Islamabad, NOV. 21 (dpa/GNA) - Pakistan's government on Wednesday downplayed India's execution of the lone surviving Pakistani gunman in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist siege that killed more than 166 people.   State-run PTV broadcaster quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that an Indian embassy official in Islamabad had informed the authorities about the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, 24.   Muazzam Ahmad Khan said Pakistan condemns all forms of terrorism.   "We will cooperate with the international community in the fight against terrorism," he said.   Kasab was from Faridkot village in the eastern province of Punjab. A local police official said there was no reaction.   "All the family members of Kasab left right after they were identified as being his family," officer Muhammad Ali said by phone from Depalpur city.   Beena Sarwar, a prominent commentator and human rights activist, said Kasab was "a pawn.”   "Many will be happy at the hanging of the murderer Kasab. Hope his victims' families got closure. I can only feel sorry."   “Those responsible, who orchestrated the Mumbai episode, trained and poisoned young minds to carry out the carnage, remain free,” she said on her Twitter account.   In Pakistan, the trial for seven Lashkar-e-Taiba militants accused of orchestrating the attacks, is ongoing, with the next hearing scheduled for December 1.   India accuses Pakistan of not doing enough to bring justice, while Pakistan says India is trying to politicize the incident.   A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban insurgents hailed Kasab as a "martyr."   "May Allah bless Ajmal Kasab's martyrdom. Whatever he did, he did the right thing. We are in grief over the loss but happy that he got the martyrdom," Mohammad Afridi said.   Afridi also praised India for following its laws.   "Another thing is that in that country, at least, we saw the course of law. But in Pakistan, our people are arrested and without prosecution are either killed or their whereabouts are not known,” Afridi told dpa.   India said the attackers had arrived by sea from Pakistan, and were trained by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group based in that country.   Officially, LeT does not operate in Pakistan. But the founder of the LeT leads another group, Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), which says it devotes itself to humanitarian assistance.   India considers JuD to be the front of LeT. Both the groups are banned by Pakistani government.   The JuD has refrained from making any comments regarding LeT's involvement in the Mumbai attack. Its officials were not available Wednesday for comment regarding Kasab's execution. GNA      ...

New Delhi, NOV. 21 (dpa/GNA) - Ajmal Kasab, the only gunman to be caught alive during the 2008 terrorist siege in India's financial hub Mumbai, was hanged early Wednesday, authorities said.     Kasab, 24, was convicted of murder and other crimes by a sessions court in May 2010. The verdict was later upheld by the Bombay High Court and India’s Supreme Court.   President Pranab Mukherjee rejected Kasab’s plea for clemency on November 5 and Kasab was moved from a Mumbai jail to Pune’s Yervada jail two days ago, Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil said in a televised press briefing.   “Today at 7.30 am (0200 GMT) Ajmal Kasab was hanged at Yervada Central Jail in Pune,” Patil announced. He was later buried in the jail's grounds.   A total of 166 people died in the attack on Mumbai by 10 gunmen, of whom nine were killed by security forces. Over 300 people were injured.   India said the attackers arrived by sea from Pakistan, and were trained by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group based in that country.   The gunmen attacked several sites in Mumbai including the city's main railway station, luxury hotels and a Jewish centre over a period of 60 hours from the night of November 26, 2008.   “The government of Pakistan has been informed of the hanging,” federal Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi.   Asked about the secrecy shrouding the time and place of the execution, Shinde said it was necessary but did not elaborate.   Kasab was kept in a high-security cell in a jail in Mumbai for three-and-a-half years while the legal process took place. His hanging came days before the fourth anniversary of the Mumbai attack.   Kasab had been informed of his hanging on November 12 and had wanted his mother to be informed, the Daily News and Analysis newspaper reported, citing Home Ministry sources. A letter had been sent by courier to an address Kasab had provided, the report said.   "If Pakistan or the family asks for the body, we will consider it," External Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed said. "Right now, we don't have any such request."   Khursheed said the rule of law had prevailed in India and he hoped it would be the same in Pakistan.   India says the Mumbai attack was planned in Pakistan and has accused Islamabad of failing to take action against those responsible including LeT founder Hafiz Sayeed.   Pakistan has said it has been carrying out investigations and seven people are being tried for their alleged roles in the attack.   Reactions to the hanging ranged from jubilation, a sense of closure among relatives of those who died, to renewed debate on capital punishment.   "Nation celebrates hanging," said a tagline on Times Now television. "Mumbai's butcher hanged," a banner on the Headlines Today channel said.   "With this hanging, homage has been paid to my husband. But the real homage will be the conviction of other accused shielded in Pakistan," Smita Saluskar, wife of a police officer killed during the attack, was quoted as saying by NDTV news channel.   "Why should I rejoice Kasab's death? I will rejoice when little innocent children will stop being taught to kill in the name of god and religion," tweeted Ashish Chowdhury, whose sister and brother-in-law were killed in the attack.   "Instead of resorting to the use of execution to address heinous crime, India should join the rising ranks of nations that have taken the decision to remove the death penalty from their legal frameworks," Human Rights Watch India said in a statement.   There have been only two executions in the country since 1995. GNA    ...

New Delhi, NOV. 21 (dpa/GNA) - Two days before Mumbai terrorist Ajmal Kasab was hanged Wednesday, India voted against a United Nations General Assembly draft resolution that called for the abolition of the death penalty.   There have only been two executions since 1995: that of Dhananjay Chatterjee found guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl, who was hanged in 2004; and now Kasab, convicted of mass murder and waging war against India.   The Supreme Court in 1983 ruled that the death penalty should be handed down only in the "rarest of rare" cases, and indicated that the judge - there are no jury trials - must be compelled by exceptional circumstances to take such a decision.   Capital crimes in India include murder, abetting a child's suicide, terrorism, waging war against the country, a second conviction for drug trafficking, "honour" killings and, for policemen, involvement in staged killings.   The system provides convicts with several appeals before execution.   These usually go all the way up to the Supreme Court and can take several years. If the Supreme Court turns down the appeal, the defendant can approach the president with a mercy petition.   The president can commute the death sentence to life imprisonment, but only after obtaining the government's consent.   According to a government report, there were 477 convicts on death row at the end of 2011, after the president commuted 42 death sentences that year to life imprisonment.   All executions in India are carried out by hanging, which the Supreme Court said in 1983 did not involve torture, barbarity, humiliation or degradation. GNA      ...

Ramallah, NOV.21 (dpa/GNA) - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday.   Around 50 Palestinian activists gathered outside the presidential compound where the meeting took place to protest her visit. Witnesses said police in riot gear were in the area.   Clinton was also due to travel to Egypt Wednesday for talks with President Mohammed Morsi. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said he could not confirm reports that Clinton would hold another meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. GNA    ...

Hanoi, NOV. 21 (dpa/GNA) – Vietnamese lawmakers on Wednesday approved a resolution on holding votes of confidence in an unprecedented move which could force senior leaders to resign, officials said.   The resolution will allow the assembly’s 500 parliamentarians to hold a vote of confidence on the prime minister, president, National Assembly chairman and other high-ranking state officials.   “It is obviously a sign that Vietnam is becoming more democratic,” said Vu Mao, former chairman of the assembly’s Committee for International Relations.   “The National Assembly proposed a vote like this 10 years ago but we couldn’t implement it because of many difficulties,” he said.   Confidence votes will be held once a year and leaders will be forced to resign if they fail to win more than 50 per cent of votes twice in a row. Results will be publicized. The first vote will take place in mid-2013.   The move could be a challenge to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who in an address to the nation last week apologised for mismanagement of the economy.   Many blame the premier for slowing economic growth, which has been dogged by corruption-riddled state-owned enterprises and resurgent inflation.   Last week, outspoken parliamentarian Duong Trung Quoc urged the premier to quit saying: "It's time to take real responsibility not just apologise.” GNA    ...

Bolgatanga, Nov. 21, GNA- Mr Williams Williams, Australian High Commissioner , has listed a number of projects to be launched in the north as part of his four- day tour of the Northern and Upper East Regions.   He said the projects sponsored by Australia are signs of commitment  to deepen engagement with Ghana, strengthen diplomatic links and increase development assistance and trade.   Mr Williams made this known when he paid a courtesy call on Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister in Bolgatanga on Wednesday.   He listed some of the Australian sponsored projects to be inaugurated as GH¢40,704 solar water systems training centre at the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, a GH¢ 28,832 fair-trade basket weaving project with assistance from G-Lish Foundation and a GH¢ 23,661 disability sports programme with the Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment in Bolgatanga.   Mr Williams also mentioned a GH¢37,868 three-classroom school building with an office at Bapella village, which adds up to an GH¢8,500 borehole system and a GH¢41,959 solar electrification project for the Sirigu Women’s Organisation for Pottery and Art at Sirigu near Bolgatanga already provided for by the Commission.   The Commission would provide half a million Ghana Cedis in small grants to communities in Ghana and countries in the sub-region in sectors such as water and sanitation, renewable energy, education and agriculture.   Mr Woyongo  commended the Australian government for its renewed commitment in the socio-economic development of the region and expressed optimism deepening bilateral  relations.   GNA...

Sunyani, Nov. 21, GNA – A Circuit Court at Fiapre, near Sunyani has remanded two people into police custody for allegedly possessing narcotic drugs without authority.      They are Clifford Kyere, 50, and Kwame Boakye, 32.      Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Teddy Damptey Brown, Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Commander of MTTU  who briefed the press, said on the evening of November 18, this year, personnel on duty at the Wenchi-Techiman road stopped a Mercedes Benz Minibus occupied by three people including the driver but the driver ignored the police signal and sped off.      He said at Tanoso near Techiman some police personnel on duty stopped the vehicle for over-speeding but the driver sped off and the police chased it but the driver sensing danger abandoned the vehicle and together with the other occupants fled into the bush.      ASP Brown said the police towed the vehicle to the MTTU Regional Office in Sunyani. The following morning, the accused persons reported at Techiman police station and declared ownership of the goods on the vehicle and were escorted to the Brong-Ahafo Regional MTTU by Police Inspector Yeboah.      He said when the goods were searched 23 sacks containing some dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp were found concealed under tubers of cassava. The suspects were then detained.      ASP Brown said the accused persons attempted to bribe the police with GH¢20,000 but they rejected and charged them with the offence.      He said they were remanded in police custody to assist the police arrest  the other accomplices.      In another development, ASP Brown has appealed to the public for assistance to arrest the driver of a Hyundai Lantra taxi cab with registration number GR5506R.      He said police personnel on duty at Bechem Nkwanta on November 15, stopped the taxi heading towards Kumasi and asked the driver to produce his driver's  license.      ASP Brown said the driver in an attempt to bring out the licence drove into the bush together with the occupants in the car, and during a search the police found 12 bundles of electricity cables under the seats.      He said officials from the Electricity Company of Ghana had identified the cables as those stolen from Chiraa in the Sunyani West District which caused a black out in some areas of the town recently.   GNA...

Dormaa-Ahenkro, Nov. 21, GNA – Four out of five parliamentary candidates vying for the Dormaa Central parliamentary seat, have engaged in a three-hour debate at Dormaa-Ahenkro to lay bare their policies on education, agriculture and job creation.      The debate was organised by the Dormaa Central Municipal Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).      They incumbent NPP Member of Parliament Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Mr Alexander Yeboah, Convention People’s Party (CPP), Professor Kwame Agyenim-Boateng of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Mr Ampomah Kumi of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) while the candidate for National Democratic Party (NDP), Mr Appiah Boateng did not attend.      While each of them admitted that much was not being done to harness the municipality’s numerous resources for development, they proposed various ways to improve upon the status of agriculture, education and unemployment.      Each singled out the growing poultry industry in Dormaa and pledged to champion the cause of poultry farmers to help them improve and provide employment for the youth.      They also pledged their commitment to peace and therefore urged their followers to handle the remaining period of the campaign with maturity and decorum.      Mr Kwaku Adinkra-Kosopre, Dormaa Central Municipal NCCE Director,  said the debate was organised to introduce the candidates to the electorate and to buttress the importance for the candidates to make their campaign issues-based rather than personality and ethnic centred.      Okatakyie Ansu Gyeabour, Chairman of the Municipal Inter-Party Dialogue Committee, appealed to the candidates to respect the rules of the electoral processes.      He reiterated the Dormaa Traditional Council’s commitment to peace and urged persons and groups who might contemplate violence and chaos during the elections to change their mind-set.    GNA...

Akosombo Nov. 21 GNA-A Manual for Assembly Members titled “Effective Communications with Constituents”, a product of Socioserve-Ghana, a Civil Society Organization (CSO), has been launched at Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District.       Mrs Josephine Sackey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Socioserve-Ghana, said the manual was a product of Socioserve-Ghana’s Rights Based Advocacy project titled “Promoting the Rights of the Vulnerable to Information (PRIVI).     It was supported by the UK Department for International Development’s Governance and Transparency Fund through the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), UK and managed nationally by the Participatory Development Associates (PDA) in Accra.    Mrs Sackey said during the course of the project, it became evident that information and communication processes between Assembly Members and their constituents needed strengthening.    “As a result, this manual was developed for assembly members with the aim of equipping them with effective communication and engagement strategies so as to contribute to improving local governance in Ghana”.    She said the manual sought to introduce assembly members to the relevance of effective communication in local governance and their role in promoting representative democracy.    It also aims to equip assembly members with techniques and strategies for effective citizen/community engagement process and strategies as well as how to ensure active participation of their constituents in decision making.    Mrs Sackey said the manual sought to outline strategies to deal with some challenges assembly members faced in the discharge of their duties.    “The launch of this manual is a result of over two years of hard work, not only of the Socioserve-Ghana team but also of the Presiding Member and assembly members as well as the groups that we have worked with within the Asuogyaman District”.   Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, a Lecturer at the School of Communications Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, who launched the manual said she considered the manual as an attempt to helping district assemblies improve upon information flow between assembly members and their constituents, to engage more effectively with those they represent.    GNA...

GNA feature by Berta Badu-Agyei      Human activities particularly the burning of fuels, cutting down of trees and other agricultural activities such as the application of fertilizer in addition to natural processes, release gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2o) into the atmosphere.    These gases have the ability to trap the infrared radiation (sun’s energy) which reflects in the form of temperature.      The continuation and exacerbation of the human activities has added to these gases resulting in an increase of the earth’s surface temperature, sea level, precipitation, droughts and floods in many parts of the world of which Ghana is no exception.     Evidence abounds in Ghana that temperatures in all the ecological zones are raising while rainfall levels have been generally reduced and patterns have increasingly become erratic.      Ghana’s economy is heavily dependent on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, tourism and the forest sector, based on a 20- year baseline climate observation.    It is projected that yields of maize and other cereal crops will reduce by seven percent by 2050.    Despite limited irrigation facilities agriculture is currently the biggest contributor to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but over the last decade the agriculture GDP has declined from 51 to 36 percent whiles the increase in temperature, decrease in rainfall and its unpredictability is likely to jeopardize employment of about 60 percent of the active population.      The United Nations Framework Conversion on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines Climate change as a change in climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere in addition to natural climate variability observed over a comparable time period.     Effects of climate change are already evident in Ghana and they include change in species composition and increasing presence of invasive species in forests and farmlands, increased wildfire threats and extension of the forest transition zone further down south.     Besides its environmental and ecological role, the forest sector in Ghana contributes about six percent of GDP, employs about 2.5 million people and exports wood products worth about 200 million dollars annually.     However the climate change has the potential over a period of a few decades to undermine the sectors performance and significantly reduce all these benefits.    At the moment the cost of environmental degradation in major natural resource sectors is estimated at five percent of GDP.      Additionally the forest sector accounts for  500 million dollars according to the Institute of Statistical Service and Research (ISSER) and the World Bank report in 2005 and that the situation would get worse if climate change is allowed to exert its full impact on the forest in that case Ghana could even become a net emitter of carbon.      There is no doubt whatsoever that Ghana has entered into a period where effects of climate change are unprecedented and unavoidable.     Therefore there is the need to capture climate change issues adequately in policies that are made for national development and also the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Climate Change Unit of the Forestry Commission are well resourced to ensure that matters relating to Ghana’s forests were dealt with without any excuses.     It is in the light of these that as Ghana prepares to go to the polls and is examining the manifestoes of all the political parties, it is appropriate that issues such as climate change are highlighted by political parties.     This is because climate change and climate variability issues have gradually shifted from merely environmental issues to become a major development challenge for most Africa countries including Ghana      The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its manifesto says that Ghana is on the verge of losing its forest cover which is currently estimated at about 1.6 million hectares, down from the estimated 8.2 million hectares at the beginning of the 20th century and as a government interested in holistic development it would pursue policies and programmes that will target the reversal of the trend and address gaps in the effective and efficient management of Ghana’s forest reserve and resources.     These policies according to the NDC manifesto would include the expansion of the national plantation development programme to cover degraded forests and off-reserve areas, promoting the utilization of non-traditional tree species such as rubber wood, coconut and bamboo to supplement raw material supply from natural forests and to intensify sensitization programmes on bushfire prevention suppression and control.     According to the manifesto, the NDC will introduce alternative livelihood programmes for chainsaw operators, promulgate legislation to prevent mining activities in protected areas and create specialized courts to adjudicate protected area offences.     The NDC says when retained in power, the government would develop the Achimota Forest into a publicly owned ecological theme park, review the provisions of the forestry commission Act1999, Act571, to re-align with other commissions dealing with natural resources.      As in the words of Mr John Allotey, the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a publication, efforts towards combating the impacts of climate change appear to have been largely unplanned and ad-hoc as it is driven by emergency, planning at various levels and across sectors hardly considers the long term rippling effects and implications of climate change.      According to him, the recent 2010 flooding and destruction of property and infrastructure pose a major challenge to national development, the rate at which property was destroyed, lives were lost and the speed with which climate infrastructure such as roads deteriorate give credence to the fact that climate change is a major developmental concern for the country.     Climate Change has become a global issue and Ghana cannot afford to downplay efforts in managing this global canker as forests are depleting at a faster rate and leaders have to be held accountable.   This can only be done if Ghanaians ensure that in their campaign pledges politicians recognize such issues so that when they are voted to power people can use their own pledges and promises to demand their side in the voting agreement.   GNA...

  Dormaa-Ahenkro (B/A), Nov. 21, GNA –  The driver of a Ford Transit Minibus arrested for driving on worn-out tyres near Dormaa-Ahenkro has been fined GH¢420 for negligence.        Inusah Musah’s vehicle was intercepted by Dormaa Police on the Dormaa-Ahenkro-Masu trunk road on November 8, 2012.      He pleaded guilty and was convicted on his own plea.      Police Chief Inspector Bismarck Boye Lartey told the court presided over by Mr Alexander Osei Tutu that the Dormaa Police on duty intercepted the accused’s vehicle with Registration Number AS 1158-12 with a worn-out right front tyre and therefore arrested him for prosecution.      In a related development at the same court, a student from Nkrankwanta who stole GH¢400 while working for a store owner has been fined GH¢600.      Dedat Adams pleaded guilty to stealing the money when he was engaged to cart wheat brand poultry feed at Nkrankwanta on October 29, 2012.      Chief Inspector Boye-Lartey said when the accused took the money, he went o Dormaa-Ahenkro where he was arrested at a drinking spot.      He said at the time of his arrest, the accused had spent part of the money leaving GH¢250.   GNA...

Akyem Oda, Nov. 21, GNA - Ms Ophelia Koomson, Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the assembly has performed well in the four thematic areas of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).   They are Democracy and Good Political Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance and Socio-economic Development.       Mr Koomson said the assembly would continue to work hard towards the development of the municipality, to improve the lives of the people.      The MCE, who was speaking at a validation workshop on draft APRM governance report on the municipality, at Akyem Oda, said a peaceful environment had been created for business and for people to go about their daily work.      Ms Koomson said that good governance was necessary for national development and advised Ghanaians not to trample upon the rights of each other.      Ms Koomson said that nation building was a shared responsibility and   reminded members of the Municipal Oversight Committee that the APRM concept was devoid of partisan politics, and they should  discuss  issues that would help  move the area forward.      Ms Gloria Ofori Boadu, a member of the APRM Governing Council, called for the promotion of good governance to woo investors to invest and create jobs in the country.      Mr Ernest Opare, Birim Central Chairperson of the oversight committee, said since its inauguration in 2007, it had been holding  sensitization workshops on activities of  APRM for the people.       He  presented the draft report to participants, including assembly members, heads of departments, chiefs and other opinion leaders.   GNA...

Gaza City, NOV. 21 (dpa/GNA) - The Palestinian death toll from Israel's offensive in Gaza has reached 140, the Wafa news agency reported.   Some 1,100 have been wounded. It said that many of the casualties were civilians.   The latest fatality was a 23-year-old killed in an Israeli airstrike on a group of Palestinians outside Jabalya refugee camp, north-east of Gaza City. It was not immediately clear whether he was a militant or a civilian and what the group was doing in the orchard near the border with Israel. Several others were injured. Militants have been firing rockets from the border areas.   Among the targets pounded by Israel overnight were Hamas' Ministry of Internal Security, which Israel charged was used by the Islamist movement as its main command centre, the sixth floor of a Gaza City commercial tower, tunnels, and a bridge.   A house bombed in central Gaza, which Israel alleged was used as a hideout by a militant leader, was destroyed, but no injuries were reported as the occupants evacuated after receiving a warning from the Israeli military. GNA    ...

Dormaa-Ahenkro (B/A), Nov. 21,  GNA – The Dormaa Circuit Court has remanded Kwaku Acka, a  farmer at Yawkumikrom near Dormaa-Ahenkro into custody for allegedly threatening to kill two teachers of the local basic school at Yawkumikrom.      Acka allegedly pulled a knife and threatened the teachers why they failed to attend to her sick niece.      Police Chief Inspector Bismarck Boye-Lartey told the court presided over by Mr Alexander Osei Tutu that on November 2, the accused went to the School holding the hand of one Pomaa Abigail, a Primary Three Pupil.      He said when Acka reached the school, he demanded an explanation from the class teacher why he sent his sick niece home to receive treatment.      The prosecutor said before the teacher could utter a word, the accused pulled a knife from his pocket and threatened to deal with him drastically.      He said when other teachers in the school attempted to calm him down, the accused threatened to kill them as well.      The prosecutor said when the accused was arrested, he admitted visiting the school with a knife and a catapult but denied issuing any threats of death.   GNA...

Tel Aviv, NOV. 21 (dpa/GNA) - Israel's week-long offensive against the Gaza Strip has so far cost the country 3 billion shekels (767 million dollars), the Israeli economic daily The Marker reported Wednesday.   Of this figure, two billion shekels (511 dollars) is the cost of the military side of the offensive, and the remaining 255 billion shekels (255 million dollars) the cost to the civilian sector from hundreds of Palestinian rocket attacks.   The indirect costs of the fighting - the loss of productivity and to industry and tourism - has still to be calculated, the paper wrote.   Israeli citizens will ultimately bear the cost of the war, through new taxes - one of the options is to raise VAT by one per cent, to 18 per cent, the Marker said. GNA  ...

Accra, Nov 21, GNA - The Special Representative of the Secretary General and Coordinator of UN Operations in Liberia, Ms Karin Landgren, has hailed the contribution of Ghanaian peacekeepers in Liberia to the restoration of peace and stability to that country and the sub-region.   Ms Landgren said their exceptional humanitarian interventions such as free medical services to the local population, donations to vulnerable groups, teaching assistance in education institutions and the establishment of a technical institute that is offering technical and vocational skills to many Liberian youths.   “This is an excellent example of making a lasting difference to the lives of the people in the local community,” the SRSG told the Ghanaian soldiers.   Ms Landgren was speaking at a special ceremony in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, to honour 700 Ghanaian soldiers with the United Nations Peacekeeping Medal for their dedicated service to the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).   The recipients of the award have been serving in Grand Bassa, Rivercess and Sinoe counties for the past six months.   UNMIL and the Government of Liberia are working together closely on planning a transition plan that will see the Ghanaian contingent re-deploy to Lofa County by the end of this year, while UNMIL’s civilian and police presence remain in Buchanan.   In Cestos City, Rivercess County, UNMIL is also drawing down its military presence, while maintaining a quick response police capacity in Buchanan to support the Liberia National Police.   The UN envoy said UNMIL’s gradual hand-over of security responsibilities to Liberia’s own security agencies was a result of Liberia’s growing stability and the development of its democratic institutions and stressed that, “Our guiding principle at all times is that Liberian security must be maintained.   “We look to the Liberian people to be law-abiding citizens and do their part in maintaining law and order.   We look to Liberian political leaders to consolidate the country’s democratic institutions and strengthen accountability and transparency.   We look to civil society and the media for their independence and their engagement,” Ms Landgren stated.   Among the dignitaries present at the ceremony were Acting Force Commander, Brigadier General John Kwasie; a special delegation from Ghana, led by Rear Admiral Mohammed Tahiru; Ghana Ambassador to Liberia, Mr Kenneth Asare Bosompem; Armed Forces of Liberia Chief of Staff, Major General Suraj Abdurrahman; Superintendent of Grand Bassa County Madam Etwida Cooper and other UNMIL senior military and civilian staff.   GNA...

  Accra, Nov 21, GNA - Over 500 persons participated in a health screening exercise organized for people who attended the just ended Hogbetsotso Festival at Anloga in the Volta Region as part of the festival. Of the number, 318 had breast screening with three persons having highly suspicious breast disorders including a 24-year- old breastfeeding mother and a 17- year- old senior high school student.     A statement in Accra by the Cancer Society of Ghana (CSG), organizers of the screening copied the Ghana News Agency, said 11 persons had very high blood pressures above 190/110.   The statement, signed by Mr Edward Amporful, Chief Pharmacist of the Cocoa Clinic and a patron of CSG, said the exercise was specially organized as part of the festival to educate people on a number of diseases and other health needs of the people.   It said 75 persons were detected to have blood sugar, five of whom were diabetic but had defaulted treatment for over a month. Another 102 persons had counseling and testing for HIV while 400 male condoms were distributed, in addition to 200 persons who received de-wormers.   The medical team also distributed brochures on hepatitis “B”, TB, HIV and AIDS, malaria, breast cancer and the safe use of medicines.   GNA...

Twifo Agona (C/R) Nov. 21 GNA- The Twifo Rural Bank posted a profit of GH¢90,428.00 representing 78 per cent for 2011 as against GH¢50,900.00 the previous year.       In the year under review, total deposit rose from GH¢3,951.027 to GH¢6, 006. 786 with assets increasing to GH¢ 6,974.362 while investment rose from GH¢1,039,370 to GH¢1,442,340.       Mr Jonas Osei Yankson, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank announced this on Monday at the 21st Annual General Meeting of the Bank at Twifo Agona in the Central Region.       He said loans and advances increased from 54 per cent in 2010 to 90 per cent in 2011 as a result of prudent micro financing undertaken by the Bank.       Mr Yankson said notwithstanding the profit margin, there were recalcitrant beneficiaries who did not honour their loan obligations and warned of court action against them.   The Board Chairman appealed to the shareholders to increase their shareholding for the sustenance of the bank.   He said the Bank of Ghana would increase the minimum share capital of rural banks from GH¢15 0,000, to GH ¢ 500, 000.   Currently, the stated capital of the bank is GH¢210, 558.00 and would need GH¢290,000 to meet the required amount.       As part of its corporate social responsibility the bank offered 25 shares to Twifo- Heman Traditional Council and donated GH¢1,000.00 for  ICT infrastructure for Agona community.   It also donated two bundles of roofing sheets to the Twifo- Heman Lower Denkyira District branch of National Disaster Management Organisation and steel cabinets to the Cape Coast Regional Police Command as well as 120 pieces of crocodile machetes for the Farmer’s Day celebration in the area.       Mr Kweku Acquah, President of the Regional Chapter of ARB C commended the Management of the Bank for making steady progress in its operation and urged other rural banks in the region to emulate the example.       Mr Ato Amoah, aspiring NDC Parliamentary candidate for Twifo- Ati- Morkwa commended the bank for its achievements and urged the personnel to work harder than before to increase the profit margin of the financial entity.   GNA...

Achiase (Ash), Nov 21, GNA – A government by the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) would be sincere and work hard to meet the expectations of Ghanaians, Mr. Isaac Prah, the party’s parliamentary candidate for Ejisu, has said.        A PPP government would pursue programmes and interventions that would bring jobs and create wealth for the people he said when addressing separate campaign rallies at Achiase, Kyem, Akokoamon and Okyerekrom.         Mr Prah said the nation could not continue with the failed policies of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and called on the electorate to kick the government out of office.         The PPP, he said, offered the only hope for the nation and appealed to the people to give their votes to its presidential candidate, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, and the party’s parliamentary candidates.              Mr Prah, who is campaigning on improving education, employment, sanitation and good drinking water, appealed to his supporters not to engage in any acts likely to trigger violence.   GNA...

Juaso (Ash), Nov 21, GNA – Three parliamentary candidates for the December 7 elections in the Asante-Akim South constituency have pledged to work together to prevent disturbances in the area before, during and after the poll.          Mr De-graft Fokuo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Kwasi Agyemang Oteng, Convention People’s Party (CPP) and Mr Oduro Frimpong, Progressive People’s Party (PPP), said they and their supporters would not do anything to disturb the peace.          They expressed their abhorrence of violence, insults, intolerance and political provocation.          This was at a special service held by the Church of Pentecost at Juaso to pray for the successful conduct of the general elections on December 7.          They prayed for God’s guidance and protection for the candidates as they engaged in the struggle to win the mandate of the people to represent them in parliament.         Apostle Nicholas Appiah-Missah, Area Head of the Church, appealed to the people to be careful of their utterances and said the tongue could be a destructive weapon that could wreak havoc on the society.        He said it must neither be lost on anybody nor underestimated the potential danger a reckless political statement could cause because it could plunge the nation into chaos and that is why all Ghanaians, especially politicians, must be mindful of what they say on the campaign platform.        He said once the nation has chosen to travel the path of multi-party democracy, all should accept to play by the rules of the game.   GNA...