A quick catch up on today’s top stories…
1) Holland-based 26-year-old man found dead under plantain tree, after going out to ‘enjoy’ with friends
A community in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti region was thrown into a state of shock after the slain body of a 26-year-old man identified as Bernard Boateng was found.
The deceased, reported as someone who had returned to Ghana from Holland for the Christmas holidays, was found at Aputuogya on Monday, January 10, 2022, after earlier reports that he had gone missing were made a day earlier.
The report added that the Assembly Member for the area, Bright Sefa Boakye Yiadom, confirmed the news, adding that his corpse was found under a plantain tree.
2) Fire Service interdicts 5 staff who allegedly stole over ¢30,000 at accident scene
Five Ghana National Fire Service personnel have been interdicted for stealing an amount of GH¢30,000 at the accident scene of the late Barima Bretwum Okyre II, the Paramount Chief of Sekyere Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region.
During their response, the police revealed that the crew allegedly conducted spot checks on the three lifeless bodies in their 4×4 vehicle and retrieved an amount of GH¢30,000 and an I-phone from the Chief of Sekyere Kwamang.
The Rescue Team, however, failed to disclose this to the police after they took over the mangled vehicle and commenced an investigation.
3) NFT sales hit $25 billion in 2021, but growth shows signs of slowing
From cartoon apes to video clips, sales of NFTs reached some $25 billion in 2021 as the speculative crypto asset exploded in popularity, data from market tracker DappRadar shows, although there were signs of growth slowing towards the end of the year.
The art world has been quick to cash in, with auction houses selling NFTs representing simple cartoons for millions of dollars with no physical objects changing hands. One NFT artwork fetched a record $69.3 million at a Christie’s sale in March.
Meanwhile, some of the world’s top brands, including Coca Cola and Gucci, have also sold NFTs.
4) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dragged after failing to ‘set Hollywood on fire’ with Netflix deal
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal has been rubbished after it was claimed that the couple would fail to create an impact in Hollywood.
According to royal expert Daniela Elser, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who had announced their deal in September of 2020, have taken “more than 14 months” but have not yet delivered any content.
5) British No.1 Emma Raducanu handed a shocking 55-minute loss in her first match of 2022
Emma Raducanu has suffered her first loss of 2022 to Elena Rybakina in the Sydney Classic less than a week before the start of the Australian Open.
Raducanu’s defeat came in the opening round of the Sydney International. She was originally meant to face Iga Swiatek, world No 9 and 2020 French Open champion.
But Swaitek withdrew from the competition with a rib injury and was replaced in her seeded position by world No 13 Rybakina
Rybakina, who is currently ranked 13th in the world, five places higher than Raducanu – beat the GB star 6-0, 6-1 in just 55 minutes of action.