| News Home (Main Page) |  | | LATEST WORLD NEWS | | | | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2009 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2008 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2007 | | PHOTO REPORTS | | VIDEO REPORTS | | ARTS in GHANA | | Food & Drinks in Ghana |  | | Africa Cup 2008 | | Ghana Hotels | | Links / Websites | | Ghana Districts | | Ghana Tourism | | Ghana Adinkra | Names in Ghana | | | | * 14.06.2010 | Upper East TUC kick against increased utility tariffs * Source: GNA | Bolgatanga, June 14, GNA - Workers of the Upper East Regional branch of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the weekend appealed to government to reduce the recently increased utility tariffs, complaining that they coul d not afford it.
The workers said the current utility rates released by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) were too high. Mr. Martin Pwayidi, Regional Chairman of TUC, said workers in the region would continue to assist the TUC in its pursuit for better conditi ons of service.
Mr Samuel Atasige, Municipal Council Labour Chairman, noted that the re was the need for government to consider the plea of workers and help them to cushion the extra expenses that the recent utility rate increases would cause. | | . | | . | | . | | . | | . | | ______________________ |
| 
| Latest Ghana News Monday, 14 June 2010 | * Ghana TV News 14th June 2010 + Latest Ghana News | | | | | TopStory 15.06.2010 | Chinese throw Ivorian Stowaways in Ghanaian sea * Source: Daily Graphic | Agents of National Security are investigating a case of cruelty on the high seas in which three Ivorian nationals are alleged to have been thrown into the ocean by the captain of a Chinese vessel.
The incident happened in Ghanaian waters. One of the three alleged stowaways who was believed to have hidden himself in the Chinese merchant vessel from Abidjan drowned, while the other two, Omar Secei, 33, and Djiba Kamarah, 22, who spent more than 12 hours on the sea, were rescued by a Ghana Navy ship, according to National Security.
Secei is said to be in critical condition at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Hospital in Takoradi, with doctors doing everything possible to save his life.
Kamarah is currently helping the police in their investigations, while the body of the deceased, identified as Korrdah Aziz, is yet to be washed ashore.
The vessel, MV Run Ning 3, has, meanwhile, been impounded by the police and National Security.
Kamarah told investigators that he and the others were discovered by the• chief officer of the vessel who, together with his men, threw the stowaways into the sea, in spite of their pleas for mercy.
He said Aziz did not know how to swim and got drowned immediately he was dumped into the sea.
"They dumped Aziz first because he was the first to be discovered. Later, the two of us were also discovered and dumped," Kamarah said.
Kamarah said he and Secei "had to swim until personnel of the Ghana Navy on board one of their defender boats rescued and clothed them."
He told the police that he and Secei had compelling evidence to prove that they had been dumped by those on board the Chinese vessel.
"We had a black plastic bag which we used to store food and a hat which we used to clean our footprints in the vessel," he said.
When the Ghana Navy and the police, led by National Security at the Takoradi Port, boarded the vessel, the said plastic bag "and the- hat were found where the victims had earlier said they had hidden them.
Kamarah was able to identify the Chief Officer of the vessel, Jiang Youg Sun, and the cook who masterminded the act, in spite of strong resistance from the crew.
Meanwhile, National Security has ordered the vessel not to move anywhere or the "Ghana Navy" would be sent after it. | | * 14.06.2010 | Nobody in NDC can jump over Mills's failures to win power - Veep * Source: GNA | Wa, June 14, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama has reminded leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who want to contest President John Atta Mills for the presidential candidature of the party that none of them could jump over the failures of President Mills to win political power in the 2012 polls.
He said what was needed most in the current circumstance was for all to bury their individual political interests and rally round President Mills to accomplish his "Better Ghana Agenda" and to lead the party in the 2012 election and beyond.
Vice President Mahama was interacting with executive members and some supporters of the NDC in Wa on Sunday after he had returned from Duong where he attended the funeral of Madam Margaret Angsomwine, mother of Mr. Roger Angsomwine, Chief Director at the Vice President's Office.
He reminded the agitators that the success of President Mills's administration was the success of NDC in the 2012 election and all must focus and avoid party wrangling and divisive tendencies. "We must remain united at all structures of the party, especially those at the grassroots and avoid acts that are likely to send back the party into opposition", Vice President Mahama said.
He said it was too early for some leading members of the party to be doubtful about success or otherwise of the party or foot soldiers thinking that they had been neglected.
"All must sacrifice for the growth and strength of the party", Vice President Mahama said and added that they should not forget so soon that they were in opposition for eight years. Vice President Mahama told the members that Upper West Region was a strong hold of the NDC and that it was not prepared for its Regional Executives to have misunderstandings among themselves. He appealed to them to find amicable settlement to all misunderstandings among them and forge ahead in unity to win the region for the NDC.
Vice President Mahama said government would soon embark on road, health and rural electrification programmes in the Upper West Region to improve on the economic livelihoods of the people. | | Ex-Yendi DCE and others in court over Ya-Na's death * Source: GNA | Accra, June 14, GNA - Mohammed Habib Tijani, former Yendi District Chief Executive Officer, on Monday appeared before an Accra District Magistrate's Court on charges of rioting, abetment of murder and murder. The court did not take Tijani's plea. Facts of the case were also no t read out to him because his counsel was indisposed.
Tijani, 45, is being held for his alleged involvement in the alleged
murder of the late Dagbon King, Ya Na Yakubu Andani II, and some of his elders in 2002.
The court presided over by Ms Patricia Quansah, however, discharged Yakubu Mohammed also charged with the other accused persons for want of prosecution. Abubakar Mahama and Mohammed Kwadwo, whose charges had been stepped down by prosecution, were admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢10,000 with two sureties each to re-appear on June 16. They are to report once every month to the Criminal Investigations Department at Police Headquarters until the final determination of the ca se or otherwise directed. The other accused persons, Iddrisu Iddi 76, Alhaji Baba Iddrisu Abda lla 54, Kwame Alhassan 53, Mohammadu Abdulai 57, Saibu Mohammed 34, and Alhas san Briamah, 40, have been remanded into police custody by the court on charg es of conspiracy and murder.
Earlier, Yidana Sugri, one of the accused persons has been admitted to GH¢10,000 bail with a surety by the Human Rights Court.
He is being held for allegedly organising military training. When the case was called on Monday before the Magistrate's Court, Ms
Gertrude Aikins, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) said she had receiv ed a message from defence counsel, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea that he was indispos ed and praying the court to adjourn the matter to June 16. Ms Aikins told the court that she did not oppose to bail in the case of Mahama and Mohammed but urged the court to caution them against causing a ny mayhem when granted bail. In the case of Yakubu, the DPP announced withdrawal of the charges against him. Based on that submission, the court admitted the two to bail and discharged Yakubu.
Seven accused persons including the ex-DCE for Yendi have been reman ded into police custody to re-appear on Wednesday June 16. It would be recalled that in March 2002, Ya Na Yakubu Andani II, and
some of his elders were killed following a clash between the two royal gates; Abudus and Andanis in Dagbon.
After the clash, Idrissu Janfo and Sugri were arrested and put befor e an Accra Fast Track High Court for the alleged murder of the Ya Na and so me of his elders, but were acquitted and discharged.
Government and security agencies in a fresh attempt to find the alle ged murderers of the late Ya Na, conducted a dawn swoop at Yendi during which 41 persons were rounded up. After screening them in Bimbilla, 33 were granted self recognisance bail, while the rest were escorted to Accra and put before the court. | Loss of revenue to the State is artificially created- Thomas Mills * Source: GNA | Elubo (W/R) June 14, GNA - Authorities of the Anti-revenue Leakages Special Monitoring Team at the weekend observed that most of the activities that leads to revenue loss to the State are artificially created by people to divert money into their pockets.
Mr Thomas Mills, Leader of the team said: "Some of the people who have been mandated to collect revenue on behalf of the nation are protecting their own interests by aiding and abetting acts that leads to revenue leakages.
Mr Mills made this observation to the Ghana News Agency at Elubo in the Western Region after the team had carried out a special operation that revealed that the bulk of rice imports takes place at the area through unapproved routes from neighbouring La Cote d' Ivoire. He said some of the importers who pass through the approved routes connive with revenue collectors to under value their goods. This he said was affecting revenue mobilisation for the country and people doing genuine business in rice importation.
"Local rice producers and the fledgling rice industry is dying a natural death through these activities," he noted. Mr Mills said the trend had assumed a national dimension hence the need for the revenue authorities to institute tough measures against people whose acts and omissions leads to loss of revenue.
He said any person found culpable must be dealt with, adding that it is the responsibility of all Ghanaians to take interest in safeguarding the revenue that accrue to the State to facilitate the Better Ghana Agenda. "The monitoring team will not compromise with people who pay bribes and not duties and those who collect bribes and not duties. We shall go after them 24 hours a day." The team is a under the Ghana Revenue Authority. | | | | | | |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | | | Ghana TV News 14th June 2010 + Latest Ghana News | | - Chinese throw Ivorian Stowaways in Ghanaian sea - Nobody in NDC can jump over Mills's failures to win power - Veep - Ex-Yendi DCE and others in court over Ya-Na's death - Loss of revenue to the State is artificially created- Thomas Mills - Ghana Plane Seized In South Africa - Powers of Parliament grossly under utilized - CHRAJ - Upper East TUC kick against increased utility tariffs | Your Opinions | Have Your Say!
| Archived News for 2010 | News Page was last modified on Wednesday, 16 June 2010 11:57:52 | 
| All about the Ghana Election 2008 | | | * Ghana TV News 14th June 2010 + Latest Ghana News | Ghana Plane Seized In South Africa * Source: Daily Guide | Ghana government’s chartered flight that ferried the first batch of soccer fans to cheer the Black Stars at the FIFA World Cup tournament has been grounded by South African authorities, Daily Guide can confirm.
The huge Max Air Plane from Nigeria, which flew about 520 soccer fans, was on Saturday evening at Stand still at the OR Tembo International Airport at Johannesburg. The South African authorities took that shocking decision because the plane entered their airspace on Friday afternoon without their approval and notification.
The pilot and crew on board the plane have also been charged, and as at the time of going to press, attempts by Ghana authorities who hired the airplane to get it released had proved futile. Despite Ghana government’s intention, South African authorities insist they could only sit on the thorny issue today and it is not known if the plane would be released.
The Max Air plane, with Ghanaian soccer fans on board, had earlier in the day been forced by South African authorities to land at a military base at Mafikeng. The plane had entered South Africa air space at a time when the opening ceremony of the World Cup was underway, though it had been decided and announced in advance that no plane should do so due to security reasons.
The plane was at standstill at the Mafikeng Airport for almost four hours, under guard of armed military men and resulted in starvation of the soccer fans since food was in short supply in the plane. The delay, stress and starvation caused several soccer fans, mostly the elderly, to collapse while the flight was grounded and they were eventually saved by a handful of Ghanaian nurses and medical doctors on board the plane who put their expertise into display.
President John Evans Atta Mills, who was at the opening ceremony, had to talk to President Jacob Zuma before the plane was allowed to leave for Johannesburg, amid military jet guard. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye confirmed the report to a section of the Ghanaian press at the tournament in South Africa, saying “President Mills abandoned the opening ceremony and worked to pave way for the starving fans to be flown to Johannesburg.” According to him, the problem erupted because “the original plane that Ghana chartered disappointed us at the last minute. So we hired the Max Air at the last minute to fly the fans to South Africa.
Mr. Vanderpuye said maybe the short span, perhaps, prevented the plane’s managers from seeking the right to enter into South Africa airspace, leading to the eventual grounding of the plane. Since the grounding of the plane, he said, government had worked to no avail to get the plane released to enable it fly back to Ghana to bring in more soccer fans. The South African authorities, he noted, are prepared to open talks about the issue on Monday June 14, 2010 but it is not clear if the plane would be released. | Powers of Parliament grossly under utilized - CHRAJ * Source: GNA | Accra, June 14, GNA - The Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), on Monday said that the powers of Parliament in exercising oversight responsibilities over state institutions were grossly under utilized.
"Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution empowers Parliament to establish Committees with the powers to investigate and inquire into activities and administrations of ministries, and departments as it may determines," Mr Justice Emile Francis Short, CHRAJ Commissioner stated at a public forum. The public forum organized by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science (GAAS), was on the general theme: "Governance in Ghana: Challenges to Administrative Justice, Anti-Corruption and Access to Justice". Mr. Short said that the Parliamentary Committees had the powers and privileges of a High Court or Justice of the High Court at a trial to compel the public officers to make available vital documents. Speaking on "The Role of Institutions of Governance," the Commissioner explained that the functional attributes of administrative justice embraces values or principles, which underpin good administration by state officials, and others, who deliver services on behalf of the state. Mr. Short said that these principles include: openness (or transparency); fairness; rationality (including the giving of reasons for decisions); impartiality (independence) of decision-takers; accountability; the prevention of the exercise of arbitrary power and the control of discretion; consistency; participation; efficiency; equity and equal treatment.
He said these underlying values of administrative justice were not wholly consistent with one another, "there may be circumstances in which openness may properly yield to confidentiality; where fairness of process may conflict with the efficient reaching of a decision. "Each of these values is to an extent contingent upon the context in which it is asserted. One of the challenges for those who govern, and for those who criticize the role of government, is to achieve an appropriate balance between these conflicting objectives". Mr. Short identified public institutions including ministries, departments' agencies, district assemblies, security agencies, financial institutions, and other quasi-governmental institutions as having administrative justice mandates. He noted that key element of administrative justice was the principle of natural justice - procedural fairness, a right to advanced warning contractual obligations and deprivation of individuals' rights cannot be imposed retrospectively.
Mr. Short said that the principle of natural justice demands that a person accused of a crime, or at risk of some form of loss, should be given adequate notice about the proceedings including any charges. "A person making a decision should declare any personal interest they may have in the proceedings should be unbiased and act in good faith..He or she therefore cannot be one of the parties in the case, or have an interest in the outcome," he said. Mr. Short said that in spite of the principle of administrative justice, bulk of human rights abuses are committed by state functionaries against citizenry due mainly to arbitrariness and lack of knowledge on rights. He questioned the discretionary powers of state institutions but commended Constitutional bodies including National Media Commission, National Commission for Civic Education creating awareness about rights of citizens. Professor Reginald F. Amonoo, President of GAAS, chaired the lectures attended by immigration officials, academia, students, security officers, and a cross section of the public. |
|
|