President John Mahama has warned his ministers he will not entertain any acts of corruption as he swears in another batch of 17 into office Thursday. The President reminded them of the high expectations Ghanaians have of his government and challenged them to ensure they do not disappoint. “People have a suspicion of office holders in terms of transparency and accountability. “We are enjoined by the constitution to be held accountable for what happens in our ministries.

A 16-year-old school dropout from Winneba has been remanded in Padu Children’s Home by the Agona Swedru Magistrate Court for defiling a nine-month-old girl. His plea was not taken and he will re-appear on February 19. Briefing the court presided over by Mr Kweku Baah Frempong, Police Chief Inspector Ivy Agadia said Madam Florence Arthur, the mother of the victim and also the complainant, resided with the suspect in the same vicinity at Winneba Victoria Road.

The Court of Appeal has by a unanimous decision ordered that accounts belonging to business man Alfred Woyome be released to him. Except the accounts held at the Agricultural Development Bank, all other accounts belonging to Woyome must be returned, the court ruled. His accounts were frozen by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office following allegations he defrauded the state by false pretense in a controversial 51 million cedis judgement debt scandal that rocked the country early 2011.

Female Members of Parliament are not the least happy about how they are addressed by their colleague male counterparts on the floor of the House. Member of Parliament for Weija, Ayorkor Botchway says it is strictly business on the floor of Parliament and they must be addressed with the appropriate title. We are honorable members of the House and that is how we must be addressed on the floor, she said. She was commenting on the seeming discrimination in the house against female MPs.

Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, son of Ghana's first president, says the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) lacks organizational ability to accelerate Ghana’s development. He intimated that the ruling party in recent years has proven to have the campaign machinery to effectively win an election but it has been abysmal when it comes to governance. Sekou Nkrumah was commenting on government’s inability to address the salary distortion of doctors following their migration onto the single spine salary structure.

Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson is the favorite to become Pope after Benedict XVI resigns at the end of the month, according to Paddy Power Plc. Turkson, 64, is at of odds of 9-4, meaning a successful 4- euro ($5.35) bet would win a 9-euro profit, the Dublin-based bookmaker said today. Canada’s Marc Ouellet, 68, is second favorite at 5-2, followed by Nigeria’s Francis Arinze, 80, who is at 3-1. Pope Benedict announced today that he will resign on Feb. 28, two months before his 86th birthday,

The Managing Editor of the Al-Hajj newspaper, says the 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is speeding the party into an abyss. Alhaji Iddrisu Bature intimated that the conduct of the NPP flagbearer with the support of party Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie aka Sir John, casts a slur on the integrity of the party. He was speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme in reaction to the NPP’s resolve to seek justice in the court of law.

The petitioners challenging the 2012 elections have filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking an order directed at the Electoral Commission (EC) to answer interrogatories relating to Ghanaians who voted during the December 2012 elections in foreign countries. Making his submission yesterday before the Supreme Court, lead counsel for the petitioners,made up of 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his running mate, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia,

President John Dramani Mahama is praying the Supreme Court to order the petitioners challenging his declaration as winner of the 2012 presidential polls to provide "further and better" particulars on the 4,709 polling stations where election irregularities allegedly took place.?He is pleading with the court to order the petitioners to state "the name and code of each of the four thousand seven hundred and nine (4,709) polling stations where it is alleged that there were gross and widespread irregularities and/or malpractices

Suspected Islamists have been blamed for the deaths of at least 23 people in separate attacks in north-eastern Nigeria. Witnesses say gunmen apparently targeted hunters selling bush meat in Damboa on Monday, killing 18 people. Another five people died on Tuesday when a group of men playing draughts was attacked in Kano. The militant group Boko Haram, which is fighting to create an Islamic state, has staged many attacks in Nigeria.Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of some 1,400 people in central and northern Nigeria since 2010.