Why Zimbabwe thief 'begs to be jailed for life'

Lovemore Manyika, 22, wrote a note which was read out in the Harare court, saying: "Life in prison is better than life in the streets."
A Harare magistrate court had convicted Manyika of house-breaking in Zimbabwe has asked the judge to jail him for life.
The Herald newspaper reports that he was disappointed to be only sentenced to three years.
Manyika was released from prison in April after a previous conviction, the paper says.
He broke into two houses in central Harare in July, stealing two mobile phones, a plasma TV and $1,800 (£1,150) in cash.
Six months of his prison term were suspended if he repays $1,956 by 30 September, the paper says.

Detaineese walk with guards at Chikurumbi Maxim Security Prison outside 

 

Zimbabwe's prisons are often condemned for squalid overcrowding but a thief begged a magistrate to lock him up permanently, saying life was better behind bars, state media reported Tuesday.

Repeat offender Lovemore Manyika, 22, pleaded for life imprisonment in a note during mitigation after he was convicted for housebreaking.
"Life in prison is better than life in the streets," Manyika is reported to have said in his note which was read out by the state prosecutor, according to The Herald newspaper.
"May I have life in prison."
But the court sentenced Manyika to three years in jail.
Prosecutors said Manyika scaled a security wall at a block of flats in July before entering an apartment through a toilet window and stealing various electrical gadgets, two Apple iPhones and $1,800 (1,467 euros) cash.
The magistrate suspended six months of Manyika's sentence on condition that he pays back $1,956.

A Prophet is honoured except in his own hometown

Prophet TB Joshua, the founder and general overseer of the Synagogue Church, Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos, in Nigeria who has said the late President John Mills of Ghana 'was like a spiritual son to him' has made some mind-blowing revelations about the state of health of the late president. 

Late President Mills and Prophet TB Joshua at SCOAN in Lagos

Prophet TB Joshua disclosed that 'Mills was a very dear son to me and I was his spiritual godfather.' The late president Mills had openly admitted that Prophet TB Joshua played a crucial role on his ascension to the presidency and even said so publicly in a thanksgiving service held at the Synagogue Church in March 2009.
According to the late Mills , the Prophet TB told him that the election would travel to the third round before he would be declared the winner, which came to pass. “It, therefore, came as no surprise, when the Synagogue Church of All Nations was the first church he visited in Nigeria, after the Electoral Commission had declared him winner of the 2008 election.”
Prophet TB Joshua made three statements worth considering and where need be, lessons learned.
Firstly, TB Joshua who had predicted that one African head of state will die, said he did not receive any revelation concerning the death of his own spiritual son, otherwise he would have intensified more prayers to avert his demise. Indeed, a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house (Mark 4:6; Matthew 13:57). TB Joshua could not do any miracles about JEA Mills.

Further, Prophet TB Joshua disclosed that he had done so much concerted prayers for the late Mills’ health. Concerning the ailment that led to Mills’ death, Prophet TB Joshua said the late president was suffering from throat cancer. Why was the President and people around him not truthful to Ghanaians about the ailment that afflicted the president? Who were they deceiving? Mills said he was suffering from sinus. In recent interview with the BBC in reaction to the demise of Mills, former president JJ Rawlings mentioned same disease and further asserted that it had affected his vital organs like the eyes and ears constricting his ability to work to three hours daily.

 Furthermore, Prophet TB Joshua revealed that aside his prayers, "the late Mills had also had frequent visits to the United States hospitals – three times this year alone - and yet God still allowed him to die.” This confirms a statement from the Presidency issued on Saturday July 18, 2012 'for a routine medical check-up in the United States'.  This was the only time the President had told Parliament as require by law that he was travelling to the US for routine medical check up. This must be investigated. The President travelled three times to the US without informing Parliament.

Importantly, is the death of President Mills going to be another 'fama Nyame matter' or the country will take the needed steps to firmly establish procedures that will prevent the recurrence of this unfortunate problem in future.

Ghana mourns President as uncertain future awaits the ruling party

The President of the Republic of Ghana, John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills has been pronounced dead. 

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana." A statement signed by the Chief of Staff, Martey Newman indicated that the 68-year-old died a few hours after being taken ill.Click  here to read the statement confirming the President’s death.

Earlier in the day he had informed Parliament he was going for a day’s visit to Nigeria.

Rev Amo Darko, a member of the Council of State, was traveling with the president when he was said to have collapsed at the Kotoka Airport and was quickly rushed to the 37 Military Hospital.

The president is said to have died from acute cardiac arrest soon after getting to the hospital. Other sources claim President Mills died of Throat Cancer.

President Mills, 68, is the first sitting President to have died in the political history of Ghana.

He has been in power since 2009. President Mills a few weeks ago returned to Ghana after visiting the US for medical check-up.

Veep turned President John Dramani Mahama taking oath of Office

Parliament convened immediately to swear-in Vice President John Dramani Mahama as President of the Fourth Republic in accordance with Article 60 (6 -10) of Ghana's constitution as interim leader for the remainder of his tenure.
As per the Ghanaian constitution:

Article 60.

(6) Whenever the President dies, resigns or is removed from office, the Vice-President shall assume office as President for the unexpired term of office of the President with effect from the date of the death, resignation or removal of the President.

(7) Where the unexpired term served by the Vice-President under clause (6) of this article exceeds half the term of a President, the Vice-President is subsequently only eligible to serve one full term as President.

(9) The Vice-President shall, before commencing to perform the functions of the President under clause (6) of this article, take and subscribe the oath set out in the Second Schedule to this Constitution in relation to the office of President.

(10) The Vice-President shall, upon assuming office as President under clause (6) of this article, nominate a person to the office of Vice-President subject to approval by Parliament.

President John Mahama will do well by quickly nominating someone to complete the transition to send positive signals to both the international and business communities that Ghana has come of age to take its rightful place among community of nations. He must consider competence rather than ethnic allegiances as the current situation proves that the position of a Vice President is not a mere formality. So far names I gather have been penciled are Fanti ethnic group: Hannah Tetteh, Kwesi Botchwey, Goosie Tanoh, and Kwesi Ahwoi. Not a good omen on ethnic grounds and age wise.

Mills was selected as the ruling National Democratic Congress' (NDC) candidate for the forthcoming presidential election scheduled to take place on December 7, 2012. His tenure in office was due to end on January 6, 2013 for his first term. 

Political scientists however say the real challenge ahead is not the transition from the deceased president to his vice but the candidacy for the NDC in the December presidential poll. According to the NDC's constitution, in the current circumstance, the candidate who placed second in the party's presidential congress last July 2011 is the automatic replacement. If this were to be the case, then the former First Lady and wife of the founder of the NDC, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings will have to be the presidential candidate of the NDC. The fear of many is whether the competing interests within the NDC will allow the constitution of the party to take its natural course as the national constitution prevailed. 

 If this scenario was to happen, that will mean an end to the Johns dynasty and the heralding of the Nanas epoch. Since the coming into effect of the 1992 Fourth Republic on January 7, 1993, all the occupants of the presidential seat have first names as JOHN. From 1993 to 2001 (JOHN Rawlings), 2001 to 2009 (JOHN Kufuor), 2009 to 24 July 2012 JOHN Atta Mills, and 24 July 2012 to 7 January (JOHN Mahama).

The ruling NDC's formidable opponent, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) candidate also has first name NANA Akufo Addo. So the question is will it be NANA Akufo Addo or NANA Konadu Agyemang Rawlings?
Africa will learn to escape this fate: Guinea Bissau (Malam Bacai Sanhá 64; 9 January 2012) Malawi (Bingu wa Matharika 78; April 5, 2012),  and Ghana (John Atta Mills 68; July 24, 2012) all within the first seven months of 2012 I believe had dwarfed Prophet TB Joshua's prophesy that one African leader was going to die in 2012. The Ethiopian government has kept the deteriorating health of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, 57, a secret. His absence from 19th African Union summit in Addis Ababa between 9th and 16th July 2012 as a host for the first time since he took power 21 years ago raised a questions about his state of health. The government has since admitted Meles is under medical treatment and the situation is not "life threatening". But reliable sources insist the prime minister is in "critical condition.” He is in Brussels Belgium clinic. Mills was also absent for same poor health. Why ordinary African civil and public servants have to retire mandatory by age 60 years old but the 54 African Chief Civil servants are not subjected to same rule?

Namibia Discovers Huge Desert Groundwater Reservoir

A vast underground water source has been discovered in northern Namibia that could provide a secure and sustainable water supply to about 40 per cent of the population for 400 years. This discovery could have a major impact on development in the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa.

Scientists say the water is up to 10,000 years old but is cleaner to drink than many modern sources.

However, there are concerns that unauthorised drilling could threaten the new supply.

For the people of northern Namibia water is something that they either have too much of or too little.

The 800,000 people who live in the area depend for their drinking water on a 40-year-old canal that brings the scarce resource across the border from Angola.

Over the past decade the Namibian government have been trying to tackle the lack of a sustainable supply in partnership with researchers from Germany and other EU countries.

They have now identified a new aquifer called Ohangwena II, which flows under the boundary between Angola and Namibia.

On the Namibian side of the border it covers an area roughly 70 km by 40 km (43 miles by 25 miles).

According to project manager Martin Quinger, from the German federal institute for geoscience and natural resources (BGR), it's a substantial body of water.

"The amount of stored water would equal the current supply of this area in northern Namibia for 400 years, which has about 40 percent of the nation's population."

"What we are aiming at is a sustainable water supply so we only extract the amount of water that is being recharged.

"What we can say is that the huge amount of stored water is will always be enough for a back up for an area that is currently supplied only by surface water."

Water is the world’s most critical strategic resource, and a $470 billion industry.

'Dark Knight James Holmes' rise was no stunt Batman

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film and epic directed by Christopher Nolan. Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.Instead of enjoying the thriller, the movie goers endured fear and horror as they became victims. The premiere appeared to have lived up to its theme. Gunman James Holmes dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily except when he stopped to reload early Friday at a suburban Denver movie theatre on the opening night of the latest Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 other people. 

The gunman, who is in custody, stood at the front of the theatre and fired into the crowd at about 12:30 a.m. MDT at a theatre at a multiplex theatre in a mall in Aurora. The gunman entered through the emergency exit, stood at the front of the theater and fired into the crow.

President Barack Obama released a statement Friday morning, in which he says he is "shocked and saddened" by a deadly shooting at a suburban Denver movie theater. He is urging the nation to "come together as one American family."

Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard. The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence.

Sepsis killing thousands in the absence of drugs to help

Rory, a 12-year-old New Yorker, cut himself when he dove for a basketball at his school gym in late March, according to the New York Times. Two days later, he was vomiting, feverish and had a pain in his leg. A few days later, on April 1, Rory died at NYU-Langone Medical Center of a kind of blood poisoning known as sepsis.

His death, and others, point to a major problem in treating sepsis -- there are currently no drugs approved to fight it. The only drug developed for it, called Xigris, was withdrawn from the market in 2011, when the drug failed rigorous testing required to maintain regulatory approval. The drug's fall from grace highlights just how difficult fighting sepsis is, and leaves doctors wondering whether developing a drug will ever be possible.

Bleak Prognosis, Then Brief Promise

About 750,000 people in the U.S. each year get sepsis, and about 225,000 of them die from it. The condition is an infection of the bloodstream, and it can arise from any number of infectious bugs that attack the body, such as meningitis, pneumonia and infections of the skin or bladder, to name a few. The blood poisoning is caused not by the germs themselves, but by the body's hyper-response to those germs, when it releases a barrage of chemicals that can lead to organ failure.

Those chemicals cause the body to go into shock, and patients have symptoms such as chills, fever, confusion, rapid heartbeat, headache and skin rashes.
The best shot patients have is for doctors to treat them early, ideally giving a patient antibiotics and fluids within the first hour that they show symptoms. Dr. Andre Kalil, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said even in the best-case scenario, antibiotics don't always help.
"Unfortunately even with the best antibiotics and supportive care, a third of these patients will die," Kalil said. "We don't have other drugs that actually can act in the body in response to the infection. We just don't."

That wasn't always in the case. In 2001 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xigris, made by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, hopes were high that it would keep thousands of patients from dying. The company's initial clinical trials of the drug showed that it reduced the chances of dying by 20 percent in patients at risk of developing sepsis.

But the drug's initial performance was somewhat disappointing. Some patients benefited from the drug, others did not, and doctors had trouble defining which type of patient would benefit the most. The drug was also very expensive, so many hospitals put protocols in place that strictly limited when the drug could be given -- usually when all other methods had failed.

Dr. Jonathan Janes, medical director of acute care for Eli Lilly, said the company was encouraged by studies of the drug in real-life clinical settings, which showed that it kept many patients alive.

"We felt encouraged by those results, they seemed to support that the drug worked," Janes said. "Obviously, you need your clinical trial data, but these results were nice to have."

But questions about the drug's effectiveness and safety began to surface. Patients getting Xigris had a slightly increased risk of bleeding. Increasingly skeptical that the expensive drug was actually effective, European regulators asked Eli Lilly to conduct a second clinical trial. The results were the nail in Xigris' coffin -- the trial showed that the drug was little better than placebo. Based on those results, Eli Lilly voluntarily pulled the drug from the market in October 2011.

"This was the first drug specifically licensed for sepsis, which leaves us essentially with nothing now," said Dr. Greg Martin, director of the medical and coronary intensive care units at Emory University.

Drug's Withdrawal A Premature Decision, Some Say

But a new analysis, published Monday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, throws into question whether or not Xigris should have been withdrawn at all. In it, Nebraska's Kalil analyzed the results of more than two dozen studies of Xigris, most performed in the "real-world" of clinics and hospitals, trying to save patients with sepsis.
The results suggest that Xigris is effective after all. The study found that Xigris reduced patients' risk of dying by 18 percent, similar to the results Eli Lilly had reported in its first study of the drug.
"I was expecting to see a very small effect, close to no effect. I was surprised when we saw these kinds of results," Kalil said.
So should the drug be put back on the market? The answer is uncertain and, as far as Eli Lilly is concerned, unfeasible. Putting the drug back on the market would mean conducting another long, expensive clinical trial to clear regulatory hurdles. Janes said the company has no plans to do that, even in the face of evidence suggesting the drug's effectiveness.
"We have to live with the results of our clinical trials," Janes said. "It goes back to the point of deciding what the company is going to invest in."
Although the drug would likely help hundreds of thousands of patients, it will likely never be as profitable as drugs that can help millions of patients with more common conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer.
And questions remain about whether the drug was ever truly helpful for patients. Doctors never really identified the type of patient who would benefit the most from Xigris. The new study suggests that perhaps only the sickest patients really improve after taking the drug. Trials of the drug in pediatric patients like Rory never succeeded.
Dr. Cliff Deutschman, a professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania, said he was never really convinced that the drug was better than treating patients with antibiotics and fluids.
"Ultimately, it's pretty hard to know what to make of the results of these studies," he said.
Since Xigris was introduced and withdrawn, doctors and hospitals also seem to have gotten a little better at screening and stopping sepsis in its early stages. Programs like the Stop Sepsis campaign, a program started by the Greater New York Hospital Association, emphasize promoting awareness of the condition and the critical importance of getting care to patients in the first hours of their symptoms.
But many doctors say a drug like Xigris would be invaluable in saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients. Martin said he still believes Xigris could be that drug.

"There's real potential that this drug has the ability to treat and cure people. But we don't know who the drug works best in, and that's probably where the interest was lost," Martin said.

And for now, it seems that doctors will never know. Since Eli Lilly withdrew the drug from the market, it is no longer available even for research purposes.

Deutschman said the biggest blow is that given the Xigris's failure and Eli Lilly's experience, other pharmaceutical companies will be reluctant to spend the money to pursue any treatment for sepsis. For now, the scientific and regulatory bar for a drug is very high.

"There still may be groups of people that it [Xigris] does work on, but because the drug is no longer available we'll never know. And that's discouraging," he said.

Mutant Mosquito May Be The Cure For Malaria

On Tuesday July 17, 2012 Florida Keys residents were up in arms over a British company, Oxitec, that intended to release genetically modified mosquitoes into the Keys region. Mutated mosquitoes or to put it more elegantly, genetically engineered ones -- could help protect people from mosquito borne infections. The reason being that these mosquitoes would not be carriers of the particularly nasty Dengue fever. Florida residents were still skeptical and didn’t want any new species released that could damage the ecosystem. Well, there’s a new mutant mosquito on the block, but this one is aimed at Africa.

Mutant mosquitoes can prevent plasmodium falciparum from developing fully.

It’s no secret that malaria is the number one killer in Africa. Due to lack of cheap vaccines and territorial conflicts, the people who need help the most never get it. Scientists have now found a way that attacks malaria at its source – the mosquito’s stomach.
Malaria begins its life in the stomach of a mosquito. After biting a human, the parasite can work its way into the bloodstream of a person and begin to wreak havoc on their body. The genius solution is to introduce bacteria into the mosquito that specifically targets malaria. Technology Review explains how it works:

The malaria parasite, called Plasmodium falciparum, must complete a crucial part of its life cycle within a mosquito’s midgut before it can be transmitted to people. So bacteria in that compartment are well positioned to deliver antimalarial compounds. When the mosquito takes a blood meal—that is, when it bites someone—bacteria in the mosquito’s midgut also proliferate, thanks to the blood nutrients.

It’s during this stage in the parasite’s life that the bacteria triggered by the proliferation of blood can target the parasite and kill it. In studies performed by the scientists, they found that only 14 to 18 percent of the mosquitoes that were fed the malaria-killing bacteria became infected by the parasite.
The big question facing the scientists now is how to introduce this new bacteria into the wild. As they point out, people become touchy whenever the subject turns to genetically modified organisms. It has the potential to save a lot of lives, but it can also have adverse side effects. They must do more thorough testing before they can convince local governments that this is a good idea.

FDA approval of Truvada signals 'turning point' in AIDS epidemic

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first drug shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection, a milestone in the 30-year battle against the virus that causes AIDS.

The agency approved Gilead Sciences' pill Truvada as a preventive measure for people who are at high risk of acquiring HIV through sexual activity, such as those who have HIV-infected partners.

Public health advocates say the approval could help slow the spread of HIV, which has held steady at about 50,000 new infections per year for the past 15 years.

Truvada can prevent people from contracting HIV when used as a precautionary measure

Gilead Sciences has marketed Truvada, which can cost up to $14,000 a year, since 2004 as a treatment for people who are already infected with the virus.

But starting in 2010, studies showed that the drug could actually prevent people from contracting HIV when used as a precautionary measure. A three-year study found that daily doses cut the risk of infection in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42%, when accompanied by condoms and counseling.

Last year, another study found that Truvada reduced infection by 75% in heterosexual couples in which one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not.

Because Truvada is on the market to manage HIV, some doctors already prescribe it as a preventive measure. FDA approval will allow Gilead Sciences to market the drug for that use, which could dramatically increase prescribing.

STORY: Truvada Q and A 

STORY: Truvada drug trials signal 'turning point' in AIDS epidemic

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Ghana's version of Josef Fritzl incest in the dock

A 47-year-old farmer who fathered five children with his biological daughter is in the grip of the law.

According to the officials, Hatekah began having an affair with his daughter after his wife died.

His alleged incestuous act was brought to their attention by the local chief of the community, TorgbeSekpetey II of Gonu Ashiagborkorpe, in the Volta Region. Unlike the Josef Fritzl incest case, the residents of the community had known of Hatekah’s incestuous act all these years. He got away because the people were afraid of him as he threatened to kill anybody who dared to criticise him or make a report to the police.
Yao Hatekah impregnated his daughter, known as Baby, when she was 11 years old and subsequently had children aged 14, 12, 3, 2 and a month-and-a-half-old with her.

Hatekah, who pleaded guilty to the charge of incest on June 20, 2012, changed his plea to not guilty when he reappeared before the Sogakope Circuit Court, 4 July 2012.

According to him, he had one child with his daughter and was not responsible for her other children.

The court, subsequently, remanded him to reappear on July 12, 2012.

It would be recalled that in April 2008, a 46-year-old woman, Elisabeth Fritzl of Amstetten, Austria, made a report to the police that she had been held captive for 24 years in a concealed corridor part of the basement area of the family home, a condominium-style apartment complex built by her father, Josef Fritzl (77), and that Fritzl had physically assaulted, sexually abused, and raped her numerous times during her imprisonment. The incestuous relationship forced upon her by her father resulted in the birth of seven children and one miscarriage.

What killed Arafat?

'What killed Arafat' is the title of a new documentary being broadcast by Gulf leading satellite channel, al Jazeera, that seems to have disturbed the hornets' nest in the Palestinian Authority. The discovery of traces of a radioactive agent on clothing reportedly worn by Yasser Arafat in his final days reignited a cauldron of conspiracy theories. The documentary suggested that former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and the symbol of the Palestinian struggle and fight for freedom had been assassinated while being treated in a Paris hospital. Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini (24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat died at age 75 on Nov. 11, 2004 after long illness and subsequently going into coma . He had been suffering from a mysterious illness. The cause of the death was never determined and French medical officials would not release details of his illness because of privacy laws. The medical report was given to his family.

At the time, French doctors said Arafat died of a massive stroke. According to French medical records, he had suffered inflammation, jaundice and a blood condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

But the records were inconclusive about what brought about the DIC, which has numerous causes including infections, colitis and liver disease. Outside experts who reviewed the records were also unable to pinpoint the underlying cause.

The uncertainty sparked speculation about the cause of death, including the possibility of AIDS or poisoning. Many in the Arab world believe he was killed by Israel, which held him responsible for the bloody Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s. Israeli officials have repeatedly denied foul play, and they dismissed the latest theories as nonsense.

 

The documentary this week disclosed that a Swiss institute had examined clothing provided by Arafat's widow, Suha, and determined there were high levels of polonium-210, the same substance found to have killed a Russian Alexander Litvinenko, a one-time KGB agent turned critic of the Russian government, in London in 2006. Litvinenko drank tea laced with the substance.

A 2007 study by radiation experts from Britain's Health Protection Agency concluded that once Polonium-210 is deposited in the bloodstream, its potent effects are nearly impossible to stop. A poisoning victim would experience multiple organ failure as alpha radiation particles bombard the liver, kidneys and bone marrow from within.

Polonium-210 breaks down relatively quickly. The isotope has a half-life of 138 days; the time it takes for half of the sample to decay. Experts were divided over whether a reliable sample could even be salvaged.

Suha Arafat has since called for her husband's body to be exhumed from its mausoleum in the West Bank city of Ramallah. 

The al Jazeera report was the subject in every shop and street corner throughout the Palestinian territory. In East Jerusalem's main commercial street Saleh al Din, it replaced conversations about the Arab Spring and the Syrian crisis.

And most people said the reports confirmed their own suspicions saying they had "knew for a long time that Arafat was poisoned. What they need to know now is who is behind the killing?"

The prime suspects in mind are the Israeli Mossad and the American CIA".

They demanded that Arafat's body must be exhumed "so we will know the truth and also we might find who was behind it." Others praised al Jazeera's findings and want them followed up. "It was always on our mind (that Arafat was killed), however, Arafat's body must not to be disturbed.They reasoned that the truth is there with the military hospital in Paris, and it will be disrespectful for such a great leader like Arafat to have his body exhumed."

One key question is where the polonium-210 might have come from. This is more reason experts say Arafat's remains would have to be tested to know more else the conspiracy theories and suspicions surrounding what killed Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini won't simply go away anytime soon.

Nevada Attorney rules No crime in Pacquiao Loss

Many believe that Timothy Bradley's victory over Manny Pacquiao in their June 9 bout for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title was a robbery, but the Nevada attorney general said Tuesday it was not a crime.

Catherine Cortez Masto, the Nevada attorney general, wrote in a letter to Top Rank's Bob Arum that "there do not appear to be any facts or evidence to indicate that a criminal violation occurred." 

That pleased Bradley manager Cameron Dunkin, who said, "I'm not surprised at all." However, it did little to soothe the feelings of Arum, who in the immediate aftermath of the majority decision favoring Bradley was blamed by the public for somehow influencing the result.

Arum said he didn't think the inquiry, conducted by Dale Liebherr, the attorney general's chief of investigations, was thorough enough. He sent a letter to Cortez Masto on June 11 requesting the result be investigated to clear his name and with the hope it would restore public confidence in boxing.

Not interviewing judges Jerry Roth, C.J. Ross and Duane Ford was a mistake, Arum said. 

"I have no reaction to it," Arum said. "They spent a lot of time interviewing the referee [Robert Byrd] who had nothing to do with judging the fight, and I didn't see any interviews with the three judges who scored it? Wouldn't you do that if you were looking into it?" 

Ross and Ford each scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Bradley, while Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao. The overwhelming consensus of fans and media who saw the fight was that Pacquiao won handily.

Surprising health benefits of marriage for men

Men who have never done this are three times more likely to die of heart disease, research shows. During midlife and beyond, men's leading causes of death include familiar standbys: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, suicide, and Alzheimer's disease.

Not too late to fix. To lessen your odds of dying from these killers, curb the critical habits that lead to them.

One of these is marital status. 

Numerous surveys have shown that married men, especially men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, are healthier and have lower death rates than those who never married or who are divorced or widowed. Never-married men are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, for example. After 50, divorced men's health deteriorates rapidly compared to married men's, found a RAND Center for the Study of Aging report.

What's the magic in the ring? The social connectedness of marriage may lower stress levels and depression, which lead to chronic illness. (Women tend to have more social ties outside of marriage.)

Oops: Unmarried men generally have poorer health habits, too -- they drink more, eat worse, get less medical care, and engage in more risky behaviors (think drugs and promiscuous sex). Exception: It's better to be single than in a strained relationship, probably because of the stress toll, say researchers in Student BMJ.

Silver lining: It's never too late. Men who marry after 25 tend to live longer than those who wed young. And the longer a fellow stays married, the greater the boost to his well-being.

Barwuah Balloteli's Ghana family want him in Ghana

Balotelli dedicates Italy triumph to his foster mum Silvia

As the Italian football team clinched their place in the Euro 2012 final, their two-goal hero Mario Balotelli wanted to celebrate that special moment with one person.

Running from the edge of the pitch he dived into the crowd in the stands to give the woman he calls “Mum” a big hug.

Emotional Mario dedicated his goals to Silvia Balotelli , the woman who brought him up from the age of three.

He said: “I told her, ‘these goals are for you’. I waited for this moment for so long and I wanted to make my mum happy.”

Just as proud were Mario’s other family – the one he has never met – who were crouched around a TV set watching the action thousands of miles away in Ghana.

Mario was born to Ghanaian immigrants, Rose and Thomas Barwuah in Palermo, Italy.

But health problems led to him being fostered then adopted by Francesco and Silvia Balotelli, an Italian family in Brescia.

Legally, the family separation might be complete but the Barwuah clan have kept a close eye on Mario’s career.

Sadly, one family member missed Mario’s finest moment – his grandfather Nana, a retired bus driver - died two weeks ago.

Mario, 21, had plans to visit the African state for the first time in August to see his grandad and had sent him a baseball cap with his signature embroidered inside as a gift.

But it was not to be and his father Thomas had to make the heartbreaking call to his son to tell him that Nana had died aged 74.

The Man City star, whose transfer value has soared to £52million, made no mention of his ­grandfather’s death in his post-match interviews, preferring to focus on his adoptive family who have brought him up since he was a toddler.

But there is no ill feeling from his blood relatives, only congratulations and a hope that he will still make a visit to Ghana.

Alex Barwuah, 30, Mario’s uncle, is a mechanic by trade, could not be happier for his famous nephew.

He said: “We are all extremely proud of him. It was wonderful when he scored both goals and we were ecstatic.

"When he pulled his shirt off and showed off his chest after scoring my friends made me do the same thing.

"It made me feel closer to him. I’ve never met Mario but I feel very happy when I see him on TV.

"We watch him whenever we can. I’m so proud he is part of the family.

“I feel sad though that we have never met, and that my father never saw his grandson.

“My father watched every game he could showing Mario and longed to meet him, but it was not possible.

"I hope now Mario comes to see us and gets to learn about his ancestors.”

Unlike his sports-car driving nephew, Alex lives a modest life in Zone Five of the gold mining town of Konongo, which has a population of just 40,000.

Alex is philosophical about their different lives, saying: “I am very pleased at his success and understand that he is rich now but the professional life of a footballer is an extremely short one.”

On his 18th birthday, Mario gained Italian citizenship and there have been reports that he had turned his back on his Ghanaian heritage.

However, the Barwuahs have never stopped following his career.

Kwaku Awuah, Balotelli’s grandfather on his mother’s side, also wants to welcome his grandson “home”.

Kwaku, 80, said: “Its pathetic to have a superstar as a grandson but to have never set eyes on him.

"It makes me so sad whenever I see him on TV or read about him in the papers.

“I’m not interested in his money. I just want to tell him to come back to his roots because, as the saying goes, there really is no place like home sweet home.”

Akosua Osaa Barwuah, Mario’s aunt and his father Thomas’s sister is also upset that she has never been able to meet her nephew.

Akosua, 44, a market trader, said: “I feel so sad whenever I see him on TV.

"My brother Thomas sent me Mario’s picture when he was about three. I have a nephew of this calibre and I’ve never set eyes on him.”

In the streets outside the Barwuah family home, children play football wearing shirts from some of Europe’s biggest teams.

Everyone in Konongo knows the name Balotelli and his famous 45 shirt even though he has never set foot in the country.

UEFA has confirmed Balotelli had ­registered his shirt name as “Barwuah ­Balotelli” indicating he recognised his roots but as yet he has not worn a shirt with the name on it.

Balotelli might be a man with a hefty price tag on his head, but he has been in trouble both on and off the pitch.

There’ve been car crashes and trouble with indoor fireworks which forced him to move out of his home.

Man City manager Roberto Mancini has said if they had been team-mates he may have hit him.

Now he seems to have got his life on track and he has become a football superstar.

His goals against Germany have made him the bookmakers’ favourite.

And he has two families as well as thousands of fans wishing him well.
Source: mirror.co.uk

Ethnic clashes force boy, 9, to work at galamsey pit for survival

If you think peace is expensive try throwing a war sometimes. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. Every war is going to astonish you in the way it has occurred and in the way it is carried as the experience and life touching story of this little poor soul below vividly depicts.

Nine-year-old primary three school pupil, Tengzor Yinbang has been forced to work as a labourer at an illegal gold mine to raise money for survival.

Little Tengzor, a pupil of Tindongo Primary School, is a victim of the recent ethnic clashes at Tindongo and Namolgo in the Upper East region during which nine people were killed and several houses were torched.

Tengzor Yinbang who lost all his belongings hopes to raise money to continue school.

Poor Yinbang was living with some good Samaritans who became victims of the clashes.

Little Yinbang narrated the circumstances of his family amidst tears. The boy lost his mother before he learnt how to speak and his father did not live long after that.

He earns a mere GH¢3 a day out of which he saves GH¢1 daily, hoping to raise enough money to go back to school. When will better Ghana reach this poor boy whose only is the fate of his birth? Hope someone is reading this piece. God have mercy!

CNN's anchor Anderson Cooper admits being a gay

They say wonders will never end hence be content with your lot because all that glitter may after all not be gold. Anderson Cooper has confirmed what most people in the media world and New York already knew: He is gay.

"The fact is, I'm gay," Cooper wrote in an email to Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan. "Always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."

Sullivan, who is gay and is a longtime friend of Cooper's, had asked the CNN anchor for his reaction to a recent Entertainment Weekly story—"The New Art of Coming Out"—which was, in part, about the importance of gay celebrities coming out of the closet to combat America's bullying epidemic.

"Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I've thought about for years," Cooper responded. "Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to."

"But I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons," Cooper continued. "Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people's stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist. I've always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly."

Cooper said he did not come out in his 2006 memoir, "Dispatches from the Edge," because the book was meant to be about war and not about his personal life.

Single-digit inflation and the cost of living dichotomy in Ghana

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) at the weekend called for a review of the Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) methodology used in calculating inflation figures.

“GSS needs to review its system, especially if it is widely believed that the existing methodology is outdated and that it does not fully represent current expenditure patterns.”

Dr. J. K. Kwakye, IEA Senior Economist stated in a research document on: “Single-digit inflation and the cost of living dichotomy in Ghana.”

In what appeared to be a subtle attempt to professionally shield the GSS from the current mountain of criticisms from a section of the public on its methodology in arriving at single-digit inflation rates, IEA said: “We do not expect that GSS would manipulate the data in order to achieve inflation figures that suit any particular constituency or constituencies, as that would be professionally unethical.

“We want to believe that GSS applies the same methodology all the time in calculating its inflation figures

According to Dr. Kwakye some people have tried to compare what they see to be much higher movements in the prices of some of the items in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket with the rate of inflation compiled by GSS and have argued that the GSS might be understating the true rate of inflation.

He said the way to validate GSS’s inflation estimates would be to start from the raw data collected for the 242 items.

Current CPI Basket and Weights base year 2002 on 12 out of 242 items indicates that food and non-alcoholic beverages was rated 44.91 per cent; alcoholic beverages, tobacco 2.23 per cent; clothing and footwear 11.29 per cent; housing, water, electricity, gas and others 6.98 per cent; and furnishings, household equipment 7.83 per cent.

The rest are health 4.33 per cent; transport 6.21 per cent; communications 0.31 per cent; recreation and culture 3.04 per cent; education 1.60 per cent; hotels, cafes and restaurants 8.28 per cent; and miscellaneous goods and services 2.99 per cent.

Dr. Kwakye said the 12-item aggregated form of the CPI basket with the composite items and their relative weights, one can argue about what need to be in the basket and what need not be in as well as about the relative weights given to individual items.

“In fact, one may even go down to the entire 242 items in the CPI basket in making these arguments. The decision as to what has to change in terms of the individual items or their weights should be informed by the changing patterns of consumer spending in Ghana.

“For example, one may argue about the appropriateness of giving Communications a weight of only 0.31 per cent if it is believed that this does not truly represent its relative importance in consumers’ spending,” he stated.

Dr. Kwakye therefore suggested a constructive engagement with the GSS in a debate to bring about any deserved changes.

The GSS currently measures inflation by using a basket comprising 242 consumer goods and services. The base year for computing the inflation figures is 2002.

The GSS periodically collects price data on the 242 items. The primary data is collected mostly in non-standardized units, which are then standardized by GSS. The individual items in the CPI basket have weights based on the last consumer spending survey.

The weighted prices are converted into indices with 2002 as the base year.

The average price index for all the 242 items is used to compute the rate of change of the index or inflation over a period of time—a month, quarter, or year—by comparing with previously-calculated indices.
It would be recalled that the opposition New Patriotic Party's vice presidential candidate first raised concerns about the GSS inflation measurement. The GSS dismissed his assertion but within days the IMF delegation to Ghana confirmed his assertion and tasked the GSS to recalculate the inflation figures from January 2011 as well as increase the number of items in the CPI basket from 242 to 275.

Ill Health of President Mills occupies the attention of strife-laden Ghana

Amid chaotic security situation across seven out of ten regions, Ghanaians have found themselves being occupied with the state of health of President John Evans Atta Mills. The president has been heavily criticised in the last few days for failing to speak out against the pockets of violence across the country. Ghana is going through a period of instability both on the security and economic fronts and there is a feeling of pessimism and despondency among the people.  The calls for his comments became more prominent following the clashes which claimed three lives at Hohoe in the Volta Region. Sources at the Castle earlier told the media the president had been taking some days off to rest due apparently to temporary incapacitation caused by infirmity.The president left Accra June 16, 2012 evening for urgent medical attention in the United States described by officials as 'a routine medical check-up'. 

This follows days of rumours about his ill health in recent times. The President of Ghana was last seen in public performing official function at the Allied Air crash scene near Kotoka Airport on Sunday June 3 2012 and is now officially declared temporary incapacitated. In other words, President Mills will be unable to do his official duties for the unknown future. 

The president did not indicate how long he will be staying out other than saying a "few days" and an assurance that there was no cause for alarm stressing that the check-up is a normal one. It would be recalled that President Mills spent almost the whole of the last quarter of 2011 in the US on the pretext of taking his vacation interspersed with official assignments. Ghanaians were suspicious and there were claims that he left the Presidential jet on a tarmac in New York and secretly travelled to Cuba for cancer treatment. Officially President Mills has told Ghanaians he is suffering from sinus. It is however doubtful if his condition is due to sinus and has become a subject of speculation for a long time. According to one of the Wikileaks transcripts quoting the Deputy Minister of Tourism but then the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy General Secretary, Mohammed Baba Jamal, President Mills is dying of throat cancer. Mr. Jamal added that Professor Mills will never make public admission of his diseased throat as it is considered 'unfavourable and untenable practice in African politics' to disclose a politician's sick status.

Article 69 clause 1 subsection (c) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic Ghana states that the President shall be removed from office if he is found, in accordance with the provisions among other things "to be incapable of performing the functions of his office by reason of infirmity of body or mind."

I am sure you the reader must be wondering why quoting this constitutional provision when President Mills is only going to the USA for a routine medical check up. Well, for your information, it is usual for the casual observer but a serious sign for any political animal. This seriousness arises out of three things emanating from statement released by President Mills regarding this trip. Firstly, routine medical check-up, secondly staying 'few days' and thirdly 'no cause for alarm'. The fact of the matter is that our President has always denied ever going to the USA for medical reasons so how can Mills now officially announce that he is going there for 'a routine medical check-up'? Anything said to be routine refers to regularity with well defined periodicity and this is where the second matter raises eyebrows. If indeed Mills is going for routine medical check-up, how come he sounded unsure of his duration abroad? If it is routine, then he has been doing this over time now and must be accustomed to a certain timeframe within which this medical treatment is conducted. And so why the unsolicited assurance that there is no cause for alarm? Is there something he is not telling Ghanaians? Is he incapacitated and therefore unable to perform his official functions?

Mills with blackened palm said 

to be due to effects of medication

This disease is cancerous tumours that develop in the throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx) or tonsils. Throat cancer can also affect the piece of cartilage (epiglottis) that acts as a lid for the windpipe. It is attributed to heavy smoking, chewing tobacco and excessive alcohol use. Treatment for throat cancer often causes complications that may include speech problems such as mispronunciation of words like the famous ecomini instead of economy.

It would be recalled that Guinea-Bissau's President Malam Bacai Sanha died on Monday 9 January 2012 after a long period in a Paris hospital aged 64.

Will President Mills be capable of completing the remaining six months of his tenure of office considering the demands of electioneering campaign for a second term bid and its toll on one's health? Only time will tell!

Carpenters of death inspire 'Zombie Furniture' (Ndaka)

Are you looking for furniture that will both tie the room together and make your guests gag with fear?

BRC Designs probably has what you're looking for. The razor-sharp minds over at the design house, based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, have unleashed a terrible plague upon the world of home decor: "zombie furniture." These are seats and couches with dripping blood, raw patches that look like skin was torn off and a general appearance of getting ready to animate itself and shuffle over to eat your flesh. And the horror of this festering line doesn't end there, with its origin stretching all the way over the ocean to Ghana's famous carpenters of death.

An Xiao Mina at Core77 has the full story of how this sleep-disturbing (yet swanky!) stuff got made, but here's the short version. BRC chief Benjamin Caldwell traveled to Ghana to apprentice with the country's coffin builders, who produce unique boxes meant to reflect the lifestyle and accomplishments of the deceased. Picking up a plane and chisel, Caldwell settled in with Eric Anang, grandson of the renowned artisan Kane Kwei, whose studio has churned out coffins in the guise of red fish, flashy cars and, weirdly, a pig for the businessman who introduced swine to Accra.

'Amina Bus' acquitted in Yutong mass rape trial'

The Ashaiman-based 26 year old hairdresser and mother of three children, Amina Mohammed, the lady who was involved in the controversial highway robbery and mass rape saga has been acquitted and discharged. All accusations that were leveled against her have been dropped and set free. According to the judge, the prosecution failed to adduce any evidence to support the charges of causing fear, alarm and deceit of a public officer it leveled against the accused.

Truth has prevailed as Amina Mohammed walks free

Amina captured national attention following her statement on Adom FM that there was a mass rape of women on a Bawku-bound Yutong bus during a robbery attack at Kubiase on 11th October 2010. She claimed the armed robbers forced male passengers to have sex with their female counterparts, including a father who was supposedly forced to sleep with his 14-year-old daughter. She was subsequently arrested and charged with causing fear and alarm as well as deceit of public officer contrary to Section 208 of the Criminal Code. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.

All six witnesses called by the prosecution confirmed that indeed there was a robbery attack but they escaped narrowly except the mass rape aspect. The investigator for the case Cpl. Issah Mohammed described Amina’s story as a cock and bull one.


When the story hit the media, there was uproar in government. Official state spokespersons initially denied it outright fearing backlash for loose policing and weak government. Instead, the state adapted a blame game accusing the opposition rather of fabricating the story to create tension in the country and tarnish the image of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Mills-led administration.

The presidency together with security chiefs cast doubts on the armed robbery and mass rape of passengers. According to Koku Anyidoho, Head of Communications at the Presidency and until last Friday mouthpiece at the Presidency, they (President Mills and his security capos) were convinced the report was made up and labelled it as a hoax. He released a statement to the media that there was no record of armed robbery or mass rape for the police or security personnel to follow up. Then Police PRO, Akwasi Ofori also did likewise but it latter emerged that the driver of the Yutong bus in question had actually lodged a complaint and written statement to the Ejisu Police following the incident.

Amina said she hopes to rebuild herself now that the outcome of the case has been determined. She said her marriage and family life generally had been negatively affected by the case but she added she had forgiven members of her family who despised her because of the case.

The living legacy of this incident and trial is that the name 'Amina' has become synonymous with Yutong Bus as well as mass rape and highway robbery such that you can hear people say Amina bus ('Amina bus' in another accident, No Rape On Amina Bus, Three victims of 'Amina bus' accident run away from hospital,

Amina Bus Rape: Ken Agyapong Implicated…Goes Ballistic And ..., Gov't not behind twist in Amina bus rape saga - Pelpuo) in reference to either Yutong as a bus or being involved in a negative incident like accident and robbery. 

Media outrage over Bradley-Pacquiao decision but wasn't bad for boxing

Timothy Bradley Jr. earns stunning, controversial split-decision win over Manny Pacquiao. The vast majority of reporters covering the fight at ringside had it for Pacquiao. Harold Lederman, a former professional judge, scored it 11 rounds to one for Pacquiao.

Arum was outraged, at one point referring to the judges as "The Three Blind Mice," while he was introducing Pacquiao at the post-fight news conference.

"Can you believe that?" Arum said. "I had it 10-2! After I got into the ring after the fight, I went over to Bradley and said 'You did very well.' He said, 'I tried hard, but I couldn't beat the guy.' This is crazy. You talk about killing boxing? All three scorecards you throw out."

It was unfair to Pacquiao, who deserved to win.

Bradley's win over Manny Pacquiao was a joke, but it wasn't bad for boxing. Timothy Bradley's controversial split-decision victory over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday in their World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden was one of the best things that could have happened for the sport. 

It was a fast-paced, back-and-forth scrap between a pair of quality boxers at the peak of their professions.

That Bradley won a decision the vast majority of those in attendance and watching on television around the world thought was laughably wrong is hardly the "death knell" for boxing that promoter Bob Arum said it was seconds after the verdict was read.

Controversy sells. The bigger the controversy, the bigger the rematch.

This rematch will be bigger than Saturday's bout by a wide margin. Bradley will become a star; he's already a charismatic guy who performed well when he finally got his chance on the big stage. And Pacquiao's legion of fans will rally to his support, believing he was wronged and demanding justice in a second fight.

"Some rounds, I took off and relaxed and didn't throw so many punches," Pacquiao said. "I could give him three rounds, and almost every round I hurt him. I know he felt that." 

Judge Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao, but he was overruled by his counterparts, C.J. Ross and Duane Ford, who had it 115-113 for Bradley. Ross gave Bradley the final three rounds and five of the last six. Ford scored five of the last six for Bradley as well. 

But bad for boxing? Not in a million years. More people were talking about the fight when it ended than would have been had Pacquiao gotten the wide verdict most had expected.

It's created a lucrative rematch for November and helped turn Bradley into a star.

Even to those who felt Pacquiao won, there had to be a respect for Bradley, who fought a spirited, high-paced battle despite injuring both of his feet. He attended the news conference in a wheelchair.

 

Is 'President' Anyidoho's Communications empire gone?

Amidst the desolate landscape of total confusion in government, Ghanaians have been asking lately who is in charge of this country. Well, it might look as though finally some answer has come albeit late in the day and could be confirming the adage 'how are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished'! Can decline be detected early and avoided? Well many Ghanaians have been talking also of the fact that they could spot the subtle signs that the successful propaganda machinery of the then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is actually on course to sputter in government as propaganda can't certainly sustain them in power. You need concrete evidence in government to sustain propaganda but unfortunately for the ruling NDC, it is things fall apart, the centre cannot hold. They speak and publish unprecedented achievements but like the famous MTN mobile network advert line goes 'na unprecedented achievements wo hen? The spin doctors keep blaming the opposition for everything that goes wrong in government including even glaring security failures.

The beginning of the end of impunity for Ghana's once all-powerful thug clothed as Director of Communication to President Mills of Ghana appeared so sudden. It was a normal Friday and the event was a FIFA world cup football qualifying game at Kumasi. The Black Stars of Ghana hosted the Crocodiles of Lesotho. The Stars were cruising comfortably by 4 - 0. Then suddenly the stadium floodlights went off and hell broke. Some soccer commentators called it a Black Friday, others said national day of disgrace. It took over one and a half hours to restore power and restart the match which ended 7-0. However, in between that interval, a lot of drama went on in government.

Love lost President Mills & Koku Anyidoho before

Koku Anyidoho issued a statement firing the Ashanti Regional Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). In fact this position does not actually exist in the lexicon of the ECG. The ECG rather has Kumasi East and Kumasi West ECG Directors. But as it was, Anyidoho claimed the ECG director had been sacked because the president was very upset with the incident.

As it turned out and later confirmed by a statement from the Information Ministry the president never took such a decision. So as the events subsequently unfolded, the Presidency was left with no option but to get rid of both Anyidoho and his Communications Directorate. A statement signed by the Chief of Staff to the Mills administration, Newman appears to have cleverly omitted the word 'scrapped'. It is pretty easy to read between the statement that the 'Director of Communications' at the Presidency and his outfit has been sidelined for those comments he made which he said was from the President. In the statement, the Presidency is seeking to direct the media to henceforth disregard any communications purporting to emanate from the President if it is not signed either by the secretary to the President or the Chief of Staff.

Read the full statement

PRESS RELEASE

The Office of the President wishes to state that all directives and decisions emanating from the Presidency including appointments, are communicated formally and signed by the Secretary to the President or in some instances by the Chief of Staff.

All other Government information is communicated through the Ministry of Information by Press Release or other means and in some cases where appropriate by the relevant sector Ministries, under the direction of the Minister-in-charge.

The Office of the President wishes the Media and General Public to be guided by these procedures and channels for communicating Government information.

Signed J. H.M. NEWMAN [CHIEF OF STAFF] 

The question though still remains 'who is in charge in Ghana: President Mills or 'President' Koku Anyidoho?

Damirifa due President Koku Anyidoho, I have rotten teeth but still keeping my integrity intact! 

All things shall pass indeed!!!

Fastest-growing industries to watch

This decade's biggest business will take place in weird fields you least thought of according to IBISWorld, the market research firm. IBISWorld recent release of an annual report of the fastest-growing industries based on absolute revenue growth has established growth for the last 10 years, and expected performance for the next five years. The list of 10 industries serves as a good measure of our fiscal and social priorities.

Here is a breakdown of the hottest industries to watch.

1. Generic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Generic pharmaceutical manufacturing has sustained growth since 2002 because it reduces the out-of-pocket healthcare costs for the consumer. On average, this industry experienced annual revenue growth of 9.6 percent, and it's expected to see an average of 6.3 percent growth from now to 2017.

2. Solar Panel Manufacturing

Revenue for solar panel manufacturing has grown at an annual rate of 32.3 percent for the last 10 years, and it's expected to continue growing by about 8.2 percent each year until 2017. Jobs are expected to grow in all the major sectors of the solar power industry: manufacturing, project development, construction, operation and maintenance, and installation. And this profession is expected to grow by an impressive 42 percent from 2010 to 2020.

3. For-Profit Universities

For-profit universities have experienced average revenue growth of 13.6 percent from 2002 to 2012, and they should see 5 percent revenue growth annually in the coming years. Counselors are needed at all types of schools as employment growth in this position is expected to jump 19 percent by 2020.  

4. Pilates & Yoga Studios

  Health clubs and classes have blossomed among employees and baby boomers seeking a low-impact exercise regimen. Revenue in this industry grew at an average rate of 12.1 percent over the last 10 years. Up to 2017, industry revenue is poised to grow at an average annual rate of 4.8 percent. A Pilates or yoga instructor types of professions receive some of the highest marks for job satisfaction and the BLS forecasts 60,400 new openings for instructors up to the year 2020. 

5. Self-Tanning Product Manufacturing

Self-tanning lotions and gels have had a good 10 years, with annual revenue growth for the manufacturing of these products reported at 22.7 percent. For the next five years, revenue growth for manufacturing self-tanning products should be 10.7 percent, on average. According to the BLS, there should be 223,400 new sales rep jobs this decade. 

6. 3D Printer Manufacturing

3D printing is the vanguard process of converting a digital file into a three-dimensional object, and it introduces the possibility for streamlining the manufacturing for many products across industries. Its average annual revenue is expected to grow by 14 percent for the next five years. Keep in mind this is a profession that should grow 33.5 percent this decade. 

7. Social Network Game Development

Social networking games are genius as the designers give the gaming industry a stake in the hysteria over websites thereby offering members free-to-play online games. These social network games then profit with onscreen advertising and by selling virtual goods that could be used during the course of play. IBISWorld found that this industry's revenue increased an average annual 128 percent from 2002 to 2012, and expects it to grow at an annual rate of 22 percent for the next five years.

8. Hot Sauce Production

We've changed our ordering habits, broadened our cooking repertoire, and created a demand for the ingredients most needed to create these dishes. Production for one such ingredient--hot sauce--has seen average revenue growth of 9.3 percent per year from 2002 to present, and production is projected to continue swelling at an annual rate of 4.1 percent for the next five years. The BLS reports the potential for more than 117,000 jobs for restaurant cooks from now to 2020. Hiring prospects are best for cooks with formal and specialized training.

9. Green & Sustainable Building Construction

According to IBISWorld, the demand for energy-efficient buildings has skyrocketed, and government programmes provide further incentive for corporations to design, build, and operate their buildings in a more responsible manner. Green and sustainable building construction grew 28.9 percent annually from 2002 to present. From 2012 to 2017, this industry should grow at an average annual rate of 22.8 percent. 

10. Online Eyeglasses & Contact Lens Sales

IBISWorld predicts online sales for eyewear and contact lenses will flourish, especially with new technologies that allow customers to upload their image and virtually test how they'll look in the eyewear they're browsing. Revenue for the online eyewear and contact lens sales industry has grown by 28.2 percent, on average, annually for the last 10 years. Up to 2017, revenue is expected to grow 8.8 percent annually.