COP George Alex Mensah (Rtd), a prospective parliamentary candidate running in the Bekwai seat on the platform of the ruling New Patriotic Party, has angrily rejected any misconduct that would hurt his prospects of winning the polls.
He was a part of the contentious audio leak controversy, in which it was said that there was a scheme to remove the Inspector General of Police in an attempt to rig the 2024 election in favour of the ruling party.
COP In an attempt to unseat Bekwai MP Joe Osei-Owusu, George Alex Mensah (Rtd) is running for the seat alongside Ralph Poku-Adusei, Henry Opoku-Ware, and Kingsley Opoku Agyemang.
In an interview on Eyewitness News, COP Mensah (Rtd) pointed out that he has not engaged in any fraudulent activity that would prevent him from becoming an MP.
Asked if he could clear things in his cupboard before going to the polls on January 27, he retorted, “I don’t have anything in my cupboard.”
He asserted that his attempt to oust the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, would not taint his credibility of winning the seat.
“No, it will not,” he said.
The parliamentary aspirant stated that he was the most competent person among his contenders to win the primaries.
“I’m more competent among other aspirants; none of them has the experience and qualifications I have. I’m going to win,” he underscored.
The committee tasked to probe the leaked tape is yet to come out with its report.
Entrepreneur Nana Kwame Bediako, also known as Cheddar or Freedom Jacob Caesar, is from Ghana. He founded the New Force Movement and is the founder of the New Force Movement.
On December 7, 2024, he announced that he will run for president as an independent after multiple attempts to register his party were unsuccessful. In an interview with Citi TV’s The Point of View, he blasted the government for mismanaging the economy and pledged to save the nation from further suffering.
He further assured of building a middle-income nation when voted into power to create job opportunities for the youth, where they would be given the opportunities to make contributions to his government.
“We wanted to register a political party, but they didn’t give us a license. We are still moving with our movement. I’m running in the December polls as an independent presidential candidate. Because they didn’t give us any license or even provisional license. You will see me on the ballot on December 7. The governance of the country is poor, the government is the problem. We need to be responsible for the leaders we choose.”
“In the last 4 decades, between the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, there hasn’t been any young person who has dared to stand up and say he’s coming. I’m the unifier between the youth and the government. I’m for the people who need change; I’m for the neutral people, and I don’t belong to any political party. We aim to build a middle-income nation by creating jobs for the youth,” he promised.
The real estate mogul highlighted the policies he intends to pursue, promising to invest in affordable housing for the youth if he wins the December polls.
He further promised to offer loans to graduates to purchase apartments.
“In our plan for Wonder World, we have a solid development that we want to introduce to universities; it’s called graduates. We will give them loans to buy apartments, which is a charity focus. Ghana is developing affordable homes and they say it’s affordable homes but are charging people $60,000 to $80,000. And these developments are not integrated. We plan to invest in affordable housing, with an integration, and I have to do it right. Affordable housing needs basic infrastructure will be put in place, sewerage, internet, planning, wiring,” Cheddar promised.
The founder of the New Force Movement said he has officers in all 16 regions.
Mr Apraku Nketia, the Head of Legal Services and Research, ECOWAS Court of Justice (CCJ), says although the ECOWAS Court of Justice plays a crucial role in adjudicating electoral disputes, it is not an electoral arbiter.
He said the Court jurisdiction and functions cover a broader spectrum of issues related to the interpretation and application of the ECOWAS Treaty and other legal instruments within the region.
He said the ECOWAS Court could not just be an electoral dispute arbiter and that if a member state, group of people or individuals felt that the conduct of the electoral process had in a way affected their human rights, the protocols and treaties would apply.
However, “the court cannot be an electoral arbiter, simpliciter,” Mr Nketia said at a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to climax a week-long sensitisation visit to Ghana.
Currently, over 400 cases have been delivered by the ECOWAS Court of Justice with 131 outstanding cases.
“We have a lot of protocols that govern the conduct of elections in member countries. And these protocols are binding on member states. If in the preparation and at the conduct of the election, if a member state is not actually complying with some of the provisions of this protocol, it will amount to maybe violation of the rights of a group of people or an individual. If you can converse your argument before the court with solid evidence, then the court can grant you an audience,” he said.
He said the desire of the court was to see all judgment rendered by the courts being implemented.
Mr Nketiah said when the court gave its judgement, it was up to political leaders to implement those judgements, and that without the implementation of those judgements, the issues would still linger on, and the relevance of the court would not be felt in such instances.
As part of measures to ensure the full implementation of judgements, he said the ECOWAS Court of Justice had been engaging stakeholders like the ministries responsible for the implementation of judgements like Ghana’s Attorney General’s Department.
He noted that, “there are other high-level engagements that the management of the court together with the ECOWAS Commission did to have the decisions of the court implemented. Internally, the court has also instituted some measures like appointing officers who are responsible particularly for the implementation of the judgment.”
“The political will rest with the leadership of the community, various countries, as to how they would take and prioritize the implementation processes. It is solely up to them. Ours is persuasive and theirs is the decision-making,” he added.
He said the success of an international tribunal should not be limited to the implementation of its judgements alone, and that some of its judgements had informed policy formulation across the entire community.
Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Deputy Minister, Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (Political and Economic), who spoke earlier at the opening of a sensitisation forum, said the ECOWAS Court of Justice stood as a cornerstone institution with a pivotal role in upholding the rule of law, promoting human rights and fostering regional integration.
He said over the years Ghana had demonstrated unwavering support for the ECOWAS Court of Justice through active participation in its proceedings, adherence to its decisions and collaboration with the Court’s mechanisms.
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) says the 1992 Constitution, which gave birth to the Fourth Republic, ended all military adventurism into Ghana’s democratic governance, hence the need for Ghanaians to guard the Constitution to protect the current democratic dispensation.
The Fourth Republic, being the longest uninterrupted democratic system since independence in 1957, has survived successive elections and a peaceful transfer of power from one party to the other, an achievement Ghanaians must be proud of, Mrs Ophelia Ankrah, the NCCE Eastern Regional Director, said.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the celebration of Constitution Week, she explained that the significance of the commemorative event was to register the nation’s collective choice for sustainable democratic governance.
She said 31 years into the Fourth Republic, the nation is taking stock of the gains and challenges and what improvements could be made to improve governance, universal adult suffrage, the enactment of laws, and the rule of law.
“The clarion call is for all and sundry to get involved. Young or old, we rise and we fall together. Therefore, sitting on the fence is not an option. Being active citizens and not spectators is a summons to all,” Mrs Ankrah said.
“Being an election year, we call on the media, political parties, CSOs, and, in fact, the public to be mindful of the peace we enjoy and to guard it jealously, so that together we can exercise our franchise at the polls fearlessly and in peace….”
“Together, we can indeed build a better Ghana, so get involved! God bless our homeland, Ghana, and continue to make us bold and strong as we strive for growth and development in every sector of our lives.”
On the relevance of the Constitution Week celebration, she noted that the call for a national effort to protect and defend the current constitution to strengthen democratic governance was critical.
She said the new political culture called for an understanding of the basic tenets of democracy with its associated rights and obligations and the strengthening of institutions to ensure the survival of the 31-year-old Constitution.
Mrs Ankrah noted that constitutional rule and democracy would only thrive in a proactive civic society supported by a vibrant, free, and independent press and judiciary, were citizens are aware of their responsibilities and ready to assert their rights.
“Indeed, it is important that the Ghanaian community develops, strengthens, and institutionalises the culture of constitutionalism in the hearts and minds of all, irrespective of age or sex,” she said.
One of the main challenges facing the Ghanaian society was how to support and deepen the democratic process.
“While it is easier to put in place multiparty elective processes, the more difficult road to democracy is the development of durable institutions that will protect, defend, and uphold democracy….”Mrs Ankerah said.
She said the framers of the Constitution provided certain safeguards for its preservation by crafting entrenched provisions, enjoining the public to resist any attempt to overthrow it, and the steps to take to restore it should it be overthrown or suspended.
With a commanding victory in the first Republican presidential race of 2024 held in Iowa on Monday, Donald Trump demonstrated his dominance over the party in spite of several criminal allegations against him as he attempts to face President Joe Biden in a rematch.
With more than half of the vote, Trump has gained momentum ahead of what seems to be a close and extremely contentious November election campaign against Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 45, defeated former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, 51, to finish well behind Trump in second place in Iowa, but neither candidate was able to establish themselves as the front-runner.
Trump, 77, the only current or ex-U.S. president to be charged with criminal activity, won by an unprecedented margin for an Iowa Republican contest, strengthening his case that his nomination is a foregone conclusion given his massive lead in national polls.
Trump garnered 51%, DeSantis 21% and Haley 19%, with 99% of the expected vote tallied, according to Edison Research. That victory margin far surpassed the previous record of 12.8 percentage points for Bob Dole in 1988.
“THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
He is hoping to fast-track the normally months-long Republican selection process with a series of convincing early primary wins to force out his rivals.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy ended his long-shot presidential bid after winning just under 8% of the vote on Monday, and he endorsed Trump.
The candidates immediately move on to New Hampshire on Tuesday. The state’s more moderate Republicans will choose their nominee next Tuesday and polls show Trump with a smaller lead over Haley there, and DeSantis far behind.
Trump’s performance in Iowa showed his enduring popularity among Republican voters even after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters and his 91 criminal charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election, retaining classified documents after leaving the White House and falsifying records over hush money payments to a porn star.
Trump has used his legal travails to fundraise and boost his support as he protests his innocence and says he is the victim of a “witch hunt”.
Nearly two-thirds of Iowa caucus-goers embraced his false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, saying they did not think Biden legitimately beat Trump.
More than 60% said Trump would still be fit to serve as president even if convicted of a crime.
Trump dominated across the board, according to an Edison entrance poll: he won a majority among men and among women; among those who consider themselves very conservative, somewhat conservative and independent; among those who graduated college and those who did not.
[1/18]Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage during his Iowa caucus night watch party in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., January 15, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Acquire Licensing Rights
He captured a majority of Republicans who put immigration as their top concern – and a majority of those who said the economy was their main worry.
“Absent a quick consolidation of the field, Trump appears to be on a fast track to the nomination,” said Jimmy Centers, an Iowa-based Republican strategist.
Still, both DeSantis and Haley vowed to press ahead, ensuring Trump’s opposition will remain fractured as the campaign moves on.
“We’ve got our ticket punched out of Iowa!” DeSantis, who had stake a lot on a strong performance in the state, told supporters in West Des Moines on Monday.
“When you look at how we’re doing, in New Hampshire, in South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race,” Haley said on Monday night.
Trump has aimed to create an air of inevitability around his campaign, skipping all five of the Republican debates thus far and largely eschewing the county-by-county politicking that most candidates do ahead of the Iowa vote.
LIFE-THREATENING COLD
Iowans braved life-threatening temperatures to gather at schools, community centers and other sites for the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus, as the 2024 presidential campaign officially got under way after months of debates and rallies.
“Trump is very narcissistic, he’s very cocky, but he’s going to get stuff done,” said Rita Stone, 53, a Trump backer, who attended a caucus at a West Des Moines high school.
Like many other voters, Stone said her leading concern was the U.S. southern border with Mexico, praising Trump’s effort to build a wall when he was president.
Unlike a regular election, Iowa’s caucus requires voters to gather in person in small groups, where they cast secret ballots after speeches from campaign representatives.
Edison projected there would be approximately 111,000 votes counted, far short of the record 187,000 cast in the 2016 Republican caucus.
Iowa has historically played an outsized role in presidential campaigns due to its early spot on the campaign calendar.
But the winner of Iowa’s Republican caucuses did not go on to secure the nomination in the last three competitive contests in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
In order to provide generative AI, digital, enterprise, and cloud services to over 300 million organisations and consumers throughout its European and African regions, Vodafone (VOD.L) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) have reached a 10-year cooperation agreement.
The British corporation said that it will replace physical data centres with more affordable and scalable Azure cloud services, as well as spend $1.5 billion in customer-focused AI created with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI and Copilot technologies.
Microsoft will then assist in growing Vodafone’s mobile banking platform in Africa and convert into an equity investor in the managed Internet of Things (IoT) platform when it is spun off as a separate company by April.
Vodafone’s Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle, who is under pressure to return the group to profit growth, has identified an opportunity to help businesses digitise, noting in May that the addressable market was worth 140 billion euros.
She said the deal, which she signed with Microsoft’s Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, would “accelerate the digital transformation of our business customers, particularly small and medium-sized companies”.
Vodafone’s Chief Financial Officer Luka Mucic said Microsoft’s leadership in AI, underpinned by its OpenAI partnership, would transform the telco’s customer services.
“That’s the part that is really going to catch each and every one of our customers,” he said on Tuesday, adding that a Microsoft AI-underpinned TOBi chatbot would provide more consistent and intelligent responses to queries.
The technology would help Vodafone’s customer service staff improve productivity and the quality of their conversations, the company said, rather than replacing them with AI.
Microsoft’s Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff said Vodafone’s strength in IoT and financial services were strategically important.
“The IoT assets are critical in helping us address the sustainability needs of so many of our customers in hard-to-abate sectors,” he said.
Microsoft deploys “digital twins” to model manufacturing environments so that process improvements can be tested in the cloud.
“Vodafone’s IoT stack allows us to go into those environments, model the environment, create large-scale data stores, and use AI to help customers meet their sustainability goals,” he said.
Vodafone’s M-PESA mobile money platform, which operates in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and other African countries, shared the same objectives as Microsoft in the region, such as building digital literacy.
“We are excited to bring generative AI capabilities to help customers make more intelligent financial decisions,” he said.
In a crucial test of his power, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing a serious mutiny on Tuesday from right-wing lawmakers in his party over landmark immigration legislation to expedite the repatriation of asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Before parliamentary votes on the plan on Tuesday and Wednesday, two chairmen of the Conservative Party declared that they were prepared to vote to toughen the law in defiance of Sunak’s decision to join the revolt.
The measure, which attempts to prevent asylum seekers from filing additional legal challenges against their deportations, has caused profound division within Sunak’s party. It is said to go too far by some Conservative legislators and not far enough by others.
Unless the legislation is changed, some Conservatives are threatening to vote against the government at its final parliamentary stage in the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament, which could take place on Wednesday evening.
One senior lawmaker said the rebels had the numbers to defeat Sunak in the final vote.
“There is zero purpose in putting in place a piece of legislation that doesn’t work,” he said, adding that the rebels only needed half of those who backed the amendments to defeat against the government in the final vote.
Sunak has made stopping the arrival of asylum seekers crossing from France to Britain on small boats a central aim of his government.
Most of those arriving in the boats say they are fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. But the British government says about 90% making the journey are men and many of them economic migrants rather than genuine refugees.
Sunak faced the most serious threat to his leadership last month when he saw off a threatened revolt by dozens of his lawmakers at the first parliamentary vote on the draft legislation.
The government comfortably won that vote after some lawmakers decided to abstain rather than rebel, but some warned that they could vote down the legislation at later stages of the parliamentary process unless the bill was changed.
More than 60 Conservative members of parliament are planning to back the amendments that would allow ministers to ignore last-minute rulings from judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg seeking to ground flights to Rwanda.
A similar number also support another amendment that would stop asylum seekers from bringing individual claims to prevent their removal to the East African nation.
Isaac Levido, the Conservative Party’s election strategist, told lawmakers at a closed-doors meeting late on Monday that the party faced defeat at this year’s national election unless they ended their infighting.
“Let me clear. Divided parties fail,” Levido said, according to a Conservative official.
Conservative Party Deputy Chairmen Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith said they would vote to toughen the legislation.
Asked if this means he would be sacked, Brendan Clarke-Smith said: “It is not for me to decide.”
Late on Monday, official television in Iran said that the Revolutionary Guards had assaulted the Israeli espionage centre in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq. The elite force also claimed to have attacked the Islamic official in Syria.
Since Israel and the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas started fighting on October 7, there have been fears about the conflict’s escalation throughout the Middle East. Iran’s supporters have also entered the fray, joining from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. These concerns have led to the current strikes.
“In response to the recent atrocities of the Zionist regime, causing the killing of commanders of the Guards and the Axis of Resistance … one of the main Mossad espionage headquarters in Iraq’s Kurdistan region was destroyed with ballistic missiles,” the Guards stated in a statement.
Israeli government officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
In addition to the strikes at northeast of Kurdistan’s capital Erbil in a residential area near the U.S. consulate, the Guards said they “fired a number of ballistic missiles in Syria and destroyed the perpetrators of terrorist operations” in Iran, including the Islamic State.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for two explosions in Iran this month that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a memorial for top commander Qassem Soleimani.
“We assure our nation that the Guards’ offensive operations will continue until avenging the last drops of martyrs’ blood,” the Guards’ statement said.
Iran had already vowed revenge for the killing of three members of the Guards in Syria last month, including a senior Guards commander, who had served as military advisers there.
Three security sources and Iranian state media said at the time they were killed in an Israeli air strike. An Israeli mililtary spokesman declined to comment, saying only it had a job to protect the security interests of Israel.
While recalling its envoy from Tehran, Iraq summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Baghdad to protest against the strikes, the foreign ministry said. It said Baghdad would take all legal measures against what it called a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
[1/6]A view of a damaged building following missile attacks, in Erbil, Iraq, January 16, 2024. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari Acquire Licensing Rights
MILLIONAIRE AMONG DEAD
The U.S. State Department condemned the attacks near Erbil, calling them “reckless”, but officials said no U.S. facilities were targeted and there were no U.S. casualties.
“The United States supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq,” Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in the statement.
Iran, which supports Hamas in its war with Israel, accuses the United States of backing what it calls Israeli crimes in Gaza. The U.S. has said it backs Israel in its campaign but has raised concerns about the number of Palestinian civilians killed.
Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani condemned the attack on Erbil as a “crime against the Kurdish people”.
At least four civilians were killed and six injured in the strikes, the Kurdistan government’s security council said.
Multimillionaire Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee and several members of his family were among the dead, killed when at least one rocket crashed into their home, Iraqi security and medical sources said.
Dizayee, who was close to the ruling Barzani clan, owned businesses that led major real estate projects in Kurdistan.
Additionally, one rocket had fallen on the house of a senior Kurdish intelligence official and another on a Kurdish intelligence centre and air traffic at Erbil airport was halted, the security sources said.
Iran has in the past carried out strikes in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, saying the area is used as a staging ground for Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel.
Baghdad has tried to address Iranian concerns over separatist groups in the region, moving to relocate some members as part of a security agreement reached with Tehran in 2023.
After being named FIFA’s Best Female Goalkeeper, Lionesses star Mary Earps delivers a moving speech.
Earps was recognized for her incredible performances in goal for the Manchester United team and the England national team at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She has already won numerous individual accolades in the past few months and has now developed some impressive oratory skills, which were on full display during her latest acceptance speech. The Manchester United keeper lifted the gong in London’s Apollo Theatre after receiving more votes than Australia’s Mackenzie Arnold and Spain’s Cata Coll.
“Wow, thank you very, very, very, very, very much,” Earps began amid a huge round of applause. “To be honest, last year I won the award but didn’t get in the team of the year so I thought when I’d made team of the year this was kind of me done for the night. I want to say thank you so much to my teammates who are just unbelievable. I feel incredibly privileged to get to share a pitch with you, learn from you and make so many incredible memories with you, so thank you because, without you, I would not be on this stage thank you so much.
“I’m also going to give a little shout-out to [goalkeeping coaches] Darren Ward and Ian Wilcock because they say they don’t like the little shout-outs, but they do. Thank you to all my England and [Manchester] United coaches.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Earps’ remarkable three-year journey reflects an incredible transformation in her character. From contemplating leaving football at the start of 2021 and facing contract uncertainties at Manchester United, to becoming a European champion and a World Cup finalist, it has been a roller-coaster ride for the shot-stopper. Earps’ resilience and dedication were pivotal in this evolution and the keeper urged her fans to keep speaking against injustices to make the world a better place.
“I’m just blown away,” she said. “I talk about it a lot: it has not been the easiest journey to get here – some would say I took the scenic route – and I have had to wait a long time for this kind of success. But looking back now, it all makes total sense, everything I went through. We are all humans and we all have struggles, right? But it just made me feel so much more prepared for the challenges I face today, and to able to enjoy these moments so much more and to realise how pretty unbelievable they are and to never take a single day for granted. If you’re struggling and you are going through hell, keep going. It’s never too late to be exactly who you are. I think 2023 showed us that when we come together and we speak out on injustices, we can change the world, so let’s continue to do that.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Earps has been recognised with several prestigious individual prizes, including the much-coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. She has also been crowned BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year at the British Sports Journalism Awards and England Women’s Player of the Year.
WHAT NEXT?
After getting some much-needed winter break relaxation, Earps was back in action against Newcastle in the FA Women’s Cup, where she kept a clean sheet in a 5-0 win. She will return to the pitch in a huge WSL clash against Chelsea this weekend before taking on Manchester City in the FA WSL Cup on January 25.
Roma fired Jose Mourinho during their dismal 2023–24 campaign, with their 3–1 loss to AC Milan serving as the tipping point.
With five points separating them from fourth-place Fiorentina, Roma’s latest loss to Milan came after a frustrating Coppa Italia exit at the hands of arch-rivals Lazio. It was the Giallorossi’s seventh loss from 20 Serie A games this season, dropping them to ninth in the table. However, Mourinho will not be leading them any further, having paid the ultimate price for the team’s dismal recent performances.
Roma owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin have released a joint statement confirming Mourinho’s dismissal, which reads: “We would like to thank Jose on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club,” said Dan and Ryan Friedkin. We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club. We wish Jose and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Mourinho instantly endeared himself to Roma fans in his first season at the helm, delivering their first piece of continental silverware in 60 years in the form of the Europa Conference League. He also took the club to the Europa League final in 2022-23, but the Giallorossi suffered a heart-breaking penalty shootout defeat to Sevilla. Mourinho was publicly criticised for his treatment of referee Anthony Taylor after the game, and his ill-discipline continued in the first half of the current campaign, with multiple touchline bans issued. The 60-year-old was absent at San Siro on Sunday due to a suspension, meaning he missed the chance to say a final goodbye to the fans.
According to Fabrizio Romano, former Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi is the frontrunner to replace Jose Mourinho in the Stadio Olimpico hotseat. After two-and-a-half years in the Italian capital, Mourinho will now begin the hunt for his next job, with the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss reportedly attracting interest from a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia.
