Last week, director Justin Lin made the shocking decision to step away from directing the 10th Fast and Furious film, a move that is now being blamed on star Vin Diesel’s “difficult” behavior on set.
According to the New York Daily News, the filmmaker had simply had enough of Diesel’s unprofessionalism. “Diesel shows up late to the set. He doesn’t know his lines,” said an unnamed source. “And he shows up out of shape.”
The franchise star must have really pushed Lin to his limits, as the director left behind a “$10 or $20 million” payday by exiting the movie.
What’s more, Lin was meant to direct both Fast X and Fast 11, set to be the final entry in the lucrative series, a job which is now obviously in question. It all brings an abrupt end to Lin’s longtime involvement in Fast and Furious, as he helmed five entires in the series, including the franchise-revitalizing Fast Five in 2011 and last year’s F9.
This is not the first time Diesel’s work relationships have apparently impacted the Fast franchise. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson infamously refused to return to the main series after 2017’s The Fate of the Furious due to a beef with Diesel, instead starring in the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff alongside Jason Statham. Johnson most recently rejected a public plea from Diesel to rejoin the Fast team, calling his former costar’s social media post “manipulation.”
“No one is dissing Vin Diesel on the record, but everyone knows,” said the Daily News’ source.
Two people have died after a building collapsed in south-east China on Friday, Chinese state media report.
At least 14 others are thought to be trapped under the rubble of the six-storey structure in Changsha city, Hunan province.
Nine people have been rescued but 39 others are missing.
There are allegations that the building’s surveyors may have written a false safety report and eleven people have been arrested.
In a video posted on state media, emergency response expert Liang Buge said the two victims had been “pinned down by heavy objects” and there was “no way to move them”.
Earlier in the day, state media reported that a woman had been rescued from the rubble.
Video footage on state media showed a person wrapped in a thick blanket being transported into an ambulance on a stretcher.
Weak safety and construction standards, along with corruption among local officials, have led to a number of building collapses in China.
Earlier this year, at least 16 people died after an explosion, triggered by a suspected gas leak, brought down a building in Chongquing.
Earlier, Mr Musk had tweeted a link to a CNN story which called for some of the US’ biggest brands to boycott Twitter if Mr Musk rolls back content moderation policies limiting hate speech.
He has argued that Twitter’s moderation policies pose a threat to freedom of speech.
Since agreeing to buy Twitter, Mr Musk has said he wanted to make improvements to help increase the attractiveness of what he describes as a “niche” platform.
He has said he would introduce new features, and suggested changes to its new premium subscription service, Twitter Blue, including cutting its price.
The paid-for extra service will add features such as an “undo tweet” button, bookmarks, and a reader mode, Twitter said.
Mr Musk has also said he wants to remove spam bots from the platform and authenticate all real people.
On Monday at the annual Met Gala in New York, he said he would make Twitter transparent about how tweets are promoted or demoted and wanted its software to be available for public scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the multi-billionaire has reportedly told potential investors that he may return the social media firm to the stock market in just a few years.
Mr Musk plans to sell Twitter shares again as little as three years after buying it, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter.
His takeover of the company is expected to be completed later this year, subject to conditions including the approval of Twitter’s shareholders and regulators.
Under the deal he will buy all the shares in the company that are currently available on the stock market, taking it from being a publicly-owned company to a private one.
Last week, Mr Musk sold roughly $8.5bn worth of shares in Tesla, which led to speculation that he will use the money to help finance his buyout of Twitter.
Shares in the electric car company have lost more than 20% of their value in the last month, amid concerns that Mr Musk would sell part of his stake in the company to fund the deal.
Mr Musk is the world’s richest person, with an estimated net worth of around $250bn, mostly due to his Tesla stake.
He also has a controlling stake in the rocket company SpaceX, which is estimated to be worth $100bn.
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has floated the idea that he wants to take a trip to Kyiv to try to broker a ceasefire.
But now he says he would prefer to go to Moscow to try to talk some sense into Vladimir Putin, who he has not outwardly condemned in the now nearly three-month-old war and only did so lightly in a lengthy interview with an Italian newspaper.
“I feel that before going to Kyiv, I must go to Moscow,” he told Corriere Della Sera in an interview that ran Tuesday. But the meeting would not exactly be to condemn Putin, based on what he told the paper. He said that the real “scandal” of Putin’s war is “NATO barking at Russia’s door,” which he said caused the Kremlin to “react badly and unleash the conflict.”
Never mind that the 85-year-old pontiff is unable to walk after tearing a ligament in his knee (for which he says he will soon have surgery), or that Putin won’t even answer his calls.
Francis repeated comments he has made in general audiences and in other interviews that the war is nothing more than a giant opportunity for a “trade in arms” and that it is still ongoing because of the constant shuttling of weapons to Ukraine.
He has spoken twice by phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but mostly to urge him not to fight back. He also went to the Russian embassy to the Holy See days after the invasion began to “register his concerns” about what was happening.
“I don’t know how to answer-I’m too far away-the question of whether it is right to supply the Ukrainians,” he told the paper. “The clear thing is that weapons are being tested there. The Russians now know that tanks are of little use and are thinking of other things. This is why wars are waged: to test the weapons we have produced. Few people are fighting this trade, but more should be done.”
Whether the Italian journalists didn’t ask-or whether he didn’t answer- there was no mention about what would happen if Ukrainians were not fiercely fighting back, whether it would mean a full annexation of the entire country, millions of deaths, or empowering an already insatiably power-hungry Putin.
Francis veered toward conspiracy theory as he blamed the international community for instigating the war. “You cannot think that a free state can make war on another free state,” he said.
“In Ukraine, it seems that it was others who created the conflict. I am pessimistic but we must do everything possible to stop the war.”
The pope then said that in a state visit to Rome by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, he was told “the Russians have a plan, that everything will end on May 9” without giving any further explanation. May 9 is the day Russia celebrates its liberation and the end of World War II.
The one person Francis will not meet is Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox church, who the pope fears is becoming “Putin’s altar boy.” Francis said he spoke with him on the phone for 40 minutes on March 15. “And I told him: I completely fail to understand this,” he said. “Brother, we are not state clerics; we cannot use the language of politics, but that of Jesus. We are pastors of the same holy people of God.”
He said that 40 days ago he asked his secretary of state to start the process of organizing a visit to Moscow instead of Ukraine, but that Putin had not responded. “I am not going to Kyiv for now,” he said. “I feel that I must not go. First I must go to Moscow. First I must meet Putin. But I am also a priest, what can I do? I do what I can. If Putin would only open the door.”
News of the potential trip to Moscow put the Vatican press corps who travel with the pontiff on high alert, with many wondering if they would be arrested if they reported on discussions of the war if they were in Russia.
But even the pontiff concedes that a meeting in Moscow is a long shot. “I fear that Putin cannot, and does not, want to have this meeting at this time,” he said. “But how can you not stop so much brutality?”
The 23rd annual Vodafone Ghana Music Awards will not only be subscribed because of a 22year history of splendid performances, pure class, glamour and valour but also because it is a celebration of the most explosive nights in entertainment in Ghana. The 6th and 7th of May, will in no doubt be exceptional and exquisite as it culminates the sprawling euphoria of the past 5months; from some artistes expressing shock while others were in glee and had high hopes, to some pundits utter confusion. It’s all set now!
The Red Carpet, the fashion, the trophies, the acceptance speeches, the wow moments, big hitters and losers …. All over one weekend at the Grand Arena, 8pm daily.
Celebration of Ghanaian Excellence
The weekend will seek to Celebrate Ghanaian Excellence in Music, music content and music commerce as the “toppers” In 33 Categories will be awarded based on votes from, the schemes Board, Academy and the general public. Between January and February several hundreds of musicians and music executives submitted thousands of musical works; the board deliberated and produced a nominees list. Artistes switched to campaign mode and had their fans and lovers vote for them. KPMG, Internationally recognized and acclaimed accountants and VGMA statisticians will hand over the tally of votes to pave way for Naming and Glorification of musicians who have made a name for themselves in the year under review – 2021; and hoisted the flag of Ghana high.
Performances
Award show performances have seen a new high in the last couple of years. Last year the VGMA stage was lit with spectacular performances never experienced in Ghana. 2022 promises to turn the notch higher as it is set to provide some mind blowing and thrilling LIVE performances. Artistes billed to perform over the 2-day festival include KiDi, Black Sherif, Mr. Drew, Cina Soul, Ohemaa Mercy, Joe Mettle, Akwaboah, Kelvynboy, S3fa, Gyakie, Camidoh, Samini, Kofi Kinaata, Celestine Donkor, Wendy Shay, Amerado and “Surprise” acts. When it’s a VGMA surprise, you know it’s a BIG DEAL!
Event Details
Day 1 will see 14 award presentations, these will mainly be Technical Categories. Day 2 will see 19 other prestigious trophies handed to deserving winners. As has been the practice before Covid struck; a small section of the general public will have the opportunity to experience at first hand the awe of this lifetime experience festival. Limited Tickets are selling for 200GH Cedis for DAY 1, 500GH Cedis Premium and 300GH Cedis standard for DAY 2. Tickets are exclusively available at Nallem stores, Accra Mall, Xmen, Charterhouse and online at www.ghanamusicawards.comOr via the tickets hotline: 0501288520
The 23rd Vodafone Ghana Music Awards; for the people, the culture, the music…produced by Charterhouse, with support from TV3, DSTV, Twitter, MTV Base, Media Partners and sponsored by VODAFONE….further together.
Although Project Pat — part of the extended Three 6 family Mafia — did not perform with the Memphis group Friday night, he performed some of the collective’s most popular hits including “Slob on my Knob” during his set Saturday.
Audience members of all ages were rapping along to Pat’s classics like “Chickenhead,” “Ooh Nuthin’” and “Choose U.” He lent the stage to some younger local rappers under his MoneyTrain Empire label and students from LYE Academy, who showed off their jookin’ skills for a number of songs including “If You Ain’t From My Hood” and “Break Da Law 2001
Pat and his hype man performed a brief tribute to slain rapper Young Dolph, asking Memphis to do better.
La Chat, one of the two female members of Three 6 Mafia, also joined Pat for a couple songs.
Pat made sure to shout out the Memphis Grizzlies and came out wearing a Grizzles T-shirt with a 9 on the front and 01 on the back, along with matching gold Nikes.
The US Supreme Court could be about to overturn the nationwide legal right to abortion, according to an unprecedented leaked draft of a court document.
In a 98-page draft opinion, Justice Samuel Alito writes that the 1973 Roe v Wade decision legalising abortion across the US is “egregiously wrong”.
If the top US court strikes down the ruling, “trigger laws” could instantly make abortion illegal in 22 US states.
The justices are not expected to issue a ruling until early July.
The 1973 law is in the court’s sights because it is weighing up a challenge to Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, which the justices heard in December.
But the reported threat to Roe v Wade comes at a time when reproductive rights are being threatened in Republican leaning states around the US.
And it sparked immediate outcry from Democrats, and protests – by both pro and anti-abortion supporters – outside the Supreme Court on Monday night.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer – both Democrats – issued a joint statement saying that if the report was accurate, the “Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years”.
“And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
Neither the Supreme Court nor the White House have commented on the leak.
People have been protesting outside the Supreme Court in Washington following the leak
Six of the nine current justices on the court were appointed by Republican presidents. The other three were picked by Democratic presidents.
Politico reports that Justice Alito and four other Republican-appointed justices – Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – were in favour of the move against Roe v Wade but it is not clear how Chief Justice John Roberts will vote.
The leaked document is marked as a “1st Draft” and it was circulated in February, according to Politico.
If issued as a majority ruling, Justice Alito’s opinion would overturn the constitutional right to abortion in the US, paving the way for individual states to ban the procedure altogether, or place more restrictions on it.
The American Civil Liberties Union said that if confirmed, the decision “would deprive half the nation of a fundamental, constitutional right that has been enjoyed by millions of women for over 50 years”.
According to the BBC’s US partner CBS News, the leak itself will cause tremendous damage to one of America’s most respected institutions and likely see a full-blown investigation, involving the FBI, to unmask the source.
Roe v Wade in 1973 gave women in the US an absolute right to an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, and limited rights in the second trimester.
In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v Casey, the court ruled that states could not place an “undue burden” on women seeking abortions before a foetus could survive outside the womb, at about 24 weeks.
There were about 630,000 reported abortions in the US in 2019, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. This was an 18% decrease compared with 2010.
Women in their 20s account for the majority of abortions – in 2019 about 57% were in this age group.
Black Americans get abortions at the highest rate – 27 per 1,000 women aged 15-44.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaians that if voted into power in 2025, a new NDC government will repeal the E-Levy Act.
According to him, the E-levy is only a distortionary and burdensome tax that only forces Ghanaians to pay more while suffering.
Addressing the nation on the theme ‘Ghana At A Crossroads’, on Monday, Mr. Mahama said, “unfortunately in the face of this self-inflicted economic catastrophe, this government against all sound advise has decided to introduce the E-Levy that heaps more suffering on Ghanaians.”
“A new national democratic congress government, God willing, with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana, in 2025 will repeal the E-Levy act,” he added.
The former President explained that even though the NDC is not against taxation, neither will they coin “fanciful” praises to condemn it, E-Levy is regressive and only seeks to overtax the people of Ghana.
“Let’s take for example, a worker gets paid in his electronic wallet, his Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax has been deducted already. For every transfer or purchase above GH¢100 he makes on his e-wallet, he has to pay an additional 1.5% multiple times he uses MoMo,” he stated.
Mr. Mhama said people will now be forced to use more cash than electronic transactions as part of their daily operations.
The former President added that it is even more saddening that the levy was implemented on May Day, when workers were supposed to be celebrated.
The e-levy which kicked in on Sunday, May 1, is expected to see 1.5% levy on e-transactions.
The tax, according to the government, is part of its efforts to generate revenue for development. The tax is expected to rake in close to GH¢6 billion in tax revenue for the country.
Some persons who have made electronic money transactions have complained of varying deductions and unauthorized charges.
Some have taken to social media to mention how charges were made on transfers they made to themselves. Some have also noted, that they were charged for transfers less than GH¢100.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Revenue Authority says it will investigate and refund all wrongful deductions from customers’ mobile money wallets during the first day of the implementation of the Electronic Transaction Levy.
This is due to some technical hitches experienced on the day by some consumers on the various networks.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, has assured the public that plans are underway to fine-tune the implementations of the e- Levy.
However, former President Mahama believes that even with government’s desperation to tax the people, their plans to develop the country with the money may not exceed their expectations.
“Because government’s own budget proposal shows that the e-levy will not make any significant contribution, in resolving our problems, but will exert an adverse toll on the people of Ghana,” he stated.
He added that the government has also been “wasteful” in their expenditure hence the public cannot also be made to pay more taxes only for the accruing money “to be dubiously shared among family and friends.”
“Even as this government remains fixated with taxing their way out of economic mismanagement, the Akufo-Addo government has been wasteful, they failed to demonstrate prudence in public financial management,” Mr. Mahama said.
The Senegal football federation has been hit with a fine of $180,000 by FIFA after their fans and supporters shined a laser light at Egypt’s Mo Salah and other teammates, during the world cup qualification last month. It all happened when the two teams, Egypt and Senegal clashed in the FIFA qualification to determine who qualifies for the Qatar 2022 world cup.
The match ended in a draw after the 90 minutes and penalty kicks had to take place to determine who will advance to the next stage of the competition. Salah one of Egypt’s star players and players of Liverpool had a green laser light shined in his eyes repeatedly and intentionally as they attempted to pay their penalty. As a result, Salah and his teammates missed their kicks and Senegal advanced to the next stage of the competition.
Bringing laser lights to the stadium is against the FIFA Safety security regulations. Fifa makes sure spectators are well checked outside the stadium before they enter, however, how these supporters were able to bring these lasers in still baffles the federation. Due to this FIFA has hit the Senegal football federation with a fine of $180,000 but the results still stand and Egypt is out of the competition.
“As stated in the FIFA Stadium Safety and Security Regulations, laser pointers are considered prohibited items by FIFA and confiscated when the spectators are checked at the outer stadium perimeter,” FIFA said after the incident.
Former captain of the Ghana national team, Asamoah launched his much-anticipated book over the weekend at the Kempinski Hotel on Saturday, April 30.
Titled ‘LeGyandary’, the book chronicles the life and career of Africa’s leading goal scorer at the FIFA World Cup.
The launching of the book took place at the Kempinski hotel in Accra and was graced by lots of personalities including former footballers from Ghana and other parts of the African continent including Emmanuel Adebayor, El Hadji Diouf, Derek Boateng, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, Fataw Dauda, Yusif Chibsah, Augustine Arhinful, Anthony Baffoe and the maestro, Abedi Ayew Pele.
Among other personalities at the event were Members of Parliament, Ministers, Diplomats, business leaders and fans of the former Black Stars captain.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo special guest of honour for the event.
Talking about his book, Gyan revealed his emotional side while acknowledging the support he had received. He also was full of praise for his brother, Baffour Gyan.
“I didn’t expect this level of appreciation. I’m overwhelmed by the love shown,” he said.
“When I started, no one knew who Asamoah Gyan was. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my brother. He’s the one behind my success.”
The government, through the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ibrahim Awal, made the former Black Stars captain, Gyan, a tourism ambassador for the country.
President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr. Joseph Obeng has observed that millions of job seekers in Ghana are unemployable.
Responding to the May Day theme; “Protecting Jobs and Income in the era of covid-19 pandemic and beyond,” Dr. Obeng remarked that hundreds of informal sector jobs are being lost to foreign nationals especially from Togo, Ivory Coast and Lebanon.
“There are millions of jobs scattered around the country. The problem we are facing is not youth unemployment, rather, youth unemployability”, he told Joy Business.
“How could it be that the apparel industry in Ghana is being inundated with dressmakers from Togo and Ivory Coast. How could it be that industrial machines for manufacturing are being manned across our factories by the Chinese and Indians? This is scary”, he lamented.
Government’s strategy of creating jobs include the One District One Factory initiative aimed at providing about 150,000 jobs.
Even with this initiative, many factories, Dr. Obeng revealed, risk accruing losses as there are no skilled professionals to operate the machineries of these factories.
“We can’t resurrect the dark days or industrial revolution when many of our state-owned factories had to shut down because of lack of skilled labour. Government must take vocational training a lot more serious to prevent unemployed crises,” Dr. Obeng stated.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo in his address at the May Day Celebration on Sunday, May 1st, 2022 enumerated interventions being undertaken by government to secure jobs amid post-COVID-19 era.
“This include retraining and retooling of workers, vocational training for technical skill acquisition, among others”.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has prayed for Allah’s blessings for Muslims as they mark this year’s Eid-ul-Fitr festival.
The Eid-ul-Fitr festival marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, and is celebrated during the first three days of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.
It is celebrated to show gratitude to Allah for the help and strength given to Muslims throughout the month of Ramadan.
In his goodwill message on behalf of Members of Parliament, Board and staff of the Parliamentary Service, Alban Bagbin prayed for Allah’s mercies for Muslims and the utmost benefaction of prosperity.
He said, “With sacrifice, compassion and empathy ingrained as one of the most prized bastions of the Islamic faith in celebrating the festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr, I cannot but appreciate the ultimate service to humanity in this holy month of Ramadan (fasting).
“Just as prayers have been offered, seeds sown, alms given, love extended, kindness expressed, it is my ardent prayer that in this period of cleansing, as Allah bestowed His mercy on you, Allah will equally accept your requests, oblation and devotion towards others and bless you with the utmost benefaction of prosperity.
“Greetings on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr to you and your families. On behalf of Members of Parliament, the Board and staff of the Parliamentary Service, I wish you a pleasurable Eid Mubarak.”
Ghanaians do not learn 😔 Diesel tanker down at Ahodwo-Kaase a suburb in Kumasi and see how the local people are rushing to get their piece. What if it explodes?? @GhPoliceService attention 😔 pic.twitter.com/ipDPM00Jyz— Owusu Bempah Ayala (@Akwasi_Ayala) May 1, 2022
“Ghanaians do not learn,” a man identified as Owusu Bempah Ayala tweeted after posting the video.
It will be recalled that on January 20, 2022, an explosion that occurred at Appiatse a town near Bogoso, claimed 13 lives leaving 59 others severely injured, including a 15-month-old baby.
The incident which occurred as a result of an accident involving a truck conveying explosives for a mining company, a motorcycle, and a third vehicle close to an electricity transformer, reduced the town of Appaitse to rubble, killing inhabitants and injuring scores.
Concerns have been raised over the fact that the vehicle could have exploded and could have been a replica of what happened at Appiatse.
Meanwhile, in-house checks have revealed that the implementation of the E-levy has kick-started.
An amount of GH¢450 was used to test the system.
Service Charge
Before the inception of e-levy, the service charge for sending GH¢450 was GH¢4.50. But this time around, the sender was charged GH¢3.38.
This translates into a reduction in the rate from 1% to 0.75% as agreed by the Telecos earlier.
E-Levy
In addition to the service charge of GH¢3.38, it was realised that the sender was charged an extra amount of GH¢5.25, representing a rate of 1.50% not on the entire GH¢450 (transacted amount) but rather the value-added (GH¢350) using GH¢100 as the base line.
Total Charge
With a service charge of GH¢3.38 plus e-levy of GH¢5.25, it means, the sender was charged a gross amount of GH¢8.63 for sending an amount of GHC¢450.
What you need to know about E-levy
Electronic transactions that will not come with a 1.5% tax rate.
A cumulative transfer of ¢100 made by the same person.
Transfers for the payment of taxes, fees and charges on the Ghana.gov platform
Electronic clearing of cheques
Specified merchant payments (that is, payments to commercial establishments registered with the GRA for income tax and VAT purposes)
Transfers between principal, master agent, and agent’s accounts.
Transfers that will be affected include:
Mobile money transfers done between accounts on the same Electronic Money Issuer.
Mobile money transfer to a receiver on another Electronic Money Issuer [Interoperability transfer]
Transfer from a bank account to [another person’s] mobile money account.
From a mobile money account to [another person’s] bank account.
Bank transfers on an instant paid digital platform.
Court Case
On March 29, a Majority-sided Parliament approved the Electronic Transactions (E-Levy) Bill. The Bill was considered under a certificate of urgency.
President Akufo-Addo on March 31, signed the E-levy Bill into law.
But Minority Leader of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, and his colleagues Mahama Ayariga and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, have dragged the Attorney-General to the Supreme Court over the approval of the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-Levy).
They contend that Parliament did not have the required number of at least half of its members present, when the controversial tax policy was approved.
But Attorney-General (A-G) Godfred Yeboah Dame has replied to the matter, saying that 266 MPs participated in the processes leading up to the approval of the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-levy).
According to the A-G, the approval of the E-levy Bill and the subsequent passing into law is constitutional.
He argues that on March 29 when the policy was approved, there were only 274 validly elected Members of Parliament and not 275 because the election of the Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, had been canceled.
The A-G explains that this is a result of a Court of Appeals’ ruling on March 22 which struck out an appeal filed by Mr. Quayson.
The AG, therefore, says the number required to transact Parliamentary business on the said day was 137.
He points out that with the exception of Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, all 137 members of the Majority side were present.
“That there is a constitutional and statutory presumption of regularity of all laws passed in Ghana and therefore an injunction to restrain the enforcement of Act 1075 is unjustified especially as plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate a cause of action, “ Mr. Dame concludes.
May 1, has been earmarked annually to celebrate workers all over the world – International Workers’ Day.
Workers’ Day is celebrated in over 80 countries.
The year 2022 will be no exception to the rule. Already, three hashtags are being circulated on Twitter to spread the achievements of workers.
They are #MayDay, #WorkersDay and #LabourDay.
Social media users are drawing attention to the fact that workers need to be remunerated accordingly, for the work they do.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1520579197923913728&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1520684063706828801&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1520671992558628864&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1520684068945502208&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1520689389806002178&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550px
The first May Day celebration focused on workers took place on May 1, 1890, after its proclamation by the first international congress of socialist parties in Europe on July 14, 1889, in Paris, France, to dedicate May 1st every year as the “Workers Day of International Unity and Solidarity.”
This resulted in the general strike and the Haymarket (in Chicago) Riot of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday.
There’s something about weddings that get me all perked up. The moment I hear the word ‘wedding’, my ears are ever ready for the next info – who, where, when?
Even before the answers are given, the outfit I’d wear has already been visualised, whether it be a new one to be sewn or an old one I was holding on to, waiting for the right occasion. Even right now, I’m halfway through the plans I have for a wedding happening in September, this year.
So, I like weddings. Sue me!
There are lots of things I love about weddings.
Firstly, there is an avenue for you to see your friend, a sister, a cousin, or whoever it is tying the knot. You see their happiness fully expressed in their smiles and in their eyes, and you cannot help but be as equally happy for them.
When you know the couple a little deeper, you know it took a long walk in the park for some of them to get to that altar. So, aside from being deliriously ecstatic, every chance you get, you pray for them and their journey ahead.
I once served as a bridesmaid – making sure the bride was set, calming her nerves, sitting at the gift table and whatnot. An exhilarating feeling comes with performing such duties because no matter how small, they go a long way to ensure a wedding is without a hitch.
The feeling of knowing you’re part of someone’s journey to a new life, closing your eyes now and then to pray for nothing but the best for the couple is an experience people should openly embrace.
Also, there is food, music, and lots of dancing – yes, lots and lots of it.
Haven’t seen your colleagues for a while? Go to weddings, they’re all there. Meeting friends, and former classmates at a place where you all can let your hair down, inhibitions go, dance, eat and have fun while celebrating one of yours is a wonderful reunion if you ask me.
Unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard to be exhilarated about weddings when every chance people get, they throw questions like “when is yours?”, “what are you waiting for?” and “aren’t you getting old?”.
They get to hurl these queries at me just because I love weddings.
Sometime in 2021, a taxi driver asked me if I was still in school and I answered ‘No’. His next question was pretty predictable but still saddened me.
Taxi Driver: Are you working? Me: Yes Taxi Driver: Are you married? Me: No Taxi Driver: Do you have a boyfriend? Me: No Taxi Driver: What are you waiting for? You are not growing any younger oo, be there, don’t date and see. You will grow old and nobody would want you. Girls these days, you people don’t cherish marriages and relationships. You think you have all the time in the world.
I was irked by his utterances and wanted to lash out at him but I refrained. Instead, I prayed for the car to magically fly to my destination. Thankfully, I arrived safely and immediately stepped out.
Had it been Uber or Bolt, I surely would have rated him a one star, and probably lodge a hefty complaint against him.
I simply couldn’t assimilate how a total stranger will look me in the eye and carelessly utter such words without considering how I felt, what I was going through, or at least my experiences.
To him, his statements were harmless, but on the contrary, they caused pain and made me feel helpless as the receiver of the message. It was not his business; so, he should have paddled his own canoe and not jump into mine.
After everything I have fought to be, the heights I have reached – even if not much to account for – and the dreams I still have in life, my very existence being limited to marriage is quite sad.
That is not all. It gets rather interesting when the family becomes the perpetrators of what you dread most.
Growing up, I have always seen and heard the elders give the “marriage talk”, as I call it, to the young ladies that they believed had hit their prime and were ready for marriage. So, I did not expect anything less.
Looking back on my family, I thought I would most certainly get the long end of the stick – little to no rebuke on why I am single at a certain age. But alas, that was not to be.
Perhaps the most shocking moment for me in this age, where I am berated with questions on when I will find a man, marry and (if the answer to all this is uncertainty) the ‘you are getting old’ statements, was when my mum sent me her most surprising video yet.
Well, just close your eyes and imagine;
You are fast asleep on a Saturday morning. Because of exhaustion from the week’s activities, your plan for the previous Friday was to sleep in, so getting up at 4:30 am is unexpected. But a notification from your phone manages to pierce through that exhaustion somewhere deep in your sleep.
Even though you are barely awake, you reach for your phone to unlock it and notice the message is from your mother. It puts a kick in you to be more alert if you don’t get messages from your parents at such unusual hours because surely it must be of real importance, if this woman sends a message at such a time.
You see a video when you open the chat and this raises your eyebrow. What possibly does this woman want to say that couldn’t wait till morning? One that warranted a video at that.
Nonetheless, you download and in the first second you see someone say “This is the BEST prayer to help you get married.”
Eeeei!! This woman!!! I don’t know your reaction, but mine was just to laugh out of shock.
I could not help myself. Here I was thinking this woman was letting me be, but she had other plans.
That’s when I realised I had arrived! I had arrived at the age where sometimes unsavoury questions and comments about my age and marital status would not just be a passerby in my life.
I am sure women of marrying age, I should say, get all the talks from their parents, neighbours, friends and whatnot. But have any of them sent you a video because of that? If not, thank your stars, my sister and I pray that it stays that way.
Let me say this, I am not anti-marriage. Far from it, I am pro-marriage but until I am married, regardless of how long it takes, I don’t think I should be bombarded with statements and questions covertly criticising and shaming me for being single.
I don’t deserve it and neither does any single woman on this earth. Let me re-emphasise again. A woman’s worth is not derived from her partner. She is worthy on her own. However, continuously being a successful person is dependent on one’s partner. So, why rush to go for one that would ruin you instead of building you?
Good things come to those who wait.
I will continue to enjoy weddings and tune out all the ‘when is yours’ questions though. Because it kills my vibe.
So, while I am attending all these and working so hard for myself, I will use my left eye to search for a good man to be my life partner. I agree “man no be firewood.” I am still pro-marriage.
But until then, ‘abeg’ let’s get dressed and get our butts to a wedding!!! Crash one if you’re bored at home on a weekend.
And until we marry and even after, we will still go to all the weddings we have to, because what’s life without a little celebration?
LAPD sources tell TMZ, the guns they found at the rapper’s home did not match the gun used in the shooting … now for the bad news.
Our LAPD sources say they have video of the shooting in their possession … presumably from a surveillance camera. A$AP was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon … cops believe he shot a man in Hollywood last November during an argument, grazing his hand.
If the video is clear enough, it could be bad news for A$AP. The video could be even more powerful evidence than the gun itself.
Speaking of the guns … we’ve now learned cops did indeed find multiple weapons when they executed a search warrant on his house last week, but they determined on the spot they were not the weapon they were looking for.
In fact, we’re told cops found shell casings at the crime scene, so they knew the type of caliber, and none of the guns at A$AP’s home were a match.
We’re told cops ran the serial number on the guns and they were all legally acquired. Turns out our Rocky sources were correct … police didn’t take the guns to the station – they left them at Rocky’s house.
Director James Cameron returns to direct the long-awaited sequel to the 2009 hit, officially titled “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
Disney unveiled new footage of the movie at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Wednesday, with guests reportedly given 3D glasses for the viewing.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” will follow the Sully family as they fight to stay alive.
The film’s first trailer will debut in theaters before Marvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” on May 6.
The sequel stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Edie Falco, Cliff Curtis and Jemaine Clement.
To build anticipation of the film, Disney is set to re-release “Avatar” in theaters on Sept. 23.
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” the first of four planned sequels, is scheduled to release Dec. 16.
The experiences of panicked concertgoers who couldn’t breathe and had no clear path to escape a massive crowd surge at last year’s deadly Astroworld music festival in Houston are featured in a documentary set for release on Friday.
But lawyers for Live Nation, which is being sued for its role as the festival’s promoter, say they’re concerned that publicity from the documentary, Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy, could “taint the jury pool.”
A gag order has been issued in the case, but Live Nation’s lawyers say an attorney who filed lawsuits related to the tragedy also co-produced the documentary.
Charlie Minn, the film’s director, said he believes he has made a balanced and fair film that tries to show the public what happened.
“My job is to make the most truthful, honest, sincere documentary from the victim’s point of view … We need to know about these stories to prevent it from happening again,” Minn told The Associated Press.
Around 500 lawsuits have been filed following the Nov. 5 concert headlined by Scott, a popular rapper. Ten people died and hundreds of others were injured during the massive crowd surge. Scott is also being sued.
The documentary, opening in 11 Texas cities including Austin, Dallas and Houston, includes interviews with several people who survived the crowd surge. The film also features cellphone video shot by concertgoers in which people can be heard repeatedly screaming for help.
“It’s hard to explain to friends and family what we saw and what we actually went through and I think (the documentary) will give a lot of people the opportunity, if you weren’t there, to understand,” said Frank Alvarez, who attended the concert but does not appear in the film.
The film highlights what concertgoers experienced and what led to the tragedy, said Minn, who has also made documentaries about the deadly 2018 shooting at a suburban Houston high school and violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The film suggests Scott could have done more to prevent the conditions that led to the casualties, but Minn said it isn’t a “hit piece toward Travis Scott.” He said it also questions whether others, including Live Nation and Houston police, could have done more to improve safety or respond more quickly to the danger.
Minn said Scott, Live Nation and Houston police declined to be interviewed for the documentary. Houston police are investigating the disaster.
In a report released this month, a task force created by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott uncovered problems with permits for such events and called for “clearly outlined triggers” for stopping such a show.
Attorneys for Live Nation expressed their concerns in a letter this month to state District Judge Kristen Hawkins, who is handling all pretrial matters in the lawsuits.
“The involvement of plaintiffs’ lawyers in the film, and the publicity the filmmakers and producers are trying to generate for it raise significant issues about efforts to taint the jury pool,” Neal Manne and Kevin Yankowsky, two of Live Nation’s attorneys, wrote in the letter.
But the attorneys have not asked Hawkins to take any specific action regarding the documentary.
Manne and Yankowsky did not respond to emails seeking comment. Live Nation has said it’s “heartbroken” by what happened but has denied responsibility.
Scott’s attorneys said in an email Thursday that they don’t know if he has seen the documentary, and referred to the concerns raised by Live Nation when asked if they had any issues with it.
“Mr. Scott remains focused on his philanthropic work in his hometown of Houston and in lower-income communities of color across the country, both of which are longstanding efforts,” his attorneys said.
Cassandra Burke Robertson, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said she would be shocked if the judge would take any action regarding the documentary because of First Amendment concerns, even with the gag order.
“I think the public interest here in exploring what happened and avoiding similar tragedies in the future, that’s a really big interest. That is likely to outweigh the interests of the particular outcome of the particular lawsuit,” Robertson said.
Brent Coon, an attorney representing about 1,500 concertgoers who was interviewed in the documentary, said he doesn’t think the film would impact the ability to choose an impartial jury if the case goes to trial, which could be years away.
“I don’t think any lawyer, in this case, could fan the flames much to change … what the public’s perception of all this is going to be,” Coon said.
Robertson, who is not involved in the litigation, said the fact that one of the film’s co-producers, Rick Ramos, is representing concertgoers who have filed lawsuits could raise some ethical concerns. It was unclear how Ramos was benefitting financially from his involvement in the documentary.
Ramos declined to comment Thursday.
“I personally would not co-sponsor something like that during pending civil litigation. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. It’s just something I wouldn’t do,” Coon said.
Minn said the questions asked about Ramos’ participation are valid but he never hid his involvement.
“People have to watch the film and judge it for what that is,” Minn said.
Attorney-General (A-G) Godfred Yeboah Dame says 266 MPs participated in the processes leading up to the approval of the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-levy).
The A-G makes specific reference to the Second Reading of the tax policy, stating that 266 members were present when the question was put on the floor.
On the actual approval of the policy, Mr. Dame says voting was by a voice vote and therefore allegations about the number present are immaterial.
Minority Leader, Haruna Idrissu, and his colleagues Mahama Ayariga and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa have sued the A-G at the Supreme Court seeking to set aside the tax policy.
They contend that Parliament did not have the constitutional threshold of half of its members present when the policy was approved.
The A-G disagrees.
Documents filed on his behalf urge the Supreme Court not to stop the E-levy from taking off on May 1 or even set aside the policy entirely.
He argues that on March 29 when the policy was approved, there were only 274 validly elected Members of Parliament and not 275 because the election of the Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, had been canceled.
The A-G explains that this is a result of a Court of Appeals’ ruling on March 22 which struck out an appeal filed by Mr. Quayson.
The AG, therefore, says the number required to transact Parliamentary business on the said day was 137.
He points out that with the exception of Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, all 137 members of the Majority side were present.
“That there is a constitutional and statutory presumption of regularity of all laws passed in Ghana and therefore an injunction to restrain the enforcement of Act 1075 is unjustified especially as plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate a cause of action, “ Mr. Dame concludes.
Ghana as a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is joining the world and other member nations to celebrate this year’s International Girls in ICT Day.
The programme which is earmarked to expose girls to technology and related subjects is being celebrated in Ghana this year in some five regions namely, Bono East, Bono, Savana and Northern region.
The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, in a short message said Ghana remains committed to the ITU and it’s activities which aims to make the use of technology easier for female students.
The message partly read “we are delighted to celebrate International Girls in ICT Day on 28th April, the day set aside for each year, under the theme “Access and Safety”.
“We remain committed to the three main goals of the Girls-in-ICT Initiative which is to encourage girls and young women to pursue ICT education, Inspire girls and young women to work in ICT careers and also Engage the community and promote collaboration through partnerships”, she added.
The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has celebrated the Girls-in-ICT Initiative since it’s launch in 2012 by targeting young girls and young ladies at the Basic, Secondary and Tertiary level to enhance and direct attention to ICT careers, reducing the barriers creating access and improving online safety.
Since 2018, we have chosen to celebrate the Girls In ICT (GIICT) programme throughout the year and expanded its reach on a regional rotation basis to introduce more girls across the country to the wonders of digital technology.
“This year, our GIICT program will cover 5 Regions, and train 500 ICT Teachers and 5,000 Girls. At the secondary and tertiary levels, 100,000 high school girls,100 tertiary students, 100 teachers and parents will also benefit from the training. For the first time, in 2021, 75 female students in tertiary institutions were trained in Cyber Security, artificial intelligence, block chain and other cutting edge digital technologies”.
The programme has also been enriched in Ghana with Open Days and mentorship from female ICT professionals.
The participants get the opportunity to network with ICT industry players and women achievers in their workplace who encourage them to aspire for greatness in this exciting industry.
Strategic partners have been supporting these interventions to bridge the gender digital divide and promote a Safer Digital Ghana.
The statement adds, to sustain the interest and to track the girls on the GIICT initiatives, “we are developing a web portal to serve as a key education resource and information hub for further knowledge acquisition and networking.”
“As we leave footprints across the country and ignite interest in ICT in girls nationwide, the demand for inclusion in this exciting initiative has increased. We look forward to working with more private sector players, development partner stakeholders and interested individuals to expand the scope of this initiative to include more girls.”
“Today, we add our voice to others across the world to say ‘Girls in ICT, accessing ICTs safely”, statement concluded.
Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, Constance Adomaa Takyi says they have enabled the French Ambassador to act freely to support the Creative Arts sector.
In an interview with Andy Dosty on Daybreak Hitz, Madam Takyi debunked claims made by rapper Guru that the French Ambassador is working harder than the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture.
On April 24, the rapper took to Twitter to call out the Ministry over their failure to prioritize the needs of creatives and, also put their works out to the rest of the world.
He wrote: “Our France Ambassador is working harder than our Creative and Tourism Ministry. Appreciate her energy.”
However, Constance Adomaa Takyi describes his statement as “untrue” and “unfortunate”.
According to her, Guru and another person comparing the role of the ministry and the ambassador are getting it all wrong.
“It’s unfortunate but certainly not true. Guru is comparing two different things. The Ministry exists with a different mandate and the embassy’s diplomatic missions also exist and has other mandates. If the ambassador is also working in-line to promote the arts, I don’t see anything wrong with that,” she said.
PRO for Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Constance Adomaa Takyi
She also outlined that the ministry has been able to set the tone for the free flow of engagements between the French Ambassador and the Creative sector.
“We have set the tone for her to have the enabler to freely do her work. She is also supposed to promote her country so if she thinks Arts and culture are what will help her it’s not wrong.”
Twitter says it has “established a legal entity in Nigeria”, months after the social media firm agreed to conditions set out by the government for its service to be restored in the country.
Media personality Berlinda Addardey, popularly known as Berla Mundi, has indicated that she gets shocked when people say that her life and work inspire them.
According to Berla, she sees herself as a regular person and believes that many fear to venture out in life because of the many challenges that might confront them.
“Everyone is born for a reason and a divine purpose. You can admire someone but don’t desire to be them. God put each of us in the world for an agenda and I see Him working through my talent for His glory.”
An inspirational Berla who appeared on Rev. Albert Ocran’s Springboard Virtual University Programme which airs on Joy FM on Sundays at 7 pm, indicated that she got the name Berla Mundi from a friend while on campus.
“On my first day on TV, I was asked what name I would like to use, and I gave it to them. I found out later that ‘Mundi’ means the world, so I tell myself I own my world.
In 2010, Berla Mundi joined ten other young ladies in the Miss Malaika beauty pageant. Berla was hopeful of winning the competition.
Her performance on the night was scintillating and the crown was just inches from her grasp. But a question posed to her on “Who is an African” became her undoing. She froze when it mattered the most and saw the crown slip away.
Today, Berla looks back with conviction and says not winning the Miss Malaika beauty pageant was a blessing in disguise.
The exposure from that pageant somehow became the springboard for her rise in the media. As a child she always knew she wanted to be in front of the cameras
“I grew up imagining myself in front of the camera. I would hold a cane and address the various rungs of our staircase at home and cane them if I felt they were not listening.”
Berla Mundi is an alumnus of St. Theresa’s School at North Kaneshie and Achimota School, where she studied Literature, Economics, and Government.
She continued to the University of Ghana, where she studied English and Linguistics for her first degree. She then did her Master’s in Public Relations at the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Berla is worried that many young people are uninformed about the professional options open to them, noting, that there is no place to go for help, and parents who should be helping them are themselves often very busy with work.
She again expressed concern about the general lack of awareness of money management principles.
“People must learn about money management at an early age. I used to save my pocket money to the surprise of my dad, who was a banker. I now advocate financial literacy as an influencer for a financial institution.”
Berla is passionate about making a difference. To this end, she has set up the ‘B. You’ project aimed at empowering young women to make impactful decisions in life.
Her project affords the opportunity for mentors like herself to honestly share about their own struggles, challenges, failures, and anxieties in life as they work with the young ladies.
She described her mum, her sister, Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh and Dzigbordi Dosoo as her angels and mentors constantly propelling her to greater heights in life.
When the story of Berla Mundi is being written someday, she wants it to reflect a woman who built a close-knit, transparent, and loving family, different from what she saw while growing up, and with God right at the center of it.
Chairperson of Agribusiness at the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Fatima Ali Mohammed has reiterated the need to engage the youth in the value chain of agribusiness.
According to her, young people have the potential to develop ideas to help grow the agric sector.
Speaking to the media at the Ghana Agriculture and Agro-Processing Awards, Ms. Ali Mohammed said government must involve the youth in information technology to provide technical solutions to the problems facing the sector.
“We need to engage the youth in technology. All over the world, technology is driving development through the engagement of the youth. We must start working with the youth to find solutions to our problems”, she said.
Ms. Ali Mohammed further said the sustainability of the sector depends on proper incentives and awards to the young men and women.
“If we give the youth a reason to do more, I think we can sustain this sector. The government should be willing to give them awards and prizes and that will help them so much in that quest “She added
Director for Market Development and Market Promotion at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Agnes Gifty Adjei Sam after winning an award pledged to continue to work hard to promote investments in agribusiness to help tackle inflation caused by increase in the prices of foodstuff.
“We are happy by the honour done us on this august occasion of the industry’s national annual awards. We are proud that our efforts to enable more people to create and secure a better future are being recognized”.
She maintained that agriculture remains a key component in achieving a stable economy.
“As a leading brand, we shall continue to drive innovative agribusiness solutions that truly serve the needs of Ghanaians, “she said.
The Ghana Agriculture and Agro-Processing Awards brought together players in the agriculture industry to recognise the achievements of local and international companies involved in the sector.
The awards also recognised the industry’s merits and set a benchmark for excellence.
MTN Ghana recorded a year-on-year growth in profit of 53.7% to ¢707.4 million in the first quarter of this year.
Mobile money contributed ¢515 million to the bottom-line.
According to its audited first quarter 2022 Financial Report, it also paid ¢685 million in direct and indirect taxes to government during the period, representing 29.1% of total revenue.
Mobile subscribers increased by 8.4% to ¢27.1 million, whilst active data subscribers went up by 14.4% to ¢12.8 million and active Mobile Money (MoMo) users grew by 7.7% to ¢11.7 million.
MTN Ghana delivered a 34.5% year-on-year increase in service revenue driven by growth in voice, data and MoMo.
This growth was underpinned by the continued execution of its Ambition 2025 Strategy and sustained investments of ¢277 million in capital projects (capex) to support improvements in service quality and the expansion of network capacity and coverage.
“In the quarter, we rolled out 62 2G, 59 3G and 352 4G sites and modernized 301 4G sites which supported the increase in 4G coverage by 1.2pp to 91.8%. We also continued to invest in digitising our customer service and improving the Ayoba super app and the flagship MyMTN app. These efforts, along with our CVM and other customer experience initiatives, helped to grow our subscriber base to 27.1 million”, the statement said.
Voice revenue grew by 16.9% year-on-year to ¢785 million. The contribution of voice to service revenue declined from 38.5% to 33.4% year-on-year in favour of increased contribution from data.
Active data subscribers grew to ¢12.8 million and helped drive a 64.4% year-on-year growth in data revenue to ¢872 million. This was further bolstered by growth in the number of smartphones on the network (+5.8% year-on-year), data traffic (+51.3% year-on-year) and megabytes consumed per active subscriber (+32.3% year-on-year).
Outlook
MTN Ghana said “we will continue to execute on our Ambition 2025 strategy to drive growth and efficiencies in the business, as we navigate rising macro environment challenges and prepare for new regulatory developments such as the E-Levy.”
“We maintain our medium-term guidance for service revenue growth of high teens (in percentage terms)”, it added.
Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 96 last week, is the longest-reigning monarch in Britain’s history.
She ascended to the throne in 1952, 70 years ago. When she dies, it will mark the first time for most people that they will witness a change in the monarch in the United Kingdom. So … what would happen next?
When the queen dies, what happens?
According to British historian Andrew Roberts, right after the queen takes her final breath, her private secretary, Edward Young, will call Prime Minister Boris Johnson and inform him of her death. Then the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (think of them as the queen’s advisors) is informed, followed by various official notifications that go out to the civil service.
Once the Privy Council is informed, there’s a plan to try and get the flags of all official buildings flown at half-mast within 10 minutes.
“There is going to be a huge sort of scramble to make sure from Number 10 Downing Street to every other building they get the flags at half-mast,” Roberts explained.
Later that day — or the next day, depending how late she passes — the prime minister will make a statement paired with a minute of silence.
Queen Elizabeth actually made an announcement in February 2022 stating her desires for the public to support her son and Camilla after her death.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me,” she stated. “And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as queen consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
“There is no gap whatsoever in the marquis,” Roberts said. “The line, ‘The queen is dead. Long live the king’ is the way to look at this. There’s not a second in history where there isn’t a monarch.”
The Privy Council will meet the Accession Council — a ceremonial body which assembles in St. James’s Palace upon the death of a monarch — the day after the queen dies. They will officially proclaim Charles the king of England.
However, don’t expect his coronation ceremony to happen for at least a few months after the queen’s passing. After all, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation ceremony didn’t happen until more than a year after her father’s death.
When would the queen’s funeral be?
Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is expected to happen 10 days after her death, Roberts said. During that time, the queen will most likely lie in state and the public will have an opportunity to come and pay their respects.
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