The low condom use among the youth, especially adolescent girls and young women, is posing a serious challenge to efforts to reduce HIV infections in the Volta Region, the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has said.

There are currently 19,078 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Volta Region, representing 5.7 per cent of the total national population of PLHIV of 334,721.

They include 4,999 males above the age of 15 and 12,881 females above 15, in addition to 1,198 children.

As the festive season draws near, one of the most common scams resurfacing involves individuals claiming they have arrived in the country but are unable to access local currency.

Typical explanations include delayed forex, non-functioning bank cards, or funds that have “not yet cleared.”

However, a technology consultant, Mr Derek Laryea, is warning that any genuine person travelling from abroad this season was well prepared and had multiple options of financing emergencies long before they travelled.

Cooking transforms foods, it can make some nutrients more available, and it can destroy others.

For certain vegetables, raw consumption preserves heat-sensitive vitamins, enzymes and bioactive compounds that are reduced or inactivated by common cooking methods. 

A Spanish office worker has been fired for a habit most bosses would normally celebrate - turning up far too early.

The 22-year-old employee had been warned repeatedly since 2023 to stop arriving between 6.45am and 7am, a full 40 minutes before her shift was due to start.

But despite being told she wasn't allowed to clock in or begin work ahead of her 7.30am start time, she kept showing up at dawn with nothing to do.

While driving to work on December 1, 2025, which was a Monday, I had my car radio tuned into a popular radio station here in Accra.

And the hosts engineered my write-up for today with their commentaries! What did they do? Well, they played a Christmas carol. Yes, just that.

But wait a minute. That act brought a lot to me, and I will explain further. The Friday before the referenced Monday, I went home knowing so well that it was the month of November. 

This October, five schools in the Greater Accra Region became hubs of learning, excitement, and lifelong hygiene lessons as Ghandour Cosmetics Ltd., through its hygiene brand, Kleanz, launched a major school activation to commemorate Global Handwashing Day.

Global Handwashing Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of hand hygiene in preventing diseases. Each year, organisations -including schools and health agencies- host activities to educate communities about proper handwashing techniques.

Dear Doctor, I am negative, and she is positive, so I had another test, which proved that she did not have sickle cell disease, and so we went ahead and got married.

Can you please explain to me if it is possible to have a child with sickle cell disease?

I read your response last week, but I need to be clear about my situation. I am seriously considering a DNA test. Patiently awaiting your response.

Papa, Accra. 

The holiday season is almost here—a time filled with festivities, laughter and, often, financial strain.

For many Africans, the holidays are synonymous with elaborate celebrations, travelling back to the village and generous gifting to family and friends.

Without a clear plan, the festive season can leave you struggling to make ends meet by January, also known as “the longest month of the year”.

OFTENTIMES in life, we place ourselves above others because we assume we are better than they are and can even live without them.

We behave as though life is a race in which we must emerge first at all costs. It has always been about us.

Indeed, life is a race… but a baton race. We need each other to win. When one person drops the baton, the entire team loses. Our success depends on one another. Whether we reach the top or not largely depends on the people around us. No one can live independently.

The Amasaman Circuit Court has ordered the arrest of 17-year-old herdsman, Alhassan Yunus, after he failed to appear before the court in connection with the theft of five sheep valued at GH¢15,000.

The accused was expected to appear in court on November 30, 2025, but proceedings could not continue as a result of his absence. 

With the rise of vibe coding, more people than ever are spinning up startups overnight. In 2024 alone, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce saw 5.2 million new business applications—a 49 per cent increase since 2019. At the same time, AI tools have dramatically lowered the barrier to entrepreneurship.

A report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showed that by mid-2025, 58% of U.S. small businesses reported using AI, more than double the share from 2023.

Entrepreneurship is likely one of the most relevant careers of the future, especially as traditional white-collar roles shrink under the very AI systems fueling this boom.

Pupils of the Have Fiakpokorpe M.A. Basic School in the Akatsi South Municipality have received 100 dual desks and a range of learning materials from the Vision of Hope Alliance, a non-governmental organisation working to support deprived communities.

Ghanaian fashion label Odefille is set to make a striking return to the runway with the unveiling of its latest collection, a Thai-inspired executive line that will debut at Accra Fashion Week 2025 from December 14-21. 

DEAR Mirror Lawyer, My cousin, Awura, was just convicted by the High Court of murder. Immediately after her conviction, her lawyer informed the court that she was about two months pregnant and,therefore, could not be sentenced by the court.

The prosecutor for the state opposed the plea and urged the court to impose life imprisonment on her, even though she is pregnant.

According to him, the mandatory punishment for murder in all cases is currently life imprisonment. 

For more than 10 years, the SIKKENS National Health Insurance Foundation, instituted by Mr Kwame ofosu Bamfo, Managing Director of Sikkens Ghana and Alisa Hotels, has been the lifeline for thousands of vulnerable residents in the Kwahu Afram Plains North and South districts of the Eastern region.

Established with a mission to ensure that no one is denied access to health care due to financial hardship, the foundation continues to bridge critical gaps in healthcare delivery for the poor, the aged, and other disadvantaged groups.

Breastfeeding mothers with surplus milk can now donate to the Human Milk Bank at the University of ghana Medical Centre (UgMC) in Accra.

Five months after its official launch, the facility, located at the Women and Children’s Block of the medical centre, is now receiving, processing and storing donated breast milk for distribution to vulnerable newborns, particularly preterm babies.

In an interview with The Mirror in Accra last Friday, the Head of the Paediatric Department, Dr Beatrice Nyann, said after the launch, the team spent months perfecting the system and processes involved.

Following a story in The Mirror last Saturday, the labone Senior High School in Accra has received 3000 new desks from the Ministry of Education.

The Mirror reported on the severe shortage of furniture in the school that left many newly admitted students sitting on the floor to learn or crowded on dining hall benches.

Related article: Freshers at Labone SHS sit on floors for lessons - Due to shortage of desks

EATING a plant-based, nutrient-rich diet provides many of the essential vitamins and minerals needed to keep your skin healthy, support repair, and prevent damage.

Although supplements can help when necessary, it is almost always best to obtain vitamins through food.

SOMETIMES we say things we do not truly mean or we speak in ways that others struggle to understand. In counselling, it is common for a client to talk for a long time before the real message is uncovered. 

It takes an experienced ear to dig through the rubble of words to find the truth.

There is also the story of a young senior secondary school graduate who decided to get into a relationship. 

THE newly outdoored Chief of Liati-Wote in the Afadjato South District of the Volta Region, Togbe Kodadza VI, has announced plans to revive puberty rites in the tourist resort community.

He explained that the initiative aimed to ensure that the virginity of girls remained protected until marriage. 

According to him, the revival of the rites also formed part of broader efforts by the traditional authorities to guarantee uninterrupted, quality basic and senior high school education for children in Liati-Wote, especially girls.

As a little girl growing up with her fashion-conscious mother and grandmother, she was always enthralled with how the two older women bound scarves close to their heads and secured them at the front, back or side of the head in a neat knot.

She pressured them to teach her how to tie, roll up and tightly tuck in different styles of headwear and now musician Queen Asabia Cropper stands out everywhere she goes with her enduring and unmistakable kente headwraps.