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 Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for coronavirus. The club revealed in a brief statement with limited  or no information regarding Zidane’s symptoms or the playing squad’s test results. The Frenchman is facing his third crisis in his second spell with Real Madrid, and his players must once again fight for their coach on the pitch when they visit Alaves, following the  shocking  Cup defeat to tiny Alcoyano. The 2-1 extra-time defeat on Wednesday to the third division, semi-professional side followed a 2-1 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup and left last year's La Liga champions with one win in their last five games in all competitions. Real are second in the league standings, seven points behind Atletico Madrid, and play Alaves away on Saturday which Zidane will now miss.

  The dry season (Harmattan) is expected to intensify over the country from Wednesday, 20 January, 2020, the Ghana Meteorological Agency has said. According to the Meteorological Agency, the harmattan will continue into the weekend. A statement issued by the agency on Tuesday, 19 January 2020 said: “Dust has been raised from the source region (around Chad) and is expected to be advected into the country to deteriorate surface visibility.” Also, “due to the influx of the dry and dusty continental winds, the Northern half is expected to be drier with relative humidity of less than 20percent and below 50percent over parts of the Southern sector.” The statement revealed that: “This intrusion of dryness increases the probability of fire outbreaks.” The Meteorological Agency has, therefore, advised the general public “to be cautious of handling naked fires” and “be careful on the roads due to poor visibility.”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has trimmed down the number of ministries in his second administration from 36 to 29. Consequently, the number of ministers, deputy ministers and regional ministers to be appointed will not exceed 85. The list of qualified Ghanaians who will serve as ministers and deputy ministers in President Akufo-Addo’s second term will be released this week. The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, told Graphic Online that the list, which would be printed on green sheets in the form of a statement, would contain a mixture of both old and new ministers, but the number would certainly not go beyond 85, as against the 126 in the first term. Mr Arhin indicated that the list would exclude former Members of Parliament (MPs) who were appointed ministers or deputy ministers but who could not secure re-election in the 2020 parliamentary elections. He said those people had automatically lost the opportunity to be appointed again to

Some unidentified men numbering about 10, on Tuesday reportedly shot and killed a policeman who was on escort duties on the Adansi Fomena road in the Ashanti Region. Lance Corporal Martin Babah reportedly died on the spot. The robbers reportedly made away with an amount of GH¢500,000 which was in a bullion Van, plus one AK 47 assault rifle. A police situational report on the incident described it as "robbery and murder" and mentioned the date as of January 19, 21. It is said to have happened at about 10:30 am at Adansi Nyankomasu in the Ashanti Region. Lance Corporal Martin Babah was reportedly shot in the car. The report said, "about ten young men unmasked wielding assorted guns, including AK 47 rifles attacked and robbed a white bullion Van with registration No. GT 543-19 from Ghana Commercial Bank, Dunkwa to New Edubiase, fired indiscriminately from the rear and facing the van. The robbers attacked the Van on the section of the road between Obuasi and Adan

  President Akufo-Addo in his latest appointment at the presidency in his second term has retained Akosua Frema Osei-Opare as his Chief of Staff. The President has also maintained Nana Bediato Asante and Eugene Arhin as secretary to the president and director of communications at the presidency respectively. The replacement for Samuel Abu Jinapor and Francis Asenso-Boakye as deputy chief of staff, who are now Parliamentarians are Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman and Fawaz Aliu. In a press release signed by the acting Director of Communications at the office of the President, Eugene Arhin, the President names 13 individuals that will help him steer the affairs of the state at the presidency. The statement also names Mercy Debrah-Karikari as Secretary to the cabinet, Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Okyere as the National Security Advisor, Saratu Atta as the P.A to the president and Lord Commey as the director of operations at the presidency. The rest are Sam Ellis, Dr Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Kow

National Security Coordinator, Joshua Kyeremeh, died this morning following a short illness at the Ga East Municipal Hospital, a leading member of the National Security Secretariat disclosed to Asaaseradio.com. Joshua Kyeremeh , our checks from the hospital indicate, died of kidney complications at the hospital on Monday (18 January 2021), where he was receiving treatment for COVID-19. Kyeremeh was one of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s first appointees in 2017 during his first term. A consummate intelligence professional, he had been holding the position of National Security Coordinator since then. Kyeremeh was a product of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and a former Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), now known as National Intelligence Bureau (NIB). He worked at the BNI for about 22 years, where he served at command levels in the Northern, Upper East, Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions. He also served as head of the Investi

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has indicated that personnel of the Ghana Police Service, and if need be other security agencies will join in, to strictly enforce the Covid-19 health and safety protocols to stem the spread of the disease in the country. In his 22nd televised update on measures taken against the spread of the pandemic on Sunday, January 17, President Akufo-Addo said with 13 of the 16 regions recording new positive cases, with active cases in excess of 1,900, some 352 deaths so far and 33 persons whose conditions are critical, Ghana's health facilities will soon be overwhelmed if the trend continues. According to the President, detailed investigations of current cases indicate that apart from arriving passengers at our airport who tested positive, infected persons have recent histories of attending parties, weddings, end of year office programmes, family get-togethers, and funerals. At these gatherings, most of them abandoned the use of the masks, and were enga

The Government of Ghana has announced Wednesday 27 January 2021 as the new burial date for the late former president Jerry John Rawlings. The Government announced this on Tuesday January 12 while communicating the funeral arrangements to the diplomatic community. The laying in state starts from 24 to 26 January at the forecourt of the Accra International Conference Centre from 9am to 5pm daily, the notice said. The Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) died on Thursday, 12 November 2020 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. He was 73.

Former MP for Nadowli Kaleo, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been elected Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic. He won in a closely contested secret ballot in the Chamber of Parliament on Thursday January 7 against former Speaker, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye. Bagbin had been a Member of Parliament since January 1993 was bringing to an end his long service of 28 years, only for him to be nominated by the NDC for the Speakership position. He polled 138 votes against his predecessor’s 136 with one ballot spoilt. Mr Bagbin makes history for being the first Speaker of Parliament from an opposition party.

Member of Parliament for Tema West Kingsley Carlos Ahenkorah who snatched ballot papers during the election for Speaker in Parliament on Thursday has apologised for his action. According to the former deputy Trade Minister, his conduct was out of love for the ruling NPP. Mr Ahenkorah has come under fierce criticisms after he was captured on television snatching ballot papers during counting after MPs voted to elect a Speaker for the 8th Parliament. “It’s a very tough situation to have opposition as speaker especially when he’s the president in the absence of Nana Addo and his vice not to mention how parliament would function by passing the presidents policies and laws to pave way for development. My colleagues on the majority side couldn’t help take advantage of my sacrifices to force a rerun and we’d to settle for an opposition speaker,” he wrote in a statement. “I must say I am heartbroken and dejected. We’ve not seen the end of this yet. With this success, they would tell us what th

Facebook on Thursday banned President Donald Trump from using its social network or Instagram “indefinitely, including the last two weeks of his presidency. In a post, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that Trump’s refusal to condemn his extremist supporters who stormed and occupied the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday showed that he “intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden.”         President Trump at a rally in Washington on Wednesday For weeks leading up to the count of Electoral College votes in Congress on Wednesday, some Trump supporters openly planned a violent confrontation at the Capitol. Trump had repeatedly endorsed the gathering, at which he encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol. Hours after the rioters began occupying the building, Trump issued a video message on multiple social media platforms instructing them to “go home,” but also repeating the falseho

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been sworn into office for a second four-year term as President of the Republic of Ghana. The Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin Yeboah conducted the swearing-in, taking him through the required oaths . Taking the presidential oath of office and oath of allegiance, Nana Akufo Addo said: “I will be faithful and true to the Republic of Ghana. I will at all times preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Ghana.” Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has also been sworn in as Vice President of Ghana for a second term.

The Abuakwa divisional police command in the Ashanti Region have arrested four bodyguards and a driver of Dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy, for assaulting another driver. The musician is said to have been returning from Bibiani in two black Toyota Land Cruisers with registration GT-5255-19 and GS-6255-19. In an attempt to overtake on the Bibiani-Abuakwa stretch, a 207 Benz bus crashed into one of the cars. According to an eyewitness, the bodyguards and driver of the musician allegedly pulled the 207 Benz driver out of the vehicle and started assaulting him physically. An eyewitness who tried intervening also received his share of the assault. The bodyguards are in police custody as investigations continue.