Jasmine: The shooting star

Jasmine BaroudiShe might not be popular among the A-list actresses in Ghana but Jasmine Baroudi is one actress who is determined to shoot to the top as a a star in a short while.
Jasmine who has so far featured in movies such as Contract, Adams Apples Series, Lost In His Glory, Devoted, and television series Peep, Desperations and My Home believes strongly that with these few movies to her credit, the future looks bright.
“I might be new on the movie scene but I have something different from the other actors. My acting is real which many people admire me for” Jasmine told Showbiz in an interview last week.
Born to Mrs. Rebecca Akoto and the late Mr. Abdul Razak Baroudi, Jasmine said her first invitation to act in a movie came from  producer Dickson Dzapatsu when he was about to shoot his TV series Between The Sheets.
“Although it was my first time on set, Dickson Dzapatsu didn’t have too much problem with my acting. I had on my own  rehearsed with friends before going on location therefore I was ready to do the job.
Just when other movie producers started using her, Jasmine took a break to do her national service. “After my national service, I was engaged in other things which took me away from acting”.
Jasmine said she cannot stand people who knew next to nothing about acting but go ahead to criticise actors for not playing a role well.  “How many people can act as  a mad person? “Sometimes even good actors who have been around for years have to do it over and over again before they get things right”, she added.
Jasmine attended Morning Star School, continued to Wesley Girls’ High School and then  to University of Ghana, Legon majoring in Psychology.


By Kofi Duah/Graphic Showbiz/Ghana

Here are the Hit-Maker finalists

They met for the first time at a photo shoot last Monday and though the expected civilities prevailed, no one need to be told that the 12 acts in this year’s MTN Hit-Maker final had already started plotting how to outdo each other to clinch the ultimate at stake.
The finalists are Abigail Antwi, Albert Buabeng, Stephen ‘Kofi Korea’  Kim, Olevya Aba, Fiifi Sey Armah, Prizinerz (Duo), Jamilatu Mohammed, Miguel Oduro Daniels, Nana Adobea, Hussein Musah, Koo Ntakara and Gilbert Bossu.
They will be officially outdoored tonight at a ceremony at the Oak Plaza Hotel on the Spintex Road in Accra but some of them are already bursting with anxiety to get into action.
The Priznerz  from Cape Coast, for instance,  believe they have what it takes to win the contest.  Made up of George Kwasi Sarpong and Christopher Boakye Yiadom, they claim they have the most visual style which would make people want to see them  again and again.

“We have some wicked stuff that comment on socio-political and economic situations but which are extremely entertaining and motivational at the same time. We cannot wait  to get started,” the Priznerz said in a chat.
One of the competition’s judges, Bessa Simons said there was nothing wrong with any of the contestants expressing optimism about their chances in the coming weeks.
To him, it is fair for those selected to fill their heads with thoughts of doing well which could propel them to excel.
“It is a tough but enjoyable road ahead. Whoever thinks he or she is coming out on top should be ready to work extremely hard. We want them to be as original as possible. None of them should try to sound like any other act they know.
“The judges, MTN, producer-engineers and everyone else connected with the show are ready to give all the necessary support so it would be up to the contestants to prove themselves. All we want is the best  act to win and bring something fresh to the scene,” Bessa  said.
Another judge, Zapp Mallet pointed out that the contestants must not relent on their efforts at all and that they must approach the show like fighting in a battle for their lives.
“They must put in everything they have because each one has the  potential to win. Only one act can, however, win the top prize so those who do not win must not take it as the end of the world. After all, they would have had a lot of exposure and knowledge to help them move forward with their careers.”
Farmhouse, the company producing the show also says everything is set for an exciting show.

“Now that we know the final set, it is going to be business all the way,” said Ivan Quashigah  of Farmhouse.
Television viewers were highly thrilled by the maiden edition last year.  The indications are that they are  in for another interesting season of the MTN Hit-Maker.
Graphic Showbiz/Ghana

Jim Boyce wants Premier League to back 2022 winter World Cup

 

Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce has called on the Premier League to drop their opposition to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar being switched to winter. 

 

Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he is determined to move the tournament to avoid the intense summer heat.
But the Premier League are opposed to a move as it would cause major disruptions to the fixture calendar.
"A sensible decision has to be made," Boyce told the BBC. "I would appeal to people in the Premier League."

Analysis

Richard Conway,BBC Sport

 

 

"The realities of awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup have now dawned on Fifa and the major domestic leagues.

"Sepp Blatter announced he will ask his executive committee, in October, to move the tournament from the searing summer heat in the desert state to the cooler, winter months.

"That has prompted Richard Scudamore to reflect that disruption to football's calendar - in the seasons leading up to 2022 and possibly after - will prove "chaotic".

"Then there are the proponents who say 2022 should be a watershed moment for football - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to switch the domestic game to the summer months to take advantage of better weather in the lucrative European leagues.

"That's something that will be vehemently opposed by cricket and other sports that currently play in football's off-season.

"A fierce debate is underway and the battle-lines are being drawn."

Medical evidence highlighted the dangers of playing games in temperatures that average 40C in June and can reach 50C. The heat dips to an average of 20C during the winter months. 

Qatar said it would play games in air-conditioned stadiums, but that will only resolve the problem in venues.
Boyce said: "I know Qatar has said they will air-condition the stadiums and I'm sure they will be fantastic but you have to be realistic.

"You're taking thousands of people, who want to see and enjoy a World Cup, but in temperatures exceeding 50 degrees, that would not be comfortable or healthy for all of those people.
"Probably the main objectors at the moment are the Premier League and I can understand why because there's a lot of money involved.

"But from a common sense and especially a health point of view, (a winter World Cup) is something I would dearly love to see and I would hope that people would sit down and try to sort it out."
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore is worried that momentum is shifting in favour of a winter World Cup but insists he will continue to fight the proposal.
 
"Ultimately Fifa will decide, so of course one is worried," he said. "We're not silly, we're not stupid, we can see that that's the way the momentum is shifting.
"They can't really just decide to shift it by six months. Everybody's running a tight calendar.
"To suddenly change it all around is very impractical and in my view won't work and it shouldn't be allowed to work."

Five AMA security guards arrested

The security personnel were at the entrance of the Pedestrian Shopping Mall to ensure safety. INSET: One of the victims carrying her sewing machine to safety.Picture: EMMANUEL BAAHFive security guards of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) have been arrested to assist in investigations into last Wednesday’s fire outbreak at the Pedestrian Shopping Mall at Odawna, near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.
The five suspects were on duty at the time of the fire outbreak and reportedly made an attempt to put out the fire before calling the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) when it went beyond their control.
A police source told the Daily Graphic that the arrest of the five security guards did not mean they were culpable.
It said the five security guards had indicated that they were on their usual patrols to drive away persons in the area, when they spotted the fire from one of the kiosks.
The fire, which started around 7:50 pm, destroyed vast amounts of property and could have done more harm but for the swift response of the personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).
Mr Prince Billy Anaglatey, Divisional Officer and Deputy Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, reiterated that traders should desist from cooking and spending the nights in the markets as those activities were major causes of fire.
He urged the AMA to ensure that markets were properly planned with accessible routes for fire engines to use, any time there was such outbreaks.
He suggested that as Ghana strived hard to curb these fire outbreaks, there was the need for authorities to put up a structure in all the markets to house fire officers as one of the measures to deal with such fires at their early stages.
A victim of the fire, Mr Seth Oppong, a boutique owner, said he had lost all his stock in the fire.He also said he lost two shops in the recent fire outbreak at the Kantamanto Market, adding that " Only God can keep me alive to see the future".
Another victim, Mr Fred Otoo, who also lost two shops, said another shop of his wife which was fully stocked with shoes and an amount of
GH ¢12,000, which his wife had kept in the shop for her trading activities, had also been burnt.
By Emmanuel Baah

Hockey Stadium reverts to Theodosia Okoh on President’s orders

Theodosia Okoh The Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Douglas Bani, on behalf of President john dramani Mahama, has directed the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to reverse the decision to change the name of the National Hockey Pitch.
According to information released to journalists at the Flagstaff House yesterday, the Presidency was not aware of the decision to change the name from ‘Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium’ and had directed a reversal of the decision forthwith.
It said the AMA Chief Executive, Alfred Vanderpuije, had also been summoned to the Presidency over the decision, which was taken without recourse to the Presidency.
The AMA announced that it had renamed the National Hockey Pitch as part of the celebration of the first anniversary of the demise of President J.E.A. Mills in recognition of his prominent role  in the development of hockey in the country.
The renaming of the pitch has attracted criticism from some quarters, with retired sports journalist and former Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Joe Aggrey, saying the renaming was not right, as the pitch had already been named after Mrs Okoh.
Hours before the presidency settled the matter, Mrs Okoh broke her silence and warned: “You either keep the honour by retaining my name on the national hockey stadium, or do your worst!”
The usually calm Mrs Okoh, the first female chairperson of the Ghana Hockey Association (GHA) and after whom the stadium had been named since 2004, did not hide her anger and disappointment over the decision by the AMA last Tuesday to rename the sporting facilitys.
She told the Graphic Sports yesterday: “It is sad the way and manner ordinary people who strive to achieve something for the country are treated. I’m proud of the role I played to bring Ghana hockey this far, but today I’m really sad about the way I’m being treated. I don’t think the late President, knowing him for who he was, would approve of this.”
Mrs Okoh, 91, who is also famed for designing the national flag, also advised that those in authority must take actions that would encourage many more ordinary people to be more patriotic and nationalist instead of doing things that would keep them holed-up in their small corners.
“I secured the present venue for hockey at a time when no one was ready to commit to the sport. When there were moves to convert the area into a lorry park, I almost single-handedly opposed it and fought hard to keep the place for the sport so that we could all have somewhere to play because the pitch at Achimota where the sport was played was no longer in good condition.”
“I believe I deserve the honour done me for the role I played in Ghana hockey but if they decide not to give me that honour, the least I deserve is respect.”
Mrs Okoh, a Patron of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) insisted her name be taken off the facility if it was only for the playing pitch and not the entire stadium as was explained by the Mayor of Accra Mayor, Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, on Peace FM’s morning show Kokrokoo.
“The pitch has been named after her (Madam Theodosia), but the stadium is in the name of the late President. The facility in the stadium and the whole environment has been named after him (President Mills)…the hockey stadium is now going to be known as Prof John Evans Atta Mills Hockey Stadium but when you enter the stadium, the pitch is there and that will be in her name (Madam Theodosia Okoh Pitch). It has not changed,” explained the Mayor.
Story: Rosalind K. Amoh/Graphic Sports/Ghana

Usain Bolt wants to renew faith in athletics after drugs scandals

Six-time Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt wants to help restore faith in the sport after failed drug tests by fellow Jamaican athletes.

Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson recently tested positive, as did American Tyson Gay, the fastest man in the world this year.
Bolt, 26, runs at the London Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium at the weekend.
"I have to work even harder to help the country and the sport," he said.
"Now I'm even more focussed and ready to go and do better and try to inspire people and to show people that it is possible."

Failed drug tests a setback - Bolt

Bolt insists he has never taken drugs and said: "I'm clean but you have to be very careful as an athlete because right now there are a lot of things on the banned list.
"You have to keep up to date with this kind of thing. It's kind of hard, but that's why you have a team to make sure.
"I get tested all the while. I got tested the day before yesterday. It's just part of the routine. "
Bolt, the 100m and 200m world record-holder, pointed to his success as a junior athlete as evidence of his innocence.
"I've broken every record there ever was to break since I was growing up," he told the BBC.
"It's not a surprise that I'm breaking world records because I've been doing it since I was a junior.
"I want to explain to people that 'this is just me'. I run fast because I have a talent and was put on this Earth to inspire a lot of people."
The US Anti-Doping Agency informed American Gay, 30, that his A sample from an out-of-competition test in May was positive.
Powell, the all-time fourth quickest, tested positive for a banned stimulant at June's Jamaican Championships and fellow Jamaican Simpson failed a drug test at the same event.
After Powell tested positive for the banned stimulant oxilofrine at the national trials last month, Bolt said it was a blow for Jamaica and athletics.
"I didn't want to bombard him with questions," said Bolt, who will run the 100m and 4x100m at the London Anniversary Games.

Usain Bolt's incredible 2012

"I told him, 'Sorry to hear what was going on.' And he said, 'Yes, it's kind of rough, it's hard."'
With Gay and Powell still waiting for the results of their 'B' samples, Bolt was keen to avoid speculation when he spoke to the media in London on Thursday.
"There are a lot of details left to be discussed," he said.
The recent spate of positive drug tests has put the focus back on a sport that has been dogged by doping scandals in the past.
"It's going to set athletics back a little bit, but as a person I can't really focus on this," added Bolt.
"I still have the World Championships, everyone is stepping up their game, so I have to really focus on that.
"I am just trying to work hard, run fast and hopefully help people forget what has happened and just move on."
Bolt was speaking on the same day a Jamaica football player tested positive for a banned substance after a World Cup qualifying match against Honduras.
The Jamaica Football Federation said it was notified by Fifa that a "member of the Jamaican squad returned an adverse analytical finding on his urine sample" after the 11 June game.
Bolt became the first athlete to retain the Olympic 100m and 200m crowns when he took gold in both events at the 2012 London Olympics last summer. He then won his third gold of the Games when he anchored Jamaica's sprint relay team to a world record.

Police Service dismisses 108 officers

One hundred and eight police officers were dismissed from the Ghana Police Service between 2010 and June this year, as a result of their involvement in various criminal activities.

An additional 132 personnel of the service were demoted while 239 were sanctioned during the period.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, said 433 officers were currently facing service enquiry for misconduct and served notice that the Police Administration would weed out the bad ones in the service as part of its reorganisation exercise.

Discipline in the Police Administration

Mr Alhassan was responding to a question on corruption in the Ghana Police Service when the top brass of the Police Administration held an encounter with the leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) in Accra yesterday.

The interaction was meant for the Police Administration to court the support of the Christian leadership as part of efforts at maintaining the peace after the Supreme Court verdict on the election petition.

The visit to the CCG was also to update the clergymen on the measures the Police Administration had put in place to curb crime in the country.

The IGP said the police would not shield their own against the interest of the state, and that the Police Administration had put mechanisms in place to “police” its officers.

“We recently deployed secret surveillance cameras on the highways on our men to keep them in check,”?he said, adding that while offending officers were severely sanctioned, structures were also in place to instill discipline in the service.

Officers who accompanied the IGP

Officers who accompanied the IGP were the Director-General in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Mr Prosper Ablorh; the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno; the Director of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Angwubutoge Awuni, and the Director-General in charge of Administration, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ms Rose Atinga Bio.

Paradigm shift in the Police Administration

The IGP said there had been a paradigm shift in the manner the police approached issues and explained that proactive approaches had now been adopted to prevent crimes from happening.

On that score, he said the Police Administration had embarked on educational and other sensitisation activities to involve the citizenry in its work, in its efforts at ridding the country of criminal activities.

The Chairman of the CCG, Rt Rev Francis Amenu, pledged the support of the leadership of the council to the Police Administration, and urged the rest of society to accept the Supreme Court verdict in the interest of the country.

IGP visits National Chief Imam

Earlier, Mr Alhassan had called on the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, at his residence, where the IGP urged the Muslim community to partner the Police Administration to effectively discharge its mandate.

More police stations to be built

Mr Alhassan said the Police Administration had targeted to construct an additional 200 police stations across the country, noting that in spite of the constraints, the administration would endeavour to complete a number of projects for the police.

There are about 800 police stations and 700 police district headquarters at different locations in the country.

He underscored the resolve of the police to vigorously pursue their constitutional mandate for the public to go about their normal activities without fear or intimidation.

Market fires

The IGP stated that the Police Administration was collaborating with other security agencies to monitor major markets in the country to help eliminate the incidence of fire outbreaks at those markets.

He said special investigative teams were currently in place to help forestall any eventuality.

Public order

Mr Alhassan made reference to the recent violence in Kumasi, Nkonya and Alavanyo that claimed some lives and said the police had intensified their patrols to prevent a recurrence of violence.

He added that rush-hour patrols had been instituted in the major cities to beef up police presence in the communities while restructuring was currently going on in the Police Administration to effectively combat crime.

Supreme Court verdict

For him, as the lead law enforcement agency in Ghana, the Police Administration would continue to advocate peace and tranquility as the verdict of the Supreme Court on the presidential election approached.

According to him, the police were adequately prepared to contain any unforeseen situation, adding, “Our boots are laced and our vehicles are in good order to contain any public disturbances.”

The IGP donated five boxes of mineral water, a carton of milk, five bags of rice, two gallons of oil, a bag of sugar, 12 packs of tea and 12 tins of Milo in support of the Ramadan.

ACP Awuni appeals to Muslim youth

Mr Awuni called on Muslim youth to register their motorbikes to avoid brushes with the law.

He said during Ramadan, it behooved on Muslim youth to avoid reckless riding on the roads and obey road traffic regulations.

Chief Imam responds

The Spokesperson of the Chief Imam, Alhaji Mohammed Gado, thanked the IGP and his entourage for the visit and pledged the support of the Muslim community to the cause of the Police Administration.

He said Sheikh Sharubutu had an established organisation that was committed to conflict resolution and bringing together Christians and Muslims in a bid to promote inter-religious harmony in the country.