Residents along White and Black Volta warned to evacuate ahead of Bagre Dam spillage

Daniel Opare
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The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has asked residents along the White and Black Volta to evacuate ahead of the spillage of the Bagre dam.

The Director General of NADMO Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, sounded the warning after receiving notification from the Burkinabe Authorities managing the Bagre Dam. According to the report there will be a spillage of water from the dam from Thursday 23rd of August, 2018 as the volume of the water content in the dam has reached its peak.

“As we all know when the Bagre is due for spillage it causes so much flooding disaster to Ghanaians who live and ply on the banks of the Black and White Colter lakes as the spilled water from Bagre dam come straight to these lakes which causes overflowing and flooding in some parts of Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Northern Colter and Eastern regions.” The NADMO Boss was quoted as saying.

He therefore cautioned all residents along the Volta lakes to evacuate with immediate effect to avoid disaster from reoccurring. He mentioned the affected districts in the Northern Part of the Country as; the Karaga District, East Gonja District, Nanumba South District, Tolon Kumbungu District, Bole District, West Gonja District, Savelugu District, Nanton District, East Mamprusi District, Yendi District and West Mamprusi District.

Districts in the Upper East Region, which will be affected are the Bawku West district, Binduri district, and Talensi district. Places    such as, Nandom, Lawra, Nadowli, Wa West are those going to be affected in the Upper West region.

Nkwanta north, Krachi East, Krachi West and Krachi Nchumuru districts in the Northern Volta Basin will be also affected.

The Aram Plains North and South have also been described as the areas which be affected during Bagre Dam spillage.

He assured the readiness of NADMO to put up a team led by its Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations, Mr. Abu Ramadan to pitch camp in Walewale and Ze billa to help affected

Victims.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Akua Antwiwaa Boasiako | [email protected]  

 

Asanwinso residents cry over abandoned Health Center

Daniel Opare
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The Chiefs and People  of Sefwi Asanwinso in the Western Region have asked   government to pay immediate attention to  an abondoned  health Faciliity in the town or risks their displeasure.

The Queen mother of Sefwi Asanwinso,Nana Ama Kyiniye ll, in an interview  expressed disappointment in the way the NPP government has neglected a health center  initiated  by the  John Dramani Mahama Administration .

According to her, the issue of abondoning   projects by successive  governments  has over the years been the norm and it is hard  time the practice stops as it  deprives  voters in such communities   their constitutional  rights,adding that, such practice has been a bane to  Ghana's development .

She therefore cautioned that if an immediate attention is not given to the abondoned   health facility ,  she will lead her people  to demonstate against  the Government .

The assembly member for the community, Frank Aduhene, stated that  residents of the town  have no access to health care  and other essential serivices  as exisitng facilites  such as schools,clinic  ,roads  and market are in deplorable state .

“My people are really suffering. The health center here is serving more than seven communities yet its state is nothing to write home about and the road to where the main government health center is situated is also bad. We have been calling on the assembly to help us but to no avail" he added .

According  to him  the  only CHPS compound in the community  with  four (4) single rooms and a porch, serves as a delivery and consulting room with only a bed .

Some  nurses in an interaction with the press  revealed that, the community has a new clinic and is  near completion but has been left  abandoned for the past two years.

"For the past one and half years that we have been here, this is where we work as a CHPS compound. This compound, despite its devastated state, serves more than seven communities. We learnt the new clinic is at the verge of completion but due to politics works at the project site have been halted' they claimed.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Nana Owoahene Acheampong

 

Ignore my so-called campaign manager and his statement over my resignation –Otiko Djaba

Daniel Opare
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Former Gender and Social Protection Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, has disclaimed one, Johnson Kwame Gyinde Mayours, purporting to be her Campaign manager and giving reasons for her refusal to accept the President’s offer of appointment as Ambassador to Italy and also quitting politics for good.

The Former National Women Organiser of the NPP, was one of the casualties in a recent reshuffle by President Akufo-Addo. She was appointed as an Ambassador to Italy.

However, Ms. Otiko disclosed that she had resigned from active politics and has decided to turn down the appointment. “At 56 years, I want to relax and enjoy my family and life and, therefore, I am not ready to take up the appointment as Ambassador to Italy,” she disclosed in an interview with State owned News Paper, the Daily Graphic.

Apart from that she is going to take care of her ex-husband who had stroke for the past six years; adding, “I am the one who has been taking care of him since he got sick and I cannot abandon him now”

Meanwhile, her decision has been interpreted variedly across the political divide with some pointing fingers to an alleged long standing feud she has with ‘some powers that be’ at the corridors power which came to a heat off recently as the reasons for her resignation.

The rumour gained a wide currency with a statement from one Johnson Gyinde Mayours who holds himself as her Campaign Manager and has been proffering reasons for the quitting of the former Gender and Social Protection Minister from active politics and also declining her appointment as Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy.

The said Johnson Kwame Gyinde in a reported radio interview which has gone viral in several media WhatsApp platforms stated that Ms. Otiko Djaba rejected the Ambassadorial position because there were hatred and no trust for her in the party she belongs to.

Even though Madam Otiko refrained from mentioning any antagonism she has received from party in the Interview with Daily Graphic, some online portals and social media platforms have given their own twist and it comes on the heels of the statement from her So called “Campaign Manager”.

Some of the Portals claim, Otiko Djaba had a brawl and a near fist fight during a meeting at the Jubilee house in the presence of the president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Freddie Blay, the chairman of the ruling NPP. According to the reports, before the NPP congress, Akufo Addo issued a directive to all his appointees to support and vote for Freddy Blay. Otiko defied and ignored that directive, telling Nana Addo, “We are not robots and cannot be pushed about like kids” and went ahead to support Stephen Ntim.

“Otiko was then summoned to the Flagstaff house after the Koforidua congress hence queried for disobeying the president before Freddy Blay and John Boadu. Otiko got angry and had serious exchanges with the president and Freddie Blay. Out of anger, she told Freddie Blay to stay out of NPP matters and took her bag and angrily walked away.

Otiko’s behavior before the president angered him so he made the decision to reshuffle her out of his government completely but at that moment John Boadu quickly reminded him that Otiko was one of the few Krobo’s in government and thus kicking her out could send bad signals to the Krobos.

The Upper East Regional minister was the one originally penciled for the role of ambassador to Italy but a decision was made to rather send Otiko to Italy.

Otiko was not informed of the reshuffle. She only heard her reshuffle on radio and said, “this man is vindictive”. She subsequently told her friends that she is not going to accept the appointment and will bow out of politics entirely but promised to teach Akufo-Addo a lesson”.

But Speaking to Atinka FM’s Kaakyire Ofori Ayim, Madam Otiko Djaba discounted the claims and statements made by the said Johnson Kwame Gyinde, and describes his statement and its subsequent reportage as a figment of his own imagination and urged Ghanaians to treat it with the contempt it deserves.

According to her she has called the said Kwame Gyinde who was part of her Campaign Team when she was gunning for the National Women Organiser Position to desist from holding himself as her Campaign Manager and spokesperson, since his services ceased after the Campaign season.

“even if he was my Campaign Manager, how many years has gone by since I was elected as the National Women Organiser?” she queried, and therefore called on Ghanaians and the media to respect her rights and privacy.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Lawrence Kojo Addo

Minority to seek clarification on $2 billion Chinese bauxite deal from IMF

Daniel Opare
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The Minority in Parliament says it is heading to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek clarification on the $2 billion Chinese bauxite deal presented by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

Parliament in July approved a Master Project Support Agreement between Ghana and a Chinese firm, SynoHydro Corporation, for the provision of roads, bridges, interchanges, hospitals, housing, rural electrification in Ghana.

Per the agreement, the Chinese firm, SynoHydro Corporation will provide a $2 billion infrastructure in exchange for Ghana’s refined bauxite.

Speaking to Ekourba Gyasi on Atinka AM Drive, a member of the Finance Committee in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Ho Central, Benjamin Komla Kpodo explained that the revenue from the bauxite which is been exchanged for the projects belongs to Ghana hence the need for further clarifications.

He added that although the amount involved is supposed to be a barter, the Majority in the contract details agreed to pay the amount involved in case the bauxite revenue is not enough to pay for the barter.

“If it is our revenue which is going to be used for the work outlined then it is essentially a loan, and if we do not realize enough bauxite to give them then the tax payer will have to settle the debt. That means it is a loan”, he reiterated.

A former Chief Executive Officer of the State Enterprises Commission, Dr. Camynta Baezie, has also asked the NPP administration to review the $2 billion Chinese bauxite agreement.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa

Hasan Ayariga denies Bawku attack

Daniel Opare
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The Presidential candidate for the All People’s Congress (APC) in the 2016 general elections, Mr Hassan Ayariga, has denied been attacked in Bawku as reported by a section of the  Media.

Some news portals had reported that the APC presidential candidate has been assaulted by one Adams Awal, a batik Tie and Dye producer in Bawku on tuesday  where he had gone to observe the Eid-ul adha .

According to  earlier  reports the attacker, Adams Awal, assaulted Mr. Hasan Ayariga after questioning him  why he left the People’s National Congress (PNC) to form his own political party, the APC. The report indicated that the APC's founder's refusal to give a response to the question infuriated the tye and dye producer who dealt Hassan Ayariga a hefty slap which left him sprawling on the ground and had to be helped by onlookers.

However, speaking to Atinka FM’s Ekourba Gyasi on the AM Drive, Presidential candidate for the All People’s Congress  Hassan Ayariga described the publication  as lies and fabricated." i move around with armed men and no body dares touch me, who ever dared would have been finished"  he fumed.

According to him, some media houses due to lack of stories resort to the picking of “useless” stories for publication.

He further stated that publishers of the story have since  apologized and had promised to publish a rejoinder.

“How can people be so clueess and useless to write stories they don’t know, everybody in this country has a number to Hassan Ayariga in his office… how can you publish a false story and then tell me you are sorry and that you will do a rejoinder, rejoinder for what…”, he fumed.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa  

Safety of Mobile Money Merchants, our collective concern

Daniel Opare
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By Kwame Atoampomah Koduah Atuahene

 

The upsurge of Mobile Money Merchants (MoMo Merchants) has been hailed for creating opportunities for inclusion and payment by the unbanked. It has also offered job opportunities for many otherwise unemployed youths in the country.

It is estimated that, as of March this year, there were nearly 218,000 registered mobile merchants across the country with 11.2 million active mobile accounts.

Regardless of the numbers of persons involved and volumes of transfers facilitated by these merchants, they appear to have been left to the mercy of miscreants and robbers.

A recent report estimated the number of attacks on these merchants at 30 at the turn of the new year. Just today, the dailies report of the death of a 39-year old Promise Dayi, a MoMo merchant at Asylum Down in Accra, who is suspected to have been shot by armed robbers.

If robbers cannot walk to a banking hall to shoot a teller, why must we allow that to happen to these vulnerable vendors.

We cannot continue to be only interested in the service they offer, income and profits to the telecos, revenues for the state without any measure of care for the risk they are exposed to. If care is not taken, this threat though personal to the merchants will consequently affect other interested parties. They may seek opportunities elsewhere, the service will become defunct and ultimate deny us of the collective benefit we derive from their existence.

Society must take interest in their safety and it must be urgent. In the traditional banking sector, the banks have found a means to partner the security agencies to protect transfers and limit the threat of robbers at the bank and in the course of transfers.

There are positive learnings for MoMo Merchants. The Telecos must urgently, work with these Merchants, the Metropolitan, Municipal, & District Assemblies and the Police to cook a solution.

To start with, the Assemblies, can find and assist with space and designate same as MomoHubs. These hubs, situated at convenient proximity to a bank or police station, could be provided with adequate security under arrangements similar to that with the traditional banks. Armed Police could provide escorts if transfers of physical cash become necessary within banking hours.

Further, the Merchants could be assisted either freely by the Telecos or as part of the start-up conditions to get cash safes to be kept at the custody of the Police Station where cash could be lodged during non-bank hours

Finally, the possibility of Insuring the service and merchants should be explored with the insurance industry. This way we can set minimum conditions for coming into that space, that assures their safety, the growth of the industry other than leaving them to their fate.

If robbers cannot walk into a banking hall to shoot a teller, why must we allow that to happen to these vulnerable vendors

We must not only be interested in their goods but their good.

I rest my case

Aston Martin to make 28 James Bond cars – costing £3.3m each

Daniel Opare
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Aston Martin is recreating James Bond's "iconic" DB5 car, which was made famous in Goldfinger.

The car, complete with revolving number plates, will be built in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.

Aston Martin and EON Productions will work together to produce 25 of the cars – priced at £2.75m plus taxes, despite not being road legal.

Three more cars will be built, with EON and Aston Martin keeping one each and the last being auctioned for charity.

Described by Aston Martin as "the most instantly recognisable car of all-time", the DB5 first appeared in Goldfinger in 1964 and went on to feature in six more James Bond films.

The new models will include a number of gadgets, which will be co-developed by James Bond special effects supervisor and Oscar-winner Chris Corbould OBE.

Each car – which will cost £3.3m after tax – will be painted a Silver Birch colour like the original DB5.

Andy Palmer, president and CEO at Aston Martin, said: "It is remarkable that the DB5 remains the definitive James Bond car after so many years.

"To own an Aston Martin has long been an aspiration for James Bond fans, but to own a Silver Birch DB5, complete with gadgets and built to the highest standards in the very same factory as the original James Bond cars? Well, that is surely the ultimate collectors' fantasy."

The first customer delivery of the Goldfinger DB5 continuation car is expected to take place in 2020.

BBC

Top 10 benefits of stretching exercises

Daniel Opare
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Stretching relaxes your muscles and it increases the flow of blood and nutrients to your cartilage and muscles. Stretching also improves your flexibility and helps you avoid injury, so stretch away, and enjoy these top ten benefits of stretching: 

1. Stretching exercises help improve posture

First benefit of stretching exercises is better posture. Stretching loosens your muscles and it is tight muscles that can be the cause of a poor posture. Maintaining a good posture not only makes you look taller and more confident, but it also alleviates pain in your back, your neck and shoulders.

2. Stretching promotes blood circulation

Loosening your muscles with a good stretch can dramatically improve your circulation. Good circulation helps all of your organs function properly, it promotes new cell growth and it will help stabilize your blood pressure.

3. Stretching speeds up recovery after exercise

Top athletes always stretch before they perform because the stretching and the loosening of the muscles, improves performance and durability during exercise and it speeds up the recovery process afterwards.

4. Regular stretching exercises improve flexibility

Benefits of stretching are numerous and another one of them is improved flexibility. As you get older, your muscles get tighter and reduce in length, which increases the chances of injury and reduces your range of motion. Regular stretching will help to keep your muscles strong and healthy and it will help you to maintain the flexibility in your body.

5. Stretching eases stress

Stretching loosens tight muscles and helps you to relax. The act of stretching also leads to the release of endorphins in your body which promote a feeling of calmness and general well being. This is why having a good stretch before you go to bed will help you to get a good night’s sleep.

6. Stretching exercises improve energy levels

If the days dragging and you are feeling tired, then a stretch will wake you up. Muscles tighten when we get tired and that makes us feel even more lethargic, so stand up and do some stretches, and it will help you to quickly and efficiently revitalize your energy levels.

7. Stretching exercises make everyday movement easier

If, when you bend down to pick something up, you sometimes feel a sharp pain in your joints or muscles, then you need to be doing more stretching. Keeping your joints and muscles supple will make your everyday movements easier and less painful.

8. Stretching reduces back pain

One of the most common causes of back pain is the tightening of muscles in your lower back. You can ease the stress on your spine, caused by this muscle tightening, by regular back stretching exercises.

9. Stretching exercises improve athletic performance

The arithmetic on this point is very simple. If your muscles are already contracted by, say, 20%, then they will only be 80% effective during exercise. Regular stretching will relax 100% of your muscles and therefore you will have 100% of the muscle available during exercise.

10. Stretching improves your performance in bed

Not only stretching exercises are one of the things recommended for people suffering from osteoporosis, but also, as a result of the increased flexibility and muscle strength that you gain from stretching, you will perform a lot better in the bedroom, it’s another great benefit of stretching!

beautyandtips

Girl, 3, fires 1,111 arrows in a row to set Guinness record

Daniel Opare
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A 3-year-old girl fired off 1,111 arrows in three and a half hours in a bid to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The girl, identified as P Sanjana, fired the 1,111 arrows at a target located about 26 feet away and struck the target with most of her shots during the three and a half hour period.

"I am happy. I've no pain and I'm not tired. My dream is to win a gold in Olympics," the toddler told NDTV.

Her coach, Shihan Hussaini, said the girl took five minute breaks every hour.

"When her parents brought Sanjana, I could instantly feel the fire in her. I knew there was a child prodigy in the making," Hussaini told India Today.

He said the girl is on track to achieve her dream of Olympic glory.

"It was her will power, stamina and focus that made the feat possible. There's no doubt she can be an Olympian. The state and central governments should give her the best of the facilities," he said.

Sanjana's parents said she showed an early interest in archery and has been practicing every day after preschool.

The South Asia Archery Association observed Sanjana's record attempt and is submitting documentation from the event to Guinness World Records.

upi

Trump directed hush money, says his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen

Daniel Opare
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US President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has pleaded guilty in a New York court to violating campaign finance laws.

He said he had done so at the direction of "the candidate", for the "principal purpose of influencing [the] election".

The admission was related to hush money paid to Mr Trump's alleged mistresses.

Mr Trump has not commented. In May, he admitted reimbursing Cohen for paying one of the women, having earlier denied any knowledge of it.

Mr Cohen, 51, admitted eight counts on Tuesday, including tax and bank fraud, in a plea deal with prosecutors which may see his prison sentence reduced from 65 years to five years and three months.

On the same day, a jury in Alexandria, Virginia, convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of bank and tax fraud charges.

The developments in the Cohen and Manafort cases have revived speculation that the president himself may face legal proceedings.

Clearly referring to Mr Trump, Cohen said he had been directed by "a candidate for federal office" to break federal election laws.

Cohen pleaded guilty to counts of tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, wilfully causing an unlawful corporate contribution and making an excessive campaign contribution at the request of a candidate or campaign.

Sentencing was set for 12 December and he was released on bail of $500,000 (£390,000).

Cohen's voice quavered as he answered routine questions from the judge. Asked whether he had consumed any alcohol or drugs before making his guilty plea, he told Judge William Pauley he had only had a glass of 12-year-old Glenlivet, a single-malt scotch, with dinner the night before.

This was the legal summer blockbuster that journalists had been waiting months for and, in terms of courtroom drama and potential political impact, the appearance of Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's one-time Mr Fix-it, didn't disappoint.

It was his admission that he had knowingly broken campaign finance laws that was by far the most politically explosive.

It was extraordinary to hear him tell the court that he had done so in co-ordination with, and at the direction of, the candidate.

Though he did not mention his name – or those of the women in question – the candidate is, of course, his former boss, Mr Trump.

Though Cohen has admitted guilt, he has not agreed as part of the plea agreement to co-operate with federal prosecutors, either in New York or those working on the investigation led by the special counsel Robert Mueller.

He left court to chants of "lock him up" from a few of his fellow New Yorkers.

Robert Khuzami, the deputy US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Cohen's crimes had been "particularly significant" because he was a trained lawyer.

Cohen, he said, had failed over the past five years to report income on $1.3m from a taxi business, $100,000 from brokerage commissions and $200,000 from consultancy fees.

BBC

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