Day: June 23, 2023

Mr. Emmanuel Ankomah, General Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Tema Region, has advised the public to desist from building across utility corridors.

The construction of buildings on utility lines has become widespread within the Tema Region of the Company, Mr. Ankomah said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

‘The disrespect for utility corridors is rampant in all districts under the Tema Region,’ he stated.

‘This situation has become rather widespread throughout the entire Tema Region, which spans Nungua, Tema, Afienya, Lower Manya Krobo, Yilo Krobo, Prampram, Ningo, Sege, Ada, Sokpoe, Juapong, and surrounding areas.’

Such behaviours, according to him, put the lives and property of the local people and others in jeopardy.

He cited owners of ‘chop bars'(Local restaurants), repair shops, and companies using metal containers, including salons, barbershops, and supply stores, as most guilty for the irresponsible intrusion.

Mr Ankomah emphasized that the encroachers build the illegal structures most often near ECG transformers, substations, overhead cables, and utility corridors, which obstruct repair works.

To ensure that such utility corridors were left free for everyone’s safety, he urged state agencies, including Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and the security operatives in the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Volta Regions to take the appropriate actions to protect the state’s interest.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Gloria Nyameyie (not her real name), a young vibrant, confident, and beautiful lady, was full of life at age 25. She explored the country, travelling everywhere to have fun with friends, family and loved ones.

At age 26, she thought life should be all flashy, and luxurious, and so, out of pride and against all cautions, she moved out of her parent’s home to rent an apartment for herself.

Nyameyie, with uncontrollable tears rolling down her cheeks, narrated the lessons she learnt in life to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast, after being infected with Tuberculosis (TB), which had left her in despondency.

She revealed that she stopped depending on her parents soon after she completed her national service and had saved some money for her upkeep.

Nyameyie along the line, began sleeping with men to provide her basic needs because her account had dried up and she needed to survive but that action would become the watershed of her life.

One morning, on her usual daily routine, she suddenly felt very weak, feverish and was coughing.

She suspected she had malaria and so, she went to the pharmacy shop to purchase over-the-counter medicine which mitigated her condition.

After some months, her condition worsened, and life became unbearable as she had no money to visit the hospital.

Eventually, she received support from a good Samaritan to see the doctor and she was diagnosed with chronic respiratory failure caused by TB.

TB, a communicable disease, which leads to the development of lesions in organ tissues. The most common form of TB, Pulmonary Tuberculosis, can cause severe lung damage leading to respiratory complications and eventual death.

Nyameyie, with little money, began treatment but she is still faced with life-threatening challenges including trauma, stigma, and loneliness, which makes her feel suicidal sometimes.

Though she is going through the treatment process, the feeling of guilt is affecting her health negatively.

Nyameyie is scared to inform her parents about her condition because she failed to heed their good counsel.

She advised the youth, particularly young ladies, to beware of the decisions they take in their youthful years because bad decisions could destroy their future.

She also pleaded with Ghanaians to embrace and support persons living with TB to aid their recovery process.

The public should frequently visit health facilities to test for the disease for early detection and treatment.

STATISTICS

The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the ‘End TB Strategy,’ which was endorsed by the 67th World Health Assembly in 2014.

The strategy envisions a world free of TB, with zero deaths, disease, and suffering and this has saved about 74 million lives.

Furthermore, the strategy ambitiously proposes to ‘end the global TB epidemic’ by 2035.

Statistically, 10. 6 million people in 2021 fell ill with TB and 1.6 million died within the same year.

It is estimated that each day, more than 4,000 lose their lives to TB globally and close to 30,000 fall ill with the disease.

TB is the third leading cause of death and the second infectious killer after Covid-19.

Ghana, for instance, losses 30 persons daily to the disease with 125 falling ill every day.

EXPERTS CONCERN

Ms Philomena Afful, the Disease Control Officer at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) told the GNA that there was a need for the citizenry to remain vigilant and report TB cases to health facilities.

She said though reported cases were low, the disease was prevalent within communities, which posed a threat to organs in the human body.

TB impacted the lungs, spine, brain, kidney, and other parts of the body and if not immediately treated could kill.

Symptoms and signs include cough, night sweats, difficulty in breathing, headache, cold, weight loss and fatigue and advised health practitioners to be on their guard.

Ms Afful noted that early detection of the disease could help immediate treatment to avoid spreading through the other parts of the body.

She urged the populace to desist from attributing TB cases to spirituality, adding that the misconception was hindering treatment of the disease.

‘As soon as people see symptoms of TB, they consult pastors, traditional priests and spiritualist for treatment which tend to worsen the situationing the disease in Ghana, she stressed the need for collective efforts by all stakeholders to fight against stigma and discrimination of the disease for persons to freely check their status regularly.

Though there are vaccines for children to prevent contracting TB, institutions must advocate for adult vaccines against the disease.

TB, she noted is preventable and curable and treatment is free, hence is no excuse for persons living with the disease to resist treatments.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Renowned Ghanaian socialite Van Calebs says many fashion shows have lost their purpose of promoting Ghanaian customs and are focusing on models on the runway.

According to Van Calebs, who is also a known choreographer, female models who take up fashion on the runway have become the focal point of attention because of their looks, not what they often wear.

Van Calebs, in an interview during a recent fashion show held in Accra, expressed his views on whether fashion had become a lucrative venture for Ghanaian entrepreneurs.

‘The focus is no longer on the clothes themselves but rather on the individuals wearing them… and I say this in a negative sense. Wealthy individuals attend these shows and cast their eyes upon the beautiful models strutting down the runway.

‘After the event, they request that the organisers provide contact details for some of the ladies, and even some of the male models.

‘Subsequently, they arrange meetings and offer money or opportunities in exchange for sexual gains.

‘Hence, these affluent individuals also sponsor the fashion shows financially, which serves as their benefit. In reality, most fashion shows do not generate revenue through ticket sales or designer participation fees, leading to a rather dire situation,’ he explained.

Van Calebs further highlighted the plights of Ghanaian models who grace the runways, as they are often underpaid, leading to their exploitation.

Despite the numerous setbacks in the fashion industry, Van Calebs says fashion has become a major item in lifestyle and entertainment and continues to thrive, with many young people aspiring to be fashion designers.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Management of the Kumasi Abattoir Company Limited is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that meat products from the abattoir are safe for consumers in the face of a reported case of Anthrax in the Upper East Region.

It has therefore put together a committee whose mandate is to provide surveillance to ensure livestock imported into the Region are free from the disease and safe for consumption.

The Chief Butcher of the Abattoir, Mr. Ibrahim Wahab Tikuma said the measures forms part of efforts to ensure that meat products emanating from the abattoir are wholesome and safe for public consumption.

He said the formation of the committee had also strengthened its quality assurance mechanisms which had always been the hallmark of the abattoir.

Mr. Tikuma who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations, said, the Kumasi abattoir remains the safest place for Muslims to buy their livestock for the festive occasion.

‘This is the centre of distribution of livestock to many parts of the country, so we are making conscious efforts to ensure that animals that are brought here are free from any form of disease,’ he said.

The Chief Butcher said patronage this year seems low compared to previous years.

He attributed it to the high prices driven by low local production and currency depreciation and called on the government to provide incentives to promote local livestock production.

He said only 20 per cent of livestock were produced locally with the remaining 80 per cent coming from neighbouring countries, a situation that needed to change to ensure affordable and healthy meat products for Ghanaians.

Dr. Ernest Boateng, Head of Public Health and a Veterinary Officer at the Kumasi Abattoir, said, no single case of Anthrax had been recorded in the Ashanti Region.

He urged the public to disregard speculations about Anthrax being recorded in the region, saying that strict measures had been put in place in the interest of public health.

He assured the public that every livestock that entered the premises of the Abattoir was properly screened.

Mr. Michael Tongban, the Production Manager at the Kumasi Abattoir, said meat from the abattoir was safe for consumption because they went through various tests before being sent to various markets.

Source: Ghana News Agency

From Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 5 no fewer than 25 journalists from across the world converged on Kazanlak, a city in central Bulgaria, about three and a half hours drive from the capital, Sofia.

They were there not only to attend the 18th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media but to witness the annual traditional Rose Festival in the area.

The gathering also offered the opportunity and the platform for the laying of wreath in remembrance of Hristo Botev who was killed 147 years ago in the course of defending his community.

Botev is considered a Bulgarian revolutionary and a poet. He is seen by Bulgarians as a symbolic, historical figure and national hero.

Having ended the meeting within two days, it was time to witness the traditional annual festival of the Rose flower.

It was the 120th time that the festival was held in Kazanlak, a town of not more than 300, 000 inhabitants, but one with a rich tradition, history, and culture.

The city is fondly referred to as the “Valley of Roses’’, the “Valley of the Thracian Kings’’, and “Capital of the Queen of Flowers’’.

Kazanlak is famous for its abundance of flowers, especially the oil-bearing and fragrant rose. The city is considered to be the capital of Bulgaria’s Rose Valley.

A visit to the town generates a blissful feeling because of a combination of the weather, naturally beautiful scenery, and majesty of the Stara Planina—the elongated, 130 km-long ridge of the mountain which forms a natural border

Kazanlak’s beauty is made even more dreamlike by the fertility in the valley of Tundza (archeological project) and the warm mineral springs.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Zlatna Kostova, Head of International Relations at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), said the Valley of the Thracian Kings derived its name from being host to tombs where kings of the Thracian tribe were buried.

She said Thracians or Thracian Bulgarians are a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or native to Thrace.

Today, according to her, the larger part of the population is concentrated in Northern Thrace, but much is spread across the whole of Bulgaria and the diaspora.

Ancient Thrace was located in the Balkan Peninsula region, which comprises most of modern-day Bulgaria.

A visit to the Rose Valley reveals the extensive gardens of oil-bearing roses from which the famous rose oil is produced.

In a booklet entitled “120 Years of Rose Festival Kazanlak’’, the Kazanlak Municipality said: “The development of rose production has a direct impact on the daily life and culture of the local population.

“The discarded petals were used as food for domestic animals while rose water was used to treat sick eyes, stomach ailments, and more.

“Sugar mixed with rose oil was used to treat gallbladder problems, and rose `rakia’ – a traditional Bulgarian brandy – and rose jam became favourite delicacies not only among Muslims but also among Bulgarians.

“The Kazanlak rose can also be found in the traditional clothing of the population of the Rose Valley, especially on the embroidery.’’

While there are more than 300 species of the rose flower with the Roza genus specie originating in ancient times and found in the wooded and moist provinces of India, China, East Africa, and America, there are three unique ones grown in Kazanlak.

“The flowers and the fruits of the rose have been used for the production of aromatic oils, wine, tea, medicines, etc in Assyria, Babylon, India, China, Persia, and Egypt.

“In ancient Egyptian literature, the rose was considered a sacred plant, and during the reign of Ramses II in the 13th Century BC it was cultivated as a cultural plant’’, she said.

These attributes of the oil-bearing rose have attracted attention from ancient times to the present day. It was for these reasons and more that the Kazanlak community hold a festival in reverence of the wonderful attributes of the flower considered by many as “the symbol of Bulgaria’’.

The festival was one of Bulgarian splendour and pageantry, folklore dancing, traditional customs, crafts, and taking pictures in a rose field. This happens on every first Sunday in the month of June.

There was a carnival along the Knyaz Al. Batenberg Boulevard in the city centre by many associations ranging from artists, dancers, hunters, past athletes, fashion designers, make-up artists, mathematicians, and builders.

Others were electricians and computer technologists, personnel of the armed forces, among others – both the young and old, male and female.

It was generally a wonderful, beautiful, and dreamlike sight to behold, no wonder Abdullah Suleiman Salih Al Assaf of Saudi Press Agency (SPA) described the festival “awesome’’ and “worth celebrating’’.

“I am both surprised and not surprised’’, he said when asked whether the celebration was worth it. I didn’t know it was going to turn out this big. Initially, I thought it was going to be a small gathering of people, but look at this.

“The display of rich culture, tradition, and history here, and the colours on display are all awesome.

“The rich fragrance of the rose flower, the Rose Queen pageant, even the presence of the country’s president at the festival testify to the greatness of the event, he said.

“I am impressed by the commitment of the people of this community. Look at the participation’’, he told NAN.

Also speaking with NAN, the Deputy Director of the Museum of Rose in Kazanlak, Radosalav Petrov said the festival was a celebration of the benefits that the rose flower has brought to the lives of the people in the area.

“The rose industry here is providing jobs for at least 30,000 people. This includes people who cultivate the roses, pick them when they are ripe for picking, and process the petals in distilleries to get the oil from them.

“There is also another aspect of the value chain. We can produce many products from the rose. And don’t forget that we will go ahead and sell them,’’ he said.

The Rose Festival was first organised by citizens of Kazanlak in 1903. It was dedicated to beauty and flowers as well as charity.

Rich exhibitions were organised and the funds collected were given to poor families, the aged, and orphans. The festival became more popular in the 1930s and by 1966 it had gained nationwide acceptance.

Thus, in 1967, the first national Rose Festival was organised in Kazanlak, and two years later, in 1969, a carnival procession element was added to the event.

The carnival procession was led by the Chariot of Seuthes III and the Rose Queen, who is usually the winner of the city’s Most Beautiful Girl Pageant for the running year.

The Rose Queen for 2023 is Kristina Popova, a high school graduate who was coronated at a ceremony at the Seuthopolis Square in the Kazanlak city centre.

The worldwide recognition of the festival is just one of the big acknowledgements of the Kazanlak people who have made a cult of beauty through one flower.

They have proven that dedication and commitment to work, and charity through the years can lead to the institution of a tradition worth celebrating as the Rose Festival, one which many observers consider to be phenomenal.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A “debris field” has been discovered within the search area for the missing Titan submersible, the U.S. Coastguard (USCG) said on Thursday.

The agency said a remotely-operated vehicle made the discovery near the wreckage of the Titanic on Thursday.

The hunt for the missing deep-sea vessel is still an “active search and rescue” mission after it lost communication on Sunday.

The vessel was about 700 kilometres south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.

Coastguard officials said they were “evaluating the information” following Thursday’s debris discovery.

A press conference will be held at the Coastguard base in Boston to “discuss the findings” at 8pm (1900 GMT).

Rear Admiral John Mauger, the first Coastguard district commander, and Captain Jamie Frederick, first Coastguard district response coordinator, will lead the press conference.

Founding member of the Board of Trustees of The Explorers Club, Hamish Harding, was on board the undersea craft, alongside UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, and OceanGate’s chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, as well as French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

The USCG said the ROV that made the discovery was from the Canadian Horizon Arctic ship – with the debris being found on the sea floor near the Titanic wreckage.

Assistance from the Royal Air Force (RAF) is due to arrive in St John’s on Thursday after it confirmed a request was received overnight for help with movement of additional commercial equipment.

Two RAF planes, a C-17 Globemaster and A400 Atlas, departed RAF Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland on Thursday.

A British submariner and equipment from a UK firm has been sent to help the search at the request of the U.S. Coastguard, Downing Street said.

Royal Navy submariner Lieutenant Commander Richard Kantharia, who was on exchange with the U.S. Navy, has been seconded to the search and rescue team.

OceanGate Expeditions estimated the oxygen supply on the 6.7 metre-long vessel would last 96 hours, giving rescuers a deadline of around midday on Thursday.

Experts said the chances of finding the sub and rescuing those inside was diminishing.

Former Royal Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsey told the PA news agency: “The outlook is bleak, that’s the only word for it as this tragic event unfolds and almost the closing stages of where this changes from rescue to a salvage mission.”

The Titan is believed to be about 900 miles east and 400 miles south of Newfoundland.

It is not known how deep the vessel is, with the seabed being around 3,800 metres from the surface.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria