Our top headlines: Ofori-Atta before parliament, Bawku crisis, pensioners win and other stories

The news headlines for today have been dominated by the appearance of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta before Parliament to brief MPs on the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

His presentation has since elicited a wave of response from across the two sides of the House as from other stakeholders.

As well, pensioner bondholders maintained their news presence as was the Bawku chieftaincy issue with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo meeting relevant sector ministers over the matter.

In sports Christian Atsu remains missing, Ofori-Atta's appearance before lawmakers dominated the business page and Tonardo vs. Afia Schwarzenegger was topical in today's Entertainment news.

GhanaWeb presents the major news stories across our major news sections.

Our top picks are as follows:

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta appeared before Parliament to brief the House on the DDEP following a motion filed by members of the Minority Caucus. His appearance came days after government announced an 85% subscription rate for the DDEP.

1. LIVESTREAMED: Ofori-Atta addresses parliament on debt exchange programme

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo met with a number of sector ministers to deliberate on the resurgent chieftaincy crisis in Bawku. The meeting came on the back of the controversial enskinment of a new Bawku Naba.

2. Akufo-Addo meets security heads, others over new Bawku chief selection

Pensioner Bondholders were in Parliament for Ofori-Atta's presentation. In a post-presentation interview, their leader asked why it had taken the minister so long to explicitly state that they had ben exempted from the programme.

3. Why did it take government this long to exempt us? – Pensioner Bondholders

Legal luminary and Member of the Council of State, Sam Okudzeto, has commended the immediate past Chief Justice of Ghana, Sophia Akuffo, for her decision to join pensioners in picketing over the inclusion of their bonds in the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.

According to him, the action by the former chief justice is in the right direction and is needed to ensure that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana works.

4. Sam Okudzeto commends Sophia Akuffo for speaking out

Madam Florence Bedford joined parliament as a staff cook in 1993 - the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and has since served parliament to date.

Madam Florence Bedford who is now the Principal Catering Officer, 55, said she did not expect she will be in parliament this long.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb's Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese, she detailed that she was employed by parliament at the age of 25 under the leadership of Justice D.F Annan and now under the leadership of Alban Bagbin.

5. Florence Bedford: The woman who has cooked for Ghana's MPs since 1993

SARA