Zanzibar Commission for Tourism begins investigations into near rape incident involving Nigerian tourist

The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism has commenced investigations into an alleged near-rape incident involving a Nigerian during her vacation at Warier Beach Hotel.

Zainab Oladehinde in a tweet on April 16, recounted how she was almost raped during a vacation in Zanzibar for her 23rd birthday, a year ago.

According to Zainab, while in bed one night, she started to feel a strange hand touching her breast. Later, “I started to feel my hands stroking someone’s penis,” she narrated.

The tourist noted that to prevent being raped, she faked having the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In her narration, Zainab accused the Nungwi Police Station of failing to get to the bottom of the incident.

In reaction to her story, the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism has noted that it takes seriously, the allegations by the female Nigerian tourist.

In a press statement dated April, 16, signed by Executive Secretary, Hafsa Mbamba, the Commission stated that it is, “shocked and disappointed to learn of this incident and take these allegations seriously.”

The Commission further noted how it has a zero tolerant policy to activities that threaten the safety of tourists.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism & Heritage, we would like to inform our visitors that the Ministry abhors any ill treatment of any persons on the isles as this is not the Zanzibari hospitality nor the treatment we want our visitors to receive,” the Commission added.

The Commission assured that it is following the issue “closely” and will report of its findings.

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Fans congratulate Nollywood icon Rita Dominic on wedding

Nigerian film fans have taken to social media to congratulate Nollywood icon, Rita Dominic, on her wedding day.

Pictures have been posted on Instagram showing the bride in traditional Igbo clothing ahead of the ceremony.

Dominic, 46, is a veteran of the Nigerian film industry and has starred in countless movies.

Her husband, Fidelis Anosike, is a publisher, according to local media.

The wedding is taking place in the south-eastern Imo state, according to Nigeria’s Vanguard news website’  and is being attended by several of her famous colleagues like Joke Silva, Uche Jumbo, Kate Henshaw, and Ini Edo, the site reports.

Online fans had warm words.

“Congratulations Rita Dominic. My childhood was fun with you on my everyday screens. May God bless your union”, one person wrote.

“It’s never too late to find love”, another person wrote.

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Shanghai allows 4 million out of homes as virus rules ease

Shanghai allowed 4 million more people out of their homes Wednesday as anti-virus controls that shut down China’s biggest city eased, while the International Monetary Fund cut its forecast of Chinese economic growth and warned the global flow of industrial goods might be disrupted.

A total of almost 12 million people in the city of 25 million are allowed to go outdoors following the first round of easing last week, health official Wu Ganyu said at a news conference. Wu said the virus was “under effective control” for the first time in some parts of the city.

Under the latest changes, more than 4 million people are included in areas where the status shifted from closed to controlled, said Wu. He said some are not allowed to leave their neighborhoods and large gatherings are prohibited.

Meanwhile, the IMF reduced its forecast of Chinese growth this year to 4.4% from 4.8% due to the shutdowns of Shanghai and other industrial centers. That is down by almost half from last year’s 8.1% growth and below the ruling Communist Party’s 5.5% target. China’s case numbers in its latest infection surge are relatively low, but the ruling party is enforcing a “zero-COVID” strategy that has shut down major cities to isolate every case.

On Wednesday, the government reported 19,927 new cases in China’s mainland, all but 2,761 of which had no symptoms. Shanghai accounted for 95% of the total, or 18,902 cases, of which 2,495 had symptoms.

The Shanghai city health agency reported seven people who had COVID-19 died Tuesday but said the deaths were due to cancer, heart disease and other ailments. All but two were over 60.

Shanghai shut down businesses and confined most of its population to their homes starting March 28 after a spike in infections. That led to complaints about lack of access to supplies of food and medicine. People in Shanghai who test positive but have no symptoms have been ordered into quarantine centers set up in exhibition halls and other public buildings.

Official data this week showed economic growth in the first three months of this year declined compared with the final quarter of 2021.

The lockdowns in China “will likely compound supply disruptions elsewhere” and might add to pressure for inflation to rise, the IMF said in a report.

The ruling party has promised tax refunds and other aid to businesses but is avoiding large-scale stimulus spending. Economists say that strategy will take longer to show results and Beijing might need to spend more or cut interest rates.

Chinese leaders have promised to try to reduce the human and economic cost of anti-disease controls by shifting to a “dynamic clearing” strategy that isolates neighborhoods and other smaller areas instead of whole cities. However, many areas appear to be enforcing more stringent controls after Shanghai officials were criticized for not acting aggressively enough.

Also Wednesday, the Ministry of Agriculture ordered local officials to avoid any measures that might interfere with spring planting by farmers who feed China’s 1.4 billion people. The order followed warnings that production of wheat and other crops might be disrupted, which would boost demand for imports and push up already high global prices.

The government reported 26,760 people who tested positive but had no symptoms were released Wednesday from observation. That included 25,411 in Shanghai, where some residents of quarantine centers have complained they are unsanitary.

Other industrial and trading centers including Changchun, Jilin and Shenyang in the northeast, the port of Tianjin east of Beijing and Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the south have closed businesses, imposed travel restrictions or told told residents to stay home.

Global automakers and other manufacturers reduced or stopped production because suppliers couldn’t deliver.

This week, Volkswagen AG announced its Changchun factory resumed production and the automaker was considering when its Shanghai facility would reopen. BMW AG said its factory in Shenyang reopened.

While some cities were easing controls, the the government of Harbin, a city of 5.3 million in the northeast, suspended bus and subway service on Wednesday and barred the public from moving between districts.

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USA – Mask mandates no longer in effect on airplanes.

The CDC’s mask mandate for travelers is no longer in effect on airplanes and other public transport methods following a federal judge’s ruling yesterday.

US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the mandate was unlawful because it exceeded the authority of the CDC and because its implementation violated administrative law.

“The agencies are reviewing the decision and assessing potential next steps,” a Biden administration official said last night, adding the CDC still recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor public transportation settings.

After the mandate was struck down, several US airlines announced that masks are now optional on their aircraft — including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.

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Kyiv’s allies pledge more weapons to help win war

Ukraine’s allies have pledged to send more weapons to help it defend against a renewed Russian offensive.

The US and others vowed to send artillery, anti-tank and air defence aid to Kyiv during a 90-minute video call on Tuesday.

Ukraine says it needs the weapons to help defend itself as Russia launched a new campaign in the country’s east.

Clashes there have marked what Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky said was the start of the “battle for the Donbas”.

The eastern Donbas – which comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk regions – is where Russia is concentrating its efforts.

According to Ukraine, Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian positions along the entire 300-mile (480km) front line since Monday.

It was amid these renewed attacks that Western leaders met to discuss further military assistance for Ukraine.

Following the meeting, the US defence department said additional military aircraft and aircraft parts had been sent to Ukraine to increase their fleet size and repair others in Ukraine’s arsenal that were damaged.

The US defense department added that the US had not provided aircraft to Kyiv itself, and did not provide details on which countries have provided the aircraft.

President Zelensky has been appealing to the US for Soviet-made air defense systems and fighter jets as an alternative to a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Last month, the US refused a proposal by Poland to provide it with MiG-29 fighter jets, which it would then transfer to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters after the meeting between Western allies, added that the US is planning to provide a further military aid package to Ukraine of a similar size to the $800m (£615m) aid package he announced last week, according to US media.

He said Washington would also be sending Ukraine more artillery – heavy guns deployed in land warfare.

Other countries also pledged to help Ukraine with further military assistance during the meeting.

“They [Ukraine] need support with more artillery, that is what we will be giving them,” said the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in parliament after the meeting.

In Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany was providing finance to enable Ukraine to buy anti-tank weapons and ammunition from German arms manufacturers.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic said it would repair Ukrainian tanks and armoured vehicles when they are damaged in combat.

Further economic sanctions against Russia was another topic on the agenda.

The arms pledges follow persistent calls from President Zelensky for allies to increase their weapons supplies to Kyiv.

“We need heavy artillery, armed vehicles, air defense systems and combat aircraft — anything to repel Russian forces and stop their war crimes,” Mr. Zelensky said on Twitter last week. “Nobody will stop Russia except Ukraine with heavy weapons”.

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Don’t blame us for global food challenges, negative trends in agric markets – Russian Embassy in Ghana

The Russian government has absolved itself of any blame for the current challenges, bringing the global food value chain to its knees.

According to the Russian Embassy in Ghana, the current hardship is a result of high demand and rising prices of food, raw materials, and transportation services as part of post-Covid-19 recovery.

It argued that the current situation in the agricultural space is not a result of happenings within the last two months, but due to a steady trend of happenings on the global stage in the last two years.

Vice President Dr Bawumia while addressing Ghanaians on the state of the economy at the National TESCON Training and Orientation Conference on April 7, noted that aside from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war is adversely affecting the Ghanaian economy.

He noted that the prices of food supplies have shot up because the two countries that are exporters of commodities such as wheat, and grains, have withheld supply due to the crisis.

“The increase in commodity prices has been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia and Ukraine together account for 30% of global wheat exports; the longer the conflict ensues, the greater will be the disruption to global food supplies. The conflict is also likely to slow down global growth.

“According to the AfDB, the price of wheat has shot up by 62% since the war began, the price of fertilizer is up by 300%, and the price of maize is up by 36%. Here in Ghana, some 60% of our total imports of iron ore and steel are from Ukraine; Russia accounts for some 30% of Ghana’s imported grains, 50% of flour, and 39% of fertilizer.

“So we are directly affected by the Russian-Ukraine war. Unfortunately, we do not know when it would be over,” he said.

But in a statement on Twitter on Monday, the Russian Embassy in Ghana disagreed saying it cannot be blamed for the current price hikes.

“The current situation in the food markets is not a result of two months of this year, but a steady trend of at least two years. Food prices started rising in mid-2020 and reached an all-time high in February 2022.

“This is a real market shock caused by high demand and rising prices on food, raw materials, and transportation services, including freight, in the post-Covid recovery period,” the Embassy tweeted.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 following the former Soviet Union leader’s disagreement with NATO’s eastward expansion.

Recent reports have indicated that about 10,000 people have lost their lives following the Russia-Ukraine war.

Several sanctions have been imposed on Russia by developed countries.

Most countries say the Russia-Ukraine war is directly affecting their economies and agricultural value chain.

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China’s deal in Pacific stokes Australian fears

Australia, New Zealand and the US have raised concerns on security in the Pacific, after China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands.

The deal was signed this week, fuelling fears China may seek to build a naval base in the Pacific nation.

The Solomon Islands had rebuffed last ditch efforts by Australia – its biggest aid donor – to stop the deal.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said the pact would not “undermine peace and harmony” in the region.

The Solomon Islands leader added that the pact was not aimed at traditional allies but “rather at our own internal security situation”.

He did not disclose the pact’s terms, but insisted it was made “with our eyes wide open, guided by our national interests”.

A leaked draft of the agreement, which was verified by the Australian government, said Chinese warships would be permitted dock on the islands and that Beijing could send security forces “to assist in maintaining social order”.

The islands have been rife with social unrest in recent years and in November the Australian government sent personnel from its defence forces to help quell deadly riots in the capital Honiara, sparked after protesters stormed parliament in a bid to topple Mr Sogavare.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday that the final agreement had retained the provisions on “maintaining social order”.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Pacific Minister Zed Seselja called the freshly signed deal “deeply disappointing”, saying they were “concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed”.

“Our consistently stated view, including from the perspective of Australia’s national interests, remains that the Pacific family is best placed to meet the security needs of the region,” they said in a joint statement.

Australia’s Labor opposition called it the “worst failure of Australian foreign policy in the Pacific” in 80 years.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison – who is currently campaigning for re-election, in part on a platform of national security – denied that the pact was proof that his government had bungled its diplomacy with the Solomon Islands.

He added that he could not have gone around “telling leaders in Pacific islands what they should and shouldn’t do”.

But Mr Morrison said his country would not have a “submissive relationship” with China, which he said had made “all sorts of promises” to Pacific nations.

“We’ve always stood up to China because it’s in our interests,” Mr Morrison told reporters on Wednesday.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, similarly said the country was “saddened” that the Solomon Islands had made the pact.

The Solomon Islands had earlier last month confirmed it was drafting a security deal with China.

This particularly concerned Australia, which is just 2000km (1,400 miles) south of the Solomon Islands. It has seen years of escalating tensions with China

The news comes days before US National Security Council official Kurt Campbell is due to arrive in the Solomon Islands for high-level talks.

The US has said it will re-open its embassy in the Solomon Islands, which has been closed since 1993.

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