The meetings were hosted by Opportunity International Savings and Loans, which is an implementing partner for Opportunity Global Operations.

The meeting also afforded the Board members and staff a chance to visit clients in Accra and Kumasi and to see first-hand the operations of OISL and what the institution was doing to transform the lives of clients in Ghana. The participants commended OISL for the great work done in touching lives in tremendous ways.

The Management and staff of OISL was excited that Ghana was selected as the destination for their Board meeting and as a kind gesture, held a corporate dinner at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in their honour. The celebration dinner was graced by high profile personalities from government and the corporate community in Ghana as well as clients of OISL. Among the special guests were Mr. Osei Gyasi, the Head of Banking Supervision Division, Bank of Ghana and his deputy, Mr.  Sampson Akligoh Special Economic Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Mr. Asare Ayesu, representative of the Deputy Minister of Finance, Reverend Dr. Kwabena Darko, former Board Chairman of OISL and Chairman of Darko Farms, Mr. Ebo Hewton, Board Chairman of Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans, Mr. Yaw Gyamfi, Executive Secretary of GHAMFIN and Mr. Tweneboah Kodua Boakye, Executive Secretary of GHASALC among others.

The invited dignitaries shared fraternal messages during the dinner. The Head of Banking Supervision commended OISL for its strong performance leading to a solid balance sheet and sustainable operation over the years and encouraged the institution and its management and Board to keep up with its good standards.

The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kwame Owusu-Boateng and the Board Chairman of OISL, Mr. Frazer Hume both acknowledged the honour done them to host the meetings in Ghana. They welcomed the guests to Ghana on behalf of the Board, Management and staff and expressed appreciation for the time the Boards had taken from their busy schedules to visit their valued clients in the field.

The CEO of Opportunity International USA, Mr.  Atul Tandon expressed optimism that by the strides made by OISL in Ghana, the dream of reaching one million clients in Ghana by 2020 was on course.

This was re-echoed by the Chairman of the Boards of Opportunity International USA, Mr. Dave Tolmie. Additionally, the chairman of the Board of Opportunity International UK, Mr. Cliff Hampton and UK CEO, Mr. Edward Fox, expressed their continuous support for the operations of OISL.

The gathering was graced by the Opportunity International Choir which was made up of some staff of the institution from throughout Ghana and cultural troupes who also provided songs and cultural displays.

Opportunity International is a non-profit organisation with a network of 43 partners across the globe consisting of support and implementing partners. Opportunity International – US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany raise funds to support implementing partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited (OISL), is a leading savings and loans institution in Ghana. OISL is at the forefront of delivering financial services to help transform the lives of clients.

It was licensed by the Bank of Ghana in June 2004 and has a client base of 502,000 as at the end of February 2018. Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited is an affiliate of Opportunity International Global.

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Opportunity International holds historic meeting in Ghana for USA,UK boards appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The address is expected to capture the President’s vision for Ghana Beyond Aid, touching on key areas such as industrialization and infrastructure for the development of railways and precious minerals, and their impact on the private sector and business partnerships.

The summit, which is expected to be held from April 17 to 20, 2018, forms part of planned activities for the upcoming UKGCC London week celebration being organized by the UK – Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC).

[contextly_sidebar id=”zlnsiaPicagvnWyM89TtfzdHFb1UQwGd”]Aimed at promoting Ghana as a destination for businesses, the seminar is designed to create networking and partnership opportunities between Ghanaian and British business leaders.

The CEO of UKGCC, Mr. Tony Burkson said “the President’s vision for ‘A Ghana Beyond Aid’ is one that has captured the minds of many companies and investors in the UK. The expectation is that the President will use his keynote to elaborate on what role he expects the private sector and the investor community to play in this vision”.

According to him, “the President will also meet with senior business executives in the UK who have expressed interest in investing in Ghana”.

He added that “the stellar performance of the Ghanaian economy in the last year, particularly the stabilization of the macro-environment makes Ghana a top destination for investors looking for yield. It is my hope that Ghana will use the UK-Ghana Investment Summit and other events happening during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to show why it is the best place for any investor looking to deploy capital in Africa”.

A delegation comprising senior government officials and top Ghanaian business executives, led by the UKGCC, are expected to be present at the meeting. The government officials on this delegation will have the opportunity to bring to the fore government’s vision for Ghana in terms of development.

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Akufo-Addo to speak at annual UK-Ghana investment summit appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Russian foreign ministry said staff from the UK’s Moscow embassy would be expelled within a week.

It also said it would close the British Council in Russia, which promotes cultural ties between the nations, and the British Consulate in St Petersburg.

The move comes in response to Britain’s decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats.

They were ordered to leave over the incident on 4 March which the UK government has blamed on Russia – but which Russia denies.

Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital, after they were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The UK government says they were poisoned with a nerve agent of a type developed by Russia called Novichok, and PM Theresa May has said she believes Moscow is “culpable”.

On Friday, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it was “overwhelmingly likely” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the nerve agent attack.

Britain’s ambassador to Russia, Laurie Bristow, was summoned to Russia’s foreign ministry on Saturday and was handed Russia’s response to the UK’s sanctions.

The foreign ministry, in a statement, said that the British diplomats would be “declared persona non grata”, adding that it “reserves the right to introduce other retaliatory measures in case of further unfriendly actions”.

Mr Bristow, after leaving the meeting, said that the UK had no quarrel with the Russian people and would “always do what is necessary to defend ourselves”.

–

Source: BBC

The post Russia to expel UK diplomats in spy row appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Recently, rapper M.anifest told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in an interview that he had not received a penny from the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) as royalties since he started music.

“Shout outs to GHAMRO. I know you people are working but please work hard so I can get my royalties. I haven’t received a single penny from you guys,” he said.

However, the Chairman of GHAMRO, Rex Omar, told Citi Showbiz that M.anifest had not assigned his works to GHAMRO – which means he was not a member and could not take his royalties from them.

M.anifest responded to Rex Omar’s position on the matter after Starr FM had tweeted a similar statement Rex Omar made on their station.

According to the ‘godMC’ rapper, even though he has not registered with the South African Music Right Organisation (SAMRO) and UK’s Performing Rights Society (PRS), he gets royalties from them.

“I am not a member of samro or prs but s.a. and u.k. royalties have been flowing. Thanks for understanding. You’re a legend BTW. Much respect,” he wrote.

In the meantime, Rex Omar has stated that GHAMRO is bent on employing the best strategies to collect royalties due its members.

–

By: Kwame Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post I get royalties from South Africa, UK – M.anifest tells Rex Omar appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The coins were taken by hackers from Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange Mt Gox, leaving tens of thousands of customers out of pocket.

It’s not clear who is in control of the London-based firm Always Efficient LLP.

Mt Gox operator Mark Karpeles apologised to investors and said he was co-operating with the investigation.

The FBI has charged a Russian national with laundering the stolen bitcoins.

Mt Gox matched up those who wanted to buy the crypto-currency with dollars, pounds and other international denominations with those wanting to sell bitcoins, and handled an estimated 70% of the world’s Bitcoin trade.

The exchange was originally set up to trade cards from a game set in a world of wizards, spells and monsters. When it turned its focus to crypto-currencies, it appeared to be a huge success story.

Almost half of Bitcoin trading is done in Japanese yen, and there’s even a Japanese girl group, the Virtual Currency Girls, which reflects Japan’s growing craze for virtual money.

But a group of amateur investigators, WizSec, found that hackers had targeted Mt Gox.

They had systematically pilfered users’ accounts, hiding their tracks from Mt Gox operators for years.

And in 2014, the site’s chief executive, Mark Karpeles, made the horrifying discovery that hundreds of thousands of coins were missing.

When customers found themselves unable to withdraw funds, the site collapsed.

Speaking for the first time about the collapse to BBC Radio 4’s File on Fourprogramme, Mr Karpeles said: “It felt like… when you fall from a building and you see the ground getting closer, and you feel like you are about to die.”

He said the site had rapidly grown beyond his expectations.

“Mt Gox went from interesting project to being, I would say, a daily nightmare of dealing with banks, governments, people I never knew existed.”

How the coins had gone missing was initially a mystery.

But now investigators say almost half the stolen coins from Mt Gox ended up at rival exchange BTC-e.

‘Cyber-crime hub’

The FBI says BTC-e was a hub for cyber-crime and helped to launder money from hacks, including ransomware attacks of the kind that hit the NHS and other organisations last year.

But trying to find out who operates BTC-e isn’t easy. The exchange claimed to be operated by a British company called Always Efficient LLP.

Always Efficient’s registered office is in east London, but the address is shared by several other firms, some of which are thought to be involved in money laundering.

Duncan Hames, of anti-corruption group Transparency International, said it’s likely to be a shell company.

“People laundering money will set up a network of companies to create layers between the original crime and their attempts to then integrate the proceeds of their crime into the economy,” he said.

“They simply enable a series of transactions to take place to create this distance and to obscure the trail of the proceeds of crime.”

In an attempt to regulate these so-called shell companies, new rules introduced in June 2016 now stipulate that companies must publish a list of “persons with significant control” (PWSC).

Always Efficient doesn’t currently have a PWSC. The person most recently listed, Alexander Buyanov, is a DJ in a Moscow nightclub.

According to Andrei Zakharov, a Russian journalist who tracked him down, Mr Buyanov claims he “knew nothing” of the business.

Companies House told the BBC it had a dedicated team dealing with PWSCs, and took action when irregularities were identified.

‘Real risk’ to UK

The FBI says the man behind BTC-e is another Russian national, Alexander Vinnik.

Documents seen by the BBC detail how the stolen Mt Gox money was laundered through various accounts, usernames and email addresses allegedly controlled by Mr Vinnik.

Mr Vinnik was arrested while on holiday in Greece in July 2017, and is currently being detained in Thessaloniki.

The US Department of Justice now wants to extradite him to face 21 counts of money laundering and other financial crimes in the US.

Mr Zakharov said: “They were on the beach and his wife was swimming, and when she turned back she saw a lot of people with sunglasses near her husband, and that’s how he was arrested.”

Russia has also filed an extradition request for Mr Vinnik on lesser, unrelated charges.

The Greek government is now in the process of deciding between the two requests.

Via his lawyer, Mr Vinnick told the BBC he denies having any connection to Always Efficient.

He added: “BTC-e is just a web platform for buying and selling Bitcoin – not an exchange. As such it cannot be held responsible for the source of money used to buy Bitcoin, no more than a bureau du change can be held responsible for exchanging a stolen $100 note into pounds sterling.”

A National Crime Agency (NCA) spokesman said it didn’t “routinely confirm or deny investigations” but recognised “the very real risks to the UK and the UK’s financial sector from large-scale, complex money laundering.”

He added: “Tackling money laundering is a high priority for the NCA, and we have a number of national and international operations running against the criminals involved, working in close partnership with partners in law enforcement and financial regulation.”

Mark Karpeles was arrested and charged with embezzlement related to payments worth £1.7m. He says these were legitimate loans signed off by an accountant.

He’s also charged with manipulation of data. He denies all the charges – none of which relates to the loss of the 650,000 bitcoins.

He told the BBC he was doing all he could to return funds to customers and added: “I am very sorry that when I was in charge things happened the way they did.”

‘Unprecedented’ rise

Mt Gox is not the only Bitcoin currency exchange to be hacked. Even the Virtual Currency Girls have lost money following another recent Bitcoin exchange theft.

Under Japanese bankruptcy law, the remaining 200,000 Mt Gox bitcoins are valued at £300 each, the price they held when the exchange collapsed in 2014.

Since then, the value has increased to around £7,000 each.

Many investors are now pushing to see their Mt Gox bitcoins refunded at the current price, and a decision is expected within the next few months.

So regardless of the outcome in Mr Vinnik’s case, Mt Gox creditors who lost out might still turn a profit, thanks to Bitcoin’s unprecedented rise.

–

Source: BBC

The post UK company linked to laundered Bitcoin billions appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

But 220,000 EU nationals still moved to Britain over the same period, the Office for National Statistics found.

It means net EU migration – the difference between arrivals and departures – was 90,000, the lowest for five years.

The ONS said Brexit could be a factor in people’s decisions to move.

Nicola White, head of international migration statistics at the ONS, said migration was complicated and could be influenced by lots of different reasons.

The figures also show that more British people are emigrating than are returning to live in the UK.

Of those EU nationals arriving in the UK, fewer were coming for “work-related reasons”, in particular to “look for work”.

‘More students’
By contrast, immigration from countries outside the European Union is going up which means the UK population is continuing to grow at a similar level to early 2014.

Some 285,000 non-EU citizens arrived in the UK in the 12-month period to September, and 80,000 departed.

This gives a net increase of 205,000, the highest for six years.

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said this was largely driven by more people coming to study in the UK and an uncharacteristic dip in the previous year’s figures that may have been corrected.

He also speculated whether firms were starting to struggle to recruit or retain people from the EU, forcing them to look outside the EU.

Overall, net migration is estimated to have fallen by 29,000 to 244,000 in the same period.

This includes 73,000 British people coming back to the UK and 125,000 Britons leaving.

The overall net migration figure is still well short of the government’s target to reduce net migration to below 100,000, a pledge made in the 2010, 2015 and 2017 Tory manifestos.

–

Source: BBC

The post Highest number of EU nationals leaving UK in a decade appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The issue is hugely sensitive because the role is not hereditary and will not pass automatically to the Prince of Wales on the Queen’s death.

The Commonwealth has set up a “high level group” to look at the way the international organisation is governed.

This group is meeting later, officially to review how the Commonwealth is run by its secretariat and governors.

However, senior sources added that the gathering in London would also consider what happens when the Queen, who turns 92 in April, dies.

One said: “I imagine the question of the succession, however distasteful it may naturally be, will come up.”

The agenda for the all-day summit, seen by the BBC, says there will be a discussion of “wider governance considerations” which insiders say is code for the succession.

The group is expected to report to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London in April, which is likely to be the last that the 91-year-old monarch will attend.

A second source said the issue of the succession is expected to be discussed by Commonwealth leaders on the margins of the summit, particularly when they meet without officials “on retreat” at Windsor Castle.

The Queen was proclaimed Head of the Commonwealth at her coronation when she was head of state in seven of its eight members.

It is not an hereditary position that will pass automatically to her son, who will be head of state in only 15 of the 53 member nations that now make up the Commonwealth.

Any decision about the future would have to be made by the Commonwealth heads of government at the time of the Queen’s death. But there is no formal process for choosing her successor.

While many Commonwealth figures presume there will be no realistic alternative to Prince Charles, there has in the past been talk of electing a ceremonial leader to improve the organisation’s democratic credentials.

One source said the issue to be decided was whether a one-off decision should be taken to appoint Prince Charles to the position, or whether a new process should be agreed to ensure that it is always the British monarch who automatically becomes head of the Commonwealth.

“There are various formulas being played with,” the source said. “Should it always be the heir to the throne or Prince Charles himself? Is it the person or the position?”

The high level group, which is made up of seven senior former ministers from the Commonwealth, will meet at the body’s London headquarters at Marlborough House.

The group, which has its own staff and budget, is independent of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It will look at how the secretariat is run and funded, how a new secretary general is chosen and the balance of power between the Commonwealth’s governors and executive committee.

According to documents seen by the BBC, the high level group will not just confine itself to bureaucratic changes. The agenda for the meeting says: “Discussions will take into consideration the issues raised in the first session and also the wider governance considerations of the Commonwealth.”

The Queen has been working in private to try to ensure that Prince Charles does succeed her, sending senior officials around the world to lobby Commonwealth leaders.

At the last CHOGM in Malta in 2015, the Queen told them that she could not “wish to have been better supported and represented in the Commonwealth than by the Prince of Wales who continues to give so much to it with great distinction”.

The Prince of Wales represented the Queen at the CHOGM in Sri Lanka in 2013. A whole section of his website is devoted to the Commonwealth, noting that he has visited 41 out of 53 countries and has been a “proud supporter” for more than four decades.

The high level group consists of:

• Chairman Anote Tong: Former president of Kiribati
• Lord Howell: Former British energy secretary
• Louise Frechette: Former United Nations deputy secretary general
• Robert Hill: Former Australian defence minister
• Dame Billie Miller: Former deputy prime minister of Barbados
• Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Former Nigerian minister of finance
• George Vella: Former deputy prime minister of Malta

–

Source: BBC

The post Commonwealth in secret succession plans appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Security minister Ben Wallace said the “full force of government” would be brought to bear on foreign criminals and corrupt politicians who use Britain as a haven.

Officials will use new unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) – which came into effect this week – to seize suspicious assets and hold them until they have been properly accounted for.

In an interview with The Times, Mr Wallace said: “When we get to you, we will come for you, for your assets and we will make the environment that you live in difficult.”

The move comes as London‘s role as a playground for Russian gangsters and the super-rich has been highlighted by the BBC drama series McMafia.

Mr Wallace said ministers wanted to exploit the success of the programme – based on the factual book of the same name by the journalist Misha Glenny – to raise public awareness of the issue of corruption.

“McMafia is one of those things where you realise that fact is ahead of fiction,” he told the paper.

“It’s a really good portrayal of sharp-suited wealthy individuals, but follow the money and it ends up with a young girl getting trafficked for sex.

“Beneath the gloss there is real nastiness. So far it’s very close to the truth, the international nature of organised crime and the impunity with which some of these people operate and the brutality of it, is absolutely correct.”

Mr Wallace pointed to the so-called Laundromat case in which ghost companies – many based in the UK – were used to launder dirty Russian money through western banks as an example of Russian involvement in organised crime.

“What we know from the Laundromat expose is that certainly there have been links to the (Russian) state. The Government’s view is that we know what they are up to and we are not going to let it happen anymore,” he said.

Officials estimate that around £90 billion of illegal funds is laundered through the UK every year.

The establishment of UWOs, as part of the Criminal Finance Act, will enable the authorities to freeze and recover property if individuals are unable to explain how they acquired assets in excess of £50,000.

–

Source: Independent

The post Super-rich Russians in Britain to be forced to explain source of wealth appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

An ageing population means more men are developing and dying from the disease.

Prostate Cancer UK says advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are paying off, and increased funding could benefit prostate cancer.

The biggest cancer killers in the UK remain lung and bowel cancer, with prostate now in third place.

The latest figures from 2015 show there were 11,819 deaths from prostate cancer compared with 11,442 from breast cancer.

Although deaths from prostate cancer have been rising over the past 10 years or so, the mortality rate or the proportion of men dying from the disease has fallen – by 6% – between 2010 and 2015.

For breast cancer the mortality rate has come down by 10%, meaning deaths in women are declining more quickly.

Gary Pettit was 43 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, five years ago, after a routine medical through work.

He had no symptoms – only an abnormally high PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, which led to further tests and biopsies.

Within weeks, he had a seven-hour operation at the Royal Marsden in London to remove the cancer.

“I’m a lucky boy. I stored my sperm before the op and now we’ve got a little seven-month-old miracle baby, called Teddy. I can’t say how lucky I’ve been.”

Gary says recovering from the surgery took quite a while and there were some side-effects which he is still getting used to – but he is clear of cancer and keen to raise awareness among other men.

“It is still a taboo subject with men. They get shy and embarrassed, but it’s so important to get checked out.”

‘Tremendous progress’

Angela Culhane, chief executive of the charity Prostate Cancer UK, said the disease currently received half the funding and half the research that is devoted to breast cancer.

She said developing better diagnostic tests that could be used as part of a nationwide screening programme would be a priority.

At present, there is no single, reliable test for prostate cancer – the PSA test, biopsies and physical examinations are all used.

Men with prostate cancer can also live for decades without symptoms or needing treatment because the disease often progresses very slowly.

Ms Culhane said: “It’s incredibly encouraging to see the tremendous progress that has been made in breast cancer over recent years.

“The introduction of precision medicine, a screening programme and a weighty research boost has no doubt played an important role in reducing the number of women who die from the disease.

“The good news is that many of these developments could be applied to prostate cancer and we’re confident that with the right funding, we can dramatically reduce deaths within the next decade.”

Living longer

Michael Chapman, director of information and involvement at Cancer Research UK, said: “The number of men getting and dying from prostate cancer is increasing mostly because of population growth and because we are living longer.

“We’re dedicated to improving diagnosis and treatments for all cancers which is why we’re investing in research to help develop more treatments to give more people more time this World Cancer Day on Sunday.”

–

Source: BBC

The post Prostate cancer deaths overtake those from breast cancer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

It took less than 60 seconds for Michael Bates to arrive late, apologize profusely, offer his resignation and then leave the House of Lords on Wednesday.

“I want to offer my sincere apologies to Baroness Lister for my discourtesy in not being in my place to answer her question on a very important matter at the beginning of questions,” the international development minister said, standing up in front of his peers.

“During the five years in which it’s been my privilege to answer questions from this dispatch box on behalf of the government, I’ve always believed that we should rise to the highest possible standards of courtesy and respect in responding on behalf of the government to the legitimate questions of the legislature,” he continued.

Although he was just a couple of minutes late, Bates went on to say: “I am thoroughly ashamed at not being in my place and therefore I shall be offering my resignation to the prime minister … with immediate effect.”

“I do apologize,” said Bates as he gathered his belongings and swiftly exited the chamber.

Witnessing an apology turn into a resignation in a matter of seconds was simply too much for Bates’s stunned peers.

In the dramatic video, other politicians can be heard exclaiming “No!” from their seats. While some laughed in disbelief, others attempted to reach out and pull Bates back to the chamber.

After Bates’s resignation, Baroness Smith of Basildon interrupted the beginning of another speech to say: “An apology from Lord Bates is perfectly sufficient. It was a minor discourtesy of which any of us can be guilty of on occasion.”

Talking to the Guardian, Baroness Lister said she has asked Bates to reconsider his decision.

“Of all the ministers I’d want to cause to resign, he’d be the last,” she said.

Some hours after the spectacular resignation, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May (who is on a trip to China) said: “With typical sincerity, Lord Bates today offered to tender his resignation, but his resignation was refused as it was judged this was unnecessary.

“As a hard-working and diligent minister, it is typical of his approach that he takes his responsibilities to Parliament so seriously.”

On social media, puzzled and amused Twitter users celebrated Bates’s decision to remain in his role.

“Glad to see Lord Bates has been persuaded to remain!” read one tweet.

“Late Lord Bates has dramatically unresigned!” said another.

–

Source: Washington Post

The post ‘I am thoroughly ashamed’: British lord resigns after arriving late to work appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.