German Embassy Increases Visa Fees

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany has announced an upward adjustment in the fees for application for all short-term visas valid for all Schengen countries beginning from January 1, 2007.

This is the result of the decision by the Council of the European Union to raise the fee for the handling of short-period visa applications.The Schengen countries in Ghana are Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and the Belgian Visa Office attached to the Embassy of The Netherlands.

From January 1, 2007, 60 euros (about �720,000) will be charged for airport transit visa (Category A), transit visa (Category B) and short-stay visa (1-90 days) instead of the current 35 euros (about �420,000).A release from the German Embassy said national long-stay visa (Category D) fees would, however, remain unchanged.

It said the new visa fees were also to apply in those cases where a particular Schengen mission issued visa on behalf of Schengen partners without resident missions in Ghana, such as when the Danish Mission issued visas on behalf of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland and France for Austria.

The release said the current fee of 35 euros for the processing of visa applications had proved not to be sufficient any more to cover the ever-increasing administrative cost of the issuance of such visas.It added that the problem would be aggravated further with the future introduction of the collection of the visa applicant�s biometrics data (fingerprints, among others).

The release explained that those measures were expected to put an additional financial burden on the Schengen partners� foreign missions for personnel, advance computer systems and other necessary changes to their respective visa sections.

It said, however, that the visa fees might be waived for the following groups of visa applicants, irrespective of their nationality:Children below the age of six years, pupils, students only when applying for student or education-related purposes, teachers who accompany pupils or students on educational journeys or training purposes and scientists who pursue specific research projects in one or more Schengen partner states.
Source:Graphic

Construction Union asks Ghana@50 Secretariat to seek technical advice

The Construction and Builders Materials Workers' Union of the Trade Union Congress (CBMWU) have cautioned officials of Ghana@50 Secretariat, not to pursue the execution of projects without professional advice, in order to avoid structural defects that may lead to disaster.

The Union, which gave the caution on Friday, said in view of the limited time for the execution of the projects to facilitate the Golden Jubilee celebration of Ghana's Independence on March 6, 2007, there was the need to avoid hasty works that may cost lives.

Mr Pious Quainoo, General Secretary of the CBMWU, who gave the advice while addressing a workshop for members of staff of the Union in Accra, said the celebration should be used to showcase the country as having matured in construction practices n consonance with international standards.

He thereforlge called on the government to initiate investigations into reasons why some public buildings collapse soon after construction, adding that the anomaly is detrimental to the interest of the nation and the tax payer in general.

Mr Quainoo also called on government to oust employers in the construction industry who cunningly adopts measures to evade tax, exploit workers through low wage and use casual labour system to avoid payment of social security through permanent employment.

Mr said unregulated, unprotected, insecure and indecent practices which did not guarantee the health and safety conditions at construction sites must be reversed.He said the practice whereby employers did what they pleased with the fate of workers, irrespective of the Labour law was "at variance with the United Nation's Declaration of Human Rights".

Mr Quainoo asked workers who do not belong to trade unions to join to enable them assert their rights.He said employers should associate themselves with various Employers Associations so that they would be abreast with basic employment standards.

"The conditions under which construction workers were treated right in the capital and major urban cities under full glare of public authorities on major public projects are worrisome."He called on the Government, Parliament, the Media, development partners, and civil society organisations to join hands with CBMWU to improve the lot of casual workers in the country.
Source:GNA

Churches urged to pay fines for convicts

Churches should consider paying fines imposed on convicts by the courts as a means of decongesting the prisons, Mr Ambrose Imoro Salifu, Ashanti Regional Commander of Prisons, has suggested.

Mr Salifu said the major problem facing the prisons was the large numbers of remand prisoners, which had overstretched facilities thus compelling inmates to sleep in turns, a situation he described as injurious to their health.

The Regional Prison Commander was speaking when the Most Reverend Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, paid his 36th annual visit to the Kumasi Central Prisons on Boxing Day to share the word of God with the inmates and the prison officials.

Mr Salifu explained that some of the inmates were in the prisons just because they were unable to pay minor fines imposed on them by the courts and if churches paid such fines it would help to decongest the prisons. He commended the Catholic Church for its regular support to prisons in the Ashanti Region and appealed to the Government to increase the feeding allowance of 4,000 cedis per day for every inmate.

Most Reverend Sarpong appealed to the Government to grant mass amnesty to some prisoners in the country to mark the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence. He explained that such a gesture would not only decongest the nation’s overcrowded prisons but would also reconcile the nation as well as heal the wounds of affected families.

Archbishop Sarpong called on the inmates not to see themselves as outcasts, who have come to the end of the road but to use their period of incarceration to take stock of their lives; forgive themselves and to plan towards life after serving their jail terms. He commended the prison authorities for allowing him to adopt the prisons in the Region ever since he became Bishop, which had enabled him to preach and interact with the inmates.

The Most Rev Gabriel Justice Anokye, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese, preaching the sermon, called on Christians to pray for both the inmates and the prison personnel to enable them to work and live peacefully. He lamented over the increasing spate of injustices in the country as a result of some law enforcing agencies not doing the right thing which in turn sent some innocent people into prison.

Bishop Anokye appealed to the society to avoid condemning people in prison custody since as he put it, not all of them have committed crimes, as some were thrown into jail due to false accusations.GNA

The IFJ Condemns the Brutal Murder of a Journalist in Nigeria

The International Federation of Journalists, (IFJ), on Wednesday condemned, in strongest terms, the brutal murder of the Chairman of the Editorial Board of "This Day" Newspaper, Godwin Agbroko, on Friday night, December 22, 2006. Godwin Agbroko was shot while on his way home after leaving his office.

"The nature of the killing suggested that Agbroko was specifically targeted for murder, as all his personal belongings in the car were not touched," Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ, Africa Office said.

"We call on the Nigerian Government to launch a thorough investigation into this inhumane act and to ensure that those responsible for this heinous act are brought to justice." The IFJ is deeply concerned with the growing number of journalists murdered with impunity in Nigeria.

It could be recalled that Omololu Falobi, former editor of the Punch Newspaper and chairman of the network of Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) was also shot and killed in October 2006. His killers are yet to be brought to justice. In the same vein the murderers of Dela Giwa are still at large, 20 years after his murder.

The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 110 countriesGNA

White Chapel entangles itself in tax evasion

The Value Added Tax (VAT) Service on Wednesday closed the White Chapel Store in Accra again for defaulting in 2.4 billion cedis tax payment for three years. The Service had closed the Store last week and secured the place with its locks and keys but the store was illegally opened and doing business. Business was in full swing when a combined team of officials of the Enforcement and Debt Management Unit of the VAT Service and Police personnel arrived at the store at 1600 hours.

The officials could not locate the Director, Mr Daniel Ofori, and the Police arrested and handcuffed Richard Ohemeng, a Sales Assistant who they said was not co-operating with them on directing them to those responsible for the store's operation.

Exchanges between the police and other personnel in the Store intensified outside the White Chapel Building, when a mob heckled the tax officials with the intent of releasing Ohemeng but that was to no avail. The crowd destroyed a file of the VAT officers, poured water on the police personnel, attempted to seize the cap of an officer and tried to destroy the camera of GTV crew but a re-enforcement soon arrived and restored order.

The police picked some identifiable troublemakers in the crowd and sent them to the Greater Accra Regional Police Headquarters. Mr. Henry Sam, Revenue Official of the Debt Enforcement and Management Unit of the VAT Service, who invoked sections 34 and 70 of the VAT Laws said the Service would be compelled to auction the goods in the store to defray the amount in default after the 14 days' grace period after the closure.

He said negotiations with the management of the store to pay its VAT debt had not been fruitful, adding that the VAT Service was compelled under the circumstance to close the store. Mr Sam warned companies and other stores who had defaulted in the payment of their VAT returns to take a cue from the action.

He could however, not tell total number of organisations in arrears and the total indebtedness to the Service.GNA

Grant mass amnesty to prisoners at Ghana’s 50th anniversary - Archbishop

The Most Reverend Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, has appealed to the Government to grant mass amnesty to some prisoners in the country to mark the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence.



He explained that such a gesture would not only decongest the nation’s overcrowded prisons but would also reconcile the nation as well as heal the wounds of affected families. Archbishop Sarpong made the appeal during his 36th annual visit to the Kumasi Central Prisons on the Boxing Day to share the word of God with the inmates and the prison officials.



He, however, called on the inmates not to see themselves as outcasts, who have come to the end of the road but use the period to take stock of their lives, forgive themselves and plan towards life after serving their jail terms. He commended the prison authorities for allowing him to adopt the prisons in the Region ever since he became Bishop, which had enabled him to preach and share the word of God with the inmates.




The Most Rev Gabriel Justice Anokye, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese, preaching the sermon, called on Christians to pray for both the inmates and the prison personnel to enable them to work and live peacefully. He lamented over the increasing spate of injustices in the country as a result of some law enforcing agencies not doing the right thing which in turn sent some innocent people into prison.



Bishop Anokye appealed to the society to avoid condemning people in prison custody since as he put it, “not all of them have committed crimes, as some were thrown into jail due to false accusations”.





Mr Ambrose Imoro Salifu, the Ashanti Regional Commander of Prisons, said the major problem facing his outfit now was the large numbers of remand prisoners had overstretched facilities compelling inmates to sleep in turns a situation he described as injurious to their health. He commended the Catholic Church for its regular support to prisons in the Region and appealed to the Government to increase the feeding allowance of 4,000 cedis for every inmate per day.




Mr Salifu also appealed to the Catholic Church to consider adopting measures to help to pay the minor fines imposed by the courts on some people who could not pay and thus landed them into jail as a way of decongesting the prisons.GNA

Disappointed Muslim pilgrims return home

Muslim pilgrims within the premises of the Aviance Cargo Village, near the Kotoka International Airport, who were waiting for a flight to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, have left for their various homes after learning that their trip was no longer possible.

Numbering over 1,000, the pilgrims who had come from all the regions had paid 20 million cedis each for their trip and spent periods ranging from a few days to three weeks within the premises of Aviance Cargo, as they waited for a flight to send them to Saudi Arabia.

Earlier in the week, two chartered flights sent about 400 of the stranded pilgrims to the Saudi Arabia, leaving about 1,000. The Ghana News Agency (GNA) discovered that by 1400 hours on Wednesday, the Aviance Cargo premises were almost empty with only a few of the pilgrims packing their belongings.

The pilgrims, who had earlier shown a lot of hope and courage even when their fate was quite bleak, looked quite resigned to their predicament.A pilgrim, Baba, said he together with others had travelled all the way from the Northern Region in three cars."Apart from the money we have paid; just imagine the other expenses and the inconvenience. Now we have to travel all the way back," he said.

One lady said, "I do not have a cedi left. After waiting here for more than one week, I have spent all the money I had. I only pray that I can borrow some money that would enable me to go back to Nsawam where I came from".Asked whether they still hoped to embark upon the pilgrimage the next time round, the pilgrims said they certainly would once they were still alive.

They said what was most important was for the present Hajj Council to be dissolved to make way for a more competent body that would not repeat the same mistakes.During the period of their wait, the pilgrims could make no contact with the Hajj Council Board members. They said while their offices were closed, none of them came to explain the situation to them. The pilgrims described this as most unfortunate since the Council members were directly responsible to facilitate their trip to the Holy Land.

They said they had been informed that their money would be refunded to them in due course.Ghanaian authorities had tried in vain to negotiate with Saudi authorities to extend the time of closure of the Jeddah Airport. By tradition, the Airport is closed to flights a few days to the beginning of the rituals of the Hajj.

Failure by pilgrims to make it to the Holy Land by the deadline means that they would have to abandon the Hajj for that particular year.The National Hajj Council on Wednesday gave up its efforts to fly hundreds of Muslims to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj because it was unable to secure extension of the deadline for its plane to land in that country.

"The National Hajj Council wishes to inform all prospective pilgrims and the general public that despite the frantic efforts made by the Government and the Mission in Jeddah, unfortunately extension (to land in Jeddah) was not granted,=94 it said in a statement issued in Accra."In view of this, pilgrims cannot be air lifted to the Kingdom to perform this year's Hajj."The statement said a substantial number of pilgrims had already been transported to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj.

The National Hajj Council is consulting all stake holders on the way forward and will provide a full statement on Friday 29th December, 2006 at 1000 hours at the International Press Centre,=94 it said.

The Council reiterates that they will continue to generate relationships with all and sundry, especially the Government and affected pilgrims in order to protect the interests of all,=94 it said.
Source:GNA