No Motive Yet in Maryland Mall ShootingWTMA(COLUMBIA, Md.) -- A shooting incident at a crowded Maryland mall left three people dead Saturday morning and police are still trying to determine the gunman's motivation. After receiving 911 calls from The Mall in Columbia, authorities later discovered the ...and more »

The Archbishop of the Action Faith Ministries, Nicholas Duncan Williams says he hopes to live as old as late South African President, Nelson Mandela, and depart the earth in triumph

  A 32-year-old woman  and her father have been charged with bigamy by the police after she successfully got married to two different men legally in Ghana. According to a report by The Finder newspaper Patience Belinda Gyamfi (the woman at the centre of investigations) got married to Maximus Anumah, a member of staff at the 37 Military Hospital in 2012 and to Audrey Atikpo in January 2013 while she was still married to the former. The newspaper reported that Belinda’s marriage to Maximus was held at a church in Labadi and registered at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) while and the second marriage was registered in Somanya in the Eastern Region. The report indicated that in mid-January 2013, Belinda, who had not been blessed with a fruit of the womb from her marriage with Anumah sought permission from her husband to go to Edumfa Prayer Camp in the Central Region for fasting and prayers to seek divine intervention so they could have children, to which her husband granted the request. It said unknown to Mr Anumah, Belinda, her father and some family members had arranged a secret wedding with another man, Audrey Atikpo, who came down from the United States of America (USA). How they met is yet to be established. The report said, according to the second marriage certificate, Belinda got married to Atikpo on January 31, 2013 and registered the marriage at the Somanya Magistrate Court. Atikpo then rented an apartment at East Legon where he stayed with Belinda for some days and went back to the US to process the necessary documents for Belinda to join him there. According to The Finder report, when Atikpo left, Belinda packed back to her first husband’s house at Labadi in mid-February 2013. It said, upon her return, Belinda always found faults with anything that Anumah did, resulting in frequent misunderstandings. Some months later, Belinda's father brought drinks and GH¢300 to Anumah saying his daughter wanted divorce, but Anumah rejected the items, the report said. Being suspicious of his wife’s calls from a gentleman and a woman from the US, Anumah enquired about the calls and Belinda told him that the man (Belinda's second husband Atikpo) was her cousin and the woman (Belinda's mother in-law in US) her aunty. Not satisfied with the answers, Anumah started searching for his own clues and it was in the course of the search, Anumah found a piece of paper in their room bearing the name and address of Atikpo, The Finder reported. According to the newspaper, Anumah logged on to Facebook, searched for Audrey Atikpo and sent him a friendship request. Upon accepting the request, and seeing Anumah and Belinda's wedding photos in Anumah’s Facebook photos, Atikpo confronted Anumah and the two men both claimed to be the rightful husband of Belinda, The Finder said. According to The Finder, Atikpo called Belinda from the US and confronted her on the matter and the following day, Belinda packed all her belongings from Anumah's house and went back to the house Atikpo rented for her at East Legon. Feeling fooled and cheated by Belinda, Anumah reported the case to the police, who are currently investigating the matter.  

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[Africa Top Sports]Ghana and DR Congo clash this Sunday (18.30) for a place in the semi - finals of the African Nations Championship. Both teams know each other well as they have already met in 2009 during the first edition of CHAN. Ghana had won 3-0 in pools before losing 0-2 in the final.

The Ghana Gas Company (GGC) and its Chinese contractors, Sinopec, have come under enormous pressure to complete the gas pipeline and processing plant, as volumes of supply from Nigeria have completely gone down, threatening electricity generation. “We are at the crossroads,” the Energy Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, declared at the project site at Atuabo, in the presence of all who matter in the energy sector. Tullow Oil, operator of the Jubilee oil field, is equally concerned because the gas that is being re-injected into oil wells, awaiting the completion of the pipeline and plant, is standing in the way of attempts to crank up oil output to its peak of 120,000 barrels per day. Sinopec has given indication that barring any hitches, it should deliver first gas by April ending. Mechanical completion of the plant, Sinopec said, is about 93 percent, and they are only “slightly behind schedule.” In the meantime, flaring the gas appears the most likely option, but it is also the most dreaded solution as the government appears keen on upholding its “zero flaring” policy. The Energy Minister insisted that other options to deal with the situation are being explored, including the possibility of cutting oil production. After touring the gas processing plant to familiarise themselves with the progress of work, the parties are going to meet to take a “final decision” on which option to pursue, the Minister said. “We are all going to work closely with Ghana Gas to make sure that we can get this gas to flow. It is very critical; it is very urgent,” he told the press, adding: “It is very clear that while we are going to engage to deal with the issue of gas from Nigeria, our critical focus must be on the gas project.” George Sipa Yankey, Chief Executive Officer of GGC, said the funding challenges regarding the US$850million project have been resolved, and that until the mechanical completion phase is over, no payment is due the contractor. “66 days to mechanical completion” was the message on notice to workers in all the offices of Sinopec on Friday when the Jubilee partners and power sector chiefs visited. Charles Darko of Tullow Oil and Ken Keag of Kosmos Energy said it was gratifying that “a lot of progress” had been made on the project, pledging their commitment to work with the schedules that have been established. Yet even when Jubilee gas starts flowing through the pipeline, Ghana’s gas needs will not be fully met, according to the Volta River Authority (VRA), which says the country will need between 230 and 850 million standard cubic feet per day in the next decade. The Ministry of Energy has therefore being considering, for the long term, importation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to augment the country’s gas needs. LNG is natural gas that has been converted to liquid form, usually for ease of storage or transportation.   But bringing in LNG will first require the setting-up of a regasification facility. Government says it will not directly import, build or own the LNG infrastructure, but rather provide a clear fiscal and regulatory regime for private sector investment as well as engage friendly LNG-exporting governments to establish supply agreements with off-takers in Ghana. By Basiru ADAM

Ghana edged DR Congo 1-0 in a tightly contested quarter final match of the 3rd Orange African Nations Championship at the Free State Stadium in Mangaung yesterday. A successful penalty kick from Kwabena Adusei was all the Black Stars needed to knock out a stoic DR Congo. The win sets up a mouth-watering West Africa semi-final against Nigeria to be [...]The post It’s Ghana Vs Nigeria … As Stars Dazzle Past Congo DR appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.

[Africa Top Sports]Sunday, we will see the semifinals posters of the 2014 African Nations Championship. After qualification of Nigeria against Morocco (4-3) and Zimbabwe against Mali (2-1 ); two games that held the attention of fans around the continent. It be the duel between Ghana and DR Congo on the one hand and between Gabon and Libya on the other.

Ghana’s female U-20 side, Black Princesses, yesterday defeated the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea 4-3 on penalties to qualify for this year’s World Cup to be staged in Canada, August. The Princesses laboured to beat the E. Guineans 1-0 to be on level pegging with their opponents  – having lost by a the same margin a fortnight ago in Malabo. [...]The post Princesses For Canada appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.

[SAnews.gov.za]Pretoria - The Black Stars of Ghana edged the DRC with a 1-0 victory, which qualifies them for the semi-final of the 2014 CHAN against Stephen Keshi's boys, the Super Eagles of Nigeria. The Nigerians, who have so far conceded more than five goals in the tournament, completed a great comeback from 3-0 down to beat Morocco 4-3 in the quarter-final match played at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. A successful penalty kick from Kwabena Adusei was all the Black Stars needed to knock out a formidable DRC side. On

The National Insurance Commission (NIC) has set April 1, 2014 to begin implementation of the “No premium, no cover” policy, which will require insurance firms to collect premiums upfront before providing insurance cover. This follows a meeting convened at the instance of the NIC on Thursday in Accra with heads of insurances companies and brokerage firms who are members of the Ghana Insurers Association and Ghana Insurance Brokers Association. The agreement at the meeting is for the NIC to issue a public announcement on the new policy as part of the awareness creation exercise on a policy, which is largely seen as a game-changer for the industry as insurance companies will no longer be required to sell insurance products on credit to customers. The NIC is worried some insurance companies have resorted to unconventional practices by reporting huge amounts of outstanding premiums while at the same time making equally large amounts of provision for bad debts without significant subsequent recoveries -- thereby putting the entire industry at risk. Figures from the operations of insurance companies last year are not available. However, available data indicate that insurance companies were owed a little over GH¢130million in premium debts at the end of December 2012; a situation that makes it difficult for insurers to honour claims when they fall due. The debt, which is 0.35% less than was recorded in 2011, was incurred as a result of people who took various insurance covers without paying the required premium. At the same time, claims paid by insurance companies increased by 35.8% from the previous year to GH¢99.8million at the end of 2012. The NIC says it is concerned the outstanding premium profile could hurt the industry, necessitating the formulation of the “No premium, no cover” policy to protect the interest of all stakeholders in the insurance industry as the present practice exposes the industry to liquidity risks. “The huge outstanding premiums have had a significant knock-on effect on reinsurers. Firstly, insurance companies are unable to pay their reinsurance premiums while the premiums remain unpaid by the policyholders. Subsequently, the reinsurers are unable to pay their retrocessionaires. This creates serious credit risk exposures for both the insurers and reinsurers. “Secondly, when the premium debts are eventually declared bad or doubtful and have been written off, it creates complications for reinsurers as they would have already placed the business with their retrocessionaires,” the commission said. Some insurance practitioners have told the B&FT that the practice of some insurers issuing policy covers without collecting the appropriate premium has arisen in the face of growing competition in the industry. Industry players believe the difficulties in accessing claims when they fall due have dampened public confidence in the industry. Currently, there are 43 insurance companies in both the life and non-life insurance sectors who are all competing in a market where insurance penetration is less than two percent. The NIC has said that its efforts to encourage people to take up insurance policy cover will be hampered if insurers continue to undertake practices that put them in difficult situations to honour claims when they fall due. “The current state of affairs has not only increased the credit risk of insurers, but has also introduced uncertainty in the market as to the capacity of many insurers to meet their obligations to insurance policyholders and other stakeholders. “It has contributed significantly to the inability of insurance companies to pay claims promptly and adequately,” it added. The NIC said it will ensure strict adherence to the “No premium, no cover” policy in a bid to bring sanity into the industry. It said it has instituted a number of punitive measures for insurance companies that fail to adhere to the policy, including charging insurers 10 times the amount involved for granting cover without premium.       By Elliot Williams & Evans Boah-Mensah

Government has welcomed the desire of Marubeni Corporation, a Japanese business conglomerate, to operate as an independent power supplier. This will help shore-up electricity supply across the country. Vice President Kwesi BekoeAmissah-Arthur on Thursday gave the assurance that the government will expand the framework for “that kind of business” and encourage more companies. “We will encourage some more companies to improve the quality of power supply,” the Vice President said at the Flagstaff House in Accra when a business and investment delegation from the Corporation, led by Mr. Naoto Nikai, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, paid a courtesy call on him. The delegation, on a three-day working visit to Ghana, has since held discussions with the Ministries of Finance and Trade and Industry, and will soon hold talks with the Ministry of Energy as well as hold a business networking session with Ghanaian business persons. Vice President Amissah-Arthur urged the Corporation to move beyond the supply of equipment to the Volta River Authority (VRA), the main generator of electricity in Ghana, to a more direct participation in power generation. He also invited the Corporation to invest in Ghana’s vast agricultural opportunities, adding that they could take advantage of the fertility of the soil in northern Ghana and establish sugarcane plantations and sugar processing plants there, an opportunity that has so far been limited to the southern sector. Mr. Shigero Yamazoe, Marubeni Board Member for sub-Saharan Africa, said Maruabeni is one of the largest investment firms in Japan and expressed the Corporation’s strong interest for investment in Ghana. Marubeni is involved in the handling of products and provision of services in a broad range of sectors. These areas encompass importing and exporting as well as transactions in the Japanese market related to food materials, food products, textiles, pulp and paper, chemicals, energy, metals and mineral resources, transportation, machinery and offshore trading. The company's activities also extend to power projects and infrastructure, plants and industrial machinery, finance, logistics, real estate development and construction. Additionally, Marubeni conducts business investment, development and management on a global level. GNA

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Trade and Industry, on Thursday reiterated government’s commitment to increase the nation’s electricity generation capacity from the current 2,800 megawatts to 5,000 megawatts by the end of 2016. He said there are as many as 500 rural communities across the county in the Western, Central, Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Brong-Ahafo and Volta Regions which are still desirous of getting connected to the national electricity grid. Mr. Iddrisu made these disclosures during a meeting with a Japanese trade delegation that included Marubeni Corporation, and assured Ghana's industrial players that government will continue to ensure adequate and sustainable supply of utilities, particularly water and electricity. The Trade Minister appealed to Marubeni Corporation to secure concessionary funding from Japan for the extension of rural electrification under the self-help rural electrification initiative. “We will be happy to work with you to extend electricity in order to give meaning to President Mahama’s declaration of energy for all by the year 2016,” he said. He also explained that it is the expectation of President John Dramani Mahama that more rural communities in Ghana are connected to the national electricity grid. He pointed out that Ghana remains an oasis of peace, stable social and political order, and has put in place legal and regulatory regimes to protect any investments. Mr. Iddrisu assured Marubeni Corporation of the security of its investments, and appealed to the corporation to assist in building an energy plant to be dedicated to industries in the Tema area and Western Region since they have interest in the energy and power sector. He said Northern Ghana remains the most viable place for commercial farming and agriculture in Ghana, adding that the Brong-Ahafo, Western and Central Regions, are also fertile grounds for commercial agriculture investment. “I am aware of Marubeni’s interest in development of sugar plantation in Northern Ghana in Depale and Kukubla in the Northern Region of Ghana,” he said. He pledged President Mahama's absolute support for the initiative to establisha sugar plantation and sugar factory in Northern Ghana. He said government will play its role in facilitating the acquisition of land together with Marubeni in developing accessible roads to the site. Mr. Naoto Nikai, Japanese Ambassador in Ghana who led the delegation, said Marubeni Corporation is one of the largest Trade and Investment Companies in Japan, operating all over the world in energy and other areas. He added that Marubeni Corporation’s powerful delegation to Ghana shows its strong interest in expanding business relations in Ghana. The Japanese Ambassador s optimistic that there will be fruitful results from expanding the economic business relationship between his country and Ghana. Mr. Shigeru Yamazoe, Senior Managing Executive Officer of Marubeni Corporation, said Ghana is currently one of the most important partners of Marubeni Corporation from the sub-Saharan region. Yamazoe pledged the corporation's desire to organise and promote various projects according to the needs of the country, adding that the company will create employment and develop the various industries. GNA

Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) has directed all local cocoa processing companies accessing credit facilities from the board to submit an appropriate guarantee from a reputable bank to ensure business continuity. “What I have done is ensure that before any company will be given any credit, it will have to provide a guarantee from a reputable bank; that will be easier for us to retrieve our monies, because we need to encourage local business -- and at the same time they should also live up to their responsibilities,” Dr. Opuni told B&FT in an interview in Accra. A lot of the local cocoa processing companies and the Licenced Buying Companies owe Cocobod huge sum of monies. Some of these local cocoa processing companies have not lived up to expectation, he said. Cocobod has over the years been supplying cocoa beans to local processing companies on credit at a discount of 20 percent, targetted at growing local businesses and creating employment. Over US$200million debt is owed by these local cocoa processing companies to Cocobod, dwindling government’s balance sheet. Speaking on output target for the season, Dr. Opuni explained that the sustained hi-tech and Cocoa Disease and Pest Control programmes (CODAPEC) have helped to raised national production. The industry regulator has set cocoa production target of 850,000 metric tonnes for the ongoing crop season. This country, the second-biggest producer, runs a two-cycle cocoa season consisting of the October-June main crop harvest which is mainly exported, and the July-September light crop that is discounted to local grinders. The current 2013/14 main crop season opened on October 18 with an initial target of buying around 830,000 tonnes. The country produced 835,410 tonnes of cocoa during the 2012/13 crop-year, down 5 percent on the previous season. An unprecedented one million tonnes of cocoa was produced during the 2010/11 crop-year, thanks to good weather and improved farming techniques -- but production declined to about 850,000 tonnes in the 2011/12 season. By Ekow Essabra-Mensah

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