Police in the Volta have launched a manhunt for a man known as Frank, suspected to have murdered his girlfriend and deposited the remains in a refrigerator in his apartment. The suspect who is a resident of Ho-Fiave is said to be on the run after allegedly committing the crime. Speaking to Asaase News, the Volta Regional Police PRO DSP Effia Tenge said “On 22 November 2021, the regional police command received a report of a stench which was emanating from hall and chamber apartment being occupied by one tenant at Ho-Fiave.” “This according to the report compelled neighbors to break into the said room where they found a known girlfriend of the said Frank dead in a refrigerator.” Tenge Added “Based on this information, a team of crime scene investigators were dispatched to the scene and they have instituted an extensive investigation into the death of the lady as the body has been deposited at the morgue for autopsy, at the moment the said Frank who is nowhere to be found is being pursued likewise anyone who may have anything to do with the deceased.” Credit: asaaseradio.com

The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu says the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, is a beneficiary of a position he never worked for and this is the reason for some of his comments in recent times. According to Boadu, recent comments by the Speaker of Parliament suggesting that he (Alban Bagbin) has the “powers to remove the president but the president cannot remove him” are unfortunate and serve no purpose. “The Speaker, as we all know, is only benefiting from what he didn’t work for and, as a result, he has been passing comments that sometimes are strictly unnecessary. For instance, he passed a comment that he has the capacity to impeach or remove the president and the president cannot remove you [Alban Bagbin] … “[It] is totally unnecessary because he forgets that, as a Speaker, he doesn’t even have a vote. “So, on what basis is he saying that? Or he’s going to supervise a distorted proposal for impeachment or what? I think it’s time he recognizes that he’s benefiting from something he didn’t work for,” Boadu said. Road tolls On the suspension road tolls, Boadu declared that although Parliament has sole responsibility to enact or suspend laws, the government also has a responsibility to institute administrative measures to curb any form of confusion and conflicts that will emerge as a result of government policies. “With the removal of road tolls, I think strictly and technically speaking, it is Parliament that enacts and suspends laws, so nobody is lost to it,” he said. “But in the interim, as we wait for Parliament, particularly when the government has put in a proposal of a reduction or zero-rated tolls, for instance, it is necessary for the government to put in administrative measures in order not to create confusion. “Because, if the minister had not operationalized the non-collection of tolls at that time, there’ll have been a lot of confusion at our toll booths,” he said. Cessation of road tolls The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako Attah, directed the cessation of road tolls effective from Thursday 18 November 2021. This followed a government announcement in the 2022 Budget Statement that abolished all tolls on public roads and bridges. However, Speaker Bagbin directed the Roads and Highways Minister to reverse his directive on the cessation of road tolls until Parliament presents appropriate legislation. According to the Speaker, the minister lacks the legal mandate to issue such a directive. Bagbin suggested that the minister initiate legislation under a certificate of urgency to seek the approval of the House. Story by: Nicholas Brown

The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), Benito Owusu Bio has updated Journalists on the progress of the 2021 'Green Ghana' project which commenced five months ago across the country. According to him, he is impressed with the progress of the tree planting exercise. Addressing Journalists in Accra on Tuesday, the Deputy Minister said "It is important to meet, have some discussions and interactions with you on the Green Ghana project that we held this year, 2021. We see you as important players who we must always bring you onboard" He further explained that with the help of third parties, the Ministry has been able to do a serious assessment on what has been happening on the grounds regarding the 'Green Ghana' project. "With the help of the National Investigative Bureau, various districts have been visited and we have through their help a concise document which tells us the real and actual picture on the ground" he noted He stressed that the concise document cuts across every district in Ghana and also gives a detailed account of the tree planting exercise held. "As we plan towards 2022 and the harsh tag #VisitMyTree #MyTreeIsAlive, the good news is that there are a lot of successes. I will however also say that there are a few incidents that have happened especially in the Volta Region regarding some persons going round and cutting down the trees planted" The Deputy Minister thanked Traditional Authorities, Legislature, Judiciary, Religious Bodies, and all Ghanaians for a good job done. Below is a video: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has revealed despite government's efforts to curbing mining challenges, it can not resolve all its problems. According to him, the Akufo-Addo government has not in any situation suggested it has resolved all the problems. Addressing Journalists in Accra on Tuesday, he said "We are not by any means suggesting that we have resolved all the problems in the mining sector. Not at all, we cannot resolve all the problems on the mining sector within the period, we have been in office" "It is not even possible, never, so what is important is to take the sector to a satisfactory situation where the country is assured that there are proper regulatory framework" He further added that despite the challenges, government has made great efforts in the sector. "The government through his ministry has made drastic efforts in stopping the increasing rate at which illegal mining was in the offspring" The Sector Minister who also doubles as the MP for Damango, noted that the Akufo-Addo government is not relax on the fight against illegal mining in the country byt bent on curbing the menace. "Despite the fact that fighting against illegal mining is important, reforms and measures to improve service of mining companies are equally important as he says better services will help curb illegal mining as he announced reduction in the 3% withholding taxes on gold mining to 1.5%." On his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi outlined its achievement since March 2021 till date. He mentioned that the Minerals Commission have transformed itself into a formidable area likewise digitizing its processes. Mr. Ayisi told Journalists that before he took over office, there were widespread of illegal mining, degraded lands from illegal mining activities, complaints of delays in the licensing regime. He mentioned that his outfit have managed to turn things around in the last 8 months. "The commission since 1st November, 2021 has abolished paper-based applications to make the system paperless, they have upgrade the IT infrastructure to support the online process and also the digitization of all records and to be completed by the end of 2021" "The commission has ensured that, the entire processes that one goes through have been cut short to enable smooth operation. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Celebrated Ghanaian On-Air Personality, Gloria Akpene Nyarku-Acquah known in showbiz as MzGee has premiered her new television show, 'Just Being Us'. According to her, the next show sorts to give celebrities the opportunity to open to their followers on who they really are and also entertain them. Thinknewsonline.com has gathered that the show will be featuring prominent and well-recognized personalities across the length and breadth of the country. At the maiden edition, Abena Moet, an On-Air Media Personality with Despite Media revealed that she is not and will never be moved by utterances or backslashes from critics. She said "I don't care about what people say about me" Abena Moet further hinted that although she is a media personality, she does not take delight in breaking bad news about people and their relationships. "People come into my desk to do konkonsa but I will not be the one to break the bad news about people's relationships" On his part, the host of 'Diwulanemu', a drive time show on Accra-based Kasapa Fm, Kwame Bee also seized the opportunity to open up on the threesome experience he once had. The host of the show, MzGee also explained that the tattoo on her leg was done in order to take off people's attention on her scars. "I remembered that late in my things, I was with a certain guy and we recorded then thing. After watching, I asked him to delete it of which he said he has but deep down, something within said, I should delete it so I factory reset his phone. Watch some videos below: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghana continues to make significant strides in tobacco control in line with its obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The strong political commitment to tobacco control is evidenced by the inclusion of tobacco-specific provisions in the Public Health Act, 2012 and the passage of the Tobacco Control Regulations, 2016 (L.I. 2247). In addition to the WHO FCTC, Ghana has also acceded to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. This Protocol, described as a global solution to a global problem, was developed in response to the growing illicit trade in tobacco products, often across borders. Illicit trade poses a serious threat to public health as it contributes to increased access to cheaper tobacco products, thus fueling the tobacco epidemic, undermining tobacco control policies, and eroding progress made towards tobacco cessation. The overarching objective of the Protocol is the elimination of all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products through a comprehensive package of measures including combating illicit trade through the prevention of illicit trade and promotion of law enforcement activities whilst providing the legal basis for international cooperation. After an extensive process involving a series of stakeholder consultations spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana has finally joined the list of countries to have finalized the ratification of the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products Protocol. The legislative instrument was successfully deposited at the Treaty Section of the United Nations Secretariat on 22nd October 2021. Thus, the Protocol enters into full force for Ghana on 20th January 2022 in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol. The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is a significant milestone in the history of tobacco control. It contains a full range of measures to combat illicit trade through the prevention of illicit trade and promotion of law enforcement whilst providing the legal basis for international cooperation. The Protocol also aims to secure the supply chain of tobacco products, through licensing, due diligence and record-keeping. This would provide the establishment of a global tracking and tracing system that would allow governments to effectively follow up tobacco products from the point of production to the first point of sale. Ghana has already initiated measures to jumpstart the implementation of the Protocol. Presently, the FDA has a presence at all border posts in the country and works closely with other border control agencies to intercept and seize all illicit tobacco products. Furthermore, the Authority in accordance with its legislative mandate oversees the registration of tobacco companies, tobacco imports, sales, and tobacco product monitoring. Specifically, various requirements have been set to enhance the easy identification of licit tobacco products on the market. For example, tobacco product labelling intended for the Ghanaian market should include, ‘FOR SALE IN GHANA ONLY’, emission statements and pictorial health warnings. Despite the above measures to curb illicit trade, there have been setbacks in the control of the tobacco product supply chain and records of tobacco product smuggling. The legislative recommendations offered by the Illicit Trade Protocol present a unique operational advantage in advancing our successes as a country in the fight against tobacco and counteracting the infiltration of the illicit tobacco trade in Ghana. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, has declared that the 2022 Budget is youth-focused and is aimed at creating opportunities for them to gain job experience. Speaking on Asaase Radio’s youth-oriented show Candid Voice on Sunday (21 November), Abubakar cited the introduction of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) initiative in Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s first term as clear testimony of the government’s objective to create an enabling environment for the youth to contribute to nation-building. “For its first year, NABCO took about 100,000 trainees,” she told the show host, Benjamin Offei-Addo. “These trainees were trained in various areas – revenue mobilisation, teaching, non-teaching programmes, entrepreneurship, working with our environmental agencies, among others – and the government had to commit about GHC70 million in every month to pay them, which is about GHC840 million every year.” Necessity as the mother Abubakar acknowledged that the unemployment situation is worrying, but qualified that by saying that joblessness had led to the introduction of the YouStart initiative in the 2022 Budget. YouStart is a vehicle for supporting young entrepreneurs to gain access to capital, training, technical skills and mentoring to enable them launch and operate their own businesses. “When the Budget which has been presented in Parliament is approved, we are going to commit as much as GHC10 billion to the YouStart programme, which is a support system for start-ups in the country,” Abubakar said. Delivering the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government in Parliament last Wednesday, Ken Ofori-Atta said the initiative will start with an initial funding of GHC1 billion. “This understanding of the youth employment challenge, as well as extensive consultations with stakeholders, including youth associations and educational institutions across the country, have led to the development of the YouStart initiative, which proposes to use GHC1 billion to create one million jobs in partnership with the finance institutions and development partners,” he said. ”In addition, our local banks have agreed to a package that will result in increasing their SME portfolio up to about GHC5 billion over the next three years.” Embrace YouStart, says NEIP Meanwhile, the director of communications at the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme (NEIP), Joseph Osei Oppong-Brenya, has asked members of the opposition to embrace the YouStart Initiative. According to him, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government announced seed capital of GHC10 million for entrepreneurs but ended up funding only 66 enterprises in the country. “The NDC have repackaged their lies to deceive Ghanaians again. That is what they are good at. They say something and do a different thing. “They have no credibility. The Nana Addo government through NEIP has changed the entrepreneurial ecosystem a few years of coming into office,” he said. Oppong-Brenya said entrepreneurs now can access funding and business advisory services to improve their businesses because NEIP, acting through private business incubation hubs, has provided “the light and has whipped up the entrepreneurial mindset in the people. Before, nobody was talking about entrepreneurship.” Story by: Winifred Lartey

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament in Hungary, István Jakab, has underscored the need for Hungary and Ghana to work closely to ensure that more compost and recycling plants are built to help in achieving the government’s vision of a clean Ghana. According to him, Hungary’s relationship with Ghana dates back to some sixty years (60) ago, adding that when the two countries form more partnerships they will bring about transfer of technology, knowledge and expertise in the waste management sector. The deputy Speaker of Hungary’s Parliament made the observation when he visited the Kumasi waste water treatment plant in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region on Monday, November 22, 2021. He was conducted around the facility by the Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, and some of his top management members. The Kumasi waste water treatment plant is a collaboration between the (JGC) and its Hungarian partners and the government of Ghana. István Jakab, who is officially visiting Ghana for the first time gave the assurance that the Hungarian government will not only support the government of Ghana but private businesses as well. According to him, the Hungarian government will continue to support Ghana’s education sector, stating that already about 100 Ghanaian students have been offered scholarships by Hungary. The Hungarian Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tamás Endre Fehér, who was also part of the Hungary delegation to Kumasi, commended JGC for the project, and wished JGC more successes in all its business endeavours For his part, the Executive Chairman of JGC, Mr Joseph Siaw-Agyepong, was happy about the long relationship between Ghana and Hungary. He said the relationship between the two countries spans over a period of sixty-one (61) years. He used the chance to commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his government’s immense support for private companies in the waste management sector. Furthermore, he praised the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) for its collaboration with his group. According to Dr Siaw Agyepong, the waste water treatment facility in Kumasi is in operation and has engaged about 60 workers with 95% of them from the Bosomtwe District. “About 70 to 80 tracks come to discharge waste water daily,” he revealed. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has said he can remove the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from office. He said the law gives Parliament the powers to remove a president but does not give the same powers to a president to be able to remove a Speaker of Parliament. Speaking at the post-budget forum held at Ho in the Volta Region over the weekend, Mr. Bagbin was concerned that Parliament approves budgets that benefit the executive more than the legislature and the judiciary. This, he said was their own making and asked that steps be taken to fix the situation. “This year, all the laws we have been passing are laws we passed to benefit the executive, even we forget about Parliament in the language we use, this is self-inflicted; it is not a deficiency in the constitution, it’s a deficiency in Parliament itself. We must correct it”, he said. He also reminded the Members of Parliament of the powers they wield in law and that they must as Parliament be able to stand for themselves and not to play to the whims and caprices of the executive. He cited for example that the house has powers to remove the president from office. “Let me reemphasized that the 8th Parliament is properly positioned not to allow itself to be bullied into playing second fiddle to the executive. Parliament can remove His Excellency the President; His Excellency cannot do that to Parliament. As Speaker, His Excellency cannot remove me, but I can through Parliament get him [the president] removed”. He however added that though he has such powers, he will not do it. Story by: P.D Wedam

The Management of Kessben Media says its flagship morning show host on Kessben FM, Omanhene Alvin Yaw Adu Boakye, was suspended indefinitely for misconduct. According to the management, Yaw Adu Boakye was last week suspended indefinitely. On Monday morning [November 22, 2021], it emerged that Omanehene Yaw Adu Boakye had reportedly resigned from Kessben FM. Kessben FM recently moved its morning show programme – Maakye – from Kumasi to Accra and relocated the host and panel members to Accra. Adu Boakye, who had been anchoring the talk show for many years from the originally Kumasi based radio station, which recently extended its tentacles to Accra is reported to have had some challenges with management. His absence on the Maakye show on Monday morning raised questions only for sources to explain that he handed over his resignation letter Monday morning. In his absence Akuoko Kwarteng hosted the show on Monday morning. Graphic Online gathered that Adu Boakye was last week suspended indefinitely through a memo from the office of the CEO. “It has come to my attention that certain utterances and comments made by you in the wake of actions taken by management in recent times to streamline operations in Accra,” the memo dated November 20, 2021 from the CEO of Kessben to Alvin Adu Boakye seen by Graphic Online stated. “Your utterances especially those made to non-staff of the company is found to be in bad taste and lowers the image of the company and puts same into disrepute.” Credit: hotstoriesghana.com

Kenya's Health Minister, Mutahi Kagwe has hinted that unvaccinated people would be banned from public transport, local airlines and train services. Less than 10% of the people in Kenya have been vaccinated Kenyans who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID will not be able to receive government services from next month, the government says. Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe said unvaccinated people would be banned from public transport, local airlines and train services. Kenyans will also require proof of vaccination in order to visit government institutions for education, immigration, tax and other services. The directive will come into force on 21 December. Beginning on Tuesday, young people over the age of 15 will be able to get a Pfizer jab. Kenya has a target of vaccinating 10 million people by the end of December. The government says it’s concerned about the slow uptake of vaccines especially outside the capital, Nairobi. It says that its concerned that only 18% of the elderly people have taken the jabs. So far less than 10% of the total population has been vaccinated. Kenya has administered about 6.4m jabs out of the 10.7 million Covid-19 vaccine doses received to date, according to the health ministry Credit: asaaseradio.com

An armored truck dropped loads of cash onto a freeway in Carlsbad, California, causing a major traffic jam as motorists hopped out of their vehicles to scoop up the bills. But Authorities say drivers need to return the money or face possible criminal charges. Shortly before 9:15 a.m. Friday, California Highway Patrol (CHP) began receiving 911 calls about cash scattered across an area of Interstate 5 near Cannon Road. CHP and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that several people got out of their cars to chase after the money. Both agencies are investigating the incident. "Many of the motorists returned the money immediately to the officers; however, there were motorists observed driving from the scene with stolen money," they said in a joint press release. "The CHP would like to thank those motorists who have already returned money to their local CHP office and remind the public to do the right thing and return any money they found on the freeway." Authorities said that videos and photos were posted on social media that captured people's faces and the license plate numbers of cars. The agencies released several photos showing people scooping up the bills. In one photo, a woman wearing a grey hoodie was seen laughing as she held a wad of cash in her arm. Other photos released by authorities were screengrabs taken from an Instagram video posted by fitness influencer Demi Bagby. "This is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen," Bagby said in the video she shared with her more than two million followers. "Someone dropped money all over the freeway." As Bagby pans the camera, people are seen grabbing cash from the street. Bagby did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. CHP and the FBI said Friday that anyone who took money needs to return it within 48 hours "in order to avoid a potential criminal charge. Below are some pictures: Credit: nbcnews.com