LPG, Kerosene, Premix Fuel Prices To Soar Up Next Month

Ghananewslink.com
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The National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the regulator of Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector has announced that by February 1st Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), kerosene and premix fuel prices will increase to 46%, 93% and 151% respectively.
This is in accordance with the prevailing ruling of an Accra High Court on January 24.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Alex Mould, told journalists in Accra that the price increase is the best alternative for the NPA if it is to go through with the court’s option of seeking Parliamentary approval before imposing the ex-refinery differential margin as a tax.
He said “the only way we can be stopped to do this, if we review the price, is if there is a government intervention.”
Mr. Mould, however, said the regulatory body in the best interest of Ghanaians, and in consultation with the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Bulk Distribution Companies, Government and the Association of Oil Marketing Companies, has decided to comply with the other option provided by the courts.
He said on January 13 2012, the Authority thus submitted a revised petroleum products pricing formula, which includes the ex-refinery differential margin, to be published in the gazette. He noted therefore that the decision was taken prior to the ruling of January 24th of an Accra High Court.
On the issue of the government subsidy, Mr Mould clarified that government had decided not to subsidise petroleum products from the previous price buildup of $92 to the current price buildup of $110 per barrel of oil.

Ablakwa Turns Heat On Azeem

Ghananewslink.com
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Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

A Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has asked for the exercise of ‘patience’ and ‘faith’ in the ability of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to properly investigate the Alfred Woyome judgment debt matter.

Mr Ablakwa’s comments come in reaction to the call by the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International, Mr Vitus Azeem for a stop to the probe by the EOCO.
Mr Azeem believes that the exit of the two Ministers, Martin Amidu and Betty Mould-Iddrisu, leaves a lot of nagging questions in the minds of Ghanaians.
He is convinced that certain factors may have culminated into the exit of the Ministers and calls on the President to come out and explain them to the public.
In a statement released Thursday, he asked: Was Mr Amidu’s misconduct his refusal to withdraw his allegations which he believes strongly in or was his misconduct his determination to pursue the “Wayome” case?; Was Mrs. Iddrisu’s resignation ordered by the President?; and Does this point to anything about her role in the “Wayome” case?
But Mr Ablakwa in response said the Ghana Integrity Initiative is behaving in a “hastily and in a premature manner”. He said it was unfair that the impression is being created as though the government intents covering things up.
He also described as “unfortunate” the attempt to directly link the dismissal of Martin Amidu and the resignation of Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu to the Woyome saga and suggest it forms part of some grand scheme to sabotage the investigation by the EOCO.
“Unfortunately those who are very loudly insisting that this matter should be investigated to its logical conclusion have gone to the court seeking an injunction on the investigations by the EOCO. They don’t want the EOCO to investigate this case.”
The President, when he directed the EOCO to investigate the matter said none of his appointees who will be implicated in the incursion of reckless judgement debts will be spared.

Gov’t Debunks Vile Propaganda On $3Bn Chinese Loan

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Government has sharply debunked vile propaganda statements made by the minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the country will pay as much as $2.3 billion for the $3billion Chinese Development Bank (CDB) loan.
The minority in parliament raised concerns that the country will commit nearly $7billion worth of the country’s crude oil to the Chinese.
The Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu-led minority claim this violates the Petroleum Revenue Management Bill and whacks of corruption.
In sharp rebuttal, a Deputy Finance Minister, Seth Terkper told Joy FM, a local based radio station that the minority got it all wrong. He added the claims by the minority are absolutely false.
Mr Terkpeh emphasized that: “Ghana’s oil is not being collateralized. The proceeds from the off-take will be paid into bank of Ghana just like any sale of crude oil and out of the proceeds that go into the Petroleum Holdings Account, the distribution will be made into the Stabilization Fund, Heritage [Fund] and [the] annual budget funding amount.”
The Deputy Minister further explained that the part of the proceeds that go into the Consolidated Fund will be the only resource that will be used in servicing the loan.
Mr Terkper also denied claims that government has set the price at which the Chinese will buy the country’s oil at 85 dollars, well below the prevailing market price. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, NPP Member of Parliament for Manhyia had earlier accused the President Mills administration of pegging the cost at an unreasonably low price compared to the prevailing crude oil price.
But, Mr Terkpeh denied that claim saying “The volatility in crude oil price makes it unrealistic to fix the price”.
He added that the “off-taker agreement calls for the use of average prices that will be adjusted periodically.”
Ghananewslink.com

Early exit of ‘mighty’ Senegal, what lessons?

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Even before the second round of the group games at the ongoing African Nation’s cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea ends, this tournament will without a doubt pass as one of the most exciting CAN tournaments to date, at least for me.

The irony however is that this was one tournament many doubted will evoke passion and excitement mainly because of the unexpected high profile absentees, but the reverse has been the case. It may be early days yet but so far it’s safe and comprehensible to say this has been a tournament for the minnows.

On Wednesday evening, 2002 World Cup quarter finalists Senegal became the first high profile casualty to exit the tournament thanks to a resolute and relentless performance from co-host Equatorial Guinea.

The National Lightning of Equatorial Guinea left it incredibly late to earn a 2-1 win over their supposedly-illustrious foes who were tipped as favorites for the title.

Senegal’s mighty fall as I choose to call it is a brutal reminder of how far the African game has come and how not to underestimate any team or nation when it comes to football in Africa nowadays.

Many African football experts including my very good self have been forced to eat humble pie after seeing Senegal crash out of the tournament.

Many predicted an easy qualification to the next stage of the competition for Senegal and rightly so. How could one not tip the Taranga Lions as title contenders when they have aruguable the best African performers in the major European League?

Three of their strikers in the player’s of Mossow Sow, Demba Ba and Momodu Niang had score over 50 goals between them over the last 12 months.

But at the end of the day it was the sheer determination on the part of Equatorial Guinea rather than the rich assembly of players from Senegal that prevailed.

Senegal’s exit from the competition would to a certain degree take away some excitement but like I said it reminds us of how names don’t play football no more. It also proves to some extent that the notable names like Egypt and Cameroon who could not qualify for the competition were second fiddle to their opponents when it mattered most.

In the build up to the Nations Cup, Zambia were not considered contenders but they are for my money the most exciting team so far in the tournament. I am not tipping them for the title but from the evidence of what I have seen I won’t be surprised if they reached the last four

Need I say that Zambia Coach Renard Harve was Ghana’s physical trainer during the 2008 Nations Cup hosted by Ghana? I see him as a potential Black Stars Coach in the near future. No? Time will tell.

For Equatorial Guinea, their quarter final berth is more that a dream come through and even if that is how far they go, they can be proud of their achievements. You just couldn’t make it up. The lowest-ranked team to ever stage a Nations Cup, and arguably the lowest-ranked to ever contest the competition, have not only reached the quarter-finals after just two matches but they have also knocked out one of the tournament favourites. Senegal thought they were back in it but then went for the winner and Kily took advantage in the most spectacular fashion. A goal that will be replayed ad infinitum in Equatorial Guinea.

For Senegal Coach Armara Trore i simply can’t help thinking that he has been a bad ambassador for local Coaches in Senegal. His blatant display of technical bankruptcy and misguided selection of more that six strikers for this tournament cannot go without comment. I imagine he would resign or be sacked when he returns to Dakar.

Ghana and Ivory Coast are still favorites but they sure would have to work a lot harder to win the trophy.

The Black Stars are up against Mali tomorrow and a win will see Ghana through to the next stage. Please spare a moment to say a prayer for the Stars. The agenda is still on, Ghana for Gold 2012.

Source: Daniel Oduro, Editor of Sports,(FINDER)

Sectarian attack kills 14 of same family in Syria

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AMMAN (Reuters) – Militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed 14 members of a Sunni family in the city of Homs on Thursday in one of the grizzliest sectarian attacks in the ten-month uprising raging in the Alawite-dominated country, activists and residents said.

Eight children, aged eight months to nine years old were among 14 Bahader family members shot or hacked to death in a building in the mixed Karm al-Zeitoun neighborhood of Homs, 140-km (88 miles) north of Damascus, they said.

The militiamen, known as ‘shabbiha’, entered the district after loyalist forces fired heavy mortar rounds on the area, killing another 16 people, residents and activists in the city told Reuters by phone.

YouTube video footage taken by activists, which could not be independently verified, showed the bodies of five children with wounds to the head and neck in a house. The bodies of three women and one man were also shown.

There was no comment from the Syrian authorities, who severely restrict independent media access to the country.

“Alawites who had remained in Karm al-Zeitoun mysteriously left four days ago, and the rumor was that they did so on orders by the authorities. Today we know why,” said a doctor in the district who did not want to be named.

“We also have seventy people wounded. Field hospitals themselves are coming under mortar fire,” he said.

Hamza, an activist in Homs said that the attack was “pure revenge” for shabbiha members being killed by army defectors loosely grouped under the Free Syrian Army.

He said Sunni families were fleeing Karm al-Zeitoun to other parts of the city, and several Sunni neighborhoods, such as Bab Sbaa, also came under fire.

Tit-for-tat sectarian killings began in Homs four months ago, following armored military assaults on Sunni areas of the city by forces led by members of Assad’s minority Alawite sect.

Mass killings have included Alawites in micro-buses on the way to their villages near Homs and Sunnis stopped at a roadblock while heading to work at a factory. Women from the two sects have been abducted and killed also, activists said.

The killings have raised the prospect of the pro-democracy protest movement against Assad turning into a civil war, as his opponents take up arms and fight back against loyalist forces cracking down on demonstrators.

The Alawite community, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, has dominated the political system and the security apparatus in Syria, a mostly Sunni country of 20 million people, for the last five decades.

Unlike most Syrian cities, Homs has a large proportion of Alawites who moved to the city to take up jobs in the public sector and the security apparatus as Assad’s father, the late President Hafez al-Assad, shored up his power base by promoting members of his own community.

But thousands of Alawites, residents say, have left Homs for their home villages in the Alawite Mountains northwest of Homs following a spike in sectarian killings and kidnappings in the city of one million. Thousands of Sunni families have also left for other parts of Syria, and for Lebanon and Jordan.

The Revolution Council of Homs Province said in a statement that the attack on Karm al-Zeitoun “is a new tactic based on annihilating civilians to break the will the people.”

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters

Security Council meets on Syria; revolt nears Damascus

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HARASTA, Syria (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council meets on Friday to discuss the next move on Syria and council envoys said members will be given a new Western-Arab draft resolution, as fighting between troops and rebels edged closer to Syria’s capital Damascus.

Syrian soldiers who defected to join the Free Syrian Army are seen among demonstrators during a protest against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Khalidieh, near Homs January 26, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Handout

Morocco was expected to distribute at the meeting the new draft resolution that supports the Arab League’s call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to transfer his powers to his deputy to set up a unity government and prepare for elections after a ten-month crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

“The UN Security Council will meet in closed consultations this Friday (at) 3:00 p.m. in New York to discuss steps to take on the situation in Syria,” France’s U.N. mission said on its Twitter page (@FranceONU).

The Security Council could vote as early as next week on the resolution, which diplomats from Britain and France are crafting in consultation with Qatar, Morocco, the United States, Germany and Portugal, envoys said. It replaces a Russian text that Western diplomats say is too weak.

The Moroccan delegation met on Thursday with Russian and Chinese diplomats to present them with the latest version of the draft, council diplomats told Reuters. It was not immediately clear what their initial response was.

The draft, obtained by Reuters, calls for a “political transition” but not for U.N. sanctions against Damascus, something Moscow has said it would not support.

Russia, together with China, vetoed a European-drafted resolution in October that condemned Syria and threatened it with sanctions. It is unclear whether Russia is ready to wield its veto again to block council action on Syria.

Several Western envoys told Reuters that Russia might find it difficult to veto a resolution that is simply intended to provide support for the Arab League.

FIGHTING NEARS DAMASCUS

Clashes between rebels and security forces in the Damascus suburb of Douma, a hotbed of protests and armed rebellion against Assad, raged throughout the day on Thursday, and gunfire was heard from central Damascus during the night.

Activists said army deployment and clashes in townships around Damascus were a response to insurgents’ growing strength.

“The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has almost complete control of some areas of the Damascus countryside and some control in Douma and Harasta,” an activist said by telephone from Harasta.

Other activists in Douma, Harasta and Irbin said security forces had gathered in their towns after rebels retreated because they could not fight pitched battles with the army.

Arab League monitors, now without 55 Gulf Arab colleagues withdrawn by their governments this week in protest at continued bloodshed, were resuming work after a one-week gap during which the Arab League prolonged their mission by another month.

A group of Arab observers stopped at an entrance to the Damascus suburb of Irbin, where a dozen soldiers stood guard. Beyond them a crowd of about 100 anti-Assad protesters shouted slogans. The troops showed the monitors the bodies of a soldier and another person they said had been killed in the morning.

The observers drove away without going into the township.

Elsewhere, three people were killed in Homs, a sniper killed a 58-year-old woman in Hama and a 14-year-old boy was killed in the southern city of Deraa, the British-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

State news agency SANA said “terrorists” had assassinated a colonel in Homs and detonated a bomb in Deraa province, killing an army lieutenant as he tried to defuse it.

Also in Homs, militiamen loyal to Assad killed 14 members of a Sunni family on Thursday in one of the grizzliest sectarian attacks of the uprising, activists and residents said.

Eight children, aged eight months to nine years old were among 14 Bahader family members shot or hacked to death in a building in the mixed Karm al-Zeitoun neighborhood, they said.

The militiamen, known as ‘shabbiha’, entered the district after loyalist forces fired heavy mortar rounds on the area, killing another 16 people, residents and activists in the city told Reuters by phone.

Tit-for-tat sectarian killings began in Homs, 140 km (88 miles north of Damascus, four months ago, following armored military assaults on Sunni areas of the city by forces led by members of Assad’s minority Alawite sect.

The killings have raised the prospect of the pro-democracy protest movement against Assad turning into a civil war, as his opponents take up arms and fight back against loyalist forces.

The Alawite community, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam, has dominated politics and the security apparatus in Syria, a mostly Sunni country of 20 million people, for the last five decades.

By Mariam Karouny, Reuters

Sudan sells seized S. Sudan crude at deep discount

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Sudan has sold at least one cargo of crude seized from South Sudan at millions of dollars discount and is offering more, industry sources said, as Khartoum looks to recover oil revenue from its former civil war foe.

Sudanese oil workers maintain an oil pipeline at a Red Sea export terminal in a file photo. Sudan has sold at least one cargo of crude seized from South Sudan at millions of dollars discount and is offering more, industry sources said, as Khartoum looks to recover oil revenue from its former civil war foe. REUTERS/PA/FMS/HB

A bitter row has escalated between the two over the value of the transit fee landlocked South Sudan should pay for oil pumped north by pipeline through its northern neighbour and exported from Port Sudan.

South Sudan is shutting down production in protest after Khartoum blocked exports and seized some of the oil as compensation. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir accused Khartoum of having “looted” revenues amounting to roughly $815 million from crude cargoes.

The seized crude was loaded onto three tankers from January 13-20, South Sudan’s justice ministry said.

Sudan sold one of those cargoes, a 600,000 barrel shipment loaded on the vessel Ratna Shradha, to a North Asian trader. The final price of the sale was unclear, but one trader said that the cargo was sold at a discount as steep as $14 a barrel. That would indicate an $8.4 million discount for the whole cargo versus the last official price charged by the South.

“This is crude from the South sold by the North at a $14 discount to the South’s last selling price,” a Middle East-based crude trader said.

The tanker is heading to Singapore, another source said.

The last time South Sudan sold Nile Blend cargoes, it did so at a premium of $2.50-$3.00 a barrel to the benchmark Indonesian Crude Price, traders said. This would indicate that Sudan has sold the cargo at a discount of around $11 a barrel to the Indonesian price.

Sudan has also loaded two other cargoes of seized Dar Blend crude, but it is not immediately clear if they have sold those. Khartoum had offered these cargoes last week at a discount to official South Sudan prices, traders said. One of them is headed to the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, they added.

The South last sold seven cargoes of Dar Blend at discounts between $5 and $11 a barrel to dated Brent. Sudan offered the cargoes at a discount of $15-$16, another source said.

OFFGUARD

Buyers of South Sudan oil were caught offguard when Khartoum started blocking exports in late December.

In addition to the three, at least seven tankers are still waiting at the port to lift December and January cargoes, raking up demurrage costs of $20,000-$22,000 per day, traders and shipbrokers said. Buyers include PetroChina, Glencore, Vitol, Trafigura and Arcadia, they said.

“There was no reason given. They just held back sailing,” a second trader with a Western firm said, adding that demurrage costs and the uncertainty were a “nightmare”.

South Sudan pledged to fully shut its output of 275,000 barrels per day (bpd) in two weeks, a move that could also cut off supplies to equity holders China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), Malaysia’s Petronas and India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corp.

A third trader said buyers could declare force majeure if they still cannot lift the oil 30 days from the date of loading.

“Force majeure is the last resort if the cargo has not been loaded 30 days after the scheduled loading date. As long as the ship has not loaded the oil,” the trader said.

“It will be complicated to declare force majeure if the oil is already on board. How are you going to discharge the oil back into the shore tanks?”

South Sudan became independent in July under a 2005 peace agreement with Khartoum that ended decades of civil war but both sides have failed to agree how to untangle their oil industries.

By Luke Pachymuthu and Florence Tan, Reuters

Besigye calls for Govt change

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Dr Kizza Besigye addresses supporters in Kasangati. Photo by Isaac Kasamani

Government needs to be overhauled to clean up the mess that has led to the suffering of many Ugandans.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) boss, Col. Kizza Besigye said the high rate of corruption among government officials at various levels has affected the development of the country.

“We have seen many reports in the media about government officials who have been implicated in corruption scandals but nothing has been done about them,” he said.

Besigye made the remarks while addressing residents of Luzira a Kampala suburb during the Action for Change (A4C) rally at Luzira Secondary School.

The rally was initially planned to be held in Kitintale but was shifted to Lizira under police instructions.

He said failure by President Yoweri Museveni to take action on such individuals means that he supports them.

“The whole system is rotten and there is need to repair it. We shall use Article 29, of the constitution to exercise our freedom of expression to achieve what we want,” he said.

While presenting a paper at the National Resistance Movement (NRM) retreat last week, the former Prime Minister, Kintu Musoke also called on President Museveni to disband his cabinet, saying that it was irreparably scarred with corruption.

Besigye said only people power can bring about change that the country needs to move on than using a gun.

He said NRM has forgotten why it went to the bush and doing the same things that they used to condemn in the previous regimes.

Besigye said his focus to bring change is not in 2016, but 2012 once Ugandans are committed to work in unity.

“These people have robbed all government coffers and sold off public assets that would have helped Ugandans. This is the reason people have no jobs. Corruption has led to high cost of living in the country,” he said.

“It is time to chase these armed robbers and failures. They have only messed up the country,” Besigye said.

He called on people to be confident, desist from fear and work in solidarity if they want to push out the bad leadership. He said people should not wait for leaders but to also play there role.

Besigye also visited Luzira Port Bell where one person was killed in an eviction exercise and paid tribute to the bereaved family.

He condemned the act and called for quick prosecution for justice to come out. He noted that his struggle started in Luzira and will continue fighting to make sure there is justice.

Besigye was later escorted by the Kampala police commandant Andrew Kaweesi to clear traffic along Luzira road. Hundreds of supporters lined up along the road waving and singing praising songs for Besigye.

By JEFF ANDREW LULE AND SIMON MASABA, The New Vision

Do you have a story or an article to publish? Please email us to [email protected].

Kyazze preaches accountability ahead of polls

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Still active players at their respective clubs, Amos Kyazze of Rounders and Nicholas Kebba of Tornado are relishing the prospect of squaring off for the treasurer’s post when Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) goes to polls at Lugogo tomorrow.

With the winners of the chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and organising secretary’s posts – barring a major shock – somewhat known, it is Kyazze’s match-up against Kebba that will have the full house on tenterhooks.

Both are former national U-19 internationals and boast of enviable accounting experience. Kebba has been managing the books of his club for more than three years whereas Kyazze is the manager of all government accounts in Barclays Bank. “This is not a challenge,” said Kyazze when asked about his face-off with Kebba.

“It is an opportunity for us to show proper accountability, transparency and take the game to the next level.”

By INNOCENT NDAWULA, Daily Monitor

INDONESIA: Authorities refuse to treat political prisoner with tumour

William Nicholas Gomes
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Dear President of Indonesia,

INDONESIA: Authorities refuse to treat political prisoner with tumour

Name of victim: Kimanus Wenda
Names of alleged perpetrators: Staff of Nabire prison
Date of incident: 2010-now
Place of incident: Nabire prison, Nabire, Papua

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the condition of Kimanus Wenda, a political prisoner at Nabire prison.

According to the information received from the Asian Human Rights Commission, on 4 April 2003, at around 1am local time, there was a burglary at 1702/ Jayawijaya Wamena military district staff headquarters armory and eight perpetrators were arrested, namely Yafrai Murib, Numbungga Telenggen, Enos Lokobal, Linus Hiluka, Kanius Murib, Kimanus Wenda, Des Wenda and Mikael Haselo.

I also know that on 15 January 2004, according to the verdict declared by the Wamena district court, all the victims were found guilty for rebellion under articles 106 and 110 of the Criminal Code. Yafrai Murib and Numbungga Telenggen were sentenced to lifetime imprisonment, while the others were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Civil society considers this verdict to not be based on legal facts.

I learnt that since 2010, Mr. Wenda has had a tumor in his stomach and is constantly vomiting. He called the health staff at Nabire prison, but received no serious response. On February 2, 2011, the Nabire hospital issued a reference letter regarding Mr. Wenda’s sickness and the need for him to be operated at Jayapura hospital. Two days later, Mr. Wenda’s legal counsel sent a medical leave letter to the head of Papua’s regional office of law and human rights and the head of Nabire prison, but received no response. On September 19, SKPHP met the head of Papua legal and human rights department but the department said it has no money and thus cannot pay for Mr. Wenda’s operation. I am aware that this violates Indonesian law under Indonesian Government Regulation No. 32/1999 on Terms and Procedures on the Implementation of Prisoners’ Rights in Prisons, which states that it is a state obligation to provide medical fees and treatment. While civil society is now gathering funds to pay for the operation in Jayapura hospital, it is not yet enough.

I wish to point out that on December 16, at the hearings between KontraS and the ministry of law and human rights, the staff of Nabire prison said that based on their report and the statement of the prison chief, Mr. Wenda was seen playing volley ball in prison and therefore his stomach tumour is not dangerous and does not need to be operated in Jayapura hospital. However, on December 21, when local activists brought Mr. Wenda to be examined at Nabire hospital, John, the surgery doctor who examined Mr. Wenda, stated that the tumour is severe and should be operated as soon as possible. The government denial to treat Mr. Wenda has resulted in much civil society concern about his safety.

Based on the information stated above, I urge you to promptly pay the medical fees necessary for Mr. Wenda’s proper treatment, in accordance with government obligations to do so. I also urge you to look into all the allegations in this case and to take appropriate action against those found responsible, and prevent any future recurrence.

Yours sincerely,

William Nicholas Gomes

William’s Desk

www.williamgomes.org

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