The Coalition of Commercial Transport Owners has called off their sit-down strike. This comes after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo agreed to meet the leadership of the Coalition in the afternoon at the Presidency to have a stakeholder meeting to address their concerns. This was disclosed to GhanaWeb business by the Head of communications of Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Abass Imoro, in an exclusive interview on Monday, December 6, 2021. They noted that these commercial vehicle drivers have been ordered to go back to work. He said, "The President has intervened and so currently we have asked our people to work. The President has agreed to meet us this afternoon so we have called the strike off pending this afternoon’s meeting." "We have asked our people to go back. I know few people would decide to take the day off but officially, we have called off the strike," he told GhanaWeb business. Abass Imoro noted that the public will be furnished with the information on what transpired at the meeting with the presidency. Early this morning, commuters were stranded at various lorry stations and junctions as these commercial vehicle drivers embarked on a sit-down strike. Most of the vehicles had red bands on their cars to show how serious their strike was. These passengers were only left with the option of using ride-hailing services or motorbikes as their means of transportation to their various destinations. Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Some trotro drivers who ply the Nungua-Accra hOver Strike snubbed some stranded passengers following their sit-down strike. In a video taken by Thinknewsonline.com’s reporter, Nana Kwame Asare, some passengers were heard begging to be transported. The sit-down strike which began on Monday was also held at various lorry stations across the country’s capital. Thinknewsonline.com will monitor and update readers. Watch the videos below: Story by: Nana Kwame Asare

It is a chaotic scene at Mallam Junction, a community in the Greater Accra following a demonstration by commercial transport operators known by many as 'Trotro' drivers. According to our reporter, J. Twins, no trotro has been allowed to either load or drive through. Thinknewsonline.com can report that there is a heavy police presence at Mallam Junction. Hundreds of passengers were also spotted looking helpless and pleading to some drivers to transport them to their various locations. Thinknewsonline.com is monitoring and will keep readers updated on new developments. Below are some videos: Story by: J. Twins

Over Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded on Monday morning following the sit down strike by commercial transport operators. At Ashaiman, a community in Accra, some passengers who had left their homes to board vehicles were spotted at the roadside while some commercial drivers drove past them with their vehicles empty. The strike comes after government refused to grant the request of the drivers. It is emerging that the sit down strike will continue until government listens and grant their request. The unfortunate situation left some passengers with no option than to walk to their various locations. In videos captured by Thinknewsonline.com, some passengers sort to 'jama' while the police dispatched to control vehicular movement looked on. Below are some videos: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ghana Police Service says it has arrested six suspects for their involvement in an AK 47 transaction. According to the Police, the six were arrested on Friday, December 3, 2021. In a statement by the Director-General of Public Affairs, ACP Kwesi Ofori, it said "The first suspect, Alhassan Jamaica, was arrested bear Osino by the National Operations Directorate Highway Patrol during a stop and search operation" The statement further explained that an AK 47 rifle with twelve rounds of ammunition was found hidden in his travelling bag on board an Accr-Bawku bound Yutoun bus. It further added that an intelligence-led operation later led to the arrest of five more suspects namely; Bashiru Salifu, Jessica Aninga, Mohammed Asako, James and Ibrahim Mohammed for their involvement in the illegal arms transaction. Below is a copy of the release and pics: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ghana Police Service has decided not to publicize or display the faces of suspects who have not yet been found guilty. According to the police, this is part of their attempt to become a world-class police force and the best institution in the country, acting as a model for Africa and the rest of the globe. The Service stated that in order to do this, it will have to show the highest level of professionalism in all policing endeavours. According to the Police, the new decision states that suspects’ faces and identities would be completely disclosed only when they have been legally convicted before a competent court of law. Suspects who have been proclaimed wanted by the courts with an arrest warrant for a variety of offenses must have their faces and other personal characteristics published, if necessary, for the sake of identification, arrest, and prosecution. “We shall, however, continue to display the covered faces of suspects to announce their arrest and lawful detention in order to assuage the fears of people who feel threatened by them,” the statement said. Story by: Abugre Abayeta

A rescue mission coordinated by Kenya Navy divers late Saturday night retrieved 23 bodies of members of Mwingi Catholic Church choir who perished after the bus they were traveling in plunged into Enziu River in Mwingi East area of Kitui County on Saturday. The bodies have since been airlifted by Kenya Airforce jets to Mwingi and Kyuso Mortuaries, while 10 survivors who were rescued, were rushed to Mwingi Level Four Hospital for emergency treatment. Fifteen of the dead are from the family whose 70-year-old parents were to solemnise their marriage. The ill-fated bus is said to have had 68 passengers on board, an excess of 17 passengers, meaning that about 35 persons are yet to be accounted for. According to Kitui County Police Commander Leah Kithei, the 51-seater bus belonging to Mwingi Junior Seminary, a Catholic Church- run private school, was ferrying the choir members to Nuu area from Mwingi town to attend a wedding ceremony. Ms Kithei said police were at the scene to coordinate the rescue efforts which were hampered by the raging waters. Watched helplessly “We are hoping to rescue as many people as we can. Sadly, we have recovered 20 bodies from the scene and 10 survivors rescued alive and rushed to Mwingi Level Four Hospital,” Ms Kithei told Nation.Africa. A video footage of the tragedy showed the bus being swept away as it crossed the swollen river as people watch helplessly. The identities of those who drowned could not be immediately established but police confirmed that among the dead was Ms Jane Mutua, daughter to the bridegroom and three children. Source: nation.africa

The Coalition of Commercial Transport Operators has directed all commercial transport operators to embark on a sit-down strike from Monday, December 6th to back home their demand for government to remove five taxes contained in the 2022 budget. The five taxes and levies are- the Price Stabilization and Recovery Levy, the Special Petroleum Tax, Energy Sector Levy, Energy Debt Recovery Levy, and the Sanitation and Pollution Levy from the pump price of petroleum products. This was contained in a statement issued and signed by Mr Ibrahim Musah, Executive Secretary, of the Joint Association of Port Transport Unions, (JAPTU) Ghana, and copied to the Ghana News Agency. It said the Coalition had also directed the leadership of all its affiliates to close their stations from Monday to ensure full compliance. Mr Musah said the Coalition had also advised all drivers and owners of commercial transports to fully comply with the strike directive as it has cautioned that there would be severe administrative consequences for any member who would be found to be in breach of the directive. He said the sit-down strike was the second step of their protestation, as he noted that all operators from November 23, 2021, started displaying red bands on their vehicles as a signal to the government regarding their impending industrial action. He added that a unanimous decision was taken by all the various transport operators associations at a meeting held at the Ghana Trades Union Congress’ building in Accra on November 22, 2021, to protest against the “deafening silence of government in the 2022 budget statement on the removal of the five specific nuisance levies and taxes.” Source: GNA

When I say too many colors, what I mean is combining more than five colors at a go. For example, wearing an outfit that contains red, blue, yellow, brown, green, etc. You will realize that you are looking like a rainbow. If you want to avoid looking that way or being tagged with a name, then kindly choose ur colors wisely. You can also add some designs to your dress style to customize them based on your style so that you can create that vast difference that you so badly want to create between your friends and yourself. You can also take some ideas from a professional stylist like myself if you have any important events upcoming. This will help you to understand your comfort level and sense of fashion in an integrated way. Apart from the ones mentioned earlier, several other popular Ankara styles are known in the system that you can also rock in. Dressing classy and chic doesn’t always have to be difficult or time-consuming, but it will take some time to meld your style with this new sophisticated and stylish way of dressing. We all love to dress simply, but it’s still very difficult to look good in a simple outfit if you don’t have any particular dressing statute in mind. Do you now see the main reason why you need to plan how best you can combine your accessories with your dress style? Don’t automatically discourage yourself from wearing sophisticated dress styles or discount the clothing you already have in your closet. You may be able to integrate items in ways you didn’t think are possible. Skirts with blouses are one of the ancient styles that have been worn by women from different races and cultures. Ghana is not excluded from this old-time fashion idea. With the style evolving now and then, beautiful creative designs have been derived. These ideas are a typical example of what I am talking about. Below are some pictures: Credit: ghanamma.com

A female passenger died in an accident which occured on the outskirts of Akumadan on the Kumasi-Techiman road Saturday afternoon. At least 11 others said to have sustained various degrees of injury are receiving treatment at the A.M.E. Zion Hospital at Afrancho, near Offinso North District of the Ashanti Region. The accident which occured on that stretch about 11:00 a.m. local time involved a Ssanyong passenger bus with registration number AS 3733 -20 and was driving from Kumasi to Kintampo with 12 passengers onboard. Police preliminary investigation has revealed that the driver lost control of the steering wheel when the rear right tire of the vehicle got burst. The vehicle reportedly somersaulted and fell into a ditch at a nearby bush. Emergency services rushed to the scene to convey the injured to the A.M.E. Zion Hospital for treatment but one of the victims was pronounced dead on arrival, according to a police statement. She has been named as Habiba Seidu, 46, the report indicated. Her body has been deposited at the Mount Olive Hospital morgue at Tanoso, the police said. The suspect driver Amo Akwasi, 42 and the other victims are on admission receiving treatment, it is reported. The Akumadan community has been recording road crashes in recent times. In November 17 people died on the spot in a head-on collision on the Kumasi-Techiman stretch. At least six people also got burnt the following day, triggering police investigations. According to the National Road Safety Authority (N.R.S.A) at least 470 people perished in road crashes in the Ashanti Region in the last 10 months. Bad roads coupled with human errors have been attributed to the carnages. Source: Daily Mail GH

Three persons have been confirmed dead in an accident at Sege in the Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region on Saturday. Seven others are said to have sustained various degrees of injuries in the crash involving a Ford bus, a Sprinter, and a tipper truck. According to an eyewitness, the accident occurred when the sprinter driver made an overtaking, thereby crashing into the oncoming tipper truck and the ford. The drivers of the ford and sprinter vehicle, including a passenger, died on the spot while seven others got seriously injured while the tipper truck drove off. The Ghana National Fire Service officers rushed to the scene to help remove the vehicles at the scene to allow free flow of the traffic. The injured people have been sent to the nearby hospital for treatment. Story by: Mercy Adumoah

The Okaikwei North Municipal Assembly (ONMA) has held its 37th National Farmer's Celebration at Tesano, a community in Accra. The ceremony rewarded some industrious farmers who through diverse ways are contributing their quota to nation building. The celebration saw Mr. Simon Hatsi emerging as the overall best farmer for the Municipality. Mr. Hatsi is said to be into poultry, vegetables, eggs, sheep, goats, snail and maize business. The overall winner was awarded with a tricycle, wheelbarrow, 3 cutlass, 5 keysoaps, a raincoat and 2 knapsacks. Mr. Hatsi further received a half piece cloth, wellington boot, a weedicide and a pesticide. Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the MCE, Boye Laryea, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Francis Asiedu said "It is quiet certain that without the hardwork of our farmers, we would not have achieved the SDG Goal 2, which talks about hunger" Speaking on consolidating the food system in the country, he commended the Akufo-Addo government for introducing the Planting for Food and Jobs. He added that the introduction of the planting for food and jobs has gotten many youths interested in Agriculture. "Agriculture is not all about rearing or raising plants or animals in Ghana but also systems at which the food produce passes through" He stressed that the country needs to adopt more unique technologies in ensuring that Agriculture becomes more attractive. Mr. Asiedu added that the country can add more value to fresh food products and make more gains globally. He challenged the farmers to do more to ensure that there is enough food for the people in the country. On his part, the overall best farmer, Mr. Hatsi said "I started in 1997 as a small business. I have been listening to everything that the Agriculture Directorate at ONMA has been telling me and any advise they give me, I listen" He advised the youth to seek knowledge from experts to ensure that they do the right things. He also noted that the award came to him as a surprise adding that it is hardwork that has gotten him that far. Mr. Hatsi said "I want to thank everyone who took part in making me a best farmer. God bless everyone" he concluded. Below is a video and pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith