"I lieft Hazard out because............" - Mourinho

Jose Mourinho claims that Chelsea’s defensive record was the reason behind dropping Eden Hazard for Saturday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

After a run of 47 starts in the Premier League, the Belgium international was surprisingly named as a substitute, while Diego Costa's strike and Alan Hutton's own goal sealed the victory for the champions at Stamford Bridge.

"I left Hazard out because we have been conceding too many goals. We needed more stability and effort to help make the team more solid,” said Mourinho

---

MOURINHO REDISCOVERS HIS RUTHLESS EDGE WITH HAZARD OMISSION

---

"I like quality, but when you don't have the ball you don't have quality. And you don't have control.

"It was a tactical decision I felt we had to make and I told the players that this was not the time to be selfish and think only of themselves and be selfish. This has to be a moment for the team and nothing else.

"I want them to look at the bigger picture to get the results we need back. Once we have done thast we can then go back to what we were before.

"When the confidence is a bit low as it has been the quality goes down also. This was not a brilliant performance today, but it was a solid one. We sought more stability and control and we got it."

CHILD CARE RUDIMENTS

“Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and he blessed them.” -Mark 10:16 (TLB)- Children that are termed “stubborn”don’t behave the way they do because they chose to or they want to punish their parents;they sometimes do so because they lack the required love and care to make them understand the effect of their behaviour on others. We grow in stages, and in as much as an adult requires love to be sustained in this world, a child requires more love if he or she must stand tall amidst other negative calls to their development. Some parents actually desire to show love and care to their children, but might not know how. This is why I have decided to share some care tips with you, drawing examples from Jesus’ method of showing care and love to the children that came around Him during His earthly ministry. Understand that your children are mostly drawn by affection, and this can never be too much for them. One way people feel affection is through touch and your children are not exempted. So, you must learn to carry, hug and kiss them. Let them know that your love for them is not just in words, but actions also. You should also bless them daily. Do not use curse words on them, rather bless their present and future in words and prayers. A wise man once said: “A torn jacket is soon mended, but hard words bruise the heart of a child.” So, be careful what you say to them. You should sacrificially fend to their needs. No matter how little you have, you must not let them know that you are not capable of taking care of them. You could help them appreciate the much in your little, through your method of presentation. Most importantly, be sure that you are a good example to them at all times. Rather than nag, show them what to do by your positive examples. Remember always that children need love, especially when they don’t deserve it. You will not fail in this assignment in the name of Jesus Christ! Remain Blessed!

UNITY OF SPIRIT

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” -Ephesians 4:3- Lester Sumrall described how he met his wife in one of his books. According to him, the first time he saw his wife, his flesh told him, “This lady is beautiful.” During the course of their conversations, he realized they had other things in common, like having the same mind on specific issues about life. However, the main reason he decided to get married to her was her dedication, devotion and unwavering love for the things of God, just like he had. I also had a similar experience. When I met my husband, I observed that he had good looks and something in me told me he was my husband. The fact that we had similar views on life issues also increased my acceptance of him. Beyond that, what actually brought us together was his dedication and unwavering commitment to Christ and His Kingdom, as was my desire. If I had considered his looks alone or our ability to get along well, I would have missed it. The most important aspect in marriage is your unity in the spirit. Believe me, if you are not united in the spirit, your relationship will be shaky. Unity in the spirit determines how flourishing your marriage will be, and this entails that first and foremost, you both must be true believers. Where there is unity in the spirit, there is an agreement on fundamental spiritual issues and that’s what brings peace in the home. However, if you missed it initially in this aspect of your marriage, it’s not too late to build your spiritual unity. You can devote your time to praying for this aspect of your marriage, while you learn from one another in humility. Your agreement in the spirit is key to your agreement in marriage, so you must work at it and work to keep it. Remain Blessed!

Chelsea considering Diego Simeone as Jose Mourinho replacement

Mourinho has endured a nightmare start to the season but Simeone will come at a huge cost after signing a five-year deal worth £22.5m in March

GIVING AND RECEIVING

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” -James 4:8- Personally, I have found out that the closer you walk with God, the more you see the need to draw yet closer to Him. I love the lyrics of one great songwriter that says: “Just a closer walk with you, grant it Jesus this is my plea...” Your closeness with God is the bedrock to your glorious future. No other relationship can equal or give you the satisfaction you have in Him. I can tell you with all sense of responsibility that God is too faithful to fail. However, your level of relationship with Him influences how you view His faithfulness. Drawing near to God is solely for your good, and not His. God is not dependent on you for anything; rather you are dependent on Him for everything. This is why you need to initiate the closeness with God. Truth is: Your relationship with God influences every relationship you keep on the earth. How you treat people is a pointer to how you treat God; and this determines how others perceive you and the blessings He attracts to you. This is because your closeness with God will always attract favour on all sides. You might say, “But I am born again and speak in tongues.” Your tongue speaking is not a guarantee to a solid relationship with God. Have you not seen tongue speaking believers who do despicable things? With God, there is always room for you to draw nearer to Him. No one has gotten there yet. Even if God refers to you as a friend like Abraham, there is still a higher calling. So, today, take your relationship a step further and watch the effect in all areas of your life. Remain Blessed!

BE REWARD CONSCIOUS

“And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” -Exodus 23:25- Serving God, especially in ministry is not a call to “nothingness”. It is not an excuse to look tattered. Truth is: It is the most lucrative calling on the face of the earth. God is your employer, and He is not poor, neither is He unrighteous as not to pay you. God is fit and well-equipped to cater for His employees, but you need a change of mentality to receive your rewards. When my husband was called into ministry, he settled down with God and asked: “Now that You have called me to preach, where will my food come from?” God gave him the above Scripture (Exodus 23:25), proving that He is his Employer and He is responsible for the welfare of His employees. He further asked: “Lord, I see a lot of people around me who serve You, but go about begging from house to house...” God’s reply was: “The labourer is worthy of his wages.” He then said, “When you minister spiritual things, I will cause the recipient to minister material things to you. The material things you get will depend on the spiritual impact you have made.” This, is where some get it wrong. They don’t labour enough, so their rewards seem too little. Remember the Bible says that God will give to every man according to his very own labour (Revelation 22:12) and He is a righteous judge. Therefore, one way to be duly rewarded in the Kingdom is to labour to be resourceful in His vineyard. When God sees your hearty and dutiful labour, your reward will be open and great. You don’t need to defraud anyone or lobby after anything; your Employer is capable of meeting your needs, if you play your part. You shall be duly rewarded in the name of Jesus Christ! Remain Blessed!

Glo introduces new Smart Deals for smartphones

Glo Mobile has announced the introduction of sumptuous offers tied into affordable Smartphones and low end phones in a partnership with Tecno Ghana and Rlg in a collaboration aimed at responding to the needs of various categories of its subscribers and new customers.

The Smart phones, which include the Tecno Phantom 5, Tecno C5, Tecno C8, RLG Uhuru Pro & RLG Uhuru Accu models, are bundled with bonus data of 500 MB monthly on the Glo network for one year and are reasonably priced to make them affordable.

Three ranges of the Tecno smart phones are on offer. They are newly-introduced “King of all Phantoms”, the Tecno Phantom 5, Tecno C5 and Tecno C8, while two classes of Rlg smart phones, the Uhuru Pro, and Uhuru Accu are also on the card. The other phones included in the Smart Deals offer are Tecno 347, Tecno Y3, Tecno Y4 and Tecno Y6.

All the listed phones are available at Gloworld shops across the country.

The purchase of any of the smartphones - Tecno Phantom 5, Tecno C5, Tecno C8, RLG Uhuru Pro & RLG Uhuru Accu - at a Gloworld shop, comes with a free Glo SIM and bonus data of 500 Megabytes for 12 months. Similarly, the purchase of any of Tecno Y3, Tecno Y4 and Tecno Y6 also guarantees a bonus data of 200MB every month for six months.

The Tecno and Rlg smart phones are all Android class specifications and parade upgraded specs that make for an enhanced user experience, thus enabling users to enjoy the benefit of a wide advantage of maximised use of a variety of packages.

The famous Tecno Phantom 5, with its 5.5 inch HD screen, has an enviable memory that makes it comfortably attractive among all phones of its class. It comes strong with a 32GB ROM and a 3GB RAM. Tecno C8 also runs with a 16GB ROM and a 1GB RAM. The Tecno C5, Y6 and Y4 specifications have an 8GB ROM and a 1GB RAM.

Apart from the bonus data, any of these devices with Glo SIM also stands to enjoy the 50 percent bonus of Glo Kpa-Kpa-Kpa. All a user needs to do to tap into the offer is to dial *2015# after registering the line.

Glo Mobile Head of Business, Mr Akeem Kazeem said the offer was specifically packaged to enable people of various classes enjoy the benefits of these affordable phones and the call and data give-aways from Glo. He described the offers as unrivalled on the market.

“Subscribers will have a lot to benefit when they purchase any of these phones from our shops. Whether you are buying a smart phone or any of the low end phones, there are various benefits attached to them at no extra cost.”

Ghana’s public debt will hit 72% of GDP

Ghana's public debt will by end of this year account for about 72 percent of the total value of the economy, that is the projection from the International Monetary Fund in its new fiscal monitor report.

The report was released in Lima, Peru Wednesday ahead of the Fund’s annual meetings.

Current figures by the Ministry of Finance put the country’s public debt – as at July this year – at around 83 billion Ghana cedis, which translates into 62 percent of GDP.

The IMF’s fiscal monitor report, which assess the financial position of over 100 countries around the world, is forecasting that Ghana’s public debt will increase further in the coming months to cross the dreaded 70 percent mark by end of year.

Already the IMF has classified Ghana as a High risk of Debt Distress Country. This means that immediate measures must be taken to reduce Ghana’s public debt, because the country’s current financial position might make it difficult to pay its debts on time.

When a country is classified as High Debt Distress country, the IMF usually prescribes a freeze on borrowing by that country until it makes some progress in reducing its debts.

Ghana’s rising public debt has already affected the country’s ability to secure good assessment from credit rating agencies.

Some agencies are even warning investors outside the country that it might be risky for them to lend money to Ghana.

BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED

“And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” -2 Corinthians 6:15- In this prevailing world, where being marriage seems like the ultimate goal of most single ladies and even men, there is a tendency for Christians to succumb to any kind of marriage; just to fit in. However, notwithstanding the social, financial or parental pressures, it is important to stick with the Word; and that Word is very clear on not being unequally yoked with an unbeliever. An unbeliever is someone who does not have the same Faith in Jesus Christ as you. So, it can be a non-Christian or a mere “church goer”. You must make up your mind never to allow anything lure you into a relationship with an unbeliever. If you fall to that, it would amount to building your home on faulty foundation. I have seen so many vibrant Christians lose it to this deceit of the devil. They assume that they would be able to change their spouse during the marriage, but end up with sadly shocked. No one has the capacity to change any human; that is solely the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. Moreso, a Christian getting married to a non-Christian is disobedience to God’s Word. In case you are a single Christian in a relationship with an unbeliever, you need to put a stop to it now, so it does not stop your destiny. Don’t let the devil deceive you into thinking there is nothing wrong with your choice. There is a world of difference between the life of a Christian and that of an unbeliever. However, for you to make this choice, you must be really sure of your salvation first. Remember, you cannot play with fire and expect not to be burnt. Getting married to a true believer gives you the security of a lasting relationship, because even if there is an issue, it would always be resolved the godly way. Don’t get caught in a web; detangle yourself today from every ungodly union. Your marriage will not dishonour God in the name of Jesus Christ! Remain Blessed!

NDC congress will affect 2016 budget – Minority

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament says a postponement of the date for the ruling National Democratic Congress' (NDC) national delegates congress to elect its presidential and parliamentary candidates for the 2016 elections will adversely affect scrutiny of the 2016 budget.

It has emerged that the leadership of the NDC is likely to reschedule the Congress which is originally set for November 7, as the date clashes with the celebration of the Hogbetsotso festival by chiefs and people of Anlo in the Volta Region, an event President John Mahama is expected to attend.

With the Volta Region being the stronghold of the NDC, leadership of the party is therefore said to be considering the option of changing the date in order to avoid having the congress date conflicting with the celebration of the festival.

That aside, sources within the party say there are other issues relating vetting of some parliamentary aspirants in the Greater Accra region ahead of the party’s primaries. These issues could largely cause a change in the date for the congress.

However, the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, avers that any further postponement of the date will deny Parliament, especially the Minority Caucus, the opportunity of doing a critical examination of the budget before it is approved.

“As I speak, we don’t know when the budget is to be presented in Parliament. Last year, we had it around the 19th of November and we complained that it came very late in the day, now we’re being told that the NDC is likely to move their congress date forward, if that happens, it will be unfortunate.

"Already, we’re accused of not doing detailed scrutiny on agreements and other documents that come to Parliament before we pass them. Now postponing their Congress will mean that we’ll have less than one month to examine the 2016 budget which is to be presented in November and do other Parliamentary work before the House goes on recess for the Christmas break. Such situation obviously doesn’t inure to the good of the country if we’re rushed into approving the budget and passing the Appropriation Bill”.

Akufo-Addo's 'rise and build tour' useless - Nyaho

As the 2016 Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, prepares to round up phase one of his month-long 'Rise and Build' tour on October 12 in the Greater Accra Region, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe has posited on Neat FM's morning show 'GhanaMonTie' that the 'Rise and Build' tour is just a useless venture.

"Rise and build tour is not what will get the party united. If you start such a tour without principal players in the NPP then where are you heading towards?" he asked rhetorically. According to him, at times he gets surprised at Nana Addo because there are things the latter is supposed to know – thus, he cannot win with a broken front.

"What my party needs at the moment is a very strong, united front and not Rise and Build whatever tour! A united front is key to success! If we're not united, we should forget 2016, and truly, we're not united! Anyone who will tell you the party is united is not telling you the truth," Mr. Tamakloe emphasized.

He opined that if some people in the party are afraid of Nana Addo he's not. According to Mr. Tamakloe, he will tell Nana Addo the truth because experience is the best teacher. "I always refer to Kufuor because Kufuor knows how to win power! Kufuor can lie on the floor, and humble himself to get power. That's what Nana Addo has to learn!" he added.

Comparing the NDC to the NPP, Mr. Tamakloe said, "Don't think the kind of problem we are going through in Accra is the same problem people in the villages are going through – that's the biggest advantage of the NDC because they are working on the basic things the people need in the villages whiles we are here campaigning in Accra and doing radio politics."

Ending, he said, "We are always fighting in the party, and no one is coming out to say enough is in enough. The only one who can do that now is Nana Addo."

LMVCA files petition at UN against Govt, and Police

Anti-government pressure group, Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) has filed a petition at the Human Rights Council of the United Nations General Assembly against the Government of Ghana and the country’s Police Chief for “human rights violations.”

The petition, filed by Kwame Agyeman-Budu, Ibrahim Sanni, Issah Ballah and Mujeeb Mogtaari is dated September 30, 2015.

In the petition, the group accused the Government of Ghana of “violating the international human rights of the country and the people,” by “deliberating using their control of state institutions to turn the country into a police totalitarian state.”

In the view of the petitioners, the Police’s use of force and the court to prevent the group from picketing the country’s Electoral Commission on two separate occasions as part of their demand for a new electoral roll ahead of the 2016 general elections is a breach of: UN Charter, Chapter 1, article 1 (3); the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right.

The Police botched the pickets with an explanation that the Commission is a security installation.

On the group’s first attempt, the Police fired tear gas and water cannons at the demonstrators, as well as beat some of them up with truncheons and cudgels, for, allegedly, veering off agreed routes for the protest activity.

The second attempt was thwarted by a restraining order from the court.

Apart from insisting that the EC is a security installation, which cannot accommodate picketing, the Police Service said it gathered intelligence that indicated that robbers and criminals posed a threat to the country’s security, and, therefore, could not spare any officers to safeguard a picket.

Leaders of the group accused the Police of trumping up excuses to frustrate their protest.

When she spoke on the issue for the first time, the Chair of the EC, Charlotte Osei told Journalists at a press conference at the Commission on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, after a discussion with the various political parties about some proposed electoral reforms and concerns that the EC “is a security installation to the extent that at least, for nothing else, we have a data centre here, which carries very sensitive information and biometric details of 14 million Ghanaians.”

She demanded clarity on what the Alliance meant by picketing. “It depends on what you call picketing and they will have to define that.”

“You have to recognise that we have lives here, work is ongoing. As much as people have the right to demonstrate, others have the right to go about their duties normally,” Mrs Osei said.

“There are also people, who come to our premises to transact business with us, they should have the right to go about that business properly, and we also have assets here, which were bought with taxpayers’ money, which need to be also protected, so if the picketing is going to be disruptive to all that then I will have a problem with that personally… so I will have a problem with picketing to the extent that I don’t know how disruptive it would be to business and to safeguarding the lives of my staff and the Commission's properties, otherwise if you are going to picket on a park, why not?” she added.

The group, along with its other partners, is seeking redress from the UN to “act for humanity by finding that the Ghanaian Government is acting in violation of international human rights law, and, more importantly, with an intentional and reckless disregard for human rights, by unilaterally ordering and directing a ‘preemptive strike’ against unprovoked and legitimate expression of fundamental human rights of Ghanaians, which will have a scathing effect on peace and stability in the country.”

NPP will dump Bawumia – Ben Ephson

Pollster and Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper, Ben Ephson has boldly predicted that the Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr Mahamadu Bawumia will not be the next leader of the party, should Nana Akufo-Addo exit politics in the near future.

Several political analysts have tipped Dr Bawumia who is a two-time running mate, as the likely successor to the NPP Flagbearer, Nana Addo, and he’s envisaged to lead the party into the 2020 elections.

He’s seen by analysts as a fast learning politician, very brilliant and a widely marketed candidate who is in a pole position to secure victory for the NPP at a time that President Mahama would have been ending his term of office if he wins the 2016 election.

However, speaking to Fiifi Banson  on Kasapa 102.3 FM on Wednesday, veteran Journalist Ben Ephson stated that this dream will never materialize considering certain dynamics in the party even though he believes Dr Bawumia will be a good choice for the NPP.

“I think Dr Bawumia will make a good candidate, he has gone past the scandal test, whatever negative things about him whether true or not have already been said and that would have been good for the NPP. But the NPP next leader will either be Dan Botwe, Paapa Owusu Ankomah or Isaac Osei; I think they have a good chance.

I’m saying so because in 2008, I was attacked by certain leading members of the Party for sticking my neck out in stating that Dr Bawumia be selected ahead of other candidates at a time Nana was about to choose his running mate. With that hindsight and those party gurus still around, I don’t see how Bawumia will be allowed to lead the NPP,” Ephson stressed.

Herbert Mensah - ‘Effective system will attract investors to Ghana’

Ghanaian business mogul, Herbert Mensah, has called for the establishment of effective systems to attract the right investors to expand Ghana’s economy.

According to him, there is the need for various sectors of the economy to be managed by competent professionals to ensure effective national development.

Mr. Mensah, who was speaking on key issues confronting the nation on Metro TV’s ‘Good Evening Ghana’ programme with Paul Adom Otchere, the usual host, emphasized the need for government to deal with corruption at all levels.

The entrepreneur, who was one time the biggest mobile handset distributor in sub-Saharan Africa, said there must be a display of integrity and transparency to create the right environment for businesses.

He admitted that the country is facing myriad challenges and entreated the citizens to criticize constructively to push leaders to solve problems.

“Challenge the system, question what is going on. One of the nicest gentlemen I know as a person is President Mahama. His skin may not be as thick as mine, but you must tell him if he is messing up in certain areas,” he said.

“We can go to people who possess considerable sums of money and say, ‘How do we bring in funds to ease where we are?’ But it can only go hand-in-hand when we are dealing with corruption, dealing with right appointees and changing the system so that the businessman who is suffering knows that [he will not go through a frustrating process].

“When businesses are leaving Ghana for Ivory Coast and other countries, then there is something wrong. We need to bring the honesty back, have faith and integrity; and unless we can face that we are not going to progress [as a nation],” Mr. Mensah stressed.

He entreated Ghanaians to be honest and demand accountability from leaders who manage the country’s economy.

Close to 10,000 university graduates stranded

Close to 10,000 university graduates in the Accra zone, who were rejected by institutions following their postings to undertake their mandatory national service are said to be stranded as the National Service Secretariat (NSS) is yet to repost them, sources at the Greater Accra Regional NSS have hinted Today.

As a result, the frustrated students continue to besiege the regional office of NSS for reposting but all to no avail, as majority of them have still not been placed, the sources added.

It would be recalled that around July this year, the NSS started posting tertiary school graduates to both public and private institutions to undertake their national service for the 2015/2016 mandatory service year.

However, when some of them reported at their centres early September, the beneficiary institutions rejected them, citing among other reasons the non-availability of space to absorb all of them.

Others were refused because they did not have the needed set of skills due to the kind of courses they pursued in school.

Almost a month later the NSS has been unable to repost the students. And this development, Today learnt, was causing anxiety among the graduates with some contemplating giving up on doing the service this year.

Others continue to flock to NSS office hoping to receive good news, a situation they contend, was putting a lot of strain on their scanty finances as they bear the cost of transporting themselves to and from home to NSS secretariats.

Speaking to Today on Monday at the regional NSS secretariat, some of the affected students said they have been reposted and had gone there to register whiles others were left disappointed as their posting had still not come.

“We were posted to SSNIT but were told there was no vacancy. That is why we are here” for reposting two female graduates of University of Ghana told this paper.

“We have been chasing them for reposting, but anytime we come they tell us to go and come again. They keep tossing us about,” a disappointed student lamented. Another student disclosed that he had to mount pressure on NSS officials, and this strategy proved helpful as the officials quickly got him a place.

“I had to be on their neck before my reposting came,” the student added.

Meanwhile, an NSS official who spoke on condition of anonymity blamed the NSS head office for the delay in reposting the students.

The officer said all they do is to process the documents and forward them to the head office.

“So whether the posting list comes early or not, it depends on the head office,” the NSS officer added.

The NSS official continued and stated that students are supposed to be checking online every time to know whether the postings are out instead of coming to the regional secretariat.

According to the NSS officer, whenever the posting list was ready it was published online.

Greater Accra churns out the largest number of tertiary school graduates each year, due to the concentration of several universities and professional institutions in the region.

This, our sources indicated, accounted for the huge number of rejected service personnel.

Speaking to Today via telephone yesterday, Director of Public Relations, Ghana National Service Scheme, Mr. Ambrose Entsiwah Jr., admitted there were some personnel who the NSS was trying to repost but disputed the 10,000 figure for the Greater Accra region alone.

According to him, numbers awaiting re-posting was far less than 10,000 as our sources alleged.

He, however, did not give any figure since he did not readily have them.

But he assured that authorities at NSS were doing everything possible to ensure all affected personnel were reposted by the end of October 2015.

Mr. Ambrose Entsiwah Jr., explained that the delay in reassigning service personnel has come about because authorities were taking their time to identify vacancies in various institutions before posting them.

He also stated that institutions were still making requests and all these issues have to be sorted out properly before postings can be done to avoid another case of rejection, but was quick to add that reposting was still ongoing.

When asked whether service personnel who reported to their centres but were rejected through no fault of theirs would receive their September allowances, Mr. Ambrose Entsiwah said the decision to pay or otherwise lied with the board of the NSS which determines these matters.

About 96,000 graduates of tertiary institutions are undertaking their mandatory national service this year.

At least 18 people have been killed in the three separate suicide bombings

At least 18 people have been killed and dozens more injured in attacks in Nigeria, according to police.

In addition to the deaths, dozens more were injured in the three separate suicide bombings carried out across Damaturu, the capital Yobe state in northeast Nigeria, police told Al Jazeera.

The blasts targeted a mosque, a shop and a Fulani settlement on the city's outskirts.

The blasts came after Boko Haram fighters this week claimed to have carried out three suicide attacks on the outskirts of the capital, Abuja, last Friday that left 18 dead and 41 injured.

Suspicion will probably fall on the armed group, who have repeatedly attacked Damaturu during their six-year insurgency.

Last month, a girl thought to be aged 12 killed six and injured 47 when the explosives she was carrying went off outside a bus station in Damaturu.

Boko Haram has reverted to attacking "soft" civilian targets after last year's land grab that saw it seize towns and villages across Yobe and neighbouring Borno and Adamawa states.

Nigeria's military has claimed a series of successes against the insurgents and, on Wednesday, claimed to have killed scores during clashes with troops south of Damaturu.

Colonel Sani Usman, Nigerian army spokesperson, said fighters attempted to attack a battalion of soldiers in Goniri, about 60km by road southeast of Damaturu, in the early hours of Wednesday.

"During the encounter our gallant troops successfully repelled the attacked and inflicted heavy casualty on the invading terrorists as all of them were killed," he said in a statement.

"On the last count over 100 terrorists bodies were seen."

Seven soldiers were killed and nine others injured in the fighting, which also saw troops recover arms and ammunition, including primed improvised explosive devices.

Three-month deadline

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has set his military commanders a three-month deadline to early November to end the violence, which has left at least 17,000 dead since 2009.

But he has conceded that bomb and suicide attacks in urban areas could continue.

More than 1,260 people have been killed since he took office on May 29, according to an AFP tally.

Boko Haram has, meanwhile, continued to attack neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

On Tuesday, 11 soldiers were killed and 13 injured in a Boko Haram attack on Chadian positions across the border.

At least 17 insurgents were also killed in the pre-dawn strike, Chad's army said.

Suicide attacks on Sunday in the city of Diffa, in southeast Niger, killed a gendarme and five civilians.

Some 'corrupt judges' doctored Anas video – Kwaku Baako

Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide has revealed some implicated judges in the judicial corruption scandal by ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas doctored their copies of the video in which they were seen collecting bribes to subvert justice.

Their intent, according to Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako, was to find an escape route out of the rigorous investigations by Anas.

“Some of them [judges] think they are smart; they went to edit the video presented to them by Anas but unfortunately for them, they were exposed by the committee...” he stated on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Tuesday.

Mr. Baako’s comment comes after lawyer of High Court judge, Justice Ayisi Addo threatened to sue Anas for defaming his client.

Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (Rtd) maintained that the footage given to the Chief Justice does not show his client receiving any money as he sacked the Tiger Eye PI team from his home, and thus wondered why he was included in the list of suspended judges.

But Kwaku Baako opined that they have no qualms about a suit against Anas because it is the right of the judges.

“The lawyers can go to the level of the Supreme Court, but none of them will escape this,” he stressed.

The New Crusading Guide editor however scoffed at claims that the judges were lured by Anas to engage in acts of corruption because the judges' high moral character and proven integrity were supposed to act as an arsenal for the entrapment.

Kwaku Baako observed that relative to their code of ethics, the judges had no business discussing a case before them with a third party thus “the point about entrapment, provocation and enticement is baloney”.

“Fortunately for them, the court of public opinion is not a judge so they should go to the Supreme Court, and they will be shamed,” he stated.

'Mahama’s free SHS is discriminatory’

Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has described the free SHS Policy being implemented by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) as discriminatory.

According to the General Secretary of the party, Kofi Asamoah-Siaw, the policy in its current state discriminates against boarding students as it only caters for the tuition fee of day students.

The Mahama-led administration has begun the implementation of the free education policy as promised during the 2012 electioneering.

Over GHC4million Ghana Cedis has been released by the finance ministry to ensure a smooth takeoff of the programme.

The programme is expected to be rolled out in phases as government has said boarding students will be roped in with time.

But addressing party supporters in the Brong Ahafo region yesterday, Mr. Asamoah- Siaw said the programme must be reviewed in order to make it more meaningful and effective.

“How do you give people free SHS when they haven’t gone to primary school and they haven’t gone to JHS?

“Why do you now select few and say that because they are day students you are giving them free SHS?

“It is a selective policy, it is discriminatory and I think the only value placed on it is propaganda,” he said.

The Progressive People’s Party PPP) which has been campaigning for the implementation of the Free Compulsory Basic Education (FCUBE) last year filed a writ against at the Supreme Court in a bid to compel the government to enforce the free aspect of the FCUBE programme.

The party contended that successive governments had only between January 1993 and January 2005 to complete the roll out of the FCUBE as stipulated by the 1992 Constitution but have defaulted.

But the Supreme Court in May this year dismissed the FCUBE suit against government.

Hajj stampede: Ghanaian death toll rises to 17; 29 still missing

The death toll among Ghanaian pilgrims in Mecca keeps rising.

The latest figures from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia put the number at 17 with 29 others now confirmed missing.

Most of the casualties were as a result of the stampede in Mina which claimed over thousand lives.

Deputy communications Director for the Hajj Board Mohammed Amin Lamptey told Starr News in an interview there are other Ghanaian pilgrims on admission at various hospitals as a result of the stampede.

A total of 5,309 Ghanaian Muslims are in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia performing this year’s pilgrimage.

In all, about two million Muslims from across the globe are performing the pilgrimage.

Over one thousand pilgrims have died in the stampede with over 800 people injured. The disaster is the worst that has occurred during the pilgrimage in over 25 years.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has ordered an urgent review of this year's Hajj plans to improve its organisation.

It is the second disaster to strike Mecca in two weeks, after a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque, killing 109 people.

A GREAT TEACHER

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” -Psalms 19:7- When you hear “its testimony time” in services, what goes through your mind? Is it just another segment of the service and story time—or do you utilize it spiritually and mentally; deriving lessons to receive the same order of breakthrough? Personally, I take testimonies as God’s way of saying to me, “I’m set to give you an even greater breakthrough than this. I am willing, I am able and I am ready!” I hope you positively adjust your thought pattern on them today and so, let me help kick-start that by sharing one of my testimonies with you. I pray that you draw wisdom from it for your own marriage. There was a time my husband and I wanted a change of school for our children. We had already agreed on one, but I saw a different school which I thought would be preferable for them. My reasons were that the proprietor was spirit-filled and most of the teachers were Christians; so overall, I believed it would be a much better learning environment for them. I told my husband about my discoveries, but he did not immediately see why I wanted that particular school; especially after we had both agreed on the previous school. Other than arguing my way out, I used my knowledge on submission and the weapon of prayer and told God that His will be done. A few days later, my husband willingly agreed to the new school I proposed and that ended the issue. I could have chosen to argue my way to a favourable response but that would destroy peace in the moment, and maybe even longer. In the end, I maybe wouldn’t even have gotten that result. In essence therefore, you must realize that you don’t need to argue your way through things; you can prayerfully present your reasons and submissively listen to your partner’s view, while you both pray for the best choice. Arguments, fights and disagreements are only loopholes for the devil to operate in your home; hence, you shouldn’t give room to it. You can always reach a conclusion peacefully, best done on your knees. Remain Blessed!