The Daily Graphic devotes its front page to the sad story of the death of a 27 year-old gospel singer Deborah Ashitey who was killed by a cargo train at the Dzorwulu Railway Crossing while on her way to church. Known as the Ballast Train, the carrier was returning from Sakumono after off loading materials needed for maintenance work on some of the rail lines, when it ran over the lady.

The paper shows the headless body of Deborah being put in a vehicle for conveyance to Korle Bu and Deborah in one of her church appearances as a lead singer at the Christ Co-workers Fellowship International Church which is about 50 metres away from where the accident occurred.

The lead story of the Ghanaian Times says President Kufuor and former President Rawlings are to be honoured with the highest state award, the grand order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana. The two national awards, instituted by President Kufuor will be conferred on the two statesmen at the national honour awards day on the 3rd of next month.

The Heritage says investigations it carried out revealed clear indication that the NPP is gradually losing its grip on the electorate to the NDC barely six months to the December elections. According to the investigation, unlike during the 2004 election and also when the NPP, though in opposition had its paraphernalia scattered all over the country especially in most regional and district capitals at the moment the situation is different.

The Chronicle reports as its top story that following acrimonious parliamentary primaries of the NPP with its attendant loss of experienced members of parliament, the party’s big wigs on Friday held a crisis meeting in Accra on how to deal with the situation. High on the agenda was Tema West, Okaikoi South, new Juabeng North and Biokoye. According to the story intelligence report suggests that the party would lose its sitting MPs in all but one of the cited constituencies if primaries were held today.

The top story of the Independent says with a little over five months to the crucial December election, some members of the ruling NPP are worried that the party could hand election victory on a silver platter to the main opposition NDC if drastic measures are not taken early enough to arrest the confusion and bickering that are characterizing the party’s primaries in some constituencies.

The Accra Daily Mail gives prominence to a statement by the National Chairman of the NPP, Mac Manu that the chances of the party in the December elections are bright.

The Public Agenda reports that the Maamobi Polyclinic and its environs have not had regular water supply for the past 10 years. The problem according to the finance officer at the Polyclinic is having a serious effect on the finances of the clinic since it buys four trucks of water per week at the lost of 296 Ghana cedis. This came to light when some members of parliament visited the Polyclinic.

EDITORIALS

The Daily Graphic finds the kidnapping of an eight year old pupil of the Alpha Beta School at Dansoman Estates in Accra by some unknown persons, as a wake up call to all, that there is an emerging sophisticated crime in the country. The paper says already, the country’s security agencies are saddled with the task of fighting rising illicit drug trafficking, spate of armed robbery and other social vices. This is certainly not the time to accommodate another form of crime which is uncommon in the country. It urges Ghanaians not to allow kidnapping especially, kidnapping for ransom to take hold of the country.

The Enquirer commands the Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, S.K. Boafo for initiating moves to get chiefs in the Upper East Region together to find peace for Bawku. The paper pleads with the chiefs to welcome the idea and be transparent in their work. The Enquirer calls on all those who matter in the quest to find lasting solution to the conflict to assist the chiefs in this all-important exercise.

Today is National Disability Day, and the Accra Daily Mail wonders how friendly Ghanaians are to the disabled. The paper says though the Disability Bill has been passed, not enough importance has been attached to it, as the federation of the disabled is demanding. It notes that since no-one knows tomorrow, it behoves Ghanaians to treat the disabled fairly and with respect.

The Ghanaian Times says, Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai’s pull-out from the presidential run-off is a clear indication that all is not well in the political scene in that country. According to the paper, it is about time, the AU in general, and the regional body found a more dedicated mediation effort to resolve the crisis and ensure that the run-off takes place in the right atmosphere.