NLC directs GTPCWU to negotiate exit package for sacked MODEC workers

Citi Business News has gathered that the National Labour Commission (NLC) has directed the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) to commence negotiating severance packages for the 19 sacked Ghanaian MODEC workers on the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah. The NLC gave the directive after MODEC refused to reinstate the workers despite an MOU signed ...
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Actors are ‘taking dangerous risks’

Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal says some actors are taking “dangerous risks” for their craft. The star told the BBC another actor had once asked him for advice on whether they should take drugs for a role. “Someone came to me and said, ‘I’m going to play a drug addict – should I try the drug?’ ...
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Libya trial: Gaddafi son sentenced to death over war crimes

A court in Libya has sentenced Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of deposed leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, and eight others to death over war crimes linked to the 2011 revolution.
More than 30 close associates of Col Gaddafi were tried for suppressing peaceful protests during the uprising.
Saif al-Islam was not in court, but has previously appeared via video link.
He is being held by a former rebel group from the town of Zintan that refuses to hand him over.
A Zintani source indicated to the BBC that they would not execute him or hand him over to the court.
'Until the bitter end'
Former head of intelligence for the Gaddafi regime, Abdullah al-Senussi, is among those also facing death by firing squad, as is former PM Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi.
They have the right to appeal against their sentences within 60 days.

Only 29 of the defendants were in Tripoli court for sentencing
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Media caption
The BBC's John Simpson says the trial came to "an extraordinary and chaotic end"
In court as Saif al-Islam sentenced
In the years before the uprising, Saif al-Islam was known for trying to introduce political and economic reforms, says the BBC's North African correspondent Rana Jawad.
"But as people called for the fall of his father's rule - he stood by him till the bitter end," she added.
He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors say that he was part of his father's plans to "quell, by all means, the civilian demonstrations against the Gaddafi regime".

Shatta Wale outdoors son

Dancehall king, Shatta Wale not too long ago took to his social media platforms to let the world know that he has added a new member to the Shatta Movement Family.

Today marks a special day in his life as his son is officially given a name. Majesty Nii Amarh is the name of his son.

Wale invited some special friends to the naming ceremony

Check out the photos from the naming ceremony.

Must See: Military Guy Dance to Nae Nae

Boko Haram Killed 97 Muslims During Evening Prayer In A Mosque

Boko Haram fighters have gunned down at least 80 Muslims praying in mosques in a northeast Nigerian town during the holy month of Ramadan, a government official and a self-defense fighter said.


Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege, reporting from Abuja on Thursday, said at least 80 people, mostly men, were killed in the remote town of Kukawa, and that the death toll was expected to rise.

"We are being told that Boko Haram fighters arrived in seven vehicles in the town before embarking on their attack, and that the army was 11km away but refused to come help," our correspondent said.

The attack took place on Wednesday night but news of the gruesome incident only came to light on Thursday, our correspondent said.

 

The attack on Wednesday night on the town of Kukawa came the day after the group attacked a village 35 km away and killed another 48 men and boys.

The people of Kukawa were in several mosques, praying ahead of breaking their daylong fast, when the extremists attacked, the official said on Thursday.

Officials in Kukawa said some fighters also broke into people's homes, killing women and children as they prepared the evening meal.

Kukawa is 180 km northeast of Maiduguri, the biggest city in northeast Nigeria and the birthplace of Boko Haram.

Nigeria's homegrown often defiles mosques where it believes Imams espouse too moderate a form of Islam.

Wednesday's attack follows a directive from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group for fighters to increase attacks during Ramadan.

Boko Haram this year became the ISIL's West African franchise.
On Tuesday night, Boko Haram invaded the village of Mussaram, ordered men and women to separate and then opened fire on the men and boys, witnesses said.

"A total of 48 males died on the spot while 17 others escaped with serious injuries," said Maidugu Bida, a self-defense official, based in nearby Monguno.

Source: Agencies

When u walk with guys who have Abs

Prophet predicts Sarkodie, Dumelo's death

A Kumasi-based Prophet has warned Hiplife musician, Sarkodie and Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo to repent from their ‘evil ways’ or risk losing their lives in the next few weeks.

Prophet Emmanuel Gyamfi said on Adom FM’s Entertainment Hall Programme on Saturday that the fastest rapper and the internationally acclaimed actor are targets of several misfortunes for rebelling against God and winning souls for the devil.

“God made me see that he, Sarkodie has rebelled against Him (God) and have been winning souls for the other part, that is the devil and this would happen live for all to see that the man of God said it…,” he said.

According to Prophet of the Emmanuel Power House Chapel, the duo has three weeks to repent from their evil ways as a means of mitigating the punishments meant for them.

The man of God said further that God revealed the impending misfortunes to him in a vision on one Sunday morning when he meditated on the word of God after his devotion.

“In the vision, I saw the hand of God appear from the skies and struck Sarkodie unto the ground…I was the one who helped to his feet…” he narrated.

Prophet Emmanuel continued that God later told him that He struck Sarkodie unto the ground because he (Sarkodie) in recent times has been using his popularity to win more souls for the devil instead of using the talent to praise him.

“God through his abundant mercies gave him three weeks to repent from winning souls for the devil or he will die…,” he said.

The Kumasi-based Prophet said further that even if Sarkodie repents from his evil deeds, he would still suffer some misfortune as ‘it is never an easier thing for the hand of God to strike you down.’

“Even if he recovers, there would be great changes in his body…,” the man of God said further.

John Dumelo in Prison  

On the celebrated actor, the Prophet Emmanuel said he has also been threading similar paths like Sarkodie and his punishment would include a serious motor accident and imprisonment.

“John Dumelo would be involved in an issue which would lead to the prison…not even all his wealth and power would save him from this case…,” he said.

Dumelo, he said would never return from prison custody as he would die there.

The man of God who also claimed that John Dumelo had also been winning souls for the evil said he would be involved in a tragic accident.

Reversing the Punishment

The man of God said he was not seeking popularity through the prophecy as he was already an ‘international prophet’ and has been prophesying about several events including the Castro issue.

To reverse the curses placed on the two entertainment personalities, Prophet Emmanuel called on the two entertainment guys in Ghana currently to approach him at his base in Kumasi for deliverance.

“They should come to Kumasi to meet me since I saw the vision and can best work to clear it,” he said.

On Castro and Janet Bandu, the International Prophet said their families are to blame as they did not approach him initially to search for them.

“His family was stubborn if they had approached me earlier, Castro would be out by now, but they consulted Malams and other spiritualists first…they came for my number and has since not returned,” he said.

OnePlus 2 leaks show sleek, Nexus-style build with fingerprint sensor

Even though they’re rather blurry, a couple of leaked photos give us some great clues as to the possible look of the OnePlus 2.

PhoneArena has a picture that shows each side of the device, which will get a virtual reality launch on July 27.  The front design feels like a mashup of a OnePlus One and Nexus 6. The back shows some kind of wood paneling, with a vertical bar for the camera lens and what looks to be a fingerprint sensor.

PHONEARENA
The back of the OnePlus 2 may have an LG-style vertical button design with a fingerprint scanner.

The interface is close to stock Android, which keeps with the underlying aesthetic behind the company’s Oxygen OS. On the hardware front OnePlus pledges that its fingerprint sensor will perform unlocking and other tasks faster than the iPhone’s Touch ID. That’s a lofty promise that will be worth testing should we get our hands on a device.

The story behind the story: The OnePlus 2 definitely shows some promise. If OnePlus learned from some of the many issues that plagued its first phone, we could have a real contender on our hands. Even though we have about a month before the virtual reality launch, we should hear more from OnePlus—the company plans to reveal one feature at a time leading up to launch.

Leaked Moto G render shows simple, reserved design on the 2015 model

The current Moto G is the best smartphone you can buy for under $200. Even though it’s likely several months before Motorola graces us with a new model, we have another shot at how a refreshed Moto G may look.

TechnoBuffalo has what the site says are official press renders, and they give a clearer view than the blurry peek we got recently.  The renders show a white model, but we expect the phone to come in black as well.

The back of the phone shows a new vertical strip with the familiar spot to rest your finger and the device’s camera. The overall form factor is similar to Motorola’s other devices, with a plastic build to keep costs down.

The current Moto G was released in September, so either Motorola is preparing an earlier upgrade or these renderings just happened to slip out much earlier than planned.

Our previous report indicated the next Moto G would have a Snapdragon 410 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 5-inch, 1280x720 pixel screen. The back was to feature a 13-megapixel camera with a 5-megapixel option on the front. The Moto G also was to include 8GB of storage, and most importantly, LTE support.

Why this matters: The Moto G is a perfect device for someone who wants a first smartphone, a second phone to play with, or doesn’t want to spend $700 to get an Android device. While some may consider this a dull redesign, it’s hard to argue with staying close to a formula that has worked in the past, especially for a budget phone.

The 10 best PC games of 2015 (so far)

A strong start
I don’t want to blow your mind, but it’s already July. I know. Crazy. And it’s been one hell of a year so far for video games— The Witcher 3! Kerbal Space Program! Grim Effin’ Fandango! Phew. We’re on track already to have one of those years—you know, like 1998. Or 2007. And we haven’t even entered the fall reviews season yet, where we’ll see heavy hitters this year like Fallout 4 and SOMA.

So while there’s still time to catch our breath, let’s take a look back at the first six months of 2015—and the best PC games so far this year (in no particular order).

Secure your fortress with the Internet of Things

A man’s home is his castle. Unfortunately, moats and drawbridges are no longer strong options for most homeowners looking to protect themselves. Security means defending not against barbarians at the gates but against thieves staking out your home and trying to sneak in undetected, often when you’re away.

Fortunately, modern households have a new resource to deter thieves and detect trouble before it happens: the Internet of Things. Here’s how you can use simple appliances – or elements of your home itself – as focal points in a home security strategy.

DIY Alarm Systems
If your home isn’t already wired for security with door sensors, window sensors, and motion detectors, you can now easily add them without having to rip open the walls. Do-it-yourself alarm kits let you attach battery-powered, wireless sensors anywhere there’s a risk of unauthorized entry. These devices connect to your existing wireless network and can send real-time notifications to you when a sensor is tripped, via an email, text message, or mobile app. Check out Viper and SimpliSafe for a few examples of solid starter security systems.

Surveillance Cameras
Whether you want to keep tabs on who’s at the front door or just want to keep an eye on the pets while you’re away, a wide range of security and surveillance cameras can now fit the bill. Just configure the camera on your network, place it on a shelf or attach it to the wall, and aim it where you want it to watch. Most cameras can be set to record only when they detect motion, and numerous cameras, like the D-Link DCS-2136L, can store their video feed on a Network Attached Storage device that’s part of your home network. Using a tool like QNAP’s TS-451 NAS gives you access to the Surveillance Station feature, which can be paired with QNAP’s VMobile app to turn your mobile device into a full-fledged security monitoring station. The TS-451 can monitor up to 24 IP cameras simultaneously (camera licenses additional) – either real-time or recorded video. It is compatible with thousands of IP cameras from over 80 major manufacturers.

Smart Locks
YouTube is littered with videos of people who’ve figured out how to pick a standard door lock in a matter of seconds, making key-based security nearly worthless. Enter the smart lock, a technology which brings the medieval lock into the digital age at last. Smart locks from companies like Goji and August let you decide who gets in and who doesn’t – and even when they can come in – via a smartphone app. Instead of turning a key, authorized users tap a button on their phone to unlock the door – and some can even automatically unlock when an authorized visitor approaches the house.

Automated Lights and Appliances
One standby of any home security strategy is to leave some lights on when you’re away from home for an extended period, but old-school light timers are cumbersome and difficult to program. These tools have received an upgrade in recent years, as well. Products like the Belkin WeMo let you turn lights and other appliances like your television on and off through a device that attaches to any wall socket. A mobile app lets you control the lights manually even if you’re on the other side of the world, or set up schedules to automate things.

Microsoft's fast, furious week: Inside new Windows 10 and Office 2016 previews galore

The fast and the furious
With Windows 10’s July 29 launch date looming, Microsoft’s kicked its preview program into overdrive. The past week has seen no less than three all-new Windows 10 preview builds, a new Windows 10 Mobile for phones preview, and even a sweeping overhaul to the Office 2016 consumer preview. Whew!

Did you blink? Here’s what you missed in Microsoftland.

Plex hacker demands Bitcoin ransom for return of data

Video streaming service Plex has reset user passwords after it was breached by a hacker who threatened to release stolen data unless he’s paid a ransom.

The company found out on Wednesday that a server hosting its forum and blog had been compromised, Chris Curtis, a Plex support engineer, said in a blog post.

Information including IP addresses, email addresses, private forum messages and encrypted passwords were exposed.

Someone going by the nickname “Savata” claimed responsibility for the breach and threatened to release the data on torrent networks if a ransom wasn’t paid in bitcoins.

Savata asked for 9.5 bitcoins ($2,400) but wrote that the ransom would increase to 14.5 bitcoins if it wasn’t paid by Friday, according to a copy of the message posted on Reddit.

“I don’t care who the BTC comes from as long as the payment is made: no data will be released,” Savata wrote.


Companies often ignore such extortion attempts because it creates an incentive for other cybercriminals to try the same ploy.

Curtis said the passwords were salted, a security measure that makes it harder for hackers to convert them back into plain text. Payment card data was not exposed, he wrote, and Plex had “no reason to believe that any other parts of our system were compromised.”

He reminded users they should choose strong, unique passwords for each online service they use. Hackers often try to see if a leaked password will unlock other Web services, since people have a tendency to reuse the same ones.

It is possible to converted encrypted passwords into the original text using password cracking tools. Long and complex passwords, however, are more resistant to cracking since it takes more time and computing power.

Plex’s forum will remain offline while the company completes its investigation.

How Instagram spots a trend

With a user base of over 300 million people, who collectively post 70 million new photographs and short videos a day, Instagram provides a timely view of events around the world that people are interested in. But how does the service spot emerging trends while they are still on the rise?

Two of the company’s engineers, Danilo Resende and Udi Weinsberg, have posted a blog item that reveals some of the company’s secrets in spotting emerging trends.

The details of the company’s algorithms might be of interest to other Internet-facing services also looking to harness the collective interest of the masses to produce more timely content. It also provides more light on how Instagram, and presumably other social networking sites, determine what is a trend. Like Twitter, Instagram generates its trending topics automatically.

Instagram is a mobile app for sharing photos and videos, with the majority of its users posting content captured on their phones. As a result many people capture pivotal moments of events as they are unfolding, at least of those events with pictorial elements.


A popular event may be covered by multiple hashtags. Instagram has devised a way to group them together.

For instance, a week ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its affirmative ruling on gay marriage, Instagram received thousands of new photos with the hashtag “#equality,” many taken on the steps of the Supreme Court building in Washington. A hashtag is a way to annotate content on social media services, using the hash symbol in front of a keyword or a word or phrase describing the topic.

Trends and hashtags play an increasingly important role for helping users spend more time on the service. Last week, the company revamped its “Explore” feature to include more trendy content to peruse. It also revised its search feature to highlight current trends as well.

With so many users posting with multiple hashtags, how does Instagram spot emerging hot topics for its users? The company keeps a database of all the hashtags ever used, along with how often they have appeared, on average, every five minutes for the past seven days. If a tag is suddenly more popular than usual, a trend may be afoot.

The researchers noted that they could use more complex neural network-driven models to calculate when a hashtag hits that point of popularity to make it a genuine trend, but a simple comparison to the prior seven days worth of measurements does the job well enough, they note, and can spot the big trends with relatively lightweight requirements for computing processing and memory.

The model also takes into account the decline of hashtags when an event is over.


Instagram

“The amount of posts using a hashtag that is trending at the moment will naturally decrease as soon as the event is finished,” they write. This can be problematic insofar people still want to see pictures of an event after it has happened, so Instagram built in a decay, or half-life, function that helps highlight the trend in the hours following the event itself.

Another potential confounding issue is that multiple hashtags may be applied to the same event. For instance, the #fashionweek tag is frequently joined by #model and #fashion.

So the development teams wrote an algorithm that clusters together hashtags that refer to the same event. It looks at how often hashtags are paired together, such as #equality and #lovewins. It looks at words that are very similar, in order to detect misspellings, so that #valentinesday and #valentineday are clumped together. It also runs an internal tool that classifies tags into a predefined set of topics.

“When we approached trending, we tried to break this project down into smaller problems that could be tackled separately by components with a very specific function. As a result, each individual in our team was able to focus on one problem at a time before moving onto the next one,” the researchers wrote.

The World Bank has approved US$150 million budget support for Ghana.

The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors has approved US$150 million budget support for Ghana.

The credit from the International Development Association (IDA) supports the First Macroeconomic Stability for Competitiveness and Growth Development Policy Financing (DPF), the first of three development policy financing operations aimed at helping the Government of Ghana stabilise its economy and shore up fiscal control by implementing financial policies and processes that are transparent and predictable.

A statement by the World Bank said the Board at its meeting last Wednesday also approved IDA’s very first landmark Policy-Based Guarantee (PBG) of up to US$400 million for Ghana, which might be used to support Ghana’s future external debt financing.


IMF endorses Ghana’s 2015 budget

“The proposed credit is the first in a programmatic series that will make policy more predictable and enhance the productivity of public spending,” says Santiago Herrera, World Bank Task Team Leader for this Project.

“As Ghana transitions from concessional financing towards market-based financing, the cost of public funds will increase, and so will the productivity of public capital to ensure that future obligations can be met. It is our hope that PBG will minimise costs and risks,” it said.


Interest rates

The statement said in the context of rising interest rates and a depreciating currency, extending the maturity of public domestic debt became a daunting task.

As a result, it said, debt managers were forced to issue short-term debt to avoid committing future budgets at unsustainable high interest rates.

It said while the financial objective was achieved, it was done at the expense of rising rollover and liquidity risks.

“We are delighted to have made history today by pioneering this innovative policy-based guarantee facility, the first ever by the IDA, to a long-standing client who needs it most urgently,” noted Yusupha B. Crookes, World Bank Country Director for Ghana.

“We hope this will provide additional space to Ghana to sort out some of its short-term economic challenges and continue to provide for its poorest and most vulnerable citizens through its social safety nets programmes,” Crookes is quoted to have said.

The statement said to ensure that the most vulnerable in society were not inequitably affected by the government’s strong fiscal adjustment, the Bank Group had over the past several years supported the expansion of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, a social safety net that provides cash transfers to the poorest families in Ghana.

It said the current facility included a component by which about 350,000 poor households would be provided with cash transfers by 2017.

Source: Daily Graphic

Ice Prince Recounts When Beyoncé said HELLO to Sarkodie at the BET Awards

Recounting their experience on Y 107.9 FM about a year ago at the BET Awards, Sarkodie & Ice Prince were baffled when superstar, Beyoncé came down the aisle and said "Hi" to Sarkodie.

Confirming this, Ice Prince was totally blown away by the "Single Ladies" hit maker’s approach, saying; "We were sitting down and Beyonce was walking coming towards ourside, Sarkdiewas on his phone and his head was down and she said Hi to this boy and he didnt even know. So I told him, Beyonce just said Hi and you were looking at you phone?"

Sarkodie reacted; I never believed it when Ice said it till now. but when I was at the BET; Ice Prince was sitting to my left and there were these guys who were doing their thing on the stage and I said to myself if we had that opportunity we can make it.”


Reacting to Beyoncé's greeting, the Sarkodie said “I never believed until now; it was unbelievable when it occurred because I never knew it would happen."

YFMGhana.com

Bigger, Cheaper, Faster Data in the Cloud

The kind of data science that worked for President Obama is coming to cloud computing, and working at a speed faster than the president ever saw.

A company called Civis Analytics, financed by a group of data wranglers who worked on Mr. Obama’s 2012 campaign, is announcing on Wednesday a comprehensive set of big data tools available through Amazon Web Services.

Civis Analytics, which is presenting the service at an AWS event in Chicago, says it can eliminate much of the time and cost associated with figuring out things like marketing campaigns, much as it found and targeted likely Obama voters.

“In a presidential campaign, the outcome is an action,” said Dan Wagner, the founder and chief executive of Civis. “Companies want to do much the same thing.”

Civis does not claim to be breaking new ground in data science. Instead, the company says it can automate a lot of expensive processes in large scale pattern-finding. When the team was working for Mr. Obama it used regular computers, and the problems increased as the amount of data it had grew. Cloud computing better handles such growth.

The company’s selling point is in adapting the services to generalized cloud tools, in particular the AWS Redshift data analysis service, to handle big analysis tasks with little of the customization otherwise required.

Mr. Wagner said Civis’s service will start at about $5,000 a month. “In many cases we will be 80 percent cheaper,” he said. In terms of time, he said, Civis could begin delivering information within 15 seconds of uploading the data.

Ethical Electric, a vendor of clean energy for the home, with nearly 70,000 customers, has been a client of an earlier version of the service for the past two years. Among the uses was locating potential prospects by estimating their future energy consumption, down to hourly use.

Daniel Murray, the vice president for data services at Ethical Electric, said that using this kind of automation saved the company from having to hire at least three expensive engineers. “It put us a year ahead of our plans” in finding customers, he said. Other customers include Airbnb and Boeing.

The move to automate data science and make it accessible to a broader public has been going on for some time, with companies like Tableau working on the visual consumption of results, and ClearStory Data creating multistep data “journeys” to explore information. Google is showing off more of its impressive analytic workings to potential customers of Google Cloud Platform, an AWS competitor.

Civis may be taking that further with its automation and speed. This is also something of a win for AWS, which has recently been promoting its own prediction services.

One of Civis’s board members, as well as an investor in the company, is Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman. “When the company was founded, Google didn’t offer what Redshift does,” Mr. Schmidt said. “I’m trying to shift them to Google Cloud Platform now.”

Whether or not that happens, Mr. Schmidt said, the kind of analysis that Civis offers will most likely affect much of the advertising and marketing business. “They have an unfair share of smart people,” he said. “If you need to find 25-year-old Hispanic males who are working and have one or more children, they can find you a set.”

A Mac-to-iPhone Handoff

Q. I have OS X Yosemite and iOS 8, yet I can’t get my email in progress on the Mac to “hand off” to my iPhone. What should I do?

A. Apple’s Continuity feature allows Macs and iOS devices to share tasks like phone calls, text messages and files from certain applications including Mail, Calendar, Safari and Maps. However, all participating hardware needs to be set up properly for it to work.

For starters, make sure both the Mac and the Phone have Bluetooth turned on in the settings and are on the same Wi-Fi network. They should also be logged into the same iCloud account.

On the iPhone, open the Settings icon, choose General and then Handoff & Suggested Apps to make sure Handoff is switched on. Likewise on the Mac, open the System Preferences icon in the Dock, click General and make sure the Handoff option is checked; if you do not see it, your Mac may not work with Handoff. Apple has further troubleshooting suggestions.

A Windows 10 Checkup

Q. My Windows 7 PC is eligible for Windows 10 and I have signed up for the upgrade later this month. But how do I know if my programs and hardware devices will still work with the new system?

A. Microsoft says Windows 10 is “designed to be compatible with the vast majority of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices,” but this is no guarantee that everything will work. However, you can use the same Get Windows 10 app you used to reserve your copy of the system to get a rough idea of potential compatibility issues.

Click the Get Windows 10 icon in the taskbar’s notifications area, and when the app’s window opens, click the menu icon in the upper-left corner. From the list on the left, select Check Your PC to have the app scan your computer for known potential conflicts or compatibility issues with Windows 10.

Microsoft updates its findings regularly, so you can check again if you have installed new applications or updates to your existing programs. You can also look up hardware and software products in the Windows Compatibility Center to see if the items work with the current Windows 10 Technical Preview.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Want to pick which apps you see and use directly on your phone’s lock screen? In Android 5.1 and later, open the Settings icon and make your selections in the Sounds & Notification area. When a notification from certain types of apps (like mail or a message) pops up on your Android lock screen, you can interact with it. For example, swipe down within the notification box to expand it and see its contents without having to unlock the screen. Double-tap the notification to open its corresponding app, or swipe it off the screen to dismiss it.

In Apple’s iOS 8, tap the Settings icon and select Notifications to set up your alerts. The Notifications feature allows you to respond to messages, calendar invitations and other nudges without unlocking the screen or leaving the program you are using. If you want to reply from the lock screen, put your finger on the alert and swipe to the left to get buttons for responding. When you are already using the device, swipe down on the notification banner at the top of the screen (or tap the alert box) to reply to the notification immediately.

In Windows Phone 8.1, visit Settings and choose Notifications + Actions to get your alerts set up the way you prefer. While in Settings, you can also open the Lock Screen icon to select which apps can send notifications to your screen.

Chiefs of T-Mobile and Sprint Spar on Twitter

In speeches and on social media, John Legere, the chief executive of T-Mobile, has built a reputation of emphatically, if sometimes profanely, promoting T-Mobile’s services, often at the expense of the competition.

That penchant has appeared to rub off on the chief executive of another wireless carrier. Late Wednesday night on Twitter, after Mr. Legere criticized a new pricing plan from Sprint called “All In,” Marcelo Claure, Sprint’s chief executive, responded in kind with a string of tweets calling T-Mobile’s own pricing practices misleading.


In the past, Mr. Legere usually focuses his venom on the two largest carriers in the United States, AT&T and Verizon. And this spring, T-Mobile and Sprint together petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to expand the pool of airwaves to be sold next year to smaller carriers like Sprint and T-Mobile, but not AT&T and Verizon, which each have significantly more market share in the United States than other carriers.

But on Wednesday night, in an expletive-laden message, Mr. Claure said T-Mobile was “worse than the other two carriers together.”

Mr. Legere responded 13 hours later.

Aetna buys Humana for $37B amid record number of healthcare deals

Healthcare-insurance firm Aetna announced a $37 billion agreement Friday to acquire smaller rival Humana in a deal that continues the rapid consolidation in the U.S. healthcare industry.

In the first six months of the year, a record $296 billion in deals have been agreed in the industry, according to Dealogic, a research firm that specializes in mergers and acquisitions.

Aetna will pay approximately $230 a share for the Humana, which is the U.S.'s second-largest provider of private Medicare insurance — a booming business that has expanded rapidly alongside an aging U.S. population.

Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of each company, Humana stockholders will receive $125.00 in cash and 0.8375 Aetna common shares for each Humana share, the companies said.


Aetna agreed to buy Humana for about $37B in cash and stock. The transaction values Humana at about $230 a share. Bloomberg's Nejra Cehic reports on "Countdown." Bloomberg

The combined company will have 2015 revenue of approximately $115 billion, with roughly 56% of that revenue coming from government-sponsored programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

The merged firm will have over 33 million medical members, based on memberships as of March 31, 2015.

Current Aetna chief executive officer and chairman Mark Bertolini will serve in that role at the combined company.

Aetna and Humana will hold a public conference call to discuss the transaction at 8:30 a.m. ET on Monday.

With U.S. markets closed for the Independence Day weekend, neither firms' shares were active in pre-market trades.

The industry got a boost last week when the Supreme Court upheld a part of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, which has significantly increased the number of Americans covered by health insurance.

Disfigured by war, veteran now says 'I found my place'

LOVETTSVILLE, Va. — Ronny "Tony" Porta was searching for a place where people could see past the disfigurement left by war, where cruel mutterings about his appearance or unfeeling questions about whether such wounds were "worth it" did not exist.

More than two years later, Porta says, "I found my place."

Porta, 28, a medically retired Marine corporal, stumbled upon this northernmost Virginia village in the windy, rolling countryside 55 miles from the nation's capital nearly two years ago. His head, face and much of his body were horribly scarred by a fiery roadside bomb attack in Iraq in 2007 that killed two other Marines. He lost his right arm and was left with only a few gnarled fingers on his left hand.

But in Lovettsville, Porta has been embraced without reservation.

The pinnacle of acceptance comes this Fourth of July weekend as Porta, his wife, son and mother settle into a state-of-the-art "smart" home built by grateful donors on a hill just outside the town limits. "I found the place where I want to spend the rest of my life," he said Wednesday as he watched the finishing touches put to his new home.

A town procession of a color guard, motorcycle escort and local dignitaries will formally deliver Porta and his family to the doorstep of his new house from another he's rented in Lovettsville since 2013. "It's become obviously a major event," said Mike Chapman, sheriff of surrounding Loudoun County, who plans to ride his motorcycle. "Everybody jumped on board."

Lovettsville Mayor Robert Zoldos heralded the celebration for "our adopted hometown hero" in his newsletter.

Before settling in this town, Porta's struggle to re-integrate into American society was emblematic of thousands of scorched, dismembered or emotionally distressed veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars returning to a country where only a tiny fraction of the population has personal experience with the military. Surveys showed an empathy gap separating most of the nation's residents from those who serve in

How to tell if your Smartphone is the real deal

Counterfeit goods have become an increasingly worrying problem in Africa. Not only is the clothing industry suffering under the scourge of counterfeit goods, but the Electronics industry has also been under fire.

Consumers who purchase a smartphone device from unauthorised dealers are at risk of losing out financially, as there are limited options they can resort to should they subsequently discover that the device is faulty.

Richard Chetty, Service Director at Samsung Electronics South Africa, says: “Samsung is committed to providing its customers with the best service, with regards to solutions and devices, which is reflected in the quality of after-sales service, customer and technical support. The problem facing consumers who do not purchase their device at an approved dealer, is that there are no consumer care or repair options available to support any of the device components, or any way of being compensated if the product turns out to be a counterfeit.”

“If the purchase price is too good to be true, then it probably is. For example, if a smartphone is found on sale at a reduced price, we urge consumers to check with our customer care centres before purchasing the device, or else they may be left with a fake product”, says Chetty.


Examining the physical differences between an authentic smartphone and a counterfeit model can help identify an imitation phone. The Samsung logo on counterfeits is slightly raised, like a sticker. The screen will also appear a tad lighter than on a genuine device.

“A closer look at a genuine Samsung device will reveal sensors on the forward facing camera, which do not appear on the fake unit. When a genuine product is placed next to a fake one, a customer will easily recognise the lack of quality in the counterfeit version of the phone just by comparing the rear facing cameras,” adds Chetty.

Battery size is another obvious giveaway especially on the Samsung Galaxy S4. The genuine battery is much larger, has higher quality labels and well-designed positive and negative nodes. “The battery is probably the most important determinant of a fake device as it will impact how the device is charged,” warns Chetty. “The design of the battery compartment is very different with softer connectors on the genuine phone while the sticker displays the IMEI number clearly alongside the ICASA branding.”

How to spot a counterfeit device:
A genuine device has around seven to eight screws; however, counterfeit devices only feature two or three real screws with the rest being imitations. Additionally, when the screen is off, the authentic device’s screen appears darker while a counterfeit appears much lighter.

According to Samsung, a fake battery will always say ‘Made in Korea’, with no specific mention to where it was assembled. To add to this, Samsung smartphones are sold at authorised Samsung dealers or local operators… while counterfeit smartphones can be sold anywhere, including off the street. Additionally, online purchases that do not allow for returns are not sold by genuine dealers.

Source: itnewsafrica.com

President Mahama to inaugurate fiber optic project in Ho2

President Mahama will later on Monday, inaugurate the Eastern corridor fiber optic project in Ho at the forecourt of the Regional Coordinating Council.
The fiber spans from Ho to Bawku in the Upper East region through Nankpanduri and has a link from Yendi to Tamale.
The 38 million Euro project which covers 27 municipal and district assemblies has been extended to the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho.

The project is expected to open up the Eastern Corridor to information technology and offer not only teaching and learning opportunities but also bring the digital economy closer to the area.

Yvonne Nelson And John Dumelo Swaps & Wear Each Others’ Clothes

Yvonne Nelson and John Dumelo sure had great fun as they both swapped clothes. John Dumelo wore Yvonne Nelson Clothes while Yvonne wore Dumelo’s Clothes, and oh yeah they started playing around on camera as they wished their friends, fans and family a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The two close friends had a strained relationship due to their divergent views on the #dumsormuststop campaign.

UG Receives $2.9 Million Support from USAID to Improve Excellence in Agricultural Training in Ghana

The University of Ghana has signed a five year agreement with the USAID/Ghana for improving higher education in agricultural research and innovation. The $2.9 million will support higher education programmes at the School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Sciences and the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement Scholarships for Masters and PhD programmes.

Former Apple CEO To Invest In Early-Stage Startups in Africa

In a report by Techmoran ,John Sculley, a former VP and president of Pepsi-Cola and CEO of Apple and once’s Silicon Valley’s top-paid executive has announced the launch of Obi Ventures to invest in startups in the emerging markets.

Speaking at a fireside chat that the iHub in Nairobi, where he was unveilling his Obi Mobiles, an affordable brand of Android-powered smartphones for emerging markets. Sculley said,” We have launched Obi Ventures to invest in early stage startups but we shall be higly selective.”

Read more:$26.9 million invested in African Startups in 2014

Sculley didn’t mention the sectors Obi Ventures will target but from the look of things financial inclusion and e-commerce, logistics, payments, health and edtech startups will top the list. The amount to be invested and the place it will be based is yet to be known.

Sculley, who launched his Obi Mobiles recently in India is targeting the huge growing emerging markets in Africa, Latin Aerica, India and Middle East where he said people buy more than one phones in a year compared to Americans who buy a phone after two years due to contracts with mobile network operators.

TPG Partners Satya Capital To Invest Up To $1bn in African Startups

TPG Growth, the global middle market and growth equity platform of TPG, has partnered with Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim’s Satya Capital  to invest in African businesses .

Mo Ibrahim’s Satya Capital with its experience on the African business arena is to provide 30% of the fund with the rest of the 70% to be taken up by TPG .

Africa being the last major market in which the  company has not yet invested in,the company is to focus on businesses in healthcare, information technology, consumer and financial services, among other sectors with about $1 million to $200 or $300 million investments according to Mo Ibrahim.

The co-founder of TPG, David Bonderman, said: “TPG was an early and successful investor in both Asia and Latin America and, working with Mo and Satya, we believe now is the time to recreate that same success in Africa. We look forward to identifying and supporting growing African businesses to meet the increasing demand from consumers on the continent and beyond.”

“I am very excited that we have found such a great partner in TPG. The dynamic combination of talent and experience of TPG and Satya has the potential to change the scope of investment across the continent”said Mo Ibrahim.

Satya Capital and TPG Growth’s partnership will give African startups the needed boost in terms of solid financial supports since this has been one of the major problems on the continents startups ecosystem.

How to Build A Scalable Prototype Of Your Startup’s Idea In Days

Would you like to build a better prototype of your startup’s idea before taking the next step,then check out Google ventures’ way of achieving that.The Design Sprint is a five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers.

Companies like Nest, Foundation Medicine, and Blue Bottle Coffee have used them to answer questions about the fundamental viability of new businesses, to make the first version of new mobile apps, to develop new features for existing products with millions of users, to define marketing strategies, to design reports for medical tests, to create the personality of a hotel delivery robot etc.

The Sprint comes with a book which will be available later.The book contains dozens of behind-the-scenes stories, including Blue Bottle Coffee, Savioke, and Medium. It shows how sprints can fit into virtually any company. And it also provides a detailed step-by-step guide to running your own sprint that goes way beyond our existing articles.

Before the book is available, you can run your own sprint with their basic how-to guide.

SET THE STAGE

Let’s look at what happens before a sprint. You’ll need to choose a big problem, gather your team, clear your calendars, and gather some essential supplies. And you’ll need a deadline. Schedule a user study before you start the sprint — it can be scary, but good deadlines are an essential part of every sprint.

MONDAY:UNPACK

On the first day of the sprint, your team will “unpack” everything they know. Expertise and knowledge on most teams is asymmetrical: Sales knows things engineering doesn’t, customer support knows things design doesn’t, and so on. We’ll explain how to draw insights from the team together, create a simple user story, set the scope for the week, and take useful notes as a team.

TUESDAY:SKETCH

During Sketch day, your team will work individually to draw detailed solutions on paper. As you sketch, everyone works separately to ensure maximum detail and depth with minimum groupthink. By breaking it down into four discrete steps (Notes, Mind Map, Crazy 8s, and Storyboard), we show you how CEOs, engineers, and sales folk alike can contribute their ideas effectively. After sketching, you’ll use a structured critique and weighted voting to select the best ideas from the field of possibilities.

WEDNESDAY:DECIDE

By Wednesday, you’ll have over a dozen solutions to choose from. That’s great, but it’s also a problem, because you can’t prototype and test a dozen solutions. You’ll have to narrow down and make tough decisions. To prepare for Thursday, you’ll draw a storyboard, which serves as a blueprint of your forthcoming prototype. Meanwhile, it’s time to select research participants and get to work planning Friday’s interviews.

THURSDAY:PROTOTYPING

You’ll spend Thursday in the flow, being ridiculously productive. We show you our systematic plan for doing the impossible: build an entire realistic-looking prototype in just eight hours. Like George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven, you’ll gather a team of experts, assign roles, and put your plan into motion. And just like in the movie (sorry, spoiler alert), you’ll get the job done and still have time to enjoy your evening.

FRIDAY:TEST

On Friday, you’ll show your prototype to real customers in 1-on-1 interviews. We show you how to make sense of what you observe, taking notes as a team and finding patterns in real time. By the end of the day, your ideas have all been exposed to oxygen — some will be smash hits, while others will meet an early end.

Obviously, when a risky idea succeeds, it’s a fantastic payoff. But it’s actually those epic failures which, while painful to watch, provide the greatest return on investment. When a prototype flops, it means we’ve spotted critical flaws after only five days of work. It’s learning the hard way — without the “hard way.”

Rocket Internet To Raise $5 Billion in the Next Five Years

Rocket Internet is set to raise as much as  4.5 billion euros ($5 billion) in the next five years to invest in new ventures and increase stakes in its existing startups after seeking shareholders approval .
According to reuters,The German Internet Company giant already has holdings in more than 100 start-ups.The amount of capital it can now raise is equivalent to more than two thirds of its current market capitalization of around 6.4 billion euros.
Its voracious appetite for cash to fund its far-flung business investments sent its shares down to their recent lows.
At its first annual general meeting on Tuesday, Rocket asked shareholders for permission for a possible capital increase in the next five years of more than 2.5 billion euros based on its current share price.

The company also sought approval to issue a convertible bond of up to 2 billion euros by June 2020.

The two proposals were backed by 89 percent of shareholders represented at the meeting.

Chief Financial Officer Peter Kimpel said any new capital would be used to invest in new companies, increase stakes in existing companies, build the technology platform and make acquisitions.

So far Rocket has ploughed the bulk of the money it has raised into investments in online takeaway food and grocery delivery start-ups that it says has created the largest takeout food delivery network outside China.

Chief Executive Oliver Samwer said Rocket Internet’s focus on emerging markets should provide encouraging prospects.

“Growth won’t slow, even after 20 years of the Internet. It’s just starting,” said Samwer, who has created and sold a string of Internet companies since the peak of the dot-com era in the late 1990s. “Growth is particularly strong in our markets because they are undeveloped.

source:Reuters

The Impact Of Mobile Technology In Africa

Africa’s use of mobile technology in spurring development in all sectors across the continent has been recognised as a way to move the continent towards solving basic social problem through its innovation.

As GSMA reports,the continent has been the fastest growing in terms of both unique subscribers and connections.By june 2014,the penetration rate across the sub-saharan region stood at 38% equivalent to 392 subscribers.The mobile subscriber is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% per annum by 2020.

The mobile industry contributed 5.4% to overall gross domestic product (GDP) in the region in 2013, and this is set to increase by  6.2% by 2020.This indication positions the region in a vital way of fully utilizing the positive effects of mobile technology.

Kenya’s M-pesa,an  SMS ‐based  money  transfer  system  that  allows  individuals  to  deposit,  send,  and withdraw funds using their cell phone  has been hailed on its ability to revolutionalise the mobile money transfer services .This project has been repeated in other countries across the continent which has also proven to be a success.

Though the continent lags  behind in terms of individuals with mobile phones having access to the internet as compared to the global population,the continents use of mobile in driving innovation has uncreased over the years.The penetration stands at 26.5% as compared to the world average at 42.3%  as of June according to the internet world statistics.

Mobile technology’s impact in delivering quality health could be widely seen in the recent outbreak of Ebola in the some countries in the West African Region of the continent.In addressing counterfeit drugs,M-Pedigree’s mobile application allow users to identify counterfiet drugs by using its “Goldkeys” to check its authenticity.

Ambient insights reports that Africa has the highest Mobile Learning growth rate in the world. This year’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the Mobile Learning market in Africa is 38.9%. Revenues will grow more than five times to reach $530.1 million by 2017, up from the $102.4 million reached in 2012.Consumers are driving the current market, with academic buyers close behind.

Ghana’s farmerline uses  technology to link farmers to markets, finance, weather forecast, new farming tips, inputs dealers and equipment services. Farmerline   builds supply chain and value chain solutions to integrate agricultural outputs of rural farmers in Africa/emerging markets.

These initiatives forms part of the many being driven by the impact of mobile technology in Africa as a means of bringing  innovation and economic growth across the continent.

Ghana’s Farmerline Wins $50,000 Investment Fund From Village Capital

Farmerline and Ugandan startup Atikus have been named winners of the Village  Capital’s FinTech for Agriculture accelerator programme in East Africa receiving an investment fund of $50,000 each.

In a post by Disrupt-Africa ,the programme ended with a venture forum earlier this week, with participants ranking each other based on six criteria. Ghanaian startup Farmerline, which is expanding to East Africa and provides agricultural information to farmers, and Rwanda’s Atikus Insurance, which expands access to credit by increasing the capacity of MSME lenders via reimagined insurance and technology risk solutions, came out on top, winning US$50,000 investment each.

“We are proud to have partnered with the DOEN Foundation, the MasterCard Foundation, and Duncan Goldie-Scot to work with the best local entrepreneurs providing alternative financial services through their technology platforms,” said Ross Baird, executive director of Village Capital.

“We are excited about the positive impact that our entrepreneurs can have on improving the income of smallholder farmers–the backbone of the African economy–and eager to see our enterprises’ growth through communities across the continent.”

Eight other startups completed the programme, including Chamasoft, a web and mobile app to automate record keeping for investment groups, FarmDrive, which transforms how smallholder farmers access financial services, M-Shamba, an interactive platform for smallholder farmers and traders, and Mobipay, which provides tech solutions to various economic sectors to drive commerce and trade.

The rest of the cohort was made up of nanoCredit Technologies, which offers lending and de-risking engines, Mifugo.Trade, an online livestock marketing platform, Redcore Interactive, which has developed the remit.ug platform for online international money transfers to mobile money in Africa, and YieldUganda, which sources high quality, traceable food products for local and  export markets.

“One of the main reasons we support Village Capital is because of its unique peer selection technique. Therefore the organisation is able to create a pipeline of investments at a much lower cost than other parties and at the same time offers its participants an interesting network. In the end many more entrepreneurs with impact businesses can profit as well as the East African society as a whole,” said Nina Tellegen, chief executive officer (CEO) of the DOEN Foundation.

“I’m very pleased to be supporting these two companies. It has also been fascinating to see the progress of all the teams who have come through the programme over the past three months. They have all learnt so much, from the trainers, the mentors and each other,” said Goldie-Scot.

source:Disrupt-Africa

Twitter is Also Hiring For Africa

Micro-blogging platform Twitter,is seeeking the skill of an Associate Partnerships Manager for Twitter Africa to join its media team in London.

The fact is ,you must be based in london or ready to relocate to london.

You will be responsible for bringing scale and service to our most influential partners within multiple verticals. Tasks include: verifying accounts; joining meetings with high profile Twitter users to take notes and conduct follow up; providing the day-to-day back-end support that allows the media team to maximize its impact. Projects will vary from conducting research on accounts and content, to crafting best practice documentation, to researching and categorizing accounts.

You will work as part of Twitter’s global multi-vertical media team. You will need to build strong and successful internal and external relationships which lead to successful use of Twitter by our media partners.

You must have deep experience of the Twitter platform, in-depth knowledge of the media landscape in Africa and proven sports and/or TV experience within an existing company in the media industry.

This role will report to the Partnerships Manager for Twitter Africa.

Location: London

Experience required:

Demonstrable expertise of the media landscape in Africa
Key responsibilities:

Deepen and extract more value from Twitter’s numerous creative and business relationships
Aid with a multitude of tasks in supporting Twitter’s Media Partnerships team
Take on major organization, operations and research projects that will optimize our team’s outreach
Be responsible for generating case studies, data-driven analyses, documenting best practices and brainstorming ideas for creative use of Twitter in different verticals – particularly news and sport
Success is measured by:

Increase in overall Twitter engagement and activity by media partners including their volume of content plays, above-baseline follower growth, engagement metrics and log-in frequency
Volume and quality of on-air and in-venue integrations, as measured by the increase in the Tweet volume and engagement per integration
Volume and adoption rate of new best practices you identify, package and market successfully
Effectiveness of systems you design and implement to track growth in usage and content quality amongst media partner

Vodafone Ghana Begins Nationwide Internet Fair

Vodafone Ghana Foundation, has introduced a nationwide internet fair to educate the public on usage and skills of the internet.

The Fair, which started at the Rawlings Park in Accra on June 25, forms parts of Vodafone’s commitment to spread internet connectivity and exposing Ghanaians to the immense benefits of online connectivity.

Mrs Agnes Emefa Essah, Director of Marketing, Vodafone Ghana said the fair would offer Ghanaians access to the various internet bundles and innovative devices available at Vodafone to suit their lifestyles.

“At Vodafone, we are keen on improving digital inclusion as a means of increasing citizens’ value in education, business, family and social activities; therefore, this fair holds immense benefits for the people of Ghana and can totally transform how we live.

“We believe, we can offer increased opportunities for more people to get online and take advantage of the immense wealth of knowledge”, she said.

The Fair which is supported by Samsung, Opera Mini, and Huawei would be held a number of communities in the 10 regions within a period of six months with give gifts such as mobile phones, T-shirts and shopping vouchers to customers.

Having being ranked as the best in voice clarity and 3G internet speed by an independent research agency as well as Mobile Broadband Service, Best Wholesale Company and Telecom Business of the year in the recent Ghana Telecom Awards, the Fair is one of the network’s initiative to give back to society what they have gotten from customers.

Credit: GNA

Obrafour: GHAMRO Paid Me GHc120 As 12 Years Royalties

Obrafour has been on a media run promoting his Nkontompo record that dropped on June 23.

“In 2010, I sent my then manager Frank to go collect our earnings from the office GHAMRO and he was given GHC 120. So he brought it and I told him there was no need to pursue it again.

“And that GHC 120 was my first earnings after 12 years in the industry. That meant I was earning GHC 10 every year. This includes Pae Mu Ka and all the other hits that had enjoyed massive air pay across the globe.

“But I know there’s a new administration in office now and we are observing and hopes things get better.

The Pimpinaa hit maker opined it was better for Ghanaian artist to stay together than go about their business separately.

“I think its better we stay together and fight for the common goal than working individually but it’s sad we are not that united. Things don’t work properly down here and musicians are hungry.”

The Execution Entertainment boss revealed his Obrafofro album was due this October.

“The album is dropping in October but we haven’t picked a date yet.

“I thought October was OK and I have recorded about 34 songs but we want the best for listeners and I know the team will have a tough time choosing what should and should not make the album.

Top 5 Photos That Got Ghana Talking in First Quarter 2015

The first half of 2015 is has finally been buried and of course a lot happened within the 180 days [from 1st January to 30th June, 2015] among some figures in the country which got people talking.

It is in this light that the top 5 photos that got people talking has been collated for publication on this news site and in no special order.

Check them out!

  1.   AMANDA JISSIH AT VGMA

TV host Amanda Jissih was one of the two hosts on the 2015 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards red carpet. However, her red maxi dress was mostly greeted with backlash from the populace. The comments included the assertion that the costume was not suitable for her body type.



 2.  KINTO BEATEN

Albert Appiah also known as Kinto of the Friday Friends fame was attacked in Accra New Town on Sunday, February 8, 2015 after score of people accused him of being gay. When pictures of him were published online, the usual allegations and vindications became the order as the clock kept ticking away each day. Well, he was nearly beaten to death but has recovered and the rest of the story still remains history.



   3.   KAAKIE IN LIBREVILLE, GABON

Earlier this year [January to be specific], the Extra Large Music act was spotted at a pool side in Libreville, the capital of Gabon after she had rocked a concert in the country over the weekend. Of course “all work and no play…” However, her admirable body outweighed her performance in the West African country on the lips and fingers of many in Ghana as the internet kept talking about her cleavage.



4.    WIYAALA IN MOROCCO

Arguably, one of Ghana’s biggest exports in music. She does almost everything in her own way – very unique in all her endeavours. During the weekend of Easter, the ‘Tinambaynyi’ crooner shared photos her chillaxing along the shores of a beach in Morocco. She shared different pictures of her and those poses got Ghana talking about her again – this time not about an award she had won or an outstanding live stage performance of her.



  5.   TWO THOOZIN

Yes you remember this man right; Two Thoozin – he broke the internet right from 1st January this year when his interview with Joy News on Multi TV went viral. He became the talk-of-town [kept social media active, featured in music videos including one with Edem etc.] Unfortunately for him it perfectly look like what was a promising stardom was short lived.

Yvonne Nelson Glams on Cover of Genevieve Magazine’s July Edition…Finally Talks About Father

The July edition of Nigeria’s leading lifestyle magazine, Genevieve Magazine is out and alluring Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson is the cover star.
In the magazine, the YN Productions boss talks about her estranged father, her new movie [If Tomorrow Never Comes], dating Nigerian musician Iyanya as well Ice Prince dating rumor.
Aside this, it also features the magazine’s choice of top Nollywood actresses and an exclusive interview with actor Joseph Benjamin and more.
Cover Credit
Photograper: Lakin Ogunbanwo
Stylist: Dimeji  Alara
Make-up: Bimpe Onakoya Mua
Cover Look: Meena

Stonebwoy Records Song with Ne-Yo…Find Out Title & When It Will Be Out

Winner of “Best International Act: Africa” at the recently-held BET Awards 2015 Stonebwoy is still in the United States of America on business duties following the prestigious ceremony that saw him being honoured.

GlammyNews.com can confirm to you that the BHIM Nation boss is set to release a hit single featuring American R&B singer, songwriter and record producer Ne-Yo.

The song is entitled ‘Go High’ and will be his first since winning the prestigious international award.

‘Go High’ will however be made available for public consumption on Wednesday, July 15, 2015.

Ne-Yo, 35, who won the BET Award for ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist’ in 2007 and 2009 is noted for his soothing voice on songs and he is expected to same on the song.

Stonebwoy will be at Club Pisces in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, July 4, 2015 where he is expected to thrill fans for the first time since winning the BET Awards.

READ MORE: BET Awards 2015 Full List of Winners

Source: Yaw Sarpon/GlammyNews.com/Ghana

Kantanka to rival world famous brands with its new 4x4 range

Accra - Ghana competes with leading 4x4 manufacturers, until now there has not been any 4x4 car manufactures from Africa, reports BBC.

However, a Ghana company would change the face of Africa with its new Kantanka range, all designed and manufactured in Ghana.

Read:Ghana on course to secure fresh IMF aid under deal -sources

But, will it be able to take on world famous brands like Toyota, Land Rover and BMW?

That is the unknown and only depends on the future.

watch video here : Ghana competes with leading 4x4 manufacturer

Teen busted taking selfies while having sex with dog

Abuja - A teenage girl from Florida is alleged to have had sex with her grandmother's dog and took selfies of the act, MirrorUK reported.

The teen while being questioned by police, told them she had gently persuaded the pitbull to peform the sexual acts with her for about 30 to 40 times in a space of five years.

Also read: Man caught having sex with girlfriends dog

Whenever she would have sex with the dog, she would lock herself in her grandmother's room.

According to police, the teenage girl also admitted to making her previous dog perform oral sex on her.

The girl has been charged with two counts of sexual activities involving animals.

For more on this story visit MirrorUK

Turkson echoes Pope Francis’ call to act against global warming

Rome  – Leading Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson has echoed Pope Francis’ call to act now against global warming, reports Reuters.

 The Ghanaian Catholic leader said, “The Pope notes that climate is a common good, belonging to all,"

"The same mindset which stands in the way of making radical decisions to reverse the trend of global warming also stands in the way of achieving the goal of eliminating poverty."

Read:Ghanaians to pay more as fuel prices are set to increase by 15%

This follows an unexpected invite of Canadian environmentalist Naomi Klein - a self-styled secular Jewish feminist – who was happy to address Vatican officials on Wednesday after Pope Francis enlisted her for a campaign against climate change.

Klein claims that those calls could be especially important for fostering change in the United States, where some politicians use the Bible as cover for their opposition to action to slow global warming.

- News24

Renowned pastor urges Ghanaians not to accept homosexuality

Accra - A renowned Preacher, Rev. Nana Anyani Boadum, has blasted some leaders in the country saying that they influence homosexuality in the country , he urged Ghanaians not to accept homosexuality as it a curse, and is condemned by most communities.

According to Ghana web, he has called on the Christian body, and various other stakeholders such as the executive, legislature, judiciary, traditional leaders and social activists to campaign vehemently against it.

Read:Woman sentenced to death for killing US teacher

“There are certain boundaries we don’t have to cross. Before you remove any boundary, first ask yourself why the boundary was put there. We shouldn’t accept it.”
His comes after a US Supreme Court ruling that has legalised same-sex marriage in the United States.

Read more on this story at Ghana web