Malaria strikes Two Brittish Girls On trial For Carrying Drugs

The two British schoolgirls accused of trying to smuggle £300,000 of cocaine out of Africa have both been struck down by malaria.Yetunde Diya and Yasemin Vatansever, who are both 16, were rushed into hospital after falling ill with fevers and flu-like symptons.Last night a narcotics officer who has been helping to look after them said: "Both girls have been very unwell - they are weak and listless.

"The pair - who each accepted £3,000 and a free holiday in return for "carrying a package" - are being held in squalid conditions in between court appearances.Their concrete cell is in a narcotics department building surrounded by open sewers - the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes which carry the disease that kills three million people a year.They are only allowed out for a daily shower, court appearances and - now - weekly trips to the hospital for treatment.

The girls, both students from North London, were arrested at the end of June as they tried to board a British Airways flight in Ghana. They were each carrying a laptop bag with 7lbs of cocaine stashed in secret pockets.They have both pleaded not guilty to drug smuggling. In July the Sunday Mirror was the first paper to gain access to the girls, who told us: "We have been stitched up. We just want to go home."The two former friends now barely speak, with Yetunde blaming Yasemin for persuading her to take part.Their trial is expected to last another fortnight. If found guilty they face up to three years behind bars in Ghana.
Source:sundaymirror.

System Failure rocks Akosombo

A system collapse experienced by the Volta River Authority (VRA) caused a nationwide shutdown on Thursday afternoon.
"Our system collapsed at 12:06 pm this afternoon. It affected the whole country," Ms Abla Fiadjoe, Ag. Director Corporate Services told the Ghana News Agency.
She said VRA restored power from its end within one hour but could not say when Electricity Company of Ghana would restore power to consumers.
Ms Fiadjoe said investigations were ongoing to establish the cause of the system collapse.
VRA now generates power from Akosombo, the Aboadze Thermal Plant and generators and receives power from Cote d'Ivoire through the inter-tie connection.
Ms Fiadjoe apologised for the inconvenience caused to the public.
Source:GNA

Nomination for NPP prez aspirants opens on Saturday

The official opening of nomination for presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) opens on Saturday, the party said on Wednesday.A statement signed by Nana Ohene Ntow, General Secretary, said the nominations would begin at 0800 at the national headquarters.

It said aspiring presidential candidates or their agents could call at the headquarters for nomination forms from 0800 to 1700 hours on Saturday and from 0800 to 1700 on all weekdays until nominations closed. The fee for nomination forms is GH cedis 500 or five million cedis, payable in bankers draft.

About 20 people, many of them former ministers, have expressed their interest to contest the election to be the NPP's presidential candidate.

Flood Relief Effort ----France sends two choppers

France has sent two helicopters to assist in relief operations in Northern Ghana where floods have wrecked havoc over large areas in the three northern regions.A statement from the French Embassy in Accra said the two PUMA helicopters, which arrived in Tamale on Monday night, were sent following a request by the Government of Ghana to partners for assistance to sustain the relief operations in the area.

"These helicopters will transport government officials, United Nations and European Union teams to different places in order to help them in their evaluation of immediate relief needed in the affected areas," the statement said.Heavy rains since the end of last month have claimed up to 18 lives and displaced more than 250,000 people in the three Northern regions - Upper East, Upper West and Northern.

Roads and bridges have been washed away, houses have collapsed and large areas are under water.There are fears of hunger and health problems in the three regions.

Kofi Annan spells out goals

The former United Nations secretary general outlines the aims of the newly created World Humanitarian Forum that he now headsFormer United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan unveiled on Monday some of the objectives of the World Humanitarian Forum he helped found. The Geneva-based institution, financed by the Swiss federal government, aims to play a role in the prevention of humanitarian catastrophes, Annan said.

“Today, we are too preoccupied with reacting,” he told a press conference in Geneva. “A change in mentality is necessary.” It is not just necessary to aid victims but to also to do it in such a way that it leads to fewer catastrophes, added Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey on hand for the forum’s debut.Annan is president of the new organization created in June with funding from the federal department of foreign affairs.

Bern approved SFr1.3 million to launch the organization and will lend its financial support to its activities, Calmy-Rey said. Annan, 69, is a native of Ghana, educated in that country, the U.S. and in Geneva.He served as secretary-general of the UN from 1997 to the end of 2006. Co-recipient of the Nobel Peace prize with the UN in 2001, he has recently made his home in the Geneva area. Reports have indicated that the WHF is loosely based on the World Economic Forum and is expected to bring together major world figures to discuss humanitarian issues.
Source:GHP

The Majority Poor Getting Poorer In Ghana

An ISSER report on the state of the Ghanaian economy for 2006 has revealed that whilst poverty levels reduced generally, the gap between the rich and the poor has rather deepened.The report also showed that whilst budgetary allocation to local governments was not enough, the disbursed fund out of the allocation was less than one percent.Presenting the report in Accra, the Director of ISSER (Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research) Professor Ernest Aryeetey said the economy in 2006 grew by 6.2% as against 5.7 in the previous year. The growth according him was recorded from only the manufacturing and industrial sectors of the economy.

The report which focused on a broad aggregate of the economy’s performance stated that Ghana remains a small economy whose policy direction is determined by external factors.Whilst acknowledging the importance of China’s emergence in the economy in the area of market for commodities, Professor Aryeetey says it also presents risks and called for a clear-cut policy on relations with external economies.The report painted a gloomy picture of the period under review as the largest ever deficit was recorded in 2006.

The record 40% deficit was attributed to a rapid rise in public expenditure as a result of labour agitation for higher pay.Professor Aryeetey observed that the stable 10.5% inflation and about 24% interest rate levels have made the country an investment destination, adding that the private sector does not worry as the economy remains unpredictable.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nii Boi Tagoe who chaired the function said there is no doubt that the energy crisis has had some effects on the business community.Professor Tagoe said the report as presented by ISSER brings to light the need for policy changes.
Source:dailyExpress

Ghana, Prepare For More As Fresh Rains threaten flood-hit Africa

The UN is warning of fresh rains and outbreaks of water-borne disease across Africa, where flash floods have already affected more than one million people.Scores of people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the floods that have submerged much of the continent's most productive farmland.

The UN said there was an urgent need for food, shelter and medicine.At least 14 countries have been hit in West, Central and East Africa by some of the worst rains in living memory.UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said: "The rains are set to continue and we are really concerned because a lot of people are homeless and infectious diseases could emerge.""We have 500,000 people affected in 12 countries in West Africa, and also in East Africa - in Sudan and Ethiopia.

"Some of the poorest countries, like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - the poorest nation in the world - are badly affected," Ms Brys told the BBC.The UN said the floods could lead to locust infestations and outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.
Source:Reuters