The Metropolitan Chief Executive(MCE) of Accra, Hon Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, has assured victims of the Timber Market fire that government would come to their aid to alleviate their plight. Hon Kwatsoe Sackey gave the assurance on Monday, November 1, 2021, when she visited the fire scene to assess the situation and commiserate with the victims. The fire, which is the second to occur in 2021 was reported to have started at about 1 pm on Sunday, October 31, 2021, and lasted for three hours. The MCE who was accompanied by some officials from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) expressed the Assembly’s sympathy over the unfortunate incident but was thankful to God that no human life was lost. "I am here on behalf of the President to sympathise with you and assure you that government will come to your aid...it is rather unfortunate that the incident happened on a Sunday when you were all not around but we thank God that no life was lost, however as far as we have life, there is hope, " she said. She directed the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to begin the registration of victims and commended personnel of the Ghana Fire Service for preventing the fire from spreading. The Queen Mother of Timber Market, Juliana Yeboah appealed to the Mayoress to help decongest the market of squatters and remove all unauthorised structures serving as residences to create access routes to the market. Meanwhile, the Fire Service is currently conducting investigations to determine the cause of the fire. Credit: A.M.A Communications Bureau

It is normal for everyone to make mistakes but some mistakes are so unacceptable. Below are some seven big mistakes Ghanaian youths make. 1) Marrying when one is just getting started; especially with a new job even if it pays very well. The Youth must themselves to grow, and not just in a romantic relationship, but by giving themselves time to achieve certain things which they may not have time to do anymore; especially when they start having children. Your personal ambitions are important as your social responsibilities, because each time you achieve them, you develop more energy to withstand challenges that may come you way. You also become more self actualized and self motivated. Life is and will be full of uncertainties, and this is one factor you need to get you through life. You will be a less bitter person, you will be willing to allow others a chance to try, you will be more accommodating to different personalities, you will have higher tolerance for people, and definitely, you will be a much happier person. 2) Renting a room immediately when a new job is acquired. The desire to be independent should be nutured properly in order not to turn into a selfish and regrettable decision. The first question to ask yourself is why do you NEED to rent a room? Are you being chased out of your current place? Are you unhappy in your current place? Do you need time alone or more privacy? Then, juxtapose those questions by this set of questions: Are you ready to take on the never returning journey (meaning you cannot come back to your old place once you leave; even if it is a family house)? Are you ready to enter the world of paying for everything? Are you ready to joggle your personal goals with having to cater for yourself? Have you saved enough capital to ensure your security for the future or funding for personal initiatives? If you intend starting a new independent life without any backup, such as an amount of money you may have saved from your new job etc. then, you might be throwing yourself to the wolves! Because, if you get fired or by some unfortunate incident loose your job, you will be stuck with ‘your independence’, a tonne of bills and frustration. Best bet, be patient. Save enough from that new job, and when you have some capital for investment that you don’t need to touch for at least five years, then you can make a move. 3) Refusing to obey ‘National Service’ original posting. Sometimes, we delay our own God – given destiny by following what we see with our physical eyes. Sometimes, we allow the ambition or the desire of others to be our inspiration. The youth these days try so hard to manipulate their national service postings for places they deem to be lucrative in terms of prospective salaries ( should they be retained as permanent staff) and even National Service allowances. But, things sometimes turn out mysteriously and they best way we try to understand them is by labelling them as ‘coincidence’. There are many stories of people who went to places where they never expected to become successful but in the end, it was these place that brought them to the lime light. For all you know, the current place or the place of your choice is rather a place filled with people who will kill your potential or may not give you the needed room to make mistakes, and thereby grow your skill or talent. You must always have in mind that your God – given destiny has been already designed and that everyone was born great. But, the reason not everyone becomes great, is because of the decision we make. Each time you lie, you take a turn off your laid down path of fulfilling your destiny, so be very careful of any choice you make from now on for every single one of them is either bringing you closer to your destiny or pushing you away from it. 4) Buying a car without saving for a house Why would you want to spend money on a liability rather than an asset? Unless the liability is helping you acquire an asset in the long run. For example, a young man who just made some good money and decides to buy a small car and use it for UBA services. He is making money everyday to soon buy more cars and eventually buy a house and this is good. But, buying a car because you can afford it and not having injected that cash into a plan for a house or an asset (when the car is mainly for your comfort), that’s putting the cart before the horse. In order words, would you rather be uncomfortable and laughed at at 35 and comfortable and respected at 50, or vice versa? The fact is when you cross the age of 50 years, you can easily become a burden and a problem for people and even your family if you don’t have a good financial support. But, if you have invested while you were young, you would be on a never ending vacation with smiles from everyone. People will use you as an icon of success and you will become a role model to younger people. Your advice would be cherished as gold and you will hold prominence in your immediate society. 5) Sex before marriage The biggest lie ever is the illusion of sex. The effects are severe if you fall into this lie. Early sex, especially during the first time, will make you think you are in love with the person. But, when you grow older, you will see that it was just an intense moment of emotions. And that’s the danger. Emotions are like wild fires. If not controlled, can cause great destruction. At that age and stage, you are emotionally vulnerable and are not ready to handle such intense emotions. You disagree? Haven’t you ever been in a romantic relationship where you are ready to abandon any ambition of yours or opportunity such as traveling abroad just because you think it may push you away from your partner, or your partner wouldn’t approve of it? That’s what I am talking about. You may miss your moment of glory simply because you thought you were in love. According to Malsow’s theory, socialization is the last thing on the needs list so, place Love where it belongs… at the end of the hardwork and not before. Achieve first and love will find you. Don’t end up regretting sacrificing your future for a few intense temporary moments of pleasure because, that’s stupid and society will mock you for it and you will never forgive yourself for allowing yourself to be used. 6) Not starting entrepreneurship ideas while in school You will always be excused for making mistakes once you are in school, but not when you have finished. Another forgettable truth most students are blind too is the fact that your are surrounded by resources for your business ideas in school. Both human and financial resources are available to you in school, but you have to tap into them. You have lecturers who will definitely offer your advice on such initiatives, you have class mates who are likely to form a skilled work force or human capital as the engine for that business idea, and the schools population is your first market to help generate that income. Plus, some of your friends or even by using concepts such as donations or even crowd funding, might help raise the needed capital to finance your business idea. So, why not start when you are in school? 7) Trying to compete with colleagues for success The last thing that you should ever do is getting into an unnecessary never ending battle because it will drain you, throw you of the course of your plan, and may make your bitter in the end. One of the therapeutic ways of learning how not to see your colleagues as ‘competition’, is to learn to celebrate them in public. Start by making praiseworthy comments about them when they achieve excellence. Congratulate them and attend their celebrations. Make noise about them and they will reciprocate. Eventually, this will become the norm and you will have unconsciously conditioned your mind into accepting this habit. Credit: Jerry Wonder

News reaching Thinknewsonline.com reveals that 17 persons have lost their lives in a ghastly accident on the Offinso – Abofour highway in the Ashanti Region. According to sources, the other 17 who are in critical condition and battling for their lives are also receiving medical treatment at the St. Patrick Hospital at Offinso. Speaking on an Accra-based radio station, the Head of the National Road Safety Authority in the Ashanti Region, Madam Simbiat Wiredu confident that such an unfortunate incident had happened. She disclosed that the ghastly accident occurred around 3:30am on Monday November 1, 2021. "The 17 who lost their lives were head potters and their children" The deceased are said to be 10 adults and 7 children. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Some scores of tweeps have taken to their various handles on Twitter to troll English Club, Manchester United for failing to sign Former Chelsea coach, Antonio Conte as its new manager. According to reports, North London side, Tottenham Hotspurs is on the verge of signing Conte after it sacked its former Manager, Nuno following a defeat to Manchester United over the weekend. There were reports that the Glazers were considering sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Conte however, the decision has turned the wrong way. In series of tweets sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, sb k Gyesi tweeted "Man United fans now that Conte is joining Tottenham if you sack Ole which manager will you like to take over? If you mention Zidane I fit slap you cos he won’t downgrade 👍" Latif added "If we nor sack Ole fast then go for Zidane before PSG go for him dier unless we appoint CK Akonnor after Ole ihn sack o😂😂😂" Tarzan "Conte to Tottenham, PSG may go for Zidane soon At this point United don't have any chance than to Keep Ole😂 Big win😂🔥🔥" Disturb added "antonio conte to spurs means zidane to manchester united…we have ronaldo and varane too. winning the champions league three times in a row is inevitable..ggmu🙈" Bla Yaw added "Now that Conte is on his way to Tottenham, the only experienced and tactical coaches available replace Ole are Koeman and Zidane. Zidane won't manage Manchester United anyway so🤐" Manuel added "With Conte heading to Spurs and Zidane eyeing French National team job this means Ole stays at Manchester United forever 😂😂 Ole is a happy man now" Below are screenshots: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Nuno Espirito Santo after only four months in charge. Coaches Ian Cathro, Rui Barbosa and Antonio Dias have also been relieved of their duties. The Athletic revealed on Monday morning that Antonio Conte is the leading contender to replace Nuno. You can read more about that story here. Fabio Paratici, Tottenham’s managing director of football, said in a statement: “I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed and I regret that we have had to take this decision. “Nuno is a true gentleman and will always be welcome here. We should like to thank him and his coaching staff and wish them well for the future.” The decision comes after Saturday’s 3-0 home loss to Manchester United in which supporters vented their frustration. Talks were held between chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici over Nuno's dismissal on Sunday. The decision was then communicated to Nuno at Tottenham’s training ground on Monday morning. The weekend defeat saw Tottenham slump to eighth in the Premier League table, ten points behind leaders Chelsea, following back-to-back league defeats. Nuno failed to maintain the promising start to the campaign in which he achieved the best start to a Premier League season for Tottenham, securing three wins from their opening three games. Since then, however, he has lost five of his 10 Premier League games. Alarm bells started ringing when their 1-0 win over Manchester City was undermined by a 1-0 away defeat to Portuguese top-flight side Pacos Ferreira in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off. After the September international break, Spurs went down 3-0 to both Crystal Palace and Chelsea before succumbing 3-1 at Arsenal, putting Nuno under further scrutiny. Tottenham managed to scrape league wins over Aston Villa and Newcastle but then suffered a 1-0 defeat by Dutch outfit Vitesse, putting them third in their Europa Conference League group. The Portuguese manager was appointed on June 30 following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal in April but he was not initially a candidate when he left Wolves at the end of last year’s Premier League season. Instead Tottenham held talks with Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino, Hansi Flick, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso but, having exhausted numerous options, the club agreed a two-year deal with the former Wolves boss. Credit: theatheletic.com

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has charged the Ghana Police Service and National Road Safety Authority to arrest all motorists using his picture(s) as road worthiness certificate on their vehicle(s). According to him, the stickers are not licensed. In a video sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said "Manhyia has not given out stickers to any driver to paste on his or her car(s). The Police and National Road Safety Authority, I have not issued any letter saying allow certain vehicles to pass without being checked" He added that all vehicles spotted with stickers having my pictures should be arrested. "My pictures are easy to get and with the spate at which deviant behaviours are on the rise, any bad person can use my picture to commit an offense" he noted. "Even his own car has not got my photos. Is my photo a license?" the Asantehene quizzed. It is emerging that some road users have come up with new strategies of pasting pictures of some chiefs as stickers on their cars. The new trend helps these drivers to drive through police checkpoints, dodge traffic among others without being checked or stopped. Watch the video below: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Executives and Members of Relationship Issues (RI), a reputable whatsApp group in Ghana has placed the smiles on the faces of some orphans at the St. Elizabeth Home at Aburi-Jamaicaso in the Eastern Region. According to the Executives of the group, the donation forms part of its cooperate and social responsibility to the society. In an interview with Thinknewsonline.com, an Executive Member of the group, Portia Amponsah said "The aim of the donation was not only to give out to the needy but also to make them feel loved. They deserve these and many more hence our visit today" She further told Thinknewsonline.com that she believes the caretakers will make good use of the items presented. "Often times, we have heard stories of how some caretakers at Orphanages misuse and sometimes sell items that are presented to orphans but I believe that such a thing will not happen here" she added. Responding to the criteria for choosing St. Elizabeth Home, she hinted that the Executives of the group have been monitoring the orphanage for sometime adding it deemed it appropriate to extend a helping hand to the needy kids. Presenting the items, another Executive Member of the group, Eunice Dampson said "We present these little tokens to you from our hearts and we hope that it caters for some of your needs" Receiving the items, a caretaker at the Orphanage, Auntie Vida said "Thank you so much.. On behalf of my leaders and children, we say thank you" "This place really gets cold at night and even in the morning, when they have to bath and to go to school, so we really appreciate" she added. Auntie Vida also disclosed that the home has in dire need of help and with the items received, she believes it will go a long way to cater for the children. She further called on other philanthropists to emulate the good gesture exhibited by RI and do same for the needy children. Some members of the RI group who spoke on anonymity hinted that they were glad to be called upon to extend a helping hand to the needy. On Friday, October 29, the Relationship Issues WhatsApp group together with Bims Washing Bay held a car washing and fundraising exercise at Osu in Accra as part of its awareness creation towards the donation at Aburi. The event was graced by some high-profiled personalities in the country. The children also prayed for the Executives and Members of the RI WhatsApp Group. The founder of the RI WhatsApp Group, Madam Cynthia Owusu thanked Madam Jacqueline Agyemang Prempeh, an Executive Member being the brain behind the donation and car-wash exercise. About Relationship Issues (RI) WhatsApp Group The Relationship Issues group has been in existence for some years now. The group has brought under one umbrella, noble and respectable personalities from all walks of life. The group which started with about 20 people can now boast of more than 200 member and counting. The aim of the group is to network, make new friends and also help the needy in the society. The founder of the group is Madam Cynthia Owusu, a Ghanaian health worker based in the United Kingdom. Below are pictures and videos: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghana's Sensational Young Musician, Dennis Nana Dwamena known in showbiz as Kidi has revealed that he has not problem with fellow Artist, King Promise. According to him, although there was a removal of King Promise's verse on his song, that will not ruin his bond with his fellow Artiste. "King Promise is my cousin. My mother and his dad stayed at Nungua together. Although our song could not come out, that does not stop me from rolling with him" He further explained that the was a mutual agreement between his record label, Lynx Entertainment and that of King Promise hence the removal of the verse. "We vibe whenever we meet. The agreement of taking him off the song was also professional" The Young Artist also noted that there have been backslashes from critics about he giving birth at a younger age. "People were talking about how I was penetrating into the music space and then I gave birth. I go out with my kid a lot" The Lynx Entertainment signee declined to speak about the mother of his child. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The official closing ceremony of the National Tourism Customer Service Week event which lasted throughout the month of October took place on Friday at Accra Tourist Information Centre (ATIC Gold Coast Garden). The event wass part of the maiden National Tourism Customer Service Week which was held from the 4th to 8th October 2021. In attendance were key sector players drawn from the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. In a statement issued by the Past President of the Ghana Tourism Federation, Stella Appenteng, she said "In other for Ghana to become one of the most preferred destination of choice customer service should always be the centre of focus in every business organization as this is important for socio-economic development in Ghana" On his part, the General Manager of Labadi Beach Hotel, Rene Vincent-Ernst mentioned that, in the service industry inefficient customer service is a reflection of poor management function and as long as sustainable steps are taking to address the needs of customers, this will always improve guest experience. The Executive Director of Service Excellence Foundation and the Initiator of the National Tourism Customer Service Week in Ghana, Caleb in his brief address was full of praise for industry employees within the Tourism and Hospitality sector. This he added that, recognizing and appreciating employees in several forms serves as the needed motivation to even work better thus contributing positively to business growth. The highlight of the event was a special Industry Appreciation Raffle Draw which was held this afternoon to offered stakeholders the opportunity to win mouthwatering prizes such as a ticket to Dubai sponsored by Emirate Airlines won by Mavis Adutwumwaa;  a staff of Labadi Beach Hotel. Another tickets to Dubai sponsored by RwandAir was also won by Irene Palgrave Boakye-Danquah an employee of Goil Ghana Ltd. Other participants won Tickets from Africa World Airline for domestic travel experience, Food Vouchers from Papaye Fast Foods Ltd, Fuel Coupons from Goil Ghana Ltd among others. Mr. Kofie used the occasion to express gratitude and appreciation to Madam Bella Ahu President of the Ghana Tourism Federation, Hon. Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal Minster of Tourism, Art and Culture and Mr. AKwasi Agyeman C.E.O of Ghana Tourism Authority, in contributing to the success of the National Customer Service Event. Finally, he appealed to major stakeholders and corporate Ghana to support Service Excellence Foundation in promoting the Customer Service Excellence Agenda as plans are already underway to organize the second edition of the National Tourism Customer Service Week next year in October. The National Tourism Customer Service Week Celebration was sponsored by Labadi Beach Hotel (Lead), Adansi Travel and Tours, Women in Business and Tourism, Event Vendors Association of Ghana, Donation from Her Excellency Madam Barbara Akuokor Benisa: Ghana’s High Commissioner to Malta, Emirate Airline , Middle East Airline , RwandAir, Goldstar Airline Africa World Airline, Papaye Fast Food Ltd and Goil Ghana Ltd. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The official closing ceremony of the National Tourism Customer Service Week event which lasted throughout the month of October took place on Friday at Accra Tourist Information Centre (ATIC Gold Coast Garden). The event wass part of the maiden National Tourism Customer Service Week which was held from the 4th to 8th October 2021. In attendance were key sector players drawn from the Tourism and Hospitality Industry. In a statement issued by the Past President of the Ghana Tourism Federation, Stella Appenteng, she said "In other for Ghana to become one of the most preferred destination of choice customer service should always be the centre of focus in every business organization as this is important for socio-economic development in Ghana" On his part, the General Manager of Labadi Beach Hotel, Rene Vincent-Ernst mentioned that, in the service industry inefficient customer service is a reflection of poor management function and as long as sustainable steps are taking to address the needs of customers, this will always improve guest experience. The Executive Director of Service Excellence Foundation and the Initiator of the National Tourism Customer Service Week in Ghana, Caleb Kofie was full of praise for industry employees within the Tourism and Hospitality sector. This, he added that, recognizing and appreciating employees in several forms serves as the needed motivation to even work better thus contributing positively to business growth. The highlight of the event was a special Industry Appreciation Raffle Draw which was held to offer stakeholders the opportunity to win mouthwatering prizes such. The ticket to Dubai sponsored by Emirate Airlines won by Mavis Adutwumwaa;  a staff of Labadi Beach Hotel. Another tickets to Dubai sponsored by RwandAir was also won by Irene Palgrave Boakye-Danquah an employee of Goil Ghana Ltd. Other participants won Tickets from Africa World Airline for domestic travel experience, Food Vouchers from Papaye Fast Foods Ltd, Fuel Coupons from Goil Ghana Ltd among others. To this end, Mr. Kofie used the occasion to express gratitude and appreciation to Madam Bella Ahu President of the Ghana Tourism Federation, Hon. Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal Minster of Tourism, Art and Culture and Mr. AKwasi Agyeman C.E.O of Ghana Tourism Authority, in contributing to the success of the National Customer Service Event. He appealed to major stakeholders and corporate Ghana to support Service Excellence Foundation in promoting the Customer Service Excellence Agenda as plans are already underway to organize the second edition of the National Tourism Customer Service Week next year in October. The National Tourism Customer Service Week Celebration was sponsored by Labadi Beach Hotel (Lead), Adansi Travel and Tours, Women in Business and Tourism, Event Vendors Association of Ghana, Donation from Her Excellency Madam Barbara Akuokor Benisa: Ghana’s High Commissioner to Malta, Emirate Airline , Middle East Airline , RwandAir, Goldstar Airline Africa World Airline, Papaye Fast Food Ltd and Goil Ghana Ltd. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) High Commands says they have taken notice of an incident that happened in Kumasi, the capital town of the Ashanti Region. According to the joint press release, it is emerging that the alleged attack on the Suame Police Station by Military happened on Friday, October 29, 2021 at about 10am. In a statement signed by the Acting Director-General, Public Affairs of Ghana Police Service, Kwesi Ofori and the Acting Director Public Relations, Ghana Armed Forces, Commander Andy La-Anyane, it said "Details received indicate that a young man in civilian clothing riding an unregistered motorcycle was arrested by the Police and sent to the Suame Police Station for investigations. He was later identified as a soldier with the 4th Infantry Battalion, Kumasi" The statement further added the soldier is alleged to have called his colleagues who came to the station. It is emerging that a misunderstanding ensued between the Soldiers and the Police adding that the impasse was resolved after the intervention of the Ashanti Regional Police Commander and the Commanding Officer of the 4th Infantry Battalion in Kumasi. The statement says it is urging the general public of its unflinching commitment to peace, security and harmony in the country. Below is a copy of the release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that the National Democratic Congress’ Communications Officer for the Nsawam Adoagyiri Constituency, Randy Kwame Kportufe, has allegedly committed suicide. It is emerging that his decomposing body was found on Thursday inside his apartment at Ankwa Doboro, a suburb of the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality in the Eastern Region. Information gathered indicates neighbours saw an increasing number of house flies around, drawing suspicion. A search into his room found a rope tied round his neck to the ceiling fan. His family, neighbors and party officials can’t figure out what led to his death. The late Communication Officer, in his late 30s, is said to have been sick for a while but recovered until the untimely death. Story by: News Desk Report