Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez announced on Monday that their newborn baby son has died. Ronaldo revealed in a social media post last October that the couple were expecting twins. In a post released on the Manchester United forward’s Twitter account, they confirmed the birth of a baby girl. “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel,” Ronaldo and Rodriguez said in a jointly-signed statement. “Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness. We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. “We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time.” The couple, who met during Ronaldo’s time at Real Madrid, have a four-year old daughter together, while Ronaldo has three other children. “Your pain is our pain, Cristiano,” Manchester United tweeted. “Sending love and strength to you and the family at this time.” Below is a tweet: Credit: AFP

Ghanaian musicians, Shatta Wale and Medikal, whose friendship dates back before going the extra mile to tattoo their names on each other's bodies in 2021, embarked on a Deeper Than Blood (DTB) tour in the United States of America. This left many Ghanaians to say the artistes have become a duo. Speaking on YFM, Medikal debunked this assumption and described the SM boss as his brother. He stated that they are two individual artistes who decided to band together to work on something special. “We’re working on a cooperative project, and Shatta is like my brother, my blood. We wanted to do something new, and in the Ghanaian music industry, it’s usually just individuals that release albums, so we decided to band together and do something special, combining our talents and bringing something beautiful to the table," he said. “We felt compelled to go on a project tour in order to disseminate the word,” Medikal said while talking to Rev. Erskine. Medikal, however, after making clear the relationship he has with Shatta Wale also touched on what their fans did when they visited the United States of America for their DTB Tour. According to the ‘Stubborn Academy’ crooner, they received so much love which was surreal in different states they visited. “It was fantastic. When I meet my fans and those that support my music, it’s always a pleasure. So, there was a mood, and it was lovely. It was great to be on the road with Shatta Wale. We were having a good time together,” he stated. Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Medikal, one of Ghana’s finest rappers, has debunked rumours that his joint EP, ‘Cross Roads’ with Shatta Wale, is made up of old songs. In an interview on the Myd-Morning Radio Show on Y107.9FM, Medikal stated that every song on the EP is new. “We cooked every song from scratch. It’s not like we carried old songs and put them on the album. We worked on all of them together. Some were recorded at Shatta’s house and some were recorded at my house, so we just did it together”, he said. Medikal further named Religion’, ‘DTB’ and ‘The Intro’ as his personal favorites on the EP. Shatta Wale and Medikal collaborated to give out Ghanaians a beautiful 10-track studio project which they title “Cross Roads EP”. The EP, since its release, has received massive streaming and support from fans of both artistes. The ‘Cross Roads’ EP is available for free download as well as streaming on all digital platforms. Source: www.etvghana.com

A group known as Concerned Citizens of Damongo is calling on the leader of the Gonja Kingdom and President of Savannah Regional House of Chiefs, Yagbonwura Tutumba Bore Essa (I) to dissolve the current management of the West Gonja hospital, located at Damongo, the Savannah regional capital. The group made the call at a press conference held at Ras Banku Cinema hall on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, Damongo. The lead Convener of the group, Rev Samuel Dinkeri disclosed, "Information available indicates that even though this hospital has become a referral hospital for some of the districts in the Savannah Region, yet the number of people coming to seek healthcare in the hospital has reduced by 50%". This according to the lead Convener, is due to poor management of the hospital. The group further made a case that for the past few years the confusion at the hospital has led to some patients losing lives and doctors and nurses embarking on industrial actions. "A cursory look at the media for the past few years would reveal that the West Gonja Hospital has consistently been in the news for the wrong reasons. If it is not about Nurses Strike, then it is about the resignation of doctors or power struggle among management. These issues which have not been managed well have resulted in deaths". The Concerned Citizens of Damongo also appeal to the Yagbonwura and all stakeholders to get to the root of the matter and get the current management dissolve to help save lives in the area. Read below the detailed press read by the lead Convener. STATEMENT BY CONCERNED CITIZENS OF DAMONGO ON THE STATE OF THE WEST GONJA HOSPITAL! 13th April, 2022. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you very much for honoring our invitation. It is our hope that through your esteemed medium our voice would go far. We are here to express our disappointment, our frustration and our grave concern about the worrying state of our beloved West Gonja Hospital. A cursory look at the media for the past few years would reveal that the West Gonja Hospital has consistently been in the news for the wrong reasons. If it is not about Nurses Strike, then it is about the resignation of doctors or power struggle among management. These issues which have not been managed well have resulted in deaths. Information available indicates that even though this hospital has become a referral hospital for some of the districts in the Savannah Region, yet the number of people coming to seek healthcare in the hospital has reduced by 50%. Meanwhile some years back, the West Gonja Hospital was one of the best performing hospital in northern Ghana, attracting clients from the length and breadth of this country. Thomas Carlyl once said that “He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything”. We all know that the healthcare delivery of a hospital is the sole concern of the owners and managers of every hospital. Unfortunately, we have observed with pain the following about the West Gonja Hospital in Damongo: The general healthcare delivery at the hospital is currently very poor. Ineffectiveness of National Health Insurance; the hospital seems to have returned to the cash and carry system because clients pay for virtually all the services at the hospital. Discrimination among clients who access healthcare from the hospital, particularly on ethnic grounds. Though, about half of the doctors in Savannah Region are concentrated in the West Gonja Hospital in Damongo alone, there is no corresponding output from them due to reasons best known to managers of the hospital. Constant unrest and conflicts among the workers and managers of the hospital which has persisted for several years. As concerned citizens of Damongo who have been hugely affected by this poor and abysmal state of our cherished West Gonja Hospital, we are saying enough is enough. We are therefore humbly demanding the following from His Royal Majesty Jira Yagbonwura Professor Tuntumba Boresa Jakpa (I) and the government: That the ownership of the hospital be declared to the public once and for all That the name West Gonja Hospital, Damongo should not be changed for any reason. That current board of the hospital be dissolved and reconstituted to reflect a true and proper representation of the various stakeholders. That the current management of the hospital have failed in their categorical imperative to manage the hospital well and therefore should be replaced. That we want at least 50% of the Human resource be replaced with natives who hold equal qualifications. We want to commend His Royal Majesty for his efforts so far in this matter and it is our hope that it would be resolved immediately. We want to also call on all well-meaning Kejakpanana (Gonjalanders) all over the globe who are capable of helping in any way to resolve this problem to kindly do so now. May the Lord Almighty God who is the only true judge bless us all. Thank you. Rev. Samuel Mahama Dinkeri (Lead Covener) Mr. Adam Mashood (Covener) Source: @nuhuzulqa

The entire electricity Bulk Power Station (BPS) serving electricity to Denu, Agbozume, parts of Nogokpo, Aflao, Dzodze, parts of Keta, and parts of Akatsi, Dzodze, Adina, and Ave Towns went offline after a thief got electrocuted attempting to steal cables. The young thief who was later identified to be 32-year-old Eric Kofi Quaye, almost lost his life in the exercise after he touched the wrong wire to cut it off to go and sell. Eric Kofi Quaye got seriously electrocuted and his clothing also caught fire as he suffered the electrocution causing him to burn beyond recognition but still alive. Fortunately for him, his tampering led to a blackout that released him from the grip of the electricity after suffering a great deal. Eric Quaye has been admitted to the Ketu North Government Hospital and is receiving intensive care while the Aflao police have officially notified him of his arrest while receiving treatment. Source: mynewsgh.com

The Ghana Police Service has announced that it is going to enforce holistic security measures throughout the 2022 Easter celebrations. Several activities are expected to commence across the country from Friday, April 15, through to Monday, April 18, 2022. Ahead of the many planned activities, the Ghana Police Service says stringent measures will be enforced to provide security coverage. “The Police Administration wishes to inform the public that stringent measures have been put in place to provide security coverage across the country for the 2022 Easter Celebrations. “All Regional Commands, with the support of the National Operations, the MTTD and the Police Intelligence Directorate are working to ensure that all persons who travel for the celebrations do so in safety. We shall also ensure that all events organised in various communities are secured and incident-free,” parts of a Police statement said on Thursday, April 14, 2022. According to the Police, additional security arrangements have been made for the celebrations in the Kwahu area to cover the Paragliding event and other traditional Easter activities in Kwahu. In its goodwill message to Ghanaians ahead of Easter, the Ghana Police Service is urging everyone to exercise restraint, take responsibility for their personal security, and also be each other's keepers. Below is a copy of the press release: Story by: Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo

The Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (MP), has on 13th April, 2022, donated an amount of GHC 20,000 to the Appiatse Support Fund. This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Committee, Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee during an engagement with the press. Rev. Dr. Aryee disclosed that, Hon. Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh's donation, as he put it, "is part of the collective effort by Ghanaians in the nation building agenda". She thanked the Minister for his kind gesture towards the Appiatse Support Fund, and further called on other sector Minister's to emulate the Minister and generously donate their quota to the support fund. Meanwhile, General Manager of Supergeona Enterprise, Madam Gloria Ayimah also made a cheque donation of  50,000 Ghana Cedis on behalf of her company. "As part of our Corporate social responsibility, we would like to make a donation to help in the rebuilding of Appiatse", she said. The Chairperson of the Fund who received the donations expressed gratitude to all donors on behalf of the Committee members. She further appealed to other institutions and individuals to support and donate to the fund as the monies accrued so far is not adequate for the rebuilding and restoration of livelihood of the Appiatse community. "We were called to mobilize sufficient funds, as stated by the Honorable Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, and I can say that, at this time, the money is not yet sufficient" she hinted. Global Media Alliance, Liebherr Ghana Limited and the Administrator and Secretary of the Appiatse Support Fund also contributed a significant amount of 10,000 Ghana Cedis, 45,000 Ghana Cedis and 1000 Ghana Cedis respectively. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), have pledged their unflinching support behind governments flagship program, the Green Ghana Day, slated for June 10th, 2022. This came to light when the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor (MP) paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) to court support from the Military High Command and the rank and file of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to support the 2022 Green Ghana Program. The Minister said, "We cannot mobilize the major stakeholders of the country without the Ghana Armed Forces and so I'm here on behalf of the President to ask for the support of GAF with respect to the upcoming 2022 Green Ghana Day". The Green Ghana Day, the Minister said is a day that the President of the Republic has set aside for Ghanaians to plant 20 million trees. He added that, "last year, we planted five million trees and this year, we have set a very ambitious target of planting twenty million trees on June 10th 2022". The Minister said after the review of the 2021 Green Ghana Day initiative, the Ministry has introduced the Compartment Forest Reserve System, where institutions can adopt compartments in degraded Forest Reserves across the country and co-own. Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor also called for a joint standing committee between Ghana Armed Forces, The Forestry Commission and the Ministry to facilitate discussions and further implementation on activities on Green Ghana Day between the parties. The Hon. Minister also used the opportunity to express his outmost appreciation to the Military High Command for their role in protecting the Natural Resources of the country and in particularly the Operation Halt II, which is aimed at fighting illegal Mining. The Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Vice Admiral Seth Amoama expressed his deepest appreciation to Hon. Jinapor for choosing GAF to actively join the National exercise of planting trees, saying that it falls in line with GAFs mandate to protect and preserve the territorial boundaries of the country which includes forests reserves and described the call by the Lands and Natural Resources minister as "a noble one". The CDS, also nominated Col. Richard Kinney, the Director of Lands at General Headquarters (Logistics) to represent GAF on the joint committee and hoped the collaboration between the two parties will help make this year's tree planting exercise a success. The CDS also used the occasion to present the Minister, a plaque for his maiden visit to the Military High Command. The CEO of the Forestry Commission, Mr. John Allotey said as part of the Green Ghana strategy, the Ministry has constituted 5 committees which includes Operations and Logistics and hoped the GAF representative role on the Operations and Logistics Committee will be of immense benefit. He added that, "we have two prompt strategies that is to plant 10 million trees in the forest reserves and 10 million for households, medians of roads, waterbodies, schools, recreational grounds, degraded watershed areas, amongst others. To help support the efforts of the Ministry, Mr. John Allotey disclosed that all the 16 Regional Coordinating Councils have been briefed on the targets for the planting of 20 million trees and hoped that their role will help government's aggressive afforestation drive and the quest to fight deforestation and climate change. Also at the meeting with the CDS were the Honorable Deputy Minister responsible for Lands and Forestry, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio and Major General Nicholas Peter Andoh, Chief of Staff at General Headquarters. Below are some pictures: Story by: Nadia Aidoo

At least eight people were confirmed dead Wednesday evening and five others injured after some unknown gunmen raided Zakoli and Konkon, nomadic settlements in the Yendi area of the Northern Region. The incident reportedly occurred Wednesday afternoon and resulted in the burning of many thatched houses and other properties. The gunmen are said to have stormed the communities on motorbikes and opened fire on the victims. They reportedly targeted only men including male children. Confirmation The Yendi Divisional Police Commander, Superintendent Richardson Kumeko confirmed the incident to Graphic Online and said the deceased have been conveyed to the Yendi Government Hospital morgue while the injured were receiving treatment at the same facility. Police personnel have been deployed to the community to maintain calm, while an investigation into the attack has commenced. Incident It is not clear what triggered the attacks on the two nomadic settlements. But Graphic Online has gathered that there was a robbery attack on the Yendi-Tatale road on Tuesday night which led to the death of a young man. Suspecting that the robbers were nomadic, the unknown gunmen attacked them in retaliation of the robbery attack. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen stormed the communities in the afternoon and started shooting indiscriminately and burning thatched houses and properties. Source: graphiconline.com

Except for the resurrection on Easter, Holy Thursday is possibly one of the most important, complex, and profound days of celebration in the Catholic Church. Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and the institution of the sacrament of the priesthood. During the Last Supper, Jesus offers himself as the Passover sacrifice, the sacrificial lamb, and teaches that every ordained priest is to follow the same sacrifice in the exact same way. Christ also bids farewell to his followers and prophesizes that one of them will betray him and hand him over to the Roman soldiers. Around the world, Bishops and priests come together at their local Cathedrals on Holy Thursday morning to celebrate the institution of the priesthood. During the Mass, the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism that will be used for Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the sick or dying. At this Mass, the bishop washes the feet of twelve priests to symbolize Christ’s washing of his twelve Apostles, our first bishops and priests. Later that night, after sundown – because Passover began at sundown- the Holy Thursday Liturgy takes place, marking the end of Lent and the beginning of the sacred “Triduum,” or three, of Holy Week. These days are the three holiest days in the Catholic Church. This Mass stresses the importance Jesus puts on the humility of service, and the need for cleansing with water, a symbol of baptism. Also emphasized are the critical importance of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ’s Body, which we now find present in the consecrated Host. At the conclusion of the Mass, the faithful are invited to continue Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the night, just as the disciples were invited to stay up with the Lord during His agony in the garden before His betrayal by Judas. After Holy Thursday, no Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil celebrates and proclaims the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Credit: News Desk Report

A second death, linked to Adamus Resources operations in Nzema, occurred on Friday 1st April, when security personnel at Nkroful who had attempted to disperse an angry crowd that had massed at the forecourt of the Nkroful District Court, shot and killed a local resident, Andrew Donkor. Adamus Resources has indicated that the incident happened when some illegal miners who had been arrested on their concession were appearing in court for the first time. Previously, Adamus operations in their Anwiaso Bukaso based mine, in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region were forced to close down at the insistence of the chiefs and people of the area after 27-year-old Michael Dery, alias Budo, an illegal miner was arrested by Adamus, security personnel, beaten and then set ablaze. Tragically, he did not survive the torture and burning, and died of his wounds at the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital on Sunday, December 26, 2021. The latest incident and previous instances of alleged poor management, failed corporate social responsibility and lack of respect for the community have led to a tense relationship between the residents and the company. Local organisations like the Committee of Concerned Citizens of Nzema Descent, and the National Alliance for Nzema Development have separately expressed concern and called for appropriate sanctions from duty bearers to ensure justice and accountability in these two cases. They have urged stakeholders such as the Member of Parliament, the District Chief Executive, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission and others to take all necessary steps. Sources indicate that locals hold Mrs Angela List, directly responsible for the deteriorating relationship between the company and the community, due to her poor people skills, arbitrary behavior, unsympathetic attitude and perceived arrogance. Mrs List, who seized control of operations of Adamus Resources from her husband and owner of BCM International, Mr Paul List, in a still contested court case, is said to have systematically brought the company into disrepute with her poor people management, resort to bully tactics to solve issues, whereas before the corporate philosophy, reputation, and success of the holding company had been founded on social value, the respect for the dignity of host communities and proper community engagement. It will be recalled that in 2019, Adamus Resources, were refused permission to sell gold and to export gold from Ghana, following a dispute as to royalty payments between the company and African Champion Industries Limited (ACI) a Ghanaian-owned public company. The joint venture agreement which was in place before Adamus changed hands, obliged a regular royalty payment, which the previous owners had been making. The ruling and further instruction from the Bank of Ghana in August 2020, was made by the Ghana Arbitration Centre, under the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, in response to a petition filed by ACI for an Interim Injunction and Preservation of Property. Questions continue to be asked as to why, Mrs List herself has not been questioned about the deaths, and related events, which have occurred on her watch, and it would appear that her contacts in high places, may be keeping her safe from facing legal query, as the person ultimately responsible for the actions of her agents and assigns, for a company of which she is in sole control. Credit: thenewsroomonline.com

The Roofing of the Temporary structures handed out to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources by the Future Global Resources Company Limited (FGR) has commenced in earnest. The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio says the priority of government and the Ministry is to ensure that the people of Appiatse will not be at the mercy of the rain. He assured that the reconstruction team will strictly stick to the May 1st, 2022 deadline to see to the transition of the victims from the camp tents to the temporary buildings. "My team and I foresaw this happening and planned ahead that's why we have been in talks with FGR on these buildings and today as we've witnessed, roofing has commenced and we will be sure to stick to the May 1st time frame to Transition the people to the Temporary structures" The Deputy Minister said this when he paid a working visit to Appiatse on 13th April, 2022 l, to ascertain the impact of the recent heavy down pour at the site and also to inspect the Future Global Resources (FGR) buildings which is being refurbished. Addressing the Media, Hon. Benito disclosed that 31 Buildings have been refurbished with wood frames and some with roofs, which he is convinced will be done in the next 2 weeks. He added that having done a head count at the camp, the 31 buildings will be able to house up to 110 family units with each family at the camp aquiring a room of thier own, averagely 4 individuals per family. Hon. Owusu-Bio remarked that per the head count, everyone at the camp will be housed in the 31 buildings but "we will add more rooms if the need arises to ensure that everyone has a safe place of abode" Speaking to the displaced victims of the explosion, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, who is also the Chairman of the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Committee, reaffirmed government's commitment to move them to the Temporary structures, adding that the President Akufo-Addo led government, has put in place all necessary measures to accommodate them on the 1st of May. On behalf of the President of the Republic and the Sector Minister, he also empathised with the people of Appiatse, particularly those whose tents were affected by the recent down pour. Mr. Blankson Hermans, a member of the Reconstruction Implementation Committee and representative from the Ghana Institute of Architects also told the media that as part of preparations towards the main reconstruction, all demarcations on the site have been completed and soon, the road networks will commence ahead of the detailed designs. As part of the working visit, the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority presented the local plan of the Model Community to the Municipal Assembly which was adopted for implementation, after an the extensive presentation by Mr. Mohammed Alhassan Damba, the Director for Research Monitoring and Evaluation of the Land Usage and Spatial Planning Authority (LUPSA). Story by: Nadia Aidoo