrolled learners, global presence in more than 40+ countries and an in-house production of Robotics and STEM kits. Thinknewsonline.com has gathered that Stemrobo Technology is being funded by the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology, Government of India to promote Technology in the Education Sector. Stemrobo is a part of listed companies who are working to implement ATL (Government of India Flagship project of implementing STEM Lab in Junior and Senior High School) Lab across India. The Managing Director (MD) of Stemrobo, Anurag Gupta and the Co-founder (Tinker Coders) and Chief Business Officer (StemRobo), Anoop Gautam appealed to government and parents to embrace initiative since it will have positive effects on children in the country. They were optimistic that should Ghana accept the initiative, it will advance the study of technology. Citations were presented to some schools. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ghana Drunkards Association says it is unhappy about what it calls a 'nationwide' shortage of club beer, a product of the Accra Brewery Limited (ABL). According to the Association, the said shortage is adversely affecting the the drinking habit of its members who consider the beverage as one of their favorite. In a communique issued by its President Moses Onyah known by many as Dry Bone, it said "We, the members of the Drunkards Association of Ghana wish to register our displeasure in connection to what appears to be a 'nationwide' shortage of club beer. It is of great concern to our members why Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) producers of arguably one of Ghanas finest beer and one of our major stakeholders has been silent on the shortage without any communique to our Leadership and cherished members" The Association says it is calling on the Management of ABL without further delay to explain circumstances that led to the shortage. The Association further added that the silence by the Management of Accra Brewery Limited has been considered disrespectful to its members. "In view of this, we are appealing to all members to exercise maximum restrain as their grievances have been noted, as plans are underway by National Executives to meet management and the outcome of the said meeting shall be communicated soon" "Long Live Ghana, Long Live members of our dear Association" Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

A 40-year-old man identified as Albert Agomavi has been found dead in a hotel room at Pokuase, Accra after allegedly using dragon spray aphrodisiac for sexual intercourse with a young lady. On May 4, 2022, the deceased checked into Climax Hotel in Pokuase with a young lady named Ophelia Tofa. The hotel manager, Kofi Sintim, told the police that they heard the woman scream for help and raced to the room, only to find the man lifeless on the bed with foam coming out of his mouth. Albert Agomavi was discovered dead in a supine position wearing jeans trousers by police officers headed by D/Sgt. Sabutu Caesar. The police investigators investigated the hotel room and examined the deceased’s body, but discovered no marks, and seized an aphrodisiac medication known as Dragon Spray from the deceased’s pocket. The police are awaiting the results of the autopsy to determine the cause of death. To aid with the inquiry, the lady has been arrested. Story by: Naa Adjorkor

The Ministry of Energy has rejected claims that Ghana will soon return to the days of sustained power cuts also known as 'Dumsor'. This comes after former Deputy Energy Minister, John Jinapor, and former Power Minister, Kwabena Donkor have both asserted that the country lacked insufficient generation capacity to meet current demand. But the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Kwasi Obeng-Fosu speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb refuted the claims and offered some updates on the sector. “In line with the prudent addition to Ghana’s generation capacity, the total generation capacity added by this government is 421MW which brings Ghana’s total installed capacity to 5358.50MW, against the backdrop of the current peak demand of 3,469MW which was recorded on March 18, 2022” “In addressing the issue of poor hydrology, there is currently the prudent management of hydro resources which include the hybridization of our hydro dams. The 250MW Bui Solar project of which 50MW has been commissioned and operationalized, with the next phases on-going, is to curb the challenge of over drafting of the Bui Dam” Kwasi Obeng-Fosu told GhanaWeb. He further stated that gas flow is no longer uni-directional as the the Takoradi-Tema Interconnection Project (TTIP) is ensuring the reverse flow of indigenous natural gas from the West to the East to power our turbines. “What this means is that we no longer have the phenomenon of stranded gas in the west of the country. Again, the Tema LNG project when completed soon, will allow the importation of LNG to support generation” he added. In terms of finance, the Ministry of Energy said the Cash Water Fall mechanism currently allows for equitable distribution of funds realized from power sale, hence actors in the value chain are able to access funds to run, reducing inter-utility indebtedness. Meanwhile, Kwasi Obeng-Fosu said he further disagrees with John Jinapor’s assertions on excess capacity charges and explained that is "an incontrovertible fact the John Mahama administration contracted IPPs through the signing of arbitrary Power Purchase Agreements which has since become a burden on the tax payer." “Government has since 2017 been paying charges on capacity we do not need out of the lack of prudence by the former administration. These PPAs were signed on ‘Take or Pay’ basis which has become counter-productive to our energy sector financial management efforts” he said. He continued “In line with our projected demand and the prudent management of the energy sector, the Ministry of Energy is confident that there is no way that this country will go back to the dark days of ‘dumsor’” The Energy Ministry PRO however assured Ghanaians of solving every challenge in the generation transmission and distribution system of the energy sector as they remain committed to keeping the lights on under the leadership of the sector Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh. He added that the Ministry will continue to operate an open-door policy that seeks to educate and assure citizens of developments in the energy sector. Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Kentucky Fried Chicken popularly known by many as KFC has signed Kidi as its new Brand Ambassador. The signing and unveiling ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at Masco Foods Limited Cooperate Offices inside North Industrial Area. The Marketing manager of the company, Mr. Sarkodie disclosed at the ceremony that the Reigning VGMA Artiste Of The Year’s growth and appealing values are the prominent reasons why he is their choice. “We felt the need to associate ourselves with a brand that shares the same values with us. We know KiDi as a fire brand; his following on social media, his virtues, his growth from MTN hitmaker days, we definitely felt he would match with the pace with which we want to grow" "Getting in a lot of footfalls within our restaurant, getting a lot consumers purchasing and enjoying KFC, we felt he was the right person and we are excited that when we knocked on his door, he answered,” he stated. The Marketing Manager however, made it clear that they did not decide to work with Kidi because he was recently adjudged as the Artiste Of The Year for the 23rd Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. “Let me also add that we didn’t just choose him because he won “Artiste of the Year” two days ago, we’ve actually believed in him way back and the award places extra value on the deal,” he added. The musician on the other hand, thanked KFC Ghana for trusting him with their corporate, expressed his excitement over the opportunity before him and also assured them of making sure he lives to their expectations. “As a growing artist, having successful brands wanting to work with me is a big props to me and my team, it means we are doing something right and moving in the right direction" "For artists as well, growing your brand means having other big brands coming together to work with you" "This means growth for me and my team and we are grateful for the opportunity. The future is bright,” KiDi stated. Below are some pictures: Story by: News Desk Report