Ghana Newspaper Headlines for Thursday, 25th of November, 2021.
1) Govt to spend ¢470,000 on President Akufo-Addo’s hotel accommodation in the U.S.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is scheduled to lodge at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta between November 29, 2021, to December 2, 2021, for a trip to the United States of America, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has revealed.
The stay of the president and his delegation including an advance team who will be in the city between November 26 to December 3, 2021, is set to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer some US$73,395 (GHC470,000). The rates for rooms reserved for the president and his delegation ranges from $400 to $8,000 a night.
2) Man sentenced to death, others jailed with hard labour for watching smuggled copies of ‘Squid Game’
A man has reportedly been sentenced to death in North Korea for smuggling copies of Netflix’s blockbuster series “Squid Game” into the country. According to Radio Free Asia (via Variety), authorities were led to the man after they caught high school students watching the series. The report states that “Squid Game” was smuggled into the country from China through the use of a USB flash drive.
The smuggler faces death by firing squad, while the students involved in bringing “Squid Game” into school are facing prison sentences. Radio Free Asia reports: “A student who bought a drive received a life sentence, while six others who watched the show have been sentenced to five years hard labor, and teachers and school administrators have been fired and face banishment to work in remote mines.”
3) Kanye West vows to ‘restore’ his marriage, despite Kim Kardashian’s romance rumours
Kanye West has vowed to restore his family with Kim Kardashian amid her new romance with Pete Davidson. The 44-year-old rapper spoke about his marriage to Kim Kardashian while attending the Los Angeles Mission’s Annual Thanksgiving event in Skid Row on Wednesday November 24. During his speech, Kanye expressed his desires for him and Kim to get back together and needing “to be back home.”
“The narrative God wants is to see that we can be redeemed in all these relationships. We’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve publicly done things that were not acceptable as a husband,” he says in a video shared by PageSix.
4) South Africa detects yet another new COVID variant, implications uncertain
South African scientists have detected a new COVID-19 variant in small numbers and are working to understand its potential implications, they said on Thursday. The variant – called B.1.1.529 – has a “very unusual constellation” of mutations, which are concerning because they could help it evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible, scientists told reporters at a news conference.
Early signs from diagnostic laboratories suggest the variant has rapidly increased in the most populated province of Gauteng and may already be present in the country’s other eight provinces, they said.
5) Arsenal’s Arteta open doors to Arsene Wenger’s return to club
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said on Thursday that he hopes to have former manager Arsene Wenger back at the Premier League club in some capacity in the future, as the Frenchman remains a respected figure among the staff.
Wenger left Arsenal in 2018 after a 22-year reign as manager. The 72-year-old — currently working with world soccer governing body FIFA — has since kept his distance, saying he did not want to look like he was still influencing matters.
