Ghana, IMF begin talks on economy

The government and officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) areexpected to begin discussions in Accra today, on an economic programme forthe country.

The talks are intended for the government and the IMF to chart a path toresolve the country’s economic challenges.

A former Finance Minister, Professor Kwesi Botchwey, who is expected tolead Ghana's team to the negotiation table, would later meet the IMF Boardin Washington in October, this year to decide on the programme for Ghana.

The meeting in Washington would also spell out how funds will be disbursedon condition that the programme comes along with a financial package.

Sources at the Presidency told the Daily Graphic that the IMF had alreadymade available to the government a list of requirements for the
negotiations.

The sources expressed optimism about the outcome.

The Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Mr Min Zhu, had earlier in astatement announced that it had received a formal request from Ghana toinitiate discussions on an IMF support programme.

The statement said, “The Fund stands ready to help Ghana address thecurrent economic challenges it is facing.”

4 people die in Kebbi after police rescue foreign national suspected of being a ritualist

Below is a press release from The Force Headquarters

Today at about 12noon, a group of villagers in Kamba, Kebbi State, 

were about to lynch a national of Niger Republic, named Adamu Gaya, on suspicion of involvement in an alleged ritual murder of a young girl. The Police rescued and brought him into protective custody. 

However, irate villagers attacked the Police station and destroyed the communication base. They also burnt two (2) Police vehicles, and nine (9) motorcycles.
 Also smashed were the windscreens of four (4) cars parked at the premises. The mob also burnt the official residence of the Divisional Police Officer. In the attack, four (4) persons lost their lives. Eighty-nine (89) persons have been arrested for the violence. 

The Inspector-General of Police, Ag.IGP Suleiman Abba has therefore called on citizens not to take laws into their hands rather they should assist law enforcement officers in maintenance of law and order in the society. 

Ag.CP EMMANUEL OJUKWU, psc
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA.

Jay Z and Beyonce reportedly working on a joint album

There are reports that Jay Z and Beyonce are currently working on a joint

 album following the massive success of their joint On the Run tour.

 Insiders claim the album will be released in late 2014 or early 2015.

Famous radio host DJ Skee revealed the news on his Dash Radio 

show yesterday, claiming 'I have confirmed and talked to a couple sources'.

 Time will tell!

Rwandan Senate President Resigns after being Accused of Incompetence

Kigali (dpa/NAN) – The President of the Rwandan Senate, Jean-Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, resigned on Wednesday after he was accused of incompetence.

He was succeeded by his deputy, Bernard Makuza.

Ntawukuriryayo cited personal reasons for the decision to stand down.

He resigned after senators accused him of creating administrative blockages in the upper house of parliament, and of illegally hiring staff.

Ntawukuriryayo heads the Social Democratic Party, the country’s second-biggest party, which is in a coalition government with President Paul Kagame‘s Rwandan Patriotic Front.

Some analysts said his departure could be linked to his close relations with former Prime Minister Pierre Habumuremyi who was sacked in July.

Habumuremyi has denied allegations that he had connections with the Congo-based rebel movement Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda which has staged attacks in Rwanda.

Photo Credit: Umuseke.rw

About NAN

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in May 1976 to gather and distribute news on Nigeria and cover events of interest to Nigeria at the international level for the benefit of the Nigerian Media and the Public.

Tagged With: Bernard Makuza, Jean-Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, Paul Kagame, Pierre HabumuremyiFiled Under: News

A message declaring that a plant can "cure" Ebola is being widely shared via mobile phone in West Africa - but the claim is not true, and may be offering false hope to those living amidst the outbreak.

"Bitter-Kola has been internationally verified to cure Ebola", reads the note, which is being circulated on messaging apps and other social media. "Pls do not forget to share cheers!!!" it concludes.



Notes like this are being widely shared on messaging apps about Ebola and Kola

Bitter-Kola is another name for Garcinia kola - a plant that grows in parts of West Africa and has been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat colds and fevers.

So where did the idea come from, and how has it taken hold?

Back in 1999, some early stage laboratory tests did indeed show promising signs that a compound from the plant might halt the deadly virus. Crucially, the findings were never taken forward into more advanced tests, either on animals or humans, and no drug was ever approved for use. Today, an array of treatments are being investigated, but none involve Garcinia kola.


Nurses in Liberia preparing Ebola victim bodies for burial in the isolation unit of a ELWA Hospital, in Monrovia
 

The story has spread so widely that the Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, has made a statement refuting its claims. "As I speak to you now, there is no proof yet of any such fruit. I repeat, there is no proof yet of any fruit," he said.

 The health ministries in Sierra Leone and Liberia have done the same.

- See more at: http://silverbirdtv.com/blogs/health-and-food-life-issues/ebola-cure-offers-false-hope-bitter-kola#sthash.NXkFY9iQ.dpuf

How Would You Feel If It Was You?

They had aspirations. They had goals. In the small farming town of Chibok, hundreds of girls were doing the hard work of pursuing dreams that were not easy given their circumstances. Schools around them were shutting down because of the violence of a radical and violent Muslim insurgence group bent on shutting down secular education at any cost.
Recently, they massacred fifty-nine schoolboys in a nearby town. Attending school in this part of the country was a dangerous act. But the school in Chibok, and the girls, persevered. On the night of April 14th, many girls were sleeping in their dorms when a group of men, disguised in military gear, pulled them out of bed. They were told they would be taken to safety. As they were driven away in trucks, the men set fire to the school and began shooting guns into the air. It became clear that they were not being protected, but were in fact being kidnapped by the group they feared most. Boko Haram has been waging a war of terror in Nigeria for five years, specifically taking aim at Western education. Their name loosely translates to “Western education is sin.”
The group has killed at least 2,300 people since 2010. Much like Joseph Kony in Uganda, their reign of terror relies on extreme violence, including bombings, massacres, and kidnappings. They hide in the bush and rely on fear and violence to evade capture. Since the mass kidnapping, approximately 40 girls risked their lives to escape the clutches of Boko Haram.
Some jumped out of moving vehicles. Some ran away at night. Some snuck away while on errands to fetch water. They survived and walked back to their village. But well over 200 girls remain missing. Their bright futures have been traded for a life of slavery if they are not rescued. Posting on social media isn’t enough. Do something. Amplify their story.
Petition world governments to do more to rescue these girls on Change.org. Write a letter of support to the families of the girls at OpenDoors.org.au. And most of all, PRAY.. for their release, rescue and restoration. #bringbackourgirls || Psalms 72:12-14

Kanye West fires back over wheelchair incident

Kanye West's controversial concert demand

After that incident, the Twitterverse went into overdrive with anger at West -- and on Monday, the rapper and his wife, Kim Kardashian, offered a defense.

During a performance in Brisbane on Monday, West took a moment to explain his side of the story and criticize the media for highlighting Friday's misunderstanding. He called out the likes of Matt Lauer, Michael Strahan, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Roberts and asked them to look at him from a new perspective before covering stories on his actions.

"They've got this thing where they want the masses, the people who've never even heard one of my albums, to somehow read a headline that reads negative and to think that I'm a bad person. But the thing is ... I'm a married Christian man with a family," West said during his five-minute speech. "At my concerts, I make sure everybody has as good a time as possible. So all this demonizing me, it ain't going to work after a while. Pick a new target, because I'm not one of these dumba** artists that you're used to."