THE PARROTS

Mrs Mahama (with babies) donating during one of her hospital visits   The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has alleged the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, is using millions of Ghanaian taxpayers’ money to buy votes through the sharing of gifts. At a press conference held at the party headquarters in Accra Wednesday, the acting General Secretary, John Boadu, expressed concerns over “the lavish gifts” being shared by Mrs Mahama across the country. He said, “The wife of the President of the Republic is going around the country, with a fleet of trucks load of goodies, which she is sharing for votes. These run into millions of dollars." The NPP has, therefore, called for full disclosure on who is funding the charity bonanza. "Ghanaians deserve to know. How much is being spent. Who is paying for it? Where is the money coming from?” he asked. "The NPP", John Boadu said, "is all for charity work, but, Ghanaians also have the right to question the timing of the...

Mr Hickey, 71, is suspected of being involved in a scheme to sell tickets for higher than their face value. He was taken to hospital as a precaution, and will probably stay the night there, police said. The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) said he had stood down temporarily from his roles after being arrested. Brazilian police said that when officers went to Mr Hickey's hotel room on Wednesday morning, they found his wife there with his Olympic credentials. Mrs Hickey told them her husband had left Rio de Janeiro for Ireland at the weekend, they said. With the help of the hotel they began a search and found Mr Hickey in the room next door, they added. While police said they had reason to believe he was trying to escape, a video apparently of the arrest on the ESPN Brazil sports news website shows Mr Hickey answering the door naked to officers. Police said the arrest was re...

Two persons, including an immigration officer at the Assin Fosu Immigration Training College in the Eastern region have been arrested for defrauding unsuspecting applicants under the pretext of enlisting them into the Ghana Armed Forces. The Eastern regional Police PRO, ASP Nketia Yeboah who confirmed the arrest told radioxyzonline that  the suspects, Godfred Mensah, 44, an immigration officer and Eric Marfo, a civilian defrauded the prospective applicants to the tune of GHC8,010 and GHC17,650.00 respectively. The suspects are currently in Police custody assisting in investigations. ASP Yeboah warned: “If you want to be recruited into any of the security apparatus in the country, it is internet-based before you will be shortlisted. Anyone who claims to have protocol list is lying, he will defraud you, report him to the Police station”

One of the best feelings in the world is the deep-rooted belly laugh . It can bring people together and establish amazing connections. Everything from a slight giggle to a side-splitting guffaw can change the temperature of a room from chilly unfamiliarity to a warm family-like atmosphere. There is so much to love about laughter that it seems greedy to look for more, but that’s exactly what researchers Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan at the Loma Linda University in California have done. These two doctors have researched the benefits of laughter and found amazing results. Get ready to get your giggle on! 1. Laughing lowers blood pressure People who lower their blood pressure , even those who start at normal levels, will reduce their risk of strokes and heart attacks. So grab the Sunday paper, flip to the funny pages and enjoy your laughter medicine. 2. Reduces stress hormone levels You benefit from reducing the level of stress hormones your body produ...

A 72-year-old woman resident of Tema Community Nine is in police custody for forcing her 13-year-old househelp to drink 1.5 litres of urine. On Friday, August 12, Emma Boahene made the househelp to drink the urine as punishment for urinating into the 1.5 litre Voltic bottle at night against her instructions. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, Tema Police Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO), confirmed that Emma Boahene has been charged with emotional and psychological torture. ASP Obeng said the woman who hails from Sunyani and resides with the victim has on countless times instructed the househelp to urinate outside in the night. But, the victim always defies the order from her and preferred urinating into a bottle, which, according to the suspect, she refused to dispose of in the morning. According to the Police PRO, the victim narrated her ordeal to a good Samaritan she met while on an errand to the market. A report was subsequently lodged at the Tema C...

Striking nurses at Damongo in the West Gonja district have decided to return to work for a week, following the arrest of some suspects believed to be behind the assault on them. The nurses went on strike to show their disappointment with the security agencies for failing to stem the attacks. They have, however, decided to work for the next 7 days, hoping that their demands are met before they declare a full strike. They want the culprits arrested, adequate security and the replacement or retrieval of their motors bikes, which were stolen during the attacks. Spokesperson for the nurses, Justice Parmaak Badam, told the Parrots they will ensure all their requests are met before they totally call off the strike. “We have resolved to suspend the strike for a week looking at the commitments that have been made so far from stakeholders. We met the over lord of the Gonja traditional area, Yabon -Wura, who ordered the district Police commander and the suspects were arrested...

Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale on Saturday August 13, performed for thousands of patrons in Kumasi in a show dubbed Shatta Wale for Peace Concert. The concert was part of his initiative for an incident-free elections come December when Ghana goes to the polls. The concert which came off at the Calvary Grounds near the Baba Yara Sports Stadium was in collaboration with EIB Network’s Abusua 96.5FM and Ultimate 106.9FM, as well as entertainment outfit Rich Game. Shatta Wale, over the past five years, has become a powerful voice in Ghanaian discourse, especially through his music. It is as a result of this that he feels the need to add his voice to the cry for peaceful elections later this year, handlers say.

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has commended the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the country for its harmonious and tolerance traits that have contributed to the prevailing peace. Describing Ahmadis’ efforts at promoting peace as second to none, he said other Muslims in Ghana had a friendly relationship with the Ahmadiyya community despite the differences in doctrinal beliefs. Sheikh Sharubutu made the commendation when he joined eminent Ahmadi Muslims from other parts of the world to address the 50th annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Jalsa Salana) in the United Kingdom last Saturday. More than 35,000 delegates from 91 countries met in the Hadeeqatul Mahdi, the Ahmadiyya prayer venue in the British county of Hampshire, for the three-day event which ended on Sunday. Also in attendance was the Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih. Togetherness   Expressing joy at...

Deputy Operations manager of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Ali Maradona, has advised his team’s fans to learn how to shout penalty in the remaining league games. According to Ali Maradona when the fans learn how to shout penalty it will help them to get penalty decisions for their skipper Amos Frimpong to score during matches. “Kotoko fans must learn how to shout penalty, if our opponent fouls our player in the 18 box we will shout penalty.” “We will never keep quiet, when you foul our player we will surely shout penalty. If you have megaphone you can bring it to stadium like the one NDC uses for rally” “So I am pleading whatever our fans can use to shout penalty they should bring it during our matches.” Kotoko fans must learn how to shout penalty, by Ali Maradona.