A powerful earthquake has killed one thousand people and left hundreds more injured in Afghanistan, a Taliban official has told the BBC. Pictures show landslides and ruined mud-built homes in eastern Paktika province, where rescuers have been scrambling to treat the injured. Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said hundreds of houses were destroyed and the death toll was likely to rise. It is the deadliest earthquake to strike Afghanistan in two decades. The head of information for Paktika province,

A drone attack has hit a major Russian oil refinery near the border with Ukraine, the plant’s management said, sending a ball of flame and black smoke billowing into the sky and prompting the suspension of operations. Officials at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region said the first drone attacked at 8:40am (05:40GMT), hitting a crude distillation unit, triggering a blast and ball of fire. The second attack, at 9:23am, targeted crude oil reservoirs at the refinery, the largest

The 35-year-old will be staying at the Olympia Stadion outfit until the summer of 2023 following the new contract agreed between both parties on Wednesday. The club’s official statement reads “Last summer, Prince Boateng returned to his old place of work. To where it all began 28 years ago – and now everything is continuing: at Hertha BSC! Born in Berlin, he is extending his working papers until 2023 and will also wear the jersey of our Spreeatheners in the coming season.” Boateng

Ghanaian winger Albert Adomah has agreed to extend his contract with Queens Park Rangers for another two years. The 34-year-old joined the Championship club from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2020. Since then, the former Bristol City, Middlesbrough, and Aston Villa right-winger has appeared in 72 games for QPR, scoring four goals. “He’s a big QPR fan and he brings real personality into the group,” said manager Michael Beale. “He had a really positive season last year

Nsoatreman Football Club forward, Samuel Ofori, has pleaded for financial assistance from the people of Nsoatre and Bono region ahead of their maiden campaign in the Ghana Premier League. The club joined Samartex and Kotoku Royals as the three clubs to have secured promotion to the top-flight following their extra-time win over Tamale City at the Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, June 21. Quizzed on what the club will need to do to stay beyond one season in Premier League, Ofori, who opened the scoring

New Burnley manager Vincent Kompany is determined to reunite with midfielder Majeed Ashimeru in England. The former Anderlecht coach wants the Ghanaian to join the Championship club this summer. The Manchester City legend was named as Sean Dyche’s replacement only recently. However, Kompany is not wasting time in attempting to return Burnley to the Premier League at the first attempt and has identified Ashimeru as someone who can help him. Kompany is eager to collaborate with the 24-year-old

The Magistrates and Judges Association (AMJG) of Ghana has denied reports that superior court judges were paid ex-gratia every four years, even though they retire on their salaries. Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, the President of the Association, Justice Henry Kwofie, described the reports as false and malicious allegation. According to him, when there was an increment in their salaries, as a result of the recommendations of the Emolument Committee set up by the President under

Investigations conducted by The Chronicle have established that cocoa farmers in the Prestea-Huni-Valley Municipality in the Western Region are cutting down trees of the cash crop and replanting them with rubber seedlings. In areas such as Damang, Hunni-Valley, Abosso, Atta Ne Atta, and Prestea large swathe of cocoa farms have been cut down. Some of the farmers claimed they could not buy chemicals and fertilisers, which were formerly supplied free of charge to them to maintain the farms. The Cocoa

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged the global community to increase its efforts to help developing countries withstand the devastation caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. In a keynote speech delivered at the 15th Edition of the European Development Days (EDD) in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, 21st June 2022, President Akufo-Addo emphasised the need for the global community to increase efforts to help developing countries to safeguard their economies from the dire effects of

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has announced its resolve to enforce sanitation bye-laws to ensure that the metropolis regains its past glory. Mr. Samuel Pyne, the Mayor of Kumasi, disclosed this at the 1st Ordinary Meeting of the 3rd Session of the 8th Assembly, held at the Prempeh Assembly Hall last week. He expressed worry over the practice of littering and indiscriminate dumping of waste by residents, which he described as unfortunate and cost the Assembly huge sums of the taxpayers’

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been called upon to appoint a substantive minister for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP). The call was made during a round table discussion held by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) on the theme: “Averting the excessive delay in passing the Affirmative Action Bill – The Role of Stakeholders,” in Accra yesterday. According to the Stakeholders, which include Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and its counterpart in Lesotho, the Petroleum Fund, are collaborating to improve efficiency in the petroleum downstream in both countries. In furtherance to the collaboration, a team from the Petroleum Fund, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Thato Mohasoa, paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive of the NPA, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, in Accra. The partnership between the two entities will, among other things, share experiences of mutual benefit in the

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has threatened to summon the Transport Minister, Mr. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, to the Privileges Committee if he refuses to honour invitations to respond to questions in the House again. “I am tempted to refer his conduct to the Privileges Committee, but because of the intervention of leadership, I will resist that temptation. I will not refer him to the Privileges Committee for today. “But the next conduct tantamount to this

In a bid to improve the human capital indices of the West African Region by 2030, ECOWAS has held a ministerial validation meeting on Human Capital Development (HCD) Report 2022 via zoom, on the 14th of June 2022. The meeting also featured discussion and presentation of the Gender and Transformative Action Report for Human Capital Development in West Africa. The ECOWAS Commission had earlier developed the Integrated Human Capital Development (HCD) Strategy which forms a framework for accelerating

Journalism, as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, is supposed to serve as the watchdog of society by providing information and education to the masses. Journalists must be given unfettered freedom and access to carry out their duties. Although Ghana is highly respected for its press freedom credentials, the rights of its journalists have sometimes been abused, and the statistics unfortunately, seems to be on the rise. The number of reported cases of attacks on journalists has increased significantly,

The Chief of Adoagyiri in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region, Okoanadwo Afutu Dompreh II, has launched a passionate appeal to residents, both home and abroad, of the area to bury the hatchet and focus on peaceful co-existence. This comes from the background of a judgement passed in favor of Okoanadwo Afutu Dompreh II as the right person to occupy the Adoagyiri Stool by the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs on February 2, this year. The Judicial Committee

Nana Kwasi Gyampoh II, Nkosohene of Suhum Okorase in the Eastern Region, has commissioned a newly built Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compound at Suhum Okorase. The newly built CHPS compound, which is aims at improving healthcare delivery in the community, was funded by Nana Kwasi Gyampoh II. The facility has one Delivery Room and Waiting Room, Out-Patient Department (OPD), Consulting Room, and a mechanised borehole. Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, the Nkosohene indicated

The 2002 Year Group of the Asuansi Technical Institute, popularly known as Asu Tech, has donated sports kits to its Alma Mater ahead of the upcoming schools and colleges games. The items, which include a set of jerseys, running vests, footballs, volleyballs, bibs, ice chests and first-aid kits, were meant to bolster the morale of the students prior to the commencement of the competition. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the 2002 School Prefect, Mr. John Martin Yankey, stated that the donation

The Bono Regional Minister, Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, has cautioned contractors working on the “Agenda 111” hospital projects across the country against shoddy works. She said, though contractors were expected to complete the various health facilities as scheduled, consultants and the beneficiary districts ought to monitor and ensure that the hospitals meet the required specifications and standards. The Regional Minister gave the caution when she inspected progress of work on the Sunyani

‘Natural girl’ hitmaker, MzVee is set to celebrate 10 years in the Ghanaian music industry with her 5th studio album titled ‘10Thirty.’ Since her debut in 2012, MzVee has become a household name with numerous awards and performing across the world and winning ambassadorial deals with recognised brands. In announcing the album with a post on Instagram, MzVee said the title of the album is just a combination of her spending 10 years in the Ghanaian music industry as well as celebrating her