Human Trafficking: Ghana Police Service Rescue 9 Victims On Lake Volta

The Ghana Police Service in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare have rescued nine trafficked victims from Yeji in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region.

The joint operation rescued four adult men and five boys from exploitation on the portion of the Volta Lake in Yeji.

Two of the four adult victims were trafficked 20 years ago and were said to have been brought to work on the lake at ages three and five respectively and the youngest of the five boys arrived less than a year ago.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema after the rescue mission, Mr Kojo Owiredu Kissi, Coordinator, Media and Communications, International Justice Mission (IJM), an anti-human trafficking not-for-profit organization in Ghana, said an operation by the two institutions led to the rescue of the victims in Yeji.

He indicated that the rescue process was owned and led by government partners from the Ghana Police Service and Department of Social Welfare with technical and logistical support from IJM Ghana.

Mr Kissi expressed heartfelt gratitude to the two institutions for their dedication and unflinching support towards ending human trafficking on the Volta Lake adding that, “they must be commended because this rescue was successful due to their dedication and collaborative efforts and outstanding work.”

Mr Kissi said six of the victims have been reintegrated and are currently at home with their families where they would be supported to go back to school or undertake vocational skills while three of them were in a shelter home.

He noted that the master, now a suspect, recruited the young children to work on the Lake for fishing.

Mr Kissi said the suspect controlled every aspect of the lives of the children adding that they were not allowed to play or associate with anybody outside of the suspect’s family and would be punished violently if they did.

He said anyone outside of the suspect’s family who tried to interact with the children would also be subject to violence, “if the children begin to develop relations with neighbours, they would be sent to more remote islands to ensure their isolation.”

Mr Kissi stated that the only movement the children were allowed to engage in was between the suspect’s house and his boat, noting that they were responsible both for housework and fishing on the lake.

He said the victims were identified to have been trafficked from the Volta and Bono Regions.

Source: GNA

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Why Rwanda-DR Congo spat is disrupting school

Rwandan students studying in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo are facing security threats arising from the ongoing spat between the two neighbouring countries.

DR Congo accuses Rwanda of backing the Congolese M23 rebels and has recently halted all trade and cooperation agreements. Rwanda denies the allegations.

The situation at the border is still tense and this is now causing concerns, with some parents worried for their children studying across the border.

Some students have told the BBC that they risk being targeted for who they are and this has had an impact on their education.

“I live in Rubavu and study medicine just across the border in Goma. When the protests started they chased Rwandese. The director [of my college] said those that have families in Goma can stay in school and those of us who study while crossing back to Rwanda should return home immediately,” a Rwandese student told the BBC.

A parent whose children study in DR Congo told the BBC that there was initially no problem with them studying in Goma and returning to Rwanda “but now we are very concerned”.

The mayor of Rubavu, Ildephonse Kambogo, said Rwanda has cautioned its citizens to observe their safety as a priority and reduce unnecessary travel across the border.

The exact number of Rwandan students studying in Goma is not known but there are thought to be many.

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Women Cannot Be Born With A Penis – Says Boris Johnson

British Prime minister, Boris Johnson has welcomed the decision to ban transgender women from competing in women’s swimming, saying women cannot be born with a penis.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed that he supports FINA’s bar on transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty from competing in women’s events. The international swimming federation announced that it was changing its policies so that transgender women can only compete in the organisation’s female races if they have completed their transition by the age of 12.

Instead, an ‘open category’ will be set up for transgender athletes to compete against one another at events, including the World Aquatics Championships, World Swimming Championships, and the Swimming World Cup.

Asked about FINA’s ban, Mr. Johnson said: ‘I haven’t studied it in detail but I see no reason to dissent.’

After having the policy summarised to him, he added: ‘That follows from what I’ve previously said.’

Mr. Johnson was also asked if a woman can be born with a penis, amid a debate in some quarters about anatomy and gender.

‘Not without being a man, that’s my view about that,’ the Prime Minister replied.

Speaking to reporters travelling with him during his visit to Rwanda, he was asked if he thinks there is a difference between being a woman and a trans woman.

After pausing to think he said: ‘Yes.’

He added: ‘Look it’s very, very important that as a society we should be as understanding of everybody else as possible. I’ve always stood for that.

‘When you start to move from issues of sexuality to issues of gender you start to raise particular problems.

‘I think I’ve spoken of three concerns I’ve had in the past. They are to do with the age at which you can (become) Gillick competent to transition, the question of safe spaces for women, and the difficulties you have in sporting competitions.

‘These are all very difficult problems and you have to be very, very sensitive.’

LGBT charity Stonewall criticised the line of questioning, suggesting the Prime Minister would welcome it as a ‘distraction’ from the political turmoil.

Campaigns associate director Sasha Misra said: ‘The real question that should be on the nation’s lips is this: at a time when we are living through multiple national crises, why are journalists squandering valuable interview time by asking the Prime Minister leading questions about a tiny, vulnerable minority?

‘We know that the majority of the public feel supportive and compassionate towards trans people, who are their family, friends and neighbours.

‘All that is achieved by this kind of media coverage is that trans people feel less safe in their day to day lives, and the public has less opportunity to hear from the government on the pressing political matters of the day.

‘The Prime Minister might welcome the distraction, but he should not be fooled into thinking that anti-trans talking points will win votes.’

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Stocks Extend Bear Market Bounce As Inflation Angst Eases

World shares extended their bounce on Monday, building on Friday’s strong Wall Street close as off-peak oil prices helped sentiment improve and temper fears of prolonged inflation.

Strong morning gains in Europe and a rally across Asian markets after China further eased COVID-19 restrictions drove the MSCI’s benchmark for global stocks (.MIWD00000PUS) up for a third straight session, rising 0.5% by 0851 GMT.

Investors hope the oil prices slide from three-month peaks hit earlier in June could ease price pressures and allow the U.S. Federal Reserve to tighten policy less aggressively than initially feared, reducing the risk of an economic recession.

“We think there are more chances of seeing oil prices going lower simply because of easing demand from the U.S., Europe and China due to the slowdown in the economy. This in turn should help reduce expectations on inflation at least for the very end of this year,” said Jérôme Schupp, fund manager at Prime Partners in Geneva.

“The next Fed meeting in July will be quite important. We should see the Fed continue to hike rates, probably by 75 basis points. But more crucial will be the new message from (Fed Chair Jerome) Powell. Maybe he’ll say they’re happy with the new level of rates,” added Schupp.

Despite the strong three-day rebound which has helped the MSCI world benchmark distance further above the November 2020 lows hit earlier this month, the index remains down more than 20% from its record-high close in January, a fall that is commonly described as a bear market.

Traders said oversold market conditions and month-end portfolio rebalancing also contributed to the bounce, although they expected more volatility ahead as the second-quarter earnings seasons approaches.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares (.MIAP00000PUS) rose 1.6%. Beijing said on Saturday it would allow schools to resume in-person classes and Shanghai’s top party boss declared victory over COVID-19 after the city reported zero new local cases for the first time in two months.

The pan-regional STOXX 600 (.STOXX) benchmark added more than 1% as the easing in China restrictions boosted oil stocks and miners. Meanwhile, U.S. stock index futures extended their gains with S&P 500 e-minis gaining around 0.6%.

Oil was volatile as the market grappled with concerns over an economic slowdown versus worries about lost Russian supply amid sanctions over the Ukraine conflict.

Brent prices rose 0.2% to $113.36 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures dipped 0.1% at $107.52.

U.S. 10-year Treasury yields stood just above 3% as traders removed bets for hikes next year but still pondered about aggressive tightening this year. They were up 2 basis points at 3.16%, off an 11-year high reached earlier this month.

“The market remains focused in the trade-off between the policy response to high inflation and fears of a hard landing,” Westpac rates strategist Damien McColough wrote in a note.

“There will be ongoing discussions as to whether long-end yields have peaked, however, we would not yet expect 10-year yields to fall materially or sustainably below 3%,” he added.

The dollar continued to consolidate near the lowest since the middle of the month against major peers, as traders reassessed the prospects of aggressive rate hikes.

The dollar index – which measures the currency versus six rivals – was down 0.2% at 103.82.

Gold rose 0.7% higher to $1,838.8 per ounce, supported by news of some Western nations planning to officially ban imports of the metal from Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Bitcoin was flat, trading at $21,170.88 after falling as low as $17,588.88 earlier this month.

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Commonwealth makes us forward-looking – Kagame

 The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting has officially opened in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.

The host, President Paul Kagame, who takes over chairmanship of the 54-nation group that represents a third of the world’s population, said it is values that define its membership.

These include good governance, rule of law and protection of rights.

Hosting the event has brought his own government under sharp criticism over its human rights record.

“Whenever we might fall short, we find solutions through consensus and dialogue,” he told the gathering, “we build each other up and move forward together.”

He said the country had come a long way since the genocide of 1994, in which more than 800,000 people were killed. “But today we are a nation transformed in heart, mind and body,” he added.

Much of the Commonwealth brings together countries that were part of the British Empire but has increasingly included others like Rwanda.

President Kagame said joining the organisation was aimed at making sure “our people are connected, included and forward-looking”.

Gabon – a former French colony – is set to be admitted to the body during this meeting.

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MPLA's President accuses opposition of delaying manoeuvres

 Saurimo - The President of MPLA, Joao Lourenço, accused the opposition of resorting to several delaying tactics in an attempt to overthrow his party.

Joao Lourenço was speaking at a mass political event in the outskirts of Saurimo, which brought together more than 50,000 people, including militants, supporters and friends of the party.

He urged the militants and supporters to work hard to ensure the victory of the party in the elections on 24 August.

He said the opposition had not succeeded in overthrowing the ruling MPLA for 27 consecutive years by force of arms or through elections, even if they had resorted to unimaginable alliances.

"They made the worst alliances imaginable, even to the Apartheid regime that oppressed Africans, our Angolan opposition had the nerve to ally itself with it, but they did not win," the MPLA leader said.

According to Joao Lourenço, the opposition concluded that by fighting individually against MPLA it would not come to power and "now they have decided to get together and have emptied some parties".

Railway

The president of MPLA announced, in this rally the construction of a new railway line that will link Benguela and Saurimo, capital of the province of Lunda-Sul.

He said that, as it is going to be done with the construction of the Luacano branch line to Zambia, the connection of the Benguela Railroad to Saurimo could be perfectly solved through studies. The Benguela Railroad is the main one of the three in the country (the others are the Luanda and Moçâmedes Railroads).

He said that the government was already working on this possibility, "we believe that, at the beginning of the mandate, we will have good news about the possibility of starting the works for the connection of Saurimo to the Benguela Railroad".

Joao Lourenço also announced the conclusion, in August 2023, of the rehabilitation works of National Road 230 (EN-230), which links the coast to the province of Lunda-Sul.

The leader of the ruling party noted that the government was also committed to rebuilding other roads to make the link between municipalities and neighbouring provinces easier, notably the Saurimo/Dala/Moxico and Saurimo/Lucapa sections.

He stressed that for this to become a reality, it is necessary for the MPLA to remain in power. "Only the MPLA is the one that thinks seriously in the resolution of the big problems of the people".

University Campus of Saurimo

He also spoke of the construction of a University Campus in the city of Saurimo, whose laying of the first stone was done a few days ago, by the Minister of Higher Education, as well as a Geoscientific Centre (to study the mineral resources of the country), which will generate more jobs for the youth.

He said that the Government is committed to creating jobs in that region of the country, in order to make the best use of the enormous mineral resources that this part of the national territory has.

Governance transparency

With a standing ovation, the MPLA leader recalled that since the beginning of its mandate, the Government had sought to ensure transparency in governance, in general, and in particular in the diamond mining sector. He recalled that the government had put an end to the monopoly on the sale of diamonds.

He made it known that, currently, investors who own diamond producing mines are free to market, themselves, a large percentage of what they produce and the rest they sell to SODIAM, which is a public company.

The MPLA leader recalled that, before, they were obliged to sell everything to SODIAM "and, as if that were not enough, SODIAM also had an exclusive client".

He said that his government was there to serve the majority and "not half a dozen people who think they have more rights than the 30 million Angolans".

On the subject of transparency, he said that articles often appeared "in the national and international press" about the lack of transparency in the diamond sector, particularly with regard to company shareholders.

In this regard, he said that the country had taken the initiative to join an international organisation called the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Angola was recently admitted, in Brussels, Belgium, to be part of this Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative family.

According to President João Lourenço, this is a very important step that the country has just taken in order to give more transparency to the diamond, oil, gas, iron, gold and copper businesses, among others.

Elections 2022: CNE invites foreign observers

 Luanda - National Electoral Commission (CNE) will invite nine international entities to observe the general elections in Angola, scheduled for 24 August, 2022.

The decision emerged from the CNE plenary held on Friday,  stating that the entities to be invited are those from  the African Union (AU), European Union (EU),  Southern African Development Community (SADC), Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries ( CPLP) and Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

The invitation is also extensive to the other institutions such as Carter Center,  SADC Electoral Forum, International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGR) and the Conferences of African Jurisdictions, according to CNE spokesperson Lucas Quilundo.

He said that the CNE plenary also approved the date of 24 June, for the beginning of the invitations of electoral observation.

He recalled that, under the terms of the law, the President of the Republic and the CNE are the only entities with their own competence to issue invitations to institutions and personalities as international observers.

The spokesperson explained that election observation, as an activity, starts 30 days before the scheduled election date, that is, the 24th of July, and the process of requesting requests for observation must take place 30 days before the election campaign. .

Recently, the CNE set a limit of 2,000 national observers for the August 24 general elections.

On the other hand, Lucas Quilundo said that once the mapping of polling stations is completed, which will determine the number of polling stations to be installed nationwide, the recruitment of people who will work on election day will begin.

He added that after the mapping is completed, the process of accreditation of other electoral agents will begin, namely, the delegates on the list of political parties.

As for the early vote, he explained that the members of the plenary rejected its implementation in these general elections, as it imposes significant challenges in logistical terms, given the lack of time.

Angola will hold the fifth general elections, to choose the President of the Republic and the MPs.