Uganda Chess Team takes on Nairobi Chess Club in friendly encounter

-
0
Harold Wanyama
Harold Wanyama

Uganda’s National Chess team comprising of four players; Harold Wanyama, Arthur Ssegwanyi, Bob Bibasa and Haruna Nsubuga is set to take on Kenya’s Nairobi Chess Club in a FIDE rated event to run from 11th -12th February 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Uganda’s contingent will be led by UCF General Secretary, Christopher Turyahabwe. Nairobi Chess Club’s team will comprise of Mehul Gohil, Hinga Githinji, Ben Magana and Peter Gilruth.

The international friendly, being held for the first time but planned to take place every year and held on a rotational basis in Uganda and Kenya is this year fully sponsored by Nairobi Chess Club. A similar event is expected to be held in Uganda next year.

The mode of play will be based on the Scheveningen system under which each of the Kenyan players will get a chance to play each of their Ugandan counterparts on the team.

The purpose of the event is to improve on the ratings of players from both countries, enhance competition and relations between players from both countries while preparing them for the 40th World Chess Olympiad due to take place in Istanbul, Turkey. The match will be arbitrated by Kenya’s Kim Bhari.

National Chess Champion, Ssegwanyi is the only player who has so far been confirmed on Uganda’s Olympiad team. Others are waiting to book their places in the second and third phase of the Olympiad qualifiers due in March and April 2012.

In light of the above, the other three players on Uganda’s team to face Nairobi Chess Club have been handpicked by the Federation based on recent form. Wanyama recently won the Rwabushenyi Memorial Chess Championship; Nsubuga is the reigning National Junior Chess Champion and tied for first position with Ssegwanyi in the 2011 National Chess Championship. Bibasa, a Candidate Master tied for first position in the 2011 Rwabushenyi Memorial Championship and emerged second after a play off.

Uganda’s players are undergoing intensive training in readiness for the match that will set the pace for this year’s UCF Calendar.

Bill Gates pledges $750 mln to troubled AIDS fund

News Ghana
-
0
Microsoft founder Bill Gates addresses the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, January 24, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer

Microsoft chairman and philanthropist Bill Gates pledged a further $750 million to the troubled global AIDS fund on Thursday and urged governments to continue their support to save lives.

“These are tough economic times, but that is no excuse for cutting aid to the world’s poorest,” he said in Davos at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced two days ago that its executive director, Michel Kazatchkine, was stepping down early following criticism over misuse of funds and cuts in funding.
The public-private organisation, based in Geneva, accounts for around a quarter of international financing to fight HIV and AIDS, as well as the majority of funds to fight TB and malaria.
But it has been forced to cut back and said last year it would make no new grants or funding until 2014.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $750 million through a promissory note — a fresh injection in addition to the $650 million that the Gates charity has contributed since the fund was launched 10 years ago.
Reuters

Man jailed for defiling 11 year-old girl

News Ghana
-
0
The Aflao Circuit Court has sentenced Koshie Awumey, 36, a farmer to 16 years in jail for defiling an 11-year old girl.
Awumey pleaded not guilty.
Mr Stephen Wuni, Detective Police Inspector at Aflao, told the court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri that Awumey lived at Zuime-Toko while the victim, a basic school pupil, lives with her parents at Gbugbla-Toko near Aflao.
He said on December 26 last year the victim, accompanied by her four-year old sister, went to harvest coconut from her father’s plantation nearby.
Awumey, who was passing by, requested for one coconut and insisted that the victim came down from the coconut tree to give him the coconut even though some coconuts were under the tree.
He said as soon as the the victim got down Awumey pulled her into a nearby bush, tore her panties which was the only attire on her, and defiled her.
Mr Wuni said the wailing of the victim’s sister attracted a witness whose cottage was nearby but Awumey fled when the (witness) approached.
He said the witness informed the victim’s father and a search party by the community members found Awumey hiding in a thicket and he was arrested.

How To Have Adventurous Sex

News Ghana
-
0
If you want to have adventurous sex, but you don’t know how to do it, here are ways that can help you out. Here are ways for you to be naughty and not raunchy.
1. Role-play With One Another
You don’t have to watch porn in order to act like different character. There comes a time in your life when you once wanted to be a certain character that you’ve seen in a movie. Once you saw that character you felt like you wanted to be a naughty version of that character. So if the both of you are comfortable role-playing, go by the store and get some Tarzan or Lion King related outfits. Clothes that are very revealing and relates to the theme you set for the night.
2. Accessories Can Be A Necessity
There are times when the naked body is not enough to keep the spark in your sexual relationship. One night, you don’t want to make to love. You just want to “beat it up.” Go to a sex shop and buy whips, dildos, rope, etc. Sometimes, it takes just the accessory to reveal the naughty side of your mind.
Food can also be an accessory. Don’t bring the food that is only used at the dinner table. Bring the cherries, strawberries, and whip cream. Anything you can use and clean up easily. Bringing fried chicken to the bedroom doesn’t even sound right.
3. Don’t Tell, Just Go (Moaning and Groaning Excluded)
Talk is cheap. You can just say you have a big package under there and you just can’t wait to whip it out. Talking about your package can be a complete turnoff. When you are in a sexual mode, remove your clothing and jump towards that person.
While having sex, moaning and groaning is the only form of talking that can alright. Aside from the whole ““You like that? I’m coming. You want this baby?””, moaning and groaning appears to be the only thing the sets the mode right.
You have to bring the heat in your relationship. What better way to do it than to have adventurous sex.
Ghananewslink.com

Mensah Will Play Against Guinea

News Ghana
-
0
The Confederation of African Football has confirmed that John Mensah is suspended for two matches at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
Mensah was shown a straight red card in the opening Group D game against Botswana on Tuesday.
According to CAF, the suspension takes retrospective effect from the game with Botswana where he was sent off in the 66th minute.
This means Mensah will miss the match against Mali but will be available for the final group clash against Guinea.
Ghananewslink.com

New Petroleum Products On Ghanaian Market

News Ghana
-
0
Breezer International, a Ghanaian owned value added service company in the petroleum downstream, has introduced two new products, Power Super and Power Diesel, to the motoring public in Ghana.
According to the management of the company, these are vastly improved fuel products that will enable motorists in Ghana to experience the optimum performance of their vehicles. It will also allow them to cover more distance per litre and enjoy longer, effective use of their vehicle engines.
Both products have enhanced qualities due to the introduction of specially formulated additives which produce a better quality fuel that cleans the engine and has less foaming than other products available on the Ghanaian market.
The introduction of these two innovative products onto the Ghanaian market is in response to changing market needs. Individuals, enterprises and institutions alike are increasing requiring more value from their machinery, be it vehicles or equipment and require high quality and superior performance fuels to achieve that purpose. This has been made more imperative by the rising running and replacement costs of vehicles and other machinery.
Speaking at the launch in Accra this morning, the Executive Chairman of Breezer International, Louis Josiah stressed that: “We will continue to add value to the petroleum downstream”.
He was happy to say that his company is poised to work with the 12 Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) sales and marketing teams to increase sale of the products.
Mr Josiah confidently stated that the company would continue to add value to the Ghanaian economy with this and other initiative(s).
He stated that, “Even with the many benefits provided by the use of Power Super and Power Diesel, the two products are nevertheless sold at the same price as regular gasoline and gasoil, ensuring that users get more value for money than ever before.”
Louis underscored the need for customers to prudently protect their investments, adding Power Super and Power Diesel have been introduced to do exactly that.
The Executive Chairman announced that plans were at foot to enter the West African sub-region with the two innovative products.
Both Power Super and Power Diesel can be purchased at selected fuel stations throughout the country, namely Agapet, Sky Petroleum, Nasona Oil, Dukes Petroleum and Glory Oil. The rest are Galaxy Oil, Petrobay, Modex, Havilah, Union Oil, Universal Oil and Frimps Oil, Mr Josiah disclosed.
These partner stations can be found all across the country. One simply has to look for the Power Super and Power Diesel logos – a red eagle head on a yellow background- when one goes to any of partner companies petrol stations, the Marketing and Operations Manager of Union Oil, Kissi Appiah added.
The company noted that: “Customers who wish to make bulk purchases, such as companies with fleets of vehicles, should talk to the staff of the Oil Marketing Company which is serving them presently, and the necessary arrangement will be put in place to make the new products available for use, in the requisite bulk quantities at no extra delivery cost”.
Touching on some of the benefits of the products, Mr Appiah that: “The products improve engine’s fuel economy, improve engine viability, reduce maintenance cost, and environmental friendly”.
A Senior Pricing Manager at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mrs Alpha Welbeck who performed the launch commended the OMCs for coming together to market the products, saying “as a regulator we are happy to witness this partnership”.
She indicated that the introduction of the products is consistent with the regulations of the NPA, stressing that NPA’s core duty is to ensure that all the OMCs which will be selling the products maintain quality standards.
Ghananewslink.com

50 Ghanaians to benefit from Tullow scholarship annually

News Ghana
-
0
Tullow Oil, Africa’s largest independent oil firm, has announced that from 2012 onwards it would give scholarships to 50 young talented Ghanaians annually to study postgraduate programmes outside the country. Out of the 50 people, 10 people in the coastal belt are expected to benefit from the scholarship annually.
This is part of the Tullow Group Scholarship Scheme which aims at providing 110 young talented Africans annually in its operational countries to study in leading universities in the United Kingdom. The scholarship scheme will be allocated to countries including Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mauritius, Cote d’ivoire and Bangladesh.
The scholarship scheme covers courses include: Geosciences (Geophysics, Geology); engineering; marines sciences; environment and forestry management; and hospital and tourism management. The scheme will be implemented by the British Council which has over a 40-year-experience in the area of the scholarship implementations.
Speaking at the launch of the scholarship scheme in Accra, the Vice President of External Affairs and CSR, Ms Rosalind Kainyah added that scholarship would cover tuition and thesis fees, stipend, and travel costs.
She told the well-attended gathering that: “We have already started with a pilot phase which commenced in Ghana in September 2011. This pilot scheme supported 24 Ghanaians from the public sector with scholarships to pursue various studies to Masters Level with leading universities in the United Kingdom”.
Ms Kainyah was quick to disclose that this year 50 scholarship awards from the Tullow Group Scholarship Scheme are available for Ghanaians through a competitive process, including all members of the public who meet the set criteria.
She stressed that: “We are committed to being socially responsible, to managing the environment that we operate in, to looking after our staff and to being a good Company”.
According to her, we want to ensure that the success of the oil and gas industry brings real, lasting benefits to the people and economies of the countries in which we operate.
The Minister of Energy, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei who performed the launch appealed to beneficiaries of the scheme to return home after their studies in the UK.
He emphasized that; “We will do everything possible to ensure that those who benefit from the scholarship scheme return home to help build the country”.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of Tullow Oil Plc, Aidan Heavey in a short message said: “the Scholarship scheme is something that we believe in”.
The Director of the British Council, Moses Anibaba stated that: “British Council’s role in the scheme is clear. We will manage the recruitment and selection of the candidates according to the criteria we have agreed with Tullow.”
The criteria have been designed to achieve the objective of the scheme of reducing skill gaps and ensuring that most deserving candidates are successful, he indicated.
Ghananewslink.com

Prez Mills leaves Friday for 18th AU Summit

News Ghana
-
0
President John Evans Atta Mills will leave Accra Friday for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments of the African Union.
A statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Koku Anyidoho, said the President is expected to deliver the keynote address on the theme “Boosting Intra-African Trade”.
President Mills will also be the guest of honour at the unveiling of a statue of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, at the forecourt of the newly constructed AU building, the statement added.
“President Atta Mills has invited Dr. Francis Nkrumah, and Madam Samia Nkrumah, Chairperson of the CPP, to join in the unveiling of the statue in honour of their father, for the leading role he played in the African liberation struggle as well as the Pan Africanist Movement”, the statement read.
The President returns on Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

President Mills Attracts More FDIs

News Ghana
-
0
The President Mills led government’s quest of attracting more investments into the country has yielded more results.
As Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has exceeded its 2011 target of $ 1.5billion.
Ghananewslink.com

GIPC Exceeds $1.5Billion FDI Inflows Target

News Ghana
-
0
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre’s promotional activities continue to yield positive results in terms of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attraction into Ghana. As at the end of the fourth quarter of 2011, the FDI inflows target of US$1.5 billion for the year had been exceeded.
Registered Projects
In the 4th quarter, new projects registered were 117; an increase of 56% compared to 75 registered projects in the corresponding quarter of 2010.
Of the 117 projects registered during the fourth (4th) quarter, 85projects representing (72.65%), were wholly-owned foreign enterprises. The valued of these projects was GH¢637.23 million (US$424.83 million) representing 12.30% of the total estimated value of projects registered. The remaining 32 projects being (27.35%) were joint ventures between Ghanaians and foreign partners and was valued at GH¢4.55 billion (US$3.03 billion) also representing 87.70% of the total estimated value of projects registered.
For the corresponding quarter of 2010, 49 wholly-owned foreign enterprises and 26 joint ventures were registered and valued at GH¢147.13 million (US$105.09 million) and GH¢51.50 million (US$36.79 million) respectively.
The total estimated value of the registered projects for the quarter stood at GH¢5.18 billion (US$3.45 billion). Out of this amount, the Asanteman Hong Group Limited project for real estate development & general construction accounted for US$3billion. The remaining 116 projects were valued at US$454.99 million.
The total initial capital transfers for the newly registered projects during the quarter amounted to GH¢29.08 million (US$19.39 million). This gives an increase of 65.16% compared to GH¢16.44 million (US$11.74 million) recorded for the corresponding quarter in 2010.
The FDI component of the estimated value of the projects registered for the quarter was GH¢4.04 billion (US$2.69 billion), representing 77.94% of the total estimated value. The local currency component also amounted to GH¢1.14 billion (US$762.06 million), representing 22.06% of the total estimated value for the quarter.
Employment Generation
From the 117 new projects registered in the fourth quarter (4th) quarter, it is expected that 8,351 jobs will be created. This is an increment of 134.32% over 3,564 expected jobs to be created in the corresponding quarter of 2010. Out of the total number of jobs to be created in the fourth (4th) quarter, 91.35% (7,629) will be for Ghanaians and the remaining 8.65% (722), for expatriates.
Year to date (1st January to 31st December), 2011 Results:
A total of 514 projects were registered in 2011; an increase of 33.51% compared to 385 registered projects in the corresponding period of 2010.The total estimated value of registered projects for 2011 was GH¢11.52 billion (US$7.68 billion); a significant increase of 500.47% compared to the corresponding period of 2010. Excluding the estimated value for STX (US$2.5bn) and Asanteman Hong Group Limited (US$3bn) projects, the amount of US$2.18bn registered for the year, exceeds the GIPC’s target of US$1.5bn for the year and the subsequent US$2bn mark stated in the third quarter report.
The total initial capital transfers for the registered projects in 2011 amounted to GH¢319.94 million (US$213.29 million); a significant increase of 262.49% compared to the corresponding period of 2010.
The FDI component of the estimated value of registered projects amounted to GH¢10.23 billion (US$6.82 billion); an increase of 514.41% compared to the FDI component in the same period of 2010. The local currency component amounted to GH¢1.296 billion (US$864.08 million).
The total number of jobs expected to be created from registered projects amounted to 46,761.
Ghananewslink.com
1...49,49049,49149,492...49,536Page 49,491 of 49,536