A quick catch up on today’s top stories…
1) TEWU agrees to halt strike action with immediate effect
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has announced that the leadership of Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) has agreed to suspend its strike immediately for negotiations to resume.
After a meeting held between the leadership of TEWU and the Ministry of Employment of Labour Relations on Wednesday, January 5, Deputy Minister of employment and labour relations, Bright Wireko Brobbey said;
“they have assured us that is what they are going to do. By close of day, we should see the strike action over.
GES has also promised that once that is going to happen, they are then going to meet tomorrow morning and TEWU has ben invited to come and meet them for the committee to start work and look ta how best to go about the issue and if there is any payment that is due them it will be effected.”
2) Two persons butchered by ex-military men amid Dumsor brouhaha
Two people have been seriously injured after some suspected retired military men allegedly butchered them at Manso- Aboaboso in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region.
The victims, according to the report, were among youth in the community who were preventing the suspected military men from engaging in illegal mining in a forest reserve in the area.
The two victims Godfred Apomasu, 35, an information center operator and Owusu Kwadwo, 30, a farmer who sustained machete wounds have also been arrested by the Ashanti Regional Police Command.
3) Nigerian govt imposes N10/litre tax on soft drinks to discourage citizens from “excessive consumption”
The federal government has introduced an excise duty of N10/litre on all non-alcoholic, carbonated and sweetened beverages.
Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning made the announcement during a public presentation of the 2022 Appropriation Act in Abuja on Wednesday January 5.
Ahmed said the excise duty was introduced in line with the Finance Actsigned into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 31, 2021.
She also added that this might discourage excessive consumption of sugar beverages which contributes to diabetes, obesity among others.
4) Tennis Novak Djokovic blocked from entering Australia as vaccine exemption saga continues
Tennis star, Novak Djokovic has arrived in Melbourne to defend his Australian Open crown but he hasn’t been allowed into the country because the visa his team mistakenly applied for does not allow medical exemptions for the unvaccinated.
The world number one touched down on a Emirates flight from Dubai around 11.30pm Wednesday night AEST, just 24 hours after confirmation of his quest to become the greatest men’s player of all time.
Sources claimed Djokovic entered Australia on a visa that doesn’t permit medical exemptions for being unvaccinated, The Age reported.
5) Golden Globes to go ahead without audience, celebrities in a non-televised ceremony
The show will go ahead for the Golden Globes this year, but without the usual glitz, glamour, and champagne-fueled event.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed its plans for the 2022 ceremony, which the group previously said would be a stripped-down affair.
But the event will go on and only focus on announcing winners and highlighting the HFPA’s philanthropy work, while forgoing any live audience, red carpet, or media presence.
The 79th annual Golden Globe Awards will take place Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
For the limited number of people in attendance, masks and social distancing will be required at all times.
