Huge numbers of lesser flamingos begin breeding at Tanzania's Lake Natron in one of nature's greatest spectacles.

Nearly half of Ghana’s educated citizens live abroad while one in three skilled Angolans resides outside that country. Of the ten countries with the highest percentage of educated citizens living abroad, six are in Sub-Saharan Africa, where many governments subsidize higher education

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA – Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Regional Minister has bemoaned the general retrogression of most sporting disciplines nation-wide and called for massive re-organization to reverse the trend.   In a speech read on his behalf at the closing ceremony of the 7th Greater Accra Regional Sports Festival in Ada, Greater Accra Region, Afotey Agbo said there was the need for regular regional and district Sports festivals to serve as a platform for unearthing talents and groom them for the regional and the national team as well.   The Regional Minister, praised the Greater Accra Regional Sports Authority for ensuring the participation of all Metropolitan, Municipalities and District Assemblies (MMDA’S) in the festival adding that, it will also ensure guaranteed broad based sports talent to represent the region at the 2013 National Unity Games.   Afotey Agbo pledged the continued support of Government and the RCC towards sports promotion and development in the region.   He advised the youth, to seek peace before, during and after the upcoming elections.   Kwame Amponfi Jr, Sports Director, Greater Accra Sports Authority, who read a speech on behalf of the Acting Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Madam Alice Attipoe commended the planning committee for successfully organising the event and the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council for sponsoring the sports festival.   The NSA boss also praised Greater Accra Sports Authority for taking the lead among their compatriots among other regions to raise a team one year ahead of the 2013 National Unity Games.   She expressed gratitude to the regional minister for financing the promotion and development of sports in his region adding that the governments agenda for sports includes employment of qualified technical staff to be posted to the Districts as Sports Development Officers to help develop Sports at the grassroots level and to identify and nurture potential talents for the promotion of sports at the national level.   The Regional Sports Festival was fully sponsored by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.   GNA...

Sunyani, Nov. 13, GNA – Rural Banks in the country will soon operate MTN mobile money transfer services, Mr Ebenezer Twum Asante, National Sales Executive of Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) said on Tuesday.      He said the company was seriously working out modalities with the ARP Apex Bank to ensure that all rural banks were networked and connected to the service by the end of April, 2013.      Mr Asante announced this when briefing the media to highlight events lined-up for the fourth anniversary celebration of Bisvel Communication Limited in Sunyani.      Bisvel Company is MTN’s authorised dealer in Brong-Ahafo Region to distribute its products.      Mr Asante explained that MTN cherished its relationship with its users and would work to ensure all subscribers especially those in rural areas benefited from other packages.      He said currently the company had more than 11 million network subscribers representing 50.9 per cent of the market share and the leading mobile telecommunication company in the country.      Mr Charles Osei Akoto, MTN Technical Manager, admitted the company was aware of the regular and intermittent network failures and assured users of network quality and stability in 2013.      He said the company’s fibre network reinforcement project was still on course and on its completion many concerns would be addressed.      Mr Akoto said the company’s subscribers in Brong-Ahafo Region had increased from 650 in 2008 to 1.2 million in 2012 targeting that by the end of 2013 an additional 200,000 users would be hooked on to the network.      Alhaji Baba Seidu Issifu, Chief Executive Officer of Bisvel Communication, said MTN’s mobile service had created mutual benefits for both companies.      He said Bisvel had added 81 subscriber acquisition canvassers, 18 value added services ambassadors, 90 local agency scheme agents and 60 retail ambassadors who were tasked with specifics projects to enhance growth.      Alhaji Issifu said the company was a job provider for mostly the youth directly and indirectly with more than 8,000 youth engaged in the number of point of sale businesses, popularly known as “space-to-space” in the Region.      He said through the “project hunter”, an initiative by the company, more than 60,000 subscribers had been connected to the MTN network this year.   GNA...

Bolgatanga (U/E), Nov. 13, GNA - President John Mahama has said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was playing a useful role in ensuring that the poor and vulnerable gained access to appropriate care.     He said the NHIS model also placed the nation in a position that had attracted other countries to study our model adding that the increasing utilization of the facility in Ghana had reflected on the Human Development Index with the reduction of maternal mortality rates. President Mahama said this when he commissioned a GH₡500,000 NHIS office block in Bolgatanga.     He said though maternal mortality in the country had reduced from 450 to 280, per year, it was still not enough to meet the Millenium Development Goals on maternal mortality and called for concerted efforts to achieve them.     President Mahama called on the staff of the NHIS to continue to work hard to ensure that the scheme improved on its status and became more meaningful to the general populace.    Mr Sylvester Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of NHIS, said the huge volume of work as a result of increasing numbers of people registering, coupled with the complexities of rising costs in renting private premises led to the construction of the office block.   GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA -The ECOWAS Parliament's Joint Committee on Education, Science, Technology, Youth, Sports and Culture on Tuesday commenced a five-day sitting in Accra to deliberate on development, peace and stability in the region. The Accra meeting will reflect on the theme: "Religious Tolerance and Harmony," and make recommendations for a regional forum to be convened on the issue, which has become a catalyst for maintaining lasting social balance, or a vehicle for violent conflicts, social exclusion and public disorder. Malian Parliamentarian Yaya Sangare, who co-chairs the joint committees, told participants at the opening of the sitting at the Coconut Grove Hotel that religion had become an issue that when ignored exacerbated tensions and revived multiculturalism. He said the issue called to mind that peace and tolerance were never a definitive acquisition, and that it was the permanent and collective duty of the legislators to ensure that the foundations of human relations were strengthened through the promotion of tolerance, dialogue, respect and mutual understanding.      “No matter how good our democracies may be, it is imperative for we the key players to ensure that the minorities are guaranteed their rights and privileges,” he said.      He called on the participants to work assiduously to improve inter-faith dialogue as a factor of peace in the region.   GNA ...

Accra Nov. 13, GNA – Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Dr Omane Boamah, have filed a motion on notice seeking a review of the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) on the leasing of a state bungalow offered to Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, a former Minister of State.      Mr Ablakwa and Dr Boamah both Deputy Ministers noted that the SC made a fundamental error in the interpretation and enforcement of Article 20 (5) and (6) in relation to state or public property. They contended that the SC’s decision was a miscarriage of justice and that it should look at the matter again by way of a review. According to the two they had made some discovery of new evidence which after the exercise of due diligence was not within their (applicants) knowledge or could not be produced by them at the time when the decision was rendered. The SC on May 22, this year in their 6-3 majority decision ruled that Mr. Ablakwa and Dr Boamah, the plaintiffs had failed to lead evidence to the effect that the allocation of the bungalow to Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey smacked of cronyism, arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory and a gross abuse of the discretionary power vested in a public officer under the country’s constitution. According to the majority opinion, the Supreme Court is a court of law, equity and justice governed by rules and regulations. “Our rules mandate that people who invite the court to condemn others for wrong doing to be in the position to justify what they call on the court to do”. In response, Mr. Obetsebi Lamptey however contended that the application did not disclose the exceptional circumstances for review adding no error in the interpretation of the Article 20 (5) and (6). He is therefore praying the court to dismiss the motion on notice for review. Mr. Ablakwa and Dr. Boamah in 2008 sued the Attorney General and Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey over the allocation of Bungalow No 2 Mungo Street at the Ridge Residential Area in Accra to the latter, which he occupied at the time. They contended that Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey’s action contravenes Articles 20 (5) and 20 (6) and smacked of cronyism and gross abuse of discretional powers of a public officer, and, thus, questioned the legitimacy of the sale, disposal or transfer of any government or public property to Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey.      In the substantive action, the Deputy Ministers are also praying the court to order that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute or any other public land to Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey was illegal and unconstitutional.      The applicants were seeking a declaration that by virtue of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the government was obliged to retain and continue to use, in the public interest, the property in dispute.     They were further seeking a declaration that the purported sale of the said government bungalow, located at St Mungo Street, Ridge, Accra, by the previous government to Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey was in utter contravention of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.     GNA ...

US government technology supplier Lockheed Martin has said that the pace of cyber-attacks has increased dramatically.

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA – Prince Kofi Amoabeng, Chief Executive Officer of UT Financial Services on Tuesday appeared before an Accra circuit court.        Amoabeng made his appearance after the court had indicated its intent to arrest him if he failed to appear before it on Tuesday.        The court admitted him to bail in the sum of GHc 300,000 with two sureties to reappear on December 11.        At yesterday’s sitting, prosecution told the court that since the matter was brought before the court in July this year, the accused had not turned up in court hence prayed for a bench warrant for his arrest.        Mr Addo Attuah, counsel for Amoabeng, informed the court that he had filed a letter from the Attorney General’s office dated August 28 to suspend the prosecution of the matter.       Counsel said that letter had been copied to the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) quoting Article 88 of the Constitution which gave the Attorney General the power to prosecute and delegate its powers to police to prosecute.     Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aidan Dery, told the court that he had not been informed by his superiors to discontinue with prosecution of the matter.         The court noted the AG had the power to enter into nolle prosequi (that is discontinue) a matter adding that the letter to discontinue to the matter was not addressed to the court as such could not discharge Amoabeng.        Amoabeng is standing trial with legal practitioner, John Aidoo, over alleged fraud charges.    When the case was called Amoabeng was absent       Amoabeng has been charged with fraud, and John Aidoo, a lawyer, is being held for abetting crime.         Amoabeng is accused of releasing title deed documents of one Naa Otuah Sawyne, which was in the custody of his bank to one Alexander Adjei, now deceased, to secure a loan of GHc 1,279,000 from the HFC Bank.         In the case of Aidoo, the court admitted him to bail in the sum of GHc 300,000 with two sureties after he had pleaded not guilty to the charge of abetment.         Prosecuting, DSP Dery said the complainant; Ms Sawyne is a novelist residing at Dansoman in Accra.        He said in October 2005, the complainant decided to sell her house at Number 23 Ringway Estate in Accra; hence she entered into a sale and purchase agreement with the late Alexander Adjei.        Prosecution said the complainant and Adjei agreed on 280,000 dollars as the purchase price, which was to be paid in three installments, in October, November and December 2005.        On October 14, 2005, Adjei paid 100,000 dollars as agreed but failed to pay the remaining amount, the prosecutor said.        According to DSP Dery, the complainant, being the vendor, was due to travel to UK so she borrowed GHc 25,000 cedis from UT Financial Services and used the title deed of her house as collateral.        The complainant, prosecution said, therefore prepared and signed a deed of assignment conditionally in respect of sale transaction with the understanding that the final transaction would be witnessed by her lawyer, one Martin Nwousu, and handed over to the buyer upon full payment of the purchase price.        DSP Dery said, however, on May 22, 2006, Adjei now deceased, used the complainant’s title deed, which was at all the time in the custody of Amoabeng to obtain a loan facility from HFC Bank.       On September 27, 2007, Amoabeng, without recourse to the complainant, wrote a letter to State Housing Company informing them that Adjei had purchased the complainant’s house and requested them to issue their consent to assign the property to Adjei.          Aidoo, the solicitor Secretary of SHC, having records that the complainant owned property in question, signed a letter of consent and gave consent to mortgage the property on July 23, 2009, an act which he (Aidoo) had no capacity to do so.   GNA ...

Ghana will not achieve universal basic education by year 2015 as originally targeted, says a Senior Policy Analyst at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Prof Kwame Acheampong.

Bolgatanga (U/E), Nov.13, GNA - Three major Hospitals in the Upper East Region are to go biometric in the vetting and facilitating of payment claims by service providers under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) beginning December 2013. The Navrongo War Memorial, Bolgatanga Regional and Bawku Presbyterian Hospitals would be part of the national programme that would be rolled out to manage vetting of claims of service providers in the region. Mr Sylvester Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of NHIS, said this after the President, Mr John Mahama commissioned an office block in Bolgatanga to house the NHIS office. He said the NHIS was concerned with the challenges beneficiaries incurred in gaining access to their NHIS cards and said that would soon be a thing of the past as the new biometric system to be put in place. Mr Mensah said access to health and utilization of NHIS cards was increasing each year with utilization increasing to 25.4 million from 5 million in 2007 and then to 12.5 million in 2008. He said the increasing rate represented a growing public interest in the scheme and efforts are being made to ensure Ghanaians gained access health care services. Mr Mensah said the NHIS would establish call centers at the point of service throughout the country to receive complaints and ensure rapid response to issues that arise from them.   GNA ...

At least $2bn (£1.25bn) worth of diamonds has been stolen from Zimbabwe's Marange diamond fields since 2008, a Canadian-based campaign group alleges.