News
Meet Julia – The 13-year-old whose affection for animals knows no bounds
• Julia and her pet are company
She’s known for her absolute love and care for wounded animals. Her name is Julia, a 13-year-old Ghanaian German girl who lives in Krefeld-Germany and currently trending on social media for an encounter with her mum on Facebook live.
Julia is a compassionate girl and is now beloved online due to her love for animals, witty ways with words and always ready to defend her actions.
On December 6 she arrived home from school with a raven in hand. She found the wounded raven on her way back from school and decided to help it. Her mother, who was at home, caught everything and broadcast it live on Facebook.
The video was then copied by a Tik Toker with username ‘justice_six.’ As he posted it on Tiktok the video blew up. It has now been viewed over a million times and liked over 200,000 times. The encounter shows the contrast between how she sees the world and how her mom sees the world.
Julia, born Julia Nana Ama Serwaa Johannes in Accra on September 26, 2009, to a Ghanaian mother and a German father moved with her family to a small German city called Heilbronn when she was five years old.
Heilbronn is in the wine production region of Baden-Wurttemberg. It is about 60 kilometres from Stuttgart, home of the famous Mercedes-Benz.
Julia had always had a love for animals. In Ghana she had dogs and birds as pets, however she was never allowed outside the gate of her home to play and roam in her free time because her parents always told her it was dangerous.
Life in this village was idyllic and safe. It was a world so different from her life in Accra, here the inhabitants did not lock their doors. Wide open space of woodland and vineyards.
Free from the world of burglar-proof windows, heavy security door, wire mesh on walls etc, Julia began to explore the beauty of the world around her.
One day while playing in her backyard, she found a wounded bird. Knowing that her mum had a fear of animal she sneaked the bird to her bedroom and kept it in a box.
She then stole food from her mum’s kitchen and nested the bird back to health in about a week.
Her mum however found the bird and told her to let it go. It broke her heart and she cried but she knew it was the right thing to do.
So, she did, but that did not stop her from leaving her heart open to all other creatures she found in the wide-open space of the vineyards regions of Heilbronn. She has since rescued squirrels, hedgehog, and several birds.
A very bright future in veterinary
She is currently looking forward to attending a Veterinary Summer Camp at the university of Maryland in the summer of 2023.
This camp is opened to children between the age of 13-17 who have an interest in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. A go-fund me account has been set up to help her finance this venture.
News
National Service Authority to Introduce Military Training
Management of the National Service Authority, yesterday, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, held talks with the Military High Command towards the implementation of the National Service Emergency Response Readiness Programme (NSERRP).
When implemented, this will reflect His Excellency the President’s commitment towards the implementation of a short military training for National Service Personnel (NSPs) as planned efforts to instill discipline, nationalism and physical fitness among Ghanaian graduates.
The President shared this position during his maiden State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Thursday February 27, 2025.
At yesterday ’s meeting, the Director-General, Mr. Felix Gyamfi reiterated the need for all personnel to undergo basic military drills and orientation as part of orienting the youth to embrace national development.
“The introduction of this military training is a step in the right direction and must be embraced by all and sundry as one of the indicators for resetting the country, particularly the youth,” he commented.
On his part, Brigadier General Amoah-Boakye assured the Authority of their willingness to provide the requisite training for personnel when the Programme officially commences.
In all, personnel will receive up to two months of composite basic military drills starting 3rd August, 2025.
News
Ghana Tourism Authority acts on concerns of minors allegedly taken to Hotel in Accra New Town.
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has taken swift action following reports circulating on social media regarding an incident involving minors allegedly taken to a hotel in Accra New Town.
The case has been formally reported to the Nima Division of the Ghana Police Service for investigation.
In line with their mandate to ensure safety and compliance in the tourism and hospitality sector, our CEO Mrs.Maame Efua Houadjeto delegated a team from the GTA Head Office, Mr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, Deputy CEO, Special Duties and Mr Ekow Sampson, Deputy CEO, Operations who joined the Greater Accra Regional Director, Ms. Roberta Dawson-Amoah, and the Deputy Director of Marketing, Ms. Clara Nketiah, to visit the said facility.
The objective was to verify the facts on the ground and take necessary regulatory action.
They commended the Ghana Police Service for their co-operation and continued support in the ongoing investigation.
Additionally, the team inspected Royal Dede Beach Resort, which has been converted into a hostel under new management without official notification to the Ghana Tourism Authority.
The team discovered that the hostel’s operations were not in compliance with the L. I 2239. Meanwhile the operator has been directed to the Standards and Quality Assurance Department of the Authority for the necessary regulation.
“We remind all accommodation operators that the Tourism(Registration and Licensing of Accommodation) Regulations, 2016 (L.I. 2239) mandates every facility to register and obtain a license from the GTA before commencing operations.
This regulation ensures quality, safety, and compliance across the industry,” they noted.
The GTA they said, remains committed to safeguarding the public and upholding the highest standards in the hospitality sector and urged
the public to report suspicious or non-compliant facilities to the nearest GTA office.
