{{Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe Thursday said his daughter Bona, whose sweetheart Simba Chikore paid lobola recently, is expected to wed next March.}}
He said the wedding would follow Bona’s graduation in Singapore next month.
The President told the gathering that Bona, who holds a first degree in Accounting, would be graduating with a Masters on November 16 at a university in Singapore.
{{Police in Kayonza district is holding Munyabazungu Nshimiye, 37, for allegedly attempting to bribe Ndego Police Post Commander with Rwf 50,000.}}
The suspect, a resident of Byimana cell, Ndego sector, wanted the commander to release his cousin, Jean Damascene Habumugisha who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of drug dealing.
The commander denied the offer and instead arrested the man on spot.
Munyabazungu and his cousin are all now held at Kabarondo Police station for further investigation.
The Eastern Province Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Jean Marie Njangwe said the officer exhibited the force’s culture of intolerance to corruption and “acted professionally”.
He also reminded the public that, “Prevention and fight against all sorts of corruption should be each and everybody’s responsibility, not Police role’s only because it impedes on not only the image but also the economy of the country.”
If found guilty, the suspect could face a jail term of up to seven years and a fine of twice to ten times, the value of the bribe he intended to offer.
source:RNP
{{Egypt Coach Bob Bradley is apologizing to Egyptians for the humiliation his team suffered in the hands of the Black Stars of Ghana in the first leg World Cup playoff played at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.}}
In what may just be described as a Tuesday afternoon stroll on the park, the Stars tore the Egyptians to shreds rattling in six goals and conceded just one.
The consolation came from a penalty in the first half.
Bradley in a post match press conference said he takes complete responsibility for the humiliation.
“I am sorry,” a visibly distraught coach told the press.
He said his strategy was to find an antidote to the striking partnership between Gyan and Warris but it appeared the two combined to thwart the effort made.
It is the second defeat Bradley has suffered in the hands of Ghana. The first was in 2010 when a stupendous Asamoah Gyan extra time goal ended the US dream of qualifying into the Quarter Finals of the 2010 World Cup.
Bradley told the media the Egyptian dream of going to the World Cup has been dealt a big blow. Whilst conceding it would be a difficult task to qualify now, he said the team will give it their best shot on the return leg.
He hinted he might resign if the team fails to make it to Brazil.
{myjoyonline}
{{Ghana Prostitutes in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Area (STMA) in the Western Region have urged President John Dramani Mahama to legalize the sex business.}}
The prostitutes, who are from various parts of the country and operating in the oil city, are also advocating the introduction of a national policy to legally back their trade.
Furthermore, they want President Mahama to play a leading role in the formation of an Economic Community of West African Prostitutes (ECOWAP).
Weekend Finder has gathered that there are three different categories of commercial sex workers operating in the oil city.
The first is the ‘Moderate’ group made up of mainly trafficked girls, migrants and minors who have been introduced to the business by their guardians.
These people are either from local fishing and farming communities in Ghana or migrants from countries in the West African sub-region such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Burkina Faso and Mali.
The second group is known as the ‘Super Divers’, made up of high class ladies who are interested in only expatriates and they target tourists.
The last group is called the ‘Smart Ladies’ made up mainly of middle class ladies who deal with all kinds of clients. Their charge is GHC50 for ‘short time’ and GHC100 for ‘long time’ and for them to stay the night with the client, they are open to negotiations.
Demanding money before speaking to Weekend Finder in separate interviews last weekend during their business hours, the prostitutes explained that they want major trans-formational policies to be introduced by the government to streamline their activities and make their business attractive and sustainable.
Ms. Mary Amponsah, who first made the request on behalf of her colleagues, explained that even though there are dangers associated with the trade in which one woman sleeps with many men, they are in it because of joblessness.
She called on the government to address the insecurity associated with the trade such as abuse by recalcitrant clients and the various security forces.
Also, she called for the licensing of all prostitutes in the country for easy identification and taxation.
Hostel facilities and other housing projects could be provided by government to address the accommodation problems most of them are currently facing, as that has made them depend on hotels where they pay exorbitant amounts, she said.
“If we are registered, they can check on us, monitor our steps, and conduct medical review of all members from time to time, so that in the end, they can tax all of us to improve revenue generation in the country. In addition, they can educate us on sexually transmitted diseases, but at the moment, nothing of that nature is happening and that is not good,” she said.
Ms. Amponsah, who is in her late thirties and a single mother belonging to the Smart Ladies group, said she and many others in the trade hope to marry someday, adding that presently they want to maximize the gains in the business and also build other businesses.
“For instance, I have a cold store in Accra that I run, but I still need money to keep it in good shape, so what I am doing right now is to get enough money to support the business. I also want to help my brothers and sisters who are in school to continue with their education. This is because I had to drop out due to severe poverty and other financial challenges that my parents could not handle. Besides, through this business, I single-handedly managed my late mothers’ funeral without any support from any family member,” she told the Weekend Finder.
Another prostitute, Ms. Veronica Abban, who is one of the Moderates, said she left school after Junior High School, claiming that she was introduced to the trade by her friend.
“Though I was introduced to the job by my friend out of ignorance, I can confidently say today that I have benefited from the sex trade because I have been able to take care of myself without having to depend on any family member. In fact, I have suffered so much in life.
I remember selling all kinds of things just to survive, and yet I couldn’t deal with the challenges that were coming, until I was introduced to this job.”
Ms. Effia Alhassan, one of the Super Divers, who only deals with expatriate workers, said she joined the trade out of the broken heart she experienced.
“I was dating a military officer; sponsored him and when he graduated and became an officer, he dumped me. In fact, I had a broken heart, and decided I will never have anything to do with a black man. Currently, I sell my body to only expatriates, and that is what is keeping me in business. I don’t deal with blacks, because I have come to realise how disappointing black guys can be, so I am careful with my trading activities,” she said.
Currently, more than 60 prostitutes are operating in the oil city.
Their ports of call are mostly joints like The Champs, Last Hours Beach, Africa Beach Hotel, Zenith Hotel, Vienna City, KQ Lunch Box and Face 7.
{{The Angolan government has bought arms from Russia in a $1 billion deal, Portuguese news agency Lusa said Thursday.}}
With the deal Angola becomes the principal purchaser of Russian arms on the continent, outstripping Uganda.
“Angola has inked with the state-owned Rosoboronexport monopoly a $1billion agreement which includes military equipment support and the construction of an ammunition factory in Angola for assistance after sale,” the news agency said.
The agreement was reportedly signed last week when Russian deputy prime minister Dmitri Rogozin visited Angola and includes the supply of eight Sukhoi 30 hunt planes, transport Mi-17 helicopters, ordinance, light weapons and ammunition.
The Angolan foreign affairs ministry had said the visit was aimed at health, culture and fishing agreements.
Luanda was yet to react to the report but senior members of the ruling MPLA and the opposition Unita and PRS said they were unaware of such an agreement.
“I have no data about this matter, they are very sensitive news having to do with our national security,” Voice of America quoted Unita’s André Mendes de Carvalho as saying.
“Let us wait if this will have an influence on our country’s general budget so that we have an opinion on it.”
Russia ties
Angola, which is recovering from decades of civil war, maintains close ties with Cold War ally Russia. The southern African country also maintains a tight lid on information about its military capacity, which consumes a large chunk of its budget.
Such arms deals are also shrouded in deep secrecy, with campaign groups alleging that they mainly benefit the elite few.
In July UK-based Corruption Watch said some $750 million from an Angola Treasury arms deal with Russia was “missing”, while “another $400m could not be accounted for”.
Meanwhile Angolan soldiers have invaded the southwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in pursuit of rebels and had allegedly “kidnapped soldiers”, AFP reported Thursday.
Angolan troops were pursuing (rebels) of the Front for the Liberation of the Cabinda Enclave (FLEC) on to Congolese territory, which they use as a rear base, the news agency reported.
FLEC has fought for independence for several decades of Angola’s oil-rich territory of Cabinda before opting for a ceasefire in 2006.
wirestory
{{Some 30 million people are enslaved worldwide, trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labour, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude, a global index on modern slavery showed on Thursday.}}
Almost half are in India, where slavery ranges from bonded labour in quarries and kilns to commercial sex exploitation, although the scourge exists in all 162 countries surveyed by Walk Free, an Australian-based rights group.
For factbox on the 10 countries where slavery is most prevalent, click here
Its estimate of 29.8 million slaves worldwide is higher than other attempts to quantify modern slavery. The International Labour Organisation estimates that almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour.
“Today some people are still being born into hereditary slavery, a staggering but harsh reality, particularly in parts of West Africa and South Asia,” the report said.
“Other victims are captured or kidnapped before being sold or kept for exploitation, whether through ‘marriage’, unpaid labour on fishing boats, or as domestic workers. Others are tricked and lured into situations they cannot escape, with false promises of a good job or an education.”
The Global Slavery Index 2013 defines slavery as the possession or control of people to deny freedom and exploit them for profit or sex, usually through violence, coercion or deception. The definition includes indentured servitude, forced marriage and the abduction of children to serve in wars.
According to the index, 10 countries alone account for three quarters of the world’s slaves.
After India, China has the most with 2.9 million, followed by Pakistan (2.1 million), Nigeria (701,000), Ethiopia (651,000), Russia (516,000), Thailand (473,000), Democratic Republic of Congo (462,000), Myanmar (384,000) and Bangladesh (343,000).
The index also ranks nations by prevalence of slavery per head of population. By this measure, Mauritania is worst, with almost 4 percent of its 3.8 million people enslaved. Estimates by other organisations put the level at up to 20 percent.
Chattel slavery is common in Mauritania, meaning that slave status is passed down through generations. “Owners” buy, sell, rent out or give away their slaves as gifts.
After Mauritania, slavery is most prevalent by population in Haiti, where a system of child labour known as “restavek” encourages poor families to send their children to wealthier acquaintances, where many end up exploited and abused.
Pakistan, India, Nepal, Moldova, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Gabon have the next highest prevalence rates.
At the other end of the scale, Iceland has the lowest estimated prevalence with fewer than 100 slaves.
Next best are Ireland, Britain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland and Denmark, although researchers said slave numbers in such wealthy countries were higher than previously thought.
“They’ve been allocating resources against this crime according to the tiny handful of cases that they’ve been aware of,” said Kevin Bales, lead researcher and a professor at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation at Hull University.
“Our estimates are telling them that the numbers of people in slavery – whether it’s in Great Britain or Finland or wherever – in these richer countries actually tends to be about six to 10 times higher than they think it is.”
Walk Free CEO Nick Grono said the annual index would serve as an important baseline for governments and activists in the anti-slavery fight.
“This kind of data hasn’t been out there before,” he said. “It’s a multi-year effort, and next year we’ll have a much better picture of where slavery is and what changes there are. If you can’t measure it, you can’t devise policy to address it.”
Countries with highest absolute numbers of slaves
Country Estimated slaves
India 13.9 million
China 2.9 million
Pakistan 2.1 million
Nigeria 701,000
Ethiopia 651,000
Russia 516,000
Thailand 473,000
D.R. Congo 462,000
Myanmar 384,000
Bangladesh 343,000
Ranking by prevalence of modern slavery per head of population
Rank Country Estimated slaves Population
1 Mauritania 151,000 3.8 million
2 Haiti 209,000 10.2 million
3 Pakistan 2.1 million 179.2 million
4 India 13.9 million 1.2 billion
5 Nepal 259,000 27.5 million
6 Moldova 33,000 3.6 million
7 Benin 80,000 10.1 million
8 Ivory Coast 157,000 19.8 million
9 Gambia 14,000 1.8 million
10 Gabon 14,000 1.6 million
Source: Global Slavery Index 2013, Walk Free
{{A honest global approach is required for Sudan and South Sudan to amicably resolve their impasse over the disputed region of Abyei, Salva Kiir has told the United Nations special envoy for two countries.}}
The South Sudan leader, during Wednesday’s meeting with Haile Menkerios also expressed disappointments at the way the international community responded to calls for their immediate intervention on the Abyei issue.
“The issue of Abyei remains a big challenge not only to our two countries, but also to the international community. We are committed on our side to the full resolution of the final status”, Kiir told the UN special envoy in the capital, Juba.
There is also a need for an honest approach from the international community so that the conflict is resolved amicably at once, he stressed.
At press briefing shortly after his meeting with President Kiir, Menkerios their discussions mainly focused on the progress so far made in the implementation of last year Cooperation Agreement, which both countries signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“I came to meet President Salva Kiir and members of his government on numbers of issues, especially the progress made in the implementation of the cooperation agreement and Abyei. It was a very good meeting. The president briefed about progress which have been made and his commitment to resolving the issue of Abyei”, said the UN special envoy.
Resolving the issue of Abyei is very important because the local people in Abyei feel that results of the discussions do not get implemented, and are becoming more concerns, he added.
Menkerios, however, commended the two countries for showing commitment to fully implement all agreement reached, but urged the two leaders to urgently reach a deal on Abyei referendum vote.
{KIIR WRITES TO AU}
The meeting between Kiir and the UN envoy comes barely a week after the South Sudan leader wrote to the African Union Commission (AUC), requesting the continental body to take complete responsibility over the impasse between the two countries.
In a letter delivered by the country’s foreign minister, Kiir said he saw no possibility of reaching an understanding with Khartoum over the disputed oil-producing region anytime soon, even if discussions continued for 100 years.
North and South Sudan fought over two decades of civil war, which only ended with the 2005 signing of a peace accord in Kenya.
But under its protocol on Abyei, the people of the contested region should have conducted their referendum at the same time as the people of South Sudan, but it was postponed because of disagreements between the North and South Sudanese leaders.
These differences mainly centred on the eligibility of votes. While the south-governing Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) maintained that only the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms are eligible to vote as permanent residents of the area, the Khartoum-based National Congress Party (NCP) insisted that the Misseriya Arabs, who are temporary residents, should be allowed to take part in the vote.
{sudantribune}
{{The government of Zanzibar has encouraged investors and farmers to focus on the horticultural industry to capitalise on the Isle’s fertile land.}}
Agricultural stakeholders have also been reminded of the importance of taking advantage of the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.
The deputy minister for Agriculture, Mr Mohamed Dimwa, said this earlier this week in the House of Representatives when responding to a question from a Special Seats representative, Ms Wanu Hafidh Ameir.
The House of Reresentatives is currently meeting in Zanzibar for an ordinary calendar year session.
Mr Dimwa said that despite the fact that Zanzibar has favourable land for horticulture farming, many residents have failed to embark on it due to lack of capital.
“Flowers and other horticulture farming products such as fruits can flourish really well in the Isles because the climate favours their growth, “ he said.
However, he said, the problem has been lack of capital among farmers. “So, I call on investors to put money in it,” he said.
Apart from the favourite climate, Mr Dimwa said, horticulture produce will easily be exported through the Abeid Aman Karume International Airport.
Ms Ameir sought to know what the government was doing to improve horticulture farming in the Isles, which has played a crucial role in reducing poverty in other countries.
“I want to know what the government is doing to empower farmers in the Isles so that they can venture in horticulture which has played a big role in reducing poverty in other countries,” said Ms Ameir.
{thecitizen}
{{A Congolese surgeon ({pictured above}) who treated tens of thousands of women who were gang-raped received a prize honouring his courage.}}
Denis Mukwege accepted the 2013 Civil Courage Prize, awarded by the New York-based Train Foundation, on Tuesday for his work at the Panzi Hospital, which he founded in 1999 in the capital of the war-torn province of South Kivu.
“Meeting these women completely changed my life,” Mukwege said.
“My profession as a medical doctor led me to become a direct witness to a mass crime that is hard to fully understand. This is because sexual violence targets our most precious resource: our mothers, our wives and our daughters.”
The UN has said various armed groups are behind rapes in eastern Congo.
The Congolese army and M23 rebels it fights also have been accused of raping civilians.
Eastern Congo’s mineral riches have been exploited for years by a myriad of armed rebel groups and militias who have used violence to control the region’s mines.
M23 formally launched its rebellion last year, drawing its name from a failed March 23, 2009 peace agreement with the Congolese government.
Mukwege said in his speech that rape is probably “history’s oldest and least condemned crime” and said that struggles over the metals used in cell phones have contributed to the loss of 5 mllion lives in his country.
“There is nothing inevitable about this situation,” he said. “We can bring positive change to the Congo.”
Last year, Mukwege in a speech at the United Nations, lashed out at the international community for its inaction on his country’s civil war.
He moved to Europe following an assassination attempt against him last October.
{Agencies}
{{Kenya will place microchips in the horn of every rhino in the country in a bid to stamp out a surge in poaching the threatened animals, wildlife officials say.}}
Kenya has just over 1,000 rhinos, and the tiny chips will be inserted and hidden in the horn, which is made of keratin, the same material as fingernails or hardened hair.
“Poachers are getting more sophisticated in their approach,” Paul Udoto, spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), told media.
“So it is vital that conservation efforts also follow and embrace the use of more sophisticated technology to counter the killing of wildlife.”
The World Wildlife Fund donated the chips as well as five scanners at a cost of $15,000, although tracking the rhino to dart them and fit the device will cost considerably more.
However, it will boost the ability of police to prosecute poachers or traffickers, allowing for all animals to be traced and providing potential vital information on poaching and smuggling chains.
“Investigators will be able to link any poaching case to a recovered or confiscated horn, and this forms crucial evidence in court, contributing towards the prosecution’s ability to push for sentencing of a suspected rhino criminal,” KWS said in a statement.
Poaching has risen sharply in Africa in recent years, with rhinos not the only animals targeted. Whole elephant herds have been massacred for their ivory.
The lucrative Asian black market for rhino horn has driven a boom in poaching across Africa. Asian consumers believe the horns have powerful healing properties.
In August, poachers shot dead a white rhino in Nairobi’s national park, a brazen raid in one of the best guarded sites in Kenya.
Simply chopping the horn off the rhino has limited impact, Udoto explained.
“The horn grows back … and we’ve so sadly found that poachers can kill a rhino at first sight and only then find that its horn has been removed,” he said.
{Agencies}