Author: newsfilegh

The messaging service WhatsApp has been disrupted in China as the government steps up security ahead of a Communist Party meeting next month. Users have faced problems with the app for more than a week with services dropping in and out. At times, it has been completely blocked and only accessible via virtual private networks which circumvent China’s internet firewall. WhatsApp is Facebook’s only product allowed to operate in mainland China. Facebook’s main social media service and its Instagram image sharing app are not available on the mainland. Services disrupted The BBC’s China based correspondents said the WhatsApp messaging service…

Former Energy Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has advised the country to take advantage of the ruling of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to strengthen its ties with la Cote d’Ivoire rather than just jubilating. According to the Ellembele Member of Parliament, it is a fact that the two countries have some common boundaries and a common interest when it comes to commerce and trade, hence the reason why government needs to take advantage of the current victory to solidify that long standing relationship. The Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)…

Dr. Kofi Mbiah, has praised Ghana’s decision to resolve its maritime dispute with Ivory Coast at the court amidst fears by some that it may hurt the relationship between the two countries. The immediate past Chairman of the International Maritime Organization’s Legal Committee, was emphatic that the outcome “will not tear [the two] countries apart”. Ghana went to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) after fruitless attempts to settle its maritime dispute with Cote d’Ivoire amicably.  After years of sitting on the case, ITLOS ruled on Saturday among others that Ghana did not violate the right…

North Korea’s foreign minister has accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war on his country. Ri Yong-ho told reporters in New York that North Korea reserved the right to shoot down US bombers. This applied even when they were not in North Korean airspace, the minister added. The world “should clearly remember” it was the US that first declared war, Mr Ri said. The two sides have been engaged in an increasingly angry war of words. Despite weeks of tension, experts have played down the risk of direct conflict between the two. After Mr Ri addressed the United Nations…

The former chairman of the international maritime organization’s legal committee, Dr Kofi Mbiah is backing calls for government to urgently begin negotiations with neighboring Togo regarding its maritime boundary. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on Saturday ruled that Ghana did not violate the right of Côte d’Ivoire,’ by drilling oil around the maritime area shared by both countries. It further emphasized that Ghana did not violate the provisional measures prescribed by the Special Chamber, in its Order of April 25, 2015. Many including the governing NPP have since called for proactive steps by government, to safeguard…

A masked gunman was stopped mid-attack by an “extraordinarily brave” church usher after killing one person near Nashville, Tennessee. The suspect shot and injured himself during a struggle with 22-year-old Robert Caleb Engle, who was struck in the face by the suspect’s gun. But Mr Engle managed to get back to his car and get his own gun to guard the injured attacker until police arrived. Police said 42 people were in the church at the time of the attack. A woman, named as 39-year-old Melanie Smith of Smyrna, was found dead in the car park near the suspect’s car.…

The controversial $72 million software procured by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is functioning despite an earlier claim to the contrary, Joy News reports. According to the news report, painstaking investigations revealed that key modules of the Operating Business Suite (OBS) are working to expectation. Out of the total 14 modules of the OBS, only one module – the compliance module – is yet to function at full capacity. Current SSNIT Director-General, Dr John Kojo Ofori Tenkorang told Joy News in August, the entire software is not functioning despite the huge money spent on it. He said the…

The Ghana Maritime Authority has introduced a new safety charge per ton of gross  tonnage for a ship as it abolishes the current safety charge of 0.15 US dollars. This is contained in a resolution by the Authority intercepted by TV3 dated August 30, 2017 and signed by the Director General Kwame Owusu. The Ghana Maritime Authority ( fees and charges) Regulations, 2012 (L.I 2009) provides that any commercial vessel other than bulk carriers and oil tankers that call a port or terminal within the Ghana’s maritime jurisdiction was liable to pay US$ 1 per ton of gross  tonnage as a safety…

The decade-long maritime dispute between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire which was finally settled on September 23, 2017 cost the country (Ghana) in excess of 3 million dollars. The amount which included the legal services was bore by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Dr. Manteaw who is the Chairman of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas has revealed. Dr. Manteaw, who is also a member of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), was contributing to a Media General News Lecture on Monday. The lecture presented by Dr. Kofi Mbiah, the immediate Past Chairman of the International Maritime…

The Omanhene of Nsein Traditional Area, Awulae Agyefi Kwame II, has commended President Akufo-Addo for the “courageous decision” to fight against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey. He has also pledged the commitment of his chiefs to the fight and promised every support needed to ensure the country’s natural resources are protected for future generations. Awulae Agyefi Kwame was speaking at the climax of the 2017 Kundum Festival, which also marked 50 years since his enstoolment as Omanhene. Addressing guests at the durbar, including Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Awulae Agyefi Kwame chastised previous governments and some chiefs for looking…