Convenor of the #FixTheCountry movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has been released from police custody after meeting his bail conditions.
Oliver was arrested on February 11, 2022, over claims that he had threatened to cause a coup if the government went ahead to pass the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy.
The Tema High Court granted Mr. Barker-Vormawor bail in the sum of GHS 2 million with two sureties.
A member of the movement, Felicity Nelson, who made this known on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Thursday, said he was released around 2:40pm.
He has just been released like two minutes ago and he is doing very well as we speak. Oliver Baker-Vormawor is in high spirit after his release. He’s fine for now. We don’t know why the police kept holding Oliver Baker Vormawor after meeting all the bail conditions,” she made this known after being asked by the show host the whereabouts of the FixTheCountry convener.
He had to spend another night in police custody due to some challenges regarding his bail conditions.
Mr. Barker-Vormawor in his application for bail had contested claims of threatening a coup, saying a charge of treason felony against him cannot be sustained by the evidence available.
This is notwithstanding that the Attorney-General in an affidavit in opposition to the bail, insisted that evidence uncovered so far corroborates a charge of treason felony against the activist.
Mr. Barker-Vormawor, however, wondered why the Republic had not charged him or taken a statement from him on the charge
An agent, who claims to be working under the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the national government of United States has alleged that Instagram celebrity Hushpuppi has received fresh charges as US prosecutors submitted court documents showing that he committed fraud and laundered over $400k while in prison.
The documents which were presented before the United States District Court of California on Wed 16th March 2022 showed fresh evidence indicting HushPuppi of committing fraud and money laundering in U.S Federal correctional facility.
The court documents stated that Hushpuppi, while in U.S Federal correctional facility, participated in the purchase and laundering of Economic Impact Payment debit cards fraudulently obtained from stolen data of U.S citizens and residents.
Economic Impact Payments are financial support offered by the US government to U.S residents according to the CARES Act. One of the ways eligible US residents receive their Economic Impact Payments is by debit cards.
From the documents presented in court, it was found that hackers use data of U.S residents to file and obtain Economic Impact Payments debit cards. They sell off these EIP cards in underground marketplaces to other cyber criminals.
United States authorities said that although prisoners have limited access to telephone, video, internet and computer use because of their right to privacy in a court filing. Like the rest of the detainees, Hushpuppi was granted access to the computer network as well.
However, between January 28 and March 4, 2022, security authorities at a federal prison in the United States noticed that Hushpuppi was using the internet more often.
A dedicated system was setup for him and his activities were recorded for 7 days.
It was found that Hushpuppi was actively buying EIP debit cards from an underground cyber criminal marketplace called StimulusCard (“https://stimuluscard.com/”). While being recorded, Hushpuppi bought a total of 58 EIP debit cards with a total value of $429,800 on the site and laundered the money through one AJ.
Member of Parliament(MP) for Bolgatanga Central constituency, Isaac Adongo, has described the NPP government as one of the most useless administrations the country has ever witnessed in its governance history.
According to him, the government seem clueless about providing Ghanaians with a tangible solution these dire economic times.
Speaking on Okay FM’sAde Akye Abia programme, he explained that Ghana’s cedi has been on a depreciation spree since the beginning of this year. As of Friday, March 10, 2022, the dollar was selling at GH¢7.65 and it gradually breaking the eight (8).
“. . The man who has gone mute why don’t you call him? the one who went about bragging that he’s the economic guru and knows everything about our currency and has arrested the dollar . . . now the dollar has arrested him and he has gone mute . . . I’m talking about Bawumia, his disgrace will be more than any President in history, he just brags but don’t know anything . . .” he told Kwame Nkrumah ‘Tikese’.
He says government knows how to contact them for economic advice if they want.
“. . They are not even thinking inside the box, let alone to say thinking outside the box, that a whole government machinery in 5 months if e-levy doesn’t come they have no other solution . . . this is the most useless government I have ever seen . . . “ he slammed.
Watch video below
Cedi depreciation: Our capital has depleted by 16% since December 2021 to date – GUTA
The Ghana Union of Trade Association (GUTA) has expressed worry over the rapid depreciation of the cedi against major trading currency, the US Dollar.
A statement issued and signed by the President of the Union, Dr. Joseph Obeng, stated that the situation is taking a heavy toll on the capital of its members and wreaking havoc on businesses and the consuming public.
“From December 2021 to date, our capital has been depleted by about 16 percent. In December 2021, when the rate of the cedi to the dollar was GH¢6.4, a trader could use GH¢640,000 to buy US$100,000. Today, as the rate is about GH¢7.6 to a dollar, the same GH¢640,000 can buy only GH¢84,000, thereby making a loss of US$16,000 which is the 16 percent depletion,” GUTA explained.
The Association further worries that “If a trader still wants to buy US$100,000, they will need an additional GH¢120,000 to top up within this short period.”
GUTA president, Dr. Joseph Obeng who described the situation as rather serious therefore appealed to government to find urgent solutions to curtail the further depreciation of the local currency against major trading currencies in order to save businesses and the economy at large.
“It will require consented efforts by engaging all relevant stakeholders for urgent discussion and immediate solution to this menace,” Dr. Obeng added.
Effective July, this year, the national identification card, Ghana Card, will become compulsory for conducting business with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
Consequently, the authority has started integrating its systems with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to have real-time information on persons accessing services such as acquisition of driver’s licence and registration of vehicles.
The acting Deputy Director of Vehicle Inspection and Registration of the DVLA, Eric Bentil Addison, told the Daily Graphic that the initiative formed part of the digitisation drive meant to facilitate service delivery and plug loopholes in the system.
“Hopefully by July, this year, we should be able to do that integration and move away from the conventional paper-based documents system to electronic system,” he said.
Mr Addison indicated that the integration would weed out middlemen, popularly called “goro boys”.
“By far, the integration with the NIA will help to deal with the issue of goro boys because if you are a vehicle owner, you can even start the process of registering your vehicle at home. The system will be so easy and less cumbersome that you do not need a middleman,” he said.
Mr Addison added that the DVLA had already integrated its system with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), making it possible to verify and authenticate the payment of duty on vehicles that were brought into the country.
He said the integration with the NIA would put the DVLA in a better position to verify and authenticate the ownership of vehicles.
Rickety vehicles
Mr Addison revealed that 35 per cent of the over three million vehicles registered in the country as of December 2021 did not have roadworthy certification, with some of those vehicles said to be on the road with fake roadworthy certification, while others not on the road had not been reported by their owners for the DVLA to lay them off as required by law.
He stated that the DVLA would also deploy innovative mechanisms to sanitise the motoring community.
The DVLA, he said, had proposed the inclusion of emission testing as a mandatory requirement for the roadworthiness of vehicles.
“When this is approved, it will mean that we are not only testing the vehicle to ascertain its functionality in terms of construction, use or purpose, but also environmental issues,” he said.
Mr Addison said the DVLA was also pushing for the compulsory installation of seat belts in all vehicles as mandated by Regulation 119 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).
He said the authority had made gains in terms of compliance among high occupancy buses such as Intercity STC, VIP and OA.
“We are having an engagement with transport unions on the enforcement of the seat belt regulation. We want to ensure that new vehicles that are brought into the system comply with the seat belts directive; then we will give existing cars some period to comply,” he added
Mr Addison observed that the DVLA was also concerned about the total disregard for the transfer of ownership of vehicles.
He said data at the authority showed that people had failed to properly transfer the ownership of vehicles they bought.
“The law says that if you have sold a vehicle to a third party, you should notify the DVLA within two weeks.
“It is a regulatory issue that must be complied with, but people are owning vehicles and do not follow up with the transfer of ownership,” he said.
He said such a development portended danger for both the previous owner and the second owner who could be implicated in the event of robbery or fraud involving the vehicle.
Ghanaian’s are currently not happy about the quick increase in fuel prices in the country.Whenever there is an increment it affect the prices of commodity which both directly and indirectly after the prices of commodity.
Neighboring country like Nigeria has a huge surge in petrol prices and some parts are experiencing scarcity of petrol in the country.
According to DW, fears of possible cuts to Russian crude is yet another factor that has influenced rising energy costs around the world. As you may well know, Russia is one of the world’s top producers of crude. If the US or EU countries decide to extend Russia’s mounting economic sanctions by banning its oil, this would definitely portend catastrophe to the global energy industry.
Already, global oil prices have surpassed the $100 per barrel mark, which was last recorded in 2014. The commodity is currently trading at $102.6 per barrel, according to benchmark price Brent Crude.
Below is a list that countryghana captured from Global Petrol Prices showing the top 10 African countries with the highest petrol prices as of March 2022, according to data made available by Global Petrol Prices.
Zimbabwe: This Southern African country has the highest petrol cost in Africa. A litre of petrol costs as much as $2.153. Earlier this month, the country’s Energy and Power Development Minister, Zhemu Soda, explained that frequent petrol price hikes were driven by developments in the international oil industry. Zimbabwe is not an oil producer, although there were conflicting reports about crude oil discovery in Northern Zimbabwe in 2018.
Seychelles: This island country has the second most expensive fuel price in Africa, according to data. A litre of petrol in this country is sold for $1.541. The country does not currently produce any oil and gas, although some international oil companies are busy prospecting potential oil deposits off its many coasts.
Malawi: Malawi follows with $1.426 for a litre of petrol. The country is said to have a great prospect of discovering crude oil reserves in Lake Malawi.
South Africa: Here, a litre of petrol costs $1.413. In 2019, Total Energies announced that it had made a major discovery of gas condensates in one of its exploration fields in South Africa. Experts said this could significantly improve the country’s fortunes.
Uganda: In this country, a litre of petrol costs $1.389. The high cost of petrol in Uganda is despite the fact that the country actually produces oil. Checks by Business Insider Africa show that the country’s crude oil reserves, as of 2021, stood at 2.5 billion barrels.
Mauritius: This country has the sixth most expensive petrol price in Africa at $1.381 per litre. Mauritius currently does not produce oil, although experts say there are prospects.
Burundi: In this East African country, a litre of petrol costs $1.340. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, this country currently does not have any local sources of crude oil or natural gas.
Senegal: In this Francophone West African country, it costs $1.299 to buy a litre of petrol. The country discovered some crude oil deposits between 2014 and 2017, although full-scale exploration has been pushed back till 2023.
Lesotho: In this country, it costs $1.231 to buy a litre of petrol. The country does not have any confirmed oil deposits.
Rwanda: Here, a litre of petrol costs $1.230. This East African country does not produce crude oil.
The Ghana Police says they are waiting for the completion of bail of the Olivers case from the court.
The Ghana Police Service would like to inform the public that the Tema High Court, presided over by Justice Daniel Mensah today,16th March 2022, granted Accused Oliver Barker-Vormawor bail in the sum of Two Million Ghana Cedis (GH₵ 2,000,000.00) with two sureties.Read more from the attached.
Mental Health advocate, Abena Korkor has called out another set of Ghanaian male personalities who have had a taste of her in bed and have refused to voice out to clear their names.
This time around, Abena Korkor has called out Asamoah Gyan, Stephen Appiah and the rapper, Criss Waddle as some of the prominent Ghanaian men who she has had an encounter with in the past.
It would be vividly recalled that Abena Korkor came out on social media with a tall list of men who have taken advantage of her ignorance to have a taste of her honey pot. She made mention of some of the big names in the media landscape who she claimed took advantage of her.
She made mention of the likes of Kojo Yankson, Lexis Bill, Eugene Osafo Nkansah, Abeiku Santana, Sammy Awuku, and other well-known personalities. Her outburst on social media was presumed to be signs of bipolar as medical attention was immediately sought on her behalf.
Well, another list has been made public as she includes former Blackstars legends, Stephen Appiah, Asamoah Gyan, and the rapper Criss Waddle.
In a tweet, Abena Korkor revealed that some men only develop affections for women when the women decide to give them only sex. And this comment was made while she was talking about her experience with Criss Waddle.
She also went ahead to expose Stephen Appiah and Asamoah Gyan, asking them to up their games, probably because they did not perform well when they had their time with her.
Spotify’s name will be featured on FC Barcelona’s jerseys for the next four seasons. Image by FC Barcelona/Spotify
Spotify’s name will be featured on FC Barcelona’s jerseys for the next four seasons. Image by FC Barcelona/Spotify
Barcelona’s stadium will be renamed as the Spotify Camp Nou after the La Liga club agreed a multi-year partnership with audio streaming service Spotify.
The agreement, subject to ratification of the club’s Extraordinary Delegate Members Assembly, will begin in July.
The Swedish company’s name will also appear on the front of the men’s and women’s team shirts and training kits.
Barcelona said the stadium’s rights deal would “continue over the ambitious redevelopment of the Camp Nou site”.
The club added the team shirt deal would begin in the 2022-23 season and last “for the next four seasons”.
It will be the first time that the title of Barcelona’s stadium has included the name of a sponsor.
According to Catalan radio station Rac1, the agreement with Spotify is worth 280m euros (£235m).
Barcelona described the deal as a “first of its kind” for the club and said the partnership would seek to bring “the worlds of music and football together”.
Last year, Spotify founder Daniel Ek made a bid to buy Premier League side Arsenal, which was supported by former Gunners legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira.
Forty-five General Arts students of Ebenezer Senior High School in Dansoman in the Greater Accra Region have been studying on the floor since Thursday, March 10.
This is because the Headmistress of the school has parked all the desks from the classroom because the students could pay an amount of GH¢600 each.
A guardian to one of the students who sent Whatsapp messages on condition of anonymity told Onua TV that three of the desks got broken, so the headmistress directed that three students were not getting desks to sit on.
The guardian explained that the headmistress gave them up Thursday, March 10 to pay the GH¢600 each.
“The desks are three so she asked them [students] to pay GH¢600 each.
“Since they couldn’t pay, she took all the desks out on Thursday and till today, [the students] were still sitting on the floor when they went to school”.
Teachers have since been teaching while students sit on the floor.
According to the source, several pleas by the student for the headmistress, whose name has been given as Madam Anastasia, to temper justice with mercy have proved futile as they keep sitting on the floor to study.
