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‘New momentum needed in trade talks’

New momentum is needed in UK-EU negotiations on their future relationship, both sides have said after high-level crunch talks.

Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen spoke via video link after both sides said no major progress had been made towards a trade deal this year.

They said they would “work hard” to deliver a relationship and ratify a deal before the end of 2020.

Mrs. von der Leyen said they “agreed to deliver the best deal” for citizens.

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The European Union (EU) also noted the UK’s decision not to extend the transition period, which ends in December.

In a joint statement issued after Monday’s meeting via video conference call, the UK and EU “welcomed the constructive discussions on the future relationship that had taken place”.

“The parties agreed nevertheless that new momentum was required,” it said.

They have agreed to intensify talks in July, and to find an “early understanding on the principles” underlying any deal.

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The UK government has said the talks in July will involve a mix of formal negotiating rounds and smaller group meetings in London and Brussels, if coronavirus guidelines allow.

European Council President Charles Michel, who joined Mrs. von der Leyen on the call along with European Parliament President David-Maria Sassoli, said a “broad and ambitious agreement” was “in our mutual interest”.

During the call, the Prime Minister (PM) had been expected to urge “renewed energy” to reach a trade deal “by the end of the summer”, ahead of the end of the transition period in December.

Downing Street said he would reiterate that the UK’s ambition is for a high quality free trade agreement consistent with others the EU have agreed.

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He was also due to make clear that the UK is ready to start trading on World Trade Organisation rules from  January1 if a deal cannot be reached.

Earlier, the prime minister’s spokesman said the meeting was seen as a moment to “push negotiations forward” and Mr Johnson welcomed the fact that the EU had agreed to an “intensified timetable” of weekly talks throughout July.

MEP Nathalie Loiseau told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are ready either for an agreement or for a no-deal and we are getting prepared more actively to a no-deal considering the circumstances. -BBC

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 Silence box fighting violence, forced marriages in Nanumba North District

The silence box
The silence box

 Aisha, a 16-year-old girl’s prefect of Nabuli Junior High School in the Numumba North district of the Northern region, is among hun­dreds of girls in rural communities, where a simple metal box kept in a safe room in their school is offering a lifeline for many innocent girls.

To the untrained eye, it looks ordi­nary. It’s just a box with a narrow slit at the top, but to the teenage girls, it is a silent witness and a keeper of secrets. “This is the Violence Report­ing Box.

In Nabuli, violence was once an unspoken norm for decades, where issues of domestic abuse, child mar­riage, and gender-based violence were swept under the carpet.

The victims bore their pain in silence, fearing banishment when such issues were reported to powerful community elders.

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It was installed as part of a commu­nity driven initiative, spearheaded by ActionAid and implemented by songta­ba, a local base NGO.

Madam Hamida Kukuna, the Com­munity Officer for Songtaba at Nabuli said the box does not judge, but only listen, trying to address your issue if you have been wronged.

She indicated that every week, trained volunteers discreetly emptied the box, forwarding reports to a team of social workers and law enforcement officers stationed in the district cap­ital, after victims of violence anony­mously slip handwritten notes into the box.

“At first, the box was a curiosity, where children giggled as they looked at it, and villagers questioned its pur­pose”, she said.

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Ms Hamida continue that for weeks it remained empty, then after one rainy evening, she saw a footprint towards the box so she opened it and saw a piece of paper inside.

It stated “He comes every night when my mother is away. I am only 12, Please help me.”

The volunteers acted swiftly and that led to the identification of the girl and rescued her from her abusive uncle, who was later arrested.

The news spread quickly, and for the first time, the people of Nabuli real­ised the power of this silent box.

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Soon, more notes followed, as a wife who had been battered for years sought help and a father reported his daughter’s forced marriage to a much older man.

According to Hamida, the box be­came a beacon of hope, an outlet for the voiceless.

Moreover, she said within a year the box has facilitated the rescue of over 30 individuals from abusive situations.

“It has also triggered critical con­versations about violence, gender roles, and justice in the community, she added.

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Mrs Beatrice Yanman Biije, a Pro­grammes Officer at ActionAid Ghana at the Tamale office stated that vil­lage council, once complicit in silenc­ing victims, began working with the authorities in creating a safe place for the teenagers.

She said one of the most remarkable transformations was when a 26-year-old mother of two, after years of beatings from her husband, wrote a note to the box with the help of a teacher.

“Her story inspired the creation of a women’s cooperative, offering skills training and support to survivors of abuse,” she said.

She added that, the initiative faced hurdles, where some villagers accused the box of encouraging rebellion and breaking families apart, said an elder in the community.

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“Others tried to sabotage it, spread­ing rumors and threatening volun­teers, but the tide was turning with each life saved, the community’s support grew stronger”, she added.

The success of the violence report­ing box in Nabuli caught the attention of many schools in the communities around who are working on getting a metal box.

The box stands as a testament to what happens when silence is bro­ken, when whispers become voices, and when justice is given a chance to thrive, even in the most unlikely places.

 From Geoffrey Buta, Nabuli

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 Report cancer cases to qualified health professionals

• Dr Wiafe-Addai

 The President of the Breast Care International (BCI), Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, has observed that “Some patients come with end-stage conditions of cancer, following pro­longed days at quack health facili­ties.”

Dr Wiafe-Addai, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Peace and Love Hospitals, said the trend where “cancer treatment in Ghana is mired in superstition and bogged down by mounting financial challeng­es,” was worrying.

She indicated that this at Beposo, in the Bosomtwe district of the Ashanti region, on World Cancer Day 2025, which was observed on Tuesday, under the theme: ‘United by Unique.’

World Cancer Day aims to improve awareness and knowledge of cancer so that it can be better detected and treated.

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The day, organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), brought scores of residents and stu­dents of Beposo for sensitisation on the disease.

According to her, it was important to wage “a sustained, vigorous edu­cation on cancers countrywide for the people to be enlightened about the disease and change the belief that the disease has spiritual elements.”

Furthermore, Dr Wiafe-Addai stated that the high cost of cancer treatment of has put most of the survivors into poverty, and that there was the need to support them, “because everybody is a potential cancer and other com­municable disease patient.”

She then urged the government, as a matter of urgency, to put cancer patients on the Livelihood Empow­erment Against Poverty (LEAP) as a source of support for them.

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In her suggestion to help increase cancer education in Ghana, she called for the evolution of people-centred programmes and policies to amelio­rate the plight of cancer patients.

“A people’s centred approach leads to improved patients’ well-being, higher quality care, and increased trust in healthcare providers,” she stated, adding that people-centred care included initiatives such as com­munity health programmes tailored to local health issues and cultural competence training for healthcare providers, among others.

Dr Wiafe Addai advised women not to treat cancer-related diseases spiri­tually but rather to seek early med­ical attention “because the disease is not caused by any supernatural activity.”

“The cancer disease is curable, pre­ventable, and treatable. At least visit your hospitals for a thorough medical checkup once a year to prevent esca­lation of the disease,” she added.

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Dr Cary Adams, CEO of UICC noted that the theme (United By Unique) recognised that “every experience with cancer was unique and everyone has unique needs, unique perspectives and a unique story to tell, that people touched by cancer are improved, are united in a shared ambition to see governments implement policies to improve cancer prevention.”

Nana Atakora Bonsrah I, the Care­taker of Ankaase, expressed gratitude to Breast Care International and their partners for the sensitisation and screening of the residents in the area to create the awareness on cancer.

He said the awareness creation was the best way to prevent the disease, and called on stakeholders in the health sector, individuals and corpo­rate organisations to get involved in the fight against cancer.

 From Kingsley E. Hope, Kum

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