Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, dies aged 95

Nelson Mandela led South Africa from apartheid to multi-racial democracy and will be mourned around the world

• Follow all the latest in our Nelson Mandela blog

theguardian.com, David Smith, Africa correspondent, in Johannesburg, 5 December 2013

Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, has died. Photograph:
Mike Hutchings/Reuters

Nelson Mandela, the towering figure of Africa's struggle for freedom and a hero to millions around the world, has died at the age of 95.

South Africa's first black president died after years of declining health that had caused him to withdraw from public life.

The death of Mandela will send South Africa deep into mourning and self-reflection 18 years after he led the country from racial apartheid to inclusive democracy.

But his passing will also be keenly felt by people around the world who revered Mandela as one of history's last great statesmen, and a moral paragon comparable with Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

It was a transcendent act of forgiveness after spending 27 years in prison, 18 of them on Robben Island, that will assure his place in history. With South Africa facing possible civil war, Mandela sought reconciliation with the white minority to build a new democracy.

He led the African National Congress (ANC) to victory in the country's first multiracial election in 1994. Unlike other African liberation leaders who cling to power, such as Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, he then voluntarily stepped down after one term.

Mandela – often affectionately known by his clan name, Madiba – was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1993.

At his inauguration a year later, the new president said: "Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another ... the sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement. Let freedom reign. God bless Africa!"

Born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga in a small village in the Eastern Cape on 18 July 1918, Mandela was given his English name, Nelson, by a teacher at his school.

Mandela joined the ANC in 1943 and became a co-founder of its youth league. In 1952, he started South Africa's first black law firm with his partner, Oliver Tambo. Mandela was a charming, charismatic figure with a passion for boxing – and an eye for women. He once said: "I can't help it if the ladies take note of me. I am not going to protest."

He married his first wife, Evelyn Mase, in 1944. They were divorced in 1957 after having three children. In 1958, he married Winnie Madikizela, who later campaigned to free her husband from jail and became a key figure in the struggle.

When the ANC was banned in 1960, Mandela went underground. After the Sharpeville massacre, in which 69 black protesters were shot dead by police, he took the difficult decision to launch an armed struggle.

He was arrested and eventually charged with sabotage and attempting to violently overthrow the government.

Conducting his own defence in the Rivonia Trial in 1964, he said: "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

He escaped the death penalty but was sentenced to life in prison, a huge blow to the ANC that had to regroup to continue the struggle. But unrest grew in townships and international pressure on the apartheid regime slowly tightened.

Finally, in 1990, then president FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and Mandela was released from prison amid scenes of jubilation witnessed around the world.

In 1992, Mandela divorced Winnie after she was convicted on charges of kidnapping and accessory to assault.

His presidency rode a wave of tremendous global goodwill but was not without its difficulties. After leaving frontline politics in 1999, he admitted he should have moved sooner against the spread of HIV/Aids.

His son died from an Aids-related illness. On his 80th birthday, Mandela married Graça Machel, the widow of the former president of Mozambique. It was his third marriage. In total, he had six children, of whom three daughters survive: Pumla Makaziwe (Maki), Zenani and Zindziswa (Zindzi). He has 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Mandela was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001 and retired from public life, aged 85, to be with his family and enjoy some "quiet reflection". But he remained a beloved and venerated figure with countless buildings, streets and squares named after him. His every move was scrutinised and his health was a constant source of media speculation.

Mandela continued to make occasional appearances at ANC events and attended the inauguration of the current president, Jacob Zuma. His 91st birthday was marked by the first annual "Mandela Day" in his honour.

He was last seen in public at the final of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, a tournament he had helped bring to South Africa for the first time. Early in 2011, he was taken to hospital in a health scare but he recovered and was visited by Michelle Obama and her daughters a few months later.

In January 2012, he was notably missing from the ANC's centenary celebrations due to his frail condition. With other giants of the movement such as Tambo and Walter Sisulu having gone before Mandela, the defining chapter of Africa's oldest liberation movement is now closed.

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Ethiopia spearheads green energy in Africa

News24 – AFP, 2013-12-04

A man works along a road near turbines at Ashegoda wind farm
in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region. (Jenny Vaughan, AFP)

Ashegoda - From the sky, the 84 glimmering white turbines at Ashegoda wind farm shoot up from the ground like massive spokes, standing out high amid vast expanses of yellow wheat.

Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, mostly populated by cattle farmers who grow the country's staple grains, is an unlikely site for a modern French-run wind farm, let alone sub-Saharan Africa's largest.

With its multi-billion dollar projects in wind, hydropower, solar and geothermal energy, Ethiopia's pioneering green energy efforts aim to supply power to its 91 million people and boost its economy by exporting power to neighbouring countries.

"Ethiopia stands alone in Africa as using green energy for transformative growth," said Ahmed Soliman, from Britain's Chatham House think tank.

Current energy production capacity stands at 2 177MW, with ambitions to reach 10 000MW by 2015.

Ashegoda's turbines, which tower above young boys in tattered clothes watching over their livestock, have a total capacity of 120MW, making it the biggest on the sub-continent.

Growing interest

The project was built by France's Vergnet Group, and is the first of several planned wind farms in the country, including a 204MW Chinese-built site under construction in the southeast.

Ashegoda, 780km from Addis Ababa, is part of ambitious plans to transform Ethiopia into a middle-income, carbon-neutral country by 2025.

The $313m wind farm, funded by the French government and several private French banks, is an indication of growing interest from European companies in Ethiopia, where Chinese, Indian and Turkish investments are also growing.

Both France and Ethiopia's government are "very enthusiastic to reinforce even more links", said Romano Coutrot, site manager at the wind farm, adding Ashegoda is one of Vergnet's "most important" projects globally.

The project took four years to complete and became fully operational in October, but faced several hurdles along the way.

Soaring up to 80m high, the turbines had to be driven to landlocked Ethiopia on semi-paved roads from Djibouti, which posed a major challenge.

Completion was further delayed to relocate the site 5km north after the aviation authority said it was interfering with its airspace.

Coutrot admitted that doing business in Ethiopia can be challenging, with infrastructure shortfalls and crippling bureaucracy.

"The taxation system, customs, the relationship with authorities, it's sometimes a bit difficult," he said, speaking from his office on site amid the imposing turbines.

Ethiopia ranks 125 out of 189 countries on the World Bank's ease of doing business index.

"Government services like customs, land issues, other government services are improving," said Minister for Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu, insisting the government was committed to improving conditions for investors.

Aggressive investments

The government says its investment in green energy is a central pillar of its development plan, crucial in a country where the majority of people live on less than $2 a day.

"Health, education, communication, water supply, industry, these all need sustainable and reliable power supply," Alemayehu said.

Only 53% of the country currently has access to electricity, with large swathes of Ethiopia's rural regions in the dark and relying on firewood for basic household needs.

"Unless you have this kind of ambitious plan, the pace of population pressure will take over and you won't see any change," said Belay Simane, professor of environment at Addis Ababa University.

The country is already exporting power to Djibouti and Sudan, with a line to transport energy to Kenya under construction.

Soliman said it will solidify Ethiopia's role as a leader in green energy in the region.

"Ethiopia will have a competitive regional advantage, not having to rely on economically and technically less-feasible sources of energy such as gas or oil to meet growing demands, which many East African countries are doing," Soliman said.

The hard currency earned from these power exports will go toward increasing the number of renewable energy projects in Ethiopia, according to the government.

Heavy investment in the green energy sector extends beyond economics: the country is keen to avoid the mistakes of countries such as China or India, that experienced rapid economic growth but with grave environmental costs.

"If we invest in these resources, we can develop in a green way without affecting the environment like they did in Europe," said Fisseha Gebremichael, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation's Ashegoda project manager.

Alemeyahu said he hopes Ethiopia's aggressive investments in wind and other renewable energy resources will persuade other African countries to follow suit.

"We don't want to keep African populations in the dark for a long time, we have to run very fast to access light for industry and for social and economic development," he said.

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UAE leader accepts invitation to visit Iran

The Daily Star - AFP, December 04, 2013

This image released by the Emirates News Agency, WAM, shows UAE president
 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, meeting with the Iranian foreign minister,
 Mohammad Javad Zarif in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013.
(AP Photo/WAM)

      

DUBAI: The president of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday accepted an invitation to visit Iran, the WAM state news agency said, as Tehran looks to mend ties with Gulf states.

The Sunni monarchies of the Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia, have long viewed Shiite Iran as a regional rival and the two sides are currently locked in a proxy war in Syria, with Tehran backing the regime and Saudi Arabia and Qatar supporting Sunni-led rebels.

But Iran has tried to improve relations in recent weeks following a landmark agreement on its nuclear programme, which the Gulf countries and the West have long suspected is aimed at developing a weapons capability, allegations denied by Tehran.

The invitation was delivered to the UAE president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a meeting between the two in a palace in Al-Ain, in the east of the Emirates.

"The date for the visit will be announced at a later stage," WAM said.

Sheikh Khalifa told his guest that the UAE welcomes the nuclear deal, stressing that his nation aspires for "strengthened security and stability in the region and cooperation between countries," WAM said.

Zarif is in the UAE as part of a Gulf tour that has taken him to Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

He said Iran's newly elected president Hasan Rouhani wishes to strengthen relations with Gulf countries, "stressing that Iran gives high importance to its relations with neighbours, especially the UAE," WAM reported.

In Kuwait, Zarif reassured Gulf Arab states on Sunday that Tehran's nuclear deal is in their interest.

The deal was struck in Geneva last month between Iran and the P5+1 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.

Iran agreed to freeze parts of its controversial programme in exchange for an estimated $7.0 billion of relief from crippling sanctions in an interim deal aimed at buying time for the negotiation of a comprehensive accord.

The Gulf states have called on Tehran to fully cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog in implementing the deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Photo: AFP

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African and Asian states vow to crack down on illegal ivory trade

Yahoo – AFP, 3 December 2013

A Kenya Wildlife Services ranger stands guard over an ivory haul seized overnight
 as it transited through Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi on August 23, 2013. (AFP
 Photo/Tony Karumba)

Gaborone (Botswana) (AFP) - African and Asian nations on Tuesday agreed on urgent measures to tackle the illegal ivory trade, from the slaughter of elephants to the trafficking of their valuable tusks to the Far East.

The deal comes after top officials and experts from 30 states met in Botswana this week to tackle an upsurge in elephant poaching as demand for ivory soars from countries such as China and Thailand.

Countries that are home to elephants, and those where their ivory ends up, agreed to "urgent measures to halt the illegal trade and secure elephant populations across Africa," the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Botswanan government said in a statement.

The measures include a "zero tolerance approach", which includes maximum sentences for wildlife crimes and boosting the ability of national agencies to deal with highly-organised poaching syndicates.

The meeting also agreed that ivory trafficking should be classified as a "serious crime", paving the way for international cooperation such as mutual legal assistance, asset seizure and forfeiture, and extradition.

"The summit is the first-ever meeting focusing on the dynamics of the entire ivory value chain," the statement said.

Conservation groups at the African Elephant Summit warned this week Africa could lose 20 percent of its elephant population within a decade.

Africa and Asia must 'join forces'

The large animals, a key tourist attraction in Africa, are increasingly hunted by criminal gangs and militias using sophisticated equipment, while high-level corruption helps move the ivory off the continent, summit organisers said.

Proceeds are in some cases used to "fund armed militias and rebel groups engaged in internal and cross border conflicts," according to the IUCN.

Six countries signed the pact but all 30 states attending the summit agreed on the measures and committed to inking the deal, Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, told AFP.

"We have consensus, it's good news."

Data on elephant poaching and the ivory traffic (AFP Photo)

Among those who agreed to the measures were key elephant nations such as Gabon, Kenya, Niger and Zambia, transit countries Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia and ivory destination states, including China and Thailand.

These countries will strengthen co-operation between their law enforcement agencies and create mechanisms at home to "allow immediate action" against anyone involved in poaching or the illegal ivory trade.

According to a report by CITES, TRAFFIC and IUCN, an estimated 22,000 elephants were illegally killed across the continent last year, as poaching reached "unacceptably elevated levels."

"We are very pleased with the result of the summit, especially as it involves some of the most important countries along the illegal ivory value chain,” said Julia Marton-Lefevre, IUCN director general.

It was hoped that the outcomes would help boost wider efforts to tackle trade in other hard-hit species such as rhinos and pangolins, she added.

Africa's elephant population is estimated at 500,000 animals, compared with 1.2 million in 1980 and 10 million in 1900, and they are listed as vulnerable.

"Our window of opportunity to tackle the growing illegal ivory trade is closing and if we do not stem the tide, future generations will condemn our unwillingness to act," said Botswana President Ian Khama whose country holds Africa's largest elephant population.

"Now is the time for Africa and Asia to join forces to protect this universally valued and much needed species."

Researchers believe that poverty and weak governance in African countries where elephants live are driving forces behind a spike in poaching.

Elephant tusks and other body parts are prized in Asia and the Middle East for ornaments, as talismans, and for use in traditional medicine.

Ivory trade is banned under the CITES, yet the illegal trade is estimated to be worth up to $10 billion (7.4 billion euros) a year.

The price of ivory on the black market shot up tenfold in the past decade to more than $2,000 per kilogramme. On average, an adult elephant tusk can weigh 20 kg (44 pounds), according to experts.

Japan diplomat held over fire at Kinshasa embassy

BBC News, 3 December 2013

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Shinya Yamada was reportedly in charge
 of accounting at the Japanese embassy
in Kinshasa

A diplomat at the Japanese embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been arrested on suspicion of starting a fire at the mission.

Shinya Yamada, 30, was held in Tokyo over claims he embezzled funds and set the blaze in June to destroy evidence.

Some $260,000 (£160,000) had gone missing, Japan's foreign ministry said. No-one was hurt in the fire, which damaged the building's fourth floor

Mr Yamada has denied the allegations, according to Japanese media reports.

It is rare for Japanese investigators to probe a case that occurred at a diplomatic mission abroad.

"It is extremely regrettable an official of the foreign ministry was arrested and that serious damage, including the loss of public funds, was inflicted," AFP news agency quoted Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida as saying.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida
apologised to the people of Japan

Mr Yamada, the third secretary at the Japanese embassy in Kinshasa, was reportedly in charge of accounting at the mission.

Police believe he embezzled embassy money to fuel his gambling habit before dumping petrol in his office and setting it ablaze, reports said.

Records of those entering and exiting the embassy building showed Mr Yamada was the last person to leave on the day of the fire.

Police also found a petrol tank at Mr Yamada's home in Kinshasa.

After the fire, the mission's 20 staff were transferred to temporary offices at the ambassador's official residence and a nearby apartment complex, the Japanese foreign ministry said.

Mr Kishida said his office was "closely cooperating with the police investigation", adding an apology "to the people of Japan".

Iran reaches out to rivals in Gulf monarchies

Foreign minister Mohammad Zarif has travelled to four Gulf states since his triumph at nuclear talks in Geneva

The Telegraph, Richard Spencer,Middle East Correspondent, 02 Dec 2013

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Photo: AFP

Fresh from his triumphant return from the nuclear agreement in Geneva, Iran's media-friendly foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is making dramatic overtures for better relations with some of its fiercest enemies, the Sunni-led monarchies of the Gulf states.

Mr Zarif visited three of the six Gulf monarchies, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, on Sunday and Monday, fresh from meeting his opposite number from a fourth, the United Arab Emirates, in Tehran last week. The tour came ahead of the next stage in Iran's wider diplomatic rehabilitation today when Britain's newly-appointed charge d'affaires, Ajay Sharma, will visit Tehran to meet his opposite number, Hassan Habibollah-Zadeh.

The Iranian foreign minister called for better ties with Saudi Arabia, Iran's leading rival for influence in the Middle East and the de facto leader of the Sunni Muslim world. "I believe that our relations with Saudi Arabia should expand as we consider Saudi Arabia as an extremely important country in the region and the Islamic world," he told reporters.

"We believe that Iran and Saudi Arabia should work together in order to promote peace and stability in the region."

He also expressed a hope that he would be able to visit Riyadh - though this is an invitation the Saudis, who are especially distrustful of Iran's new "moderate" face and of the Iranian nuclear deal in particular, seems in no hurry to make.

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Saudi Arabia, like Israel, is still smarting over Iran's new international diplomatic acceptance. Both believe that Iran is being duplicitous over its promises to downgrade its nuclear programme and that in any case it has no intention of pulling back from its "interventionist" policies across the Middle East.

For Israel that means its backing for Islamist groups in Gaza, and Hizbollah. For Saudi Arabia, that means its promotion of Shia causes across the region, and in particular the decision to use its Revolutionary Guard and Iran-supported militias like Hizbollah to defend President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

"If they really want good relations with Saudi Arabia this is a very important issue for the Gulf Co-operation Council," said Mustafa Alani, of the Gulf Research Centre, which is close to Riyadh. The GCC comprises the six Gulf monarchies.

The British envoy, meanwhile, is expected to also make a visit to "British diplomatic facilities", Mr Habibollah-Zadeh said, presumably the British embassy, whose ransacking by a mob of student protesters two years ago led to London breaking off diplomatic relations.

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"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa, Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

“…  I want you to watch some countries. I don't have a clock [this statement is Kryon telling us that there is no time frame on his side of the veil, only potentials]. I'll just tell you, it's imminent [in Spirit's timing, this could mean as soon as a decade]. I want you to watch some countries carefully for changes. You're going to be seeing changes that are obvious, and some that are not obvious [covert or assumptive]. But the obvious ones you will see sooner than not - Cuba, Korea [North], Iran, of course, and Venezuela. I want you to watch what happens when they start to realize that they don't have any more allies on Earth! Even their brothers who used to support them in their hatred of some are saying, "Well, perhaps not anymore. It doesn't seem to be supporting us anymore. "Watch the synchronicities that are occurring. The leaders who have either died or are going to in the next year or so will take with them the old ways. Watch what happens to those who take their place, and remember these meetings where I described these potentials to you. …”

Israel's Herzog calls for 'brave' steps in peace talks

Google – AFP, 2 December 2013

Isaac Herzog (L), newly elected chairman of Israel's Labor party, meets with

 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on

December 1, 2013 (AFP, Abbas Momani)

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) — Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog said Sunday he would push the government to take "brave" steps in US-brokered peace negotiations, after holding talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

The meeting at the West Bank headquarters of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority was the first of its kind since Herzog was elected head of the opposition Labour Party at the end of November.

Israel and the Palestinians returned to the negotiating table in July after a nearly three-year hiatus, and following an intense diplomatic push by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

But the negotiations have faltered amid Israeli announcements of new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem, lands demanded by the Palestinians as part of their future state.

The chairman of Israel's Labor party Isaac

 Herzog (C), flanked by Israeli Parliament 

members Omer Barlev (L) and Erel Margalit,

 speaks to journalists after a meeting with 

the Palestinian President in the West Bank

 city of Ramallah on December 1, 2013 (AFP,

Abbas Momani)

Herzog said his party, which was in power when Israel signed the Oslo accords with the Palestinians in 1993, is willing to help push the process forward and would urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to take bold steps to reach a deal.

"The current negotiations brokered by the United States provide a historic opportunity for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, particularly because president Abbas has a real desire to achieve peace," Herzog told a news conference after the meeting.

"I will carry that message to the prime minister... (and) we will try to put pressure on the Israeli government to take brave positions to achieve peace and security for our children," he added.

He said Labour rejects the construction of Jewish settlements "on Palestinian land" and has voiced opposition to recent plans for the construction of 20,000 settler homes in the West Bank.

Herzog also said he discussed with Abbas the possibility of holding a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu, saying face-to-face talks can help bolster the peace process.

Abbas reiterated his commitment to the full period of talks agreed upon with Washington, with the negotiations extending to April, said his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina.

Palestinian negotiators resigned last month in protest at Israeli settlement construction, but Abbas has so far refused to accept their resignations.

Indonesian Fishermen Stranded in South Africa After Horror Story at Sea

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Stuart Graham, December 2, 2013

Two of the 75 Indonesian fishermen living on seven rusted Taiwanese-registered
fishing boats sit at Cape Town Harbor on Nov. 28, 2013. (AFP Photo/Rodger Bosch)

Cape Town. Dozens of Indonesian fishermen who spent months stranded in Cape Town’s harbor, sleeping in cramped and suffocating quarters, have been taken ashore to a repatriation center after being stuck at sea for years without pay.

The group of 75 fishermen tell of slavery-like working conditions aboard seven Taiwanese-owned vessels — an ordeal that only grew worse when South African authorities impounded their trawlers for illegal fishing.

The crew spent three months stranded in Cape Town’s Table Bay, sleeping crowded together in dirty, airless quarters that reeked of diesel, until they were moved to a repatriation center in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The captain has been arrested, but the men lacked the legal papers to go ashore, and had been living like prisoners on the trawlers, dependent on the compassion of locals for food.

Some of the men say they were recruited by agents in Jakarta with promises of earning up to $200 a day fishing tuna.

But once on board they were forced to work round-the-clock with little food and no pay.

“You can start at two o’clock in the morning and work all the way to 10 at night. And then two o’clock in the morning you start again,” one dejected worker told AFP.

Many of the fishermen did not want to give their names for fear of repercussions from the recruitment agents back home who lived near their families.

After local media began covering the men’s story, immigration officials took them ashore, said Miriam Augustus, who had been providing them with food and water.

“I asked the policeman why they are moving the fishermen,” Augustus said. ”He said, ‘This is what happens when you go to newspapers and say bad things about the country.’”

South Africa’s fisheries department did not respond to requests for information on the men.

The men said despite their horror story, they are determined to wait for payment, saying they cannot afford to go back home penniless.

“I have a wife and three children at home,” said one man. ”After all this time how can I return without even one cent to my name?”

Laundry hangs on seven rusted Taiwanese-registered fishing boats where 75 stranded
 Indonesian fishermen have been living at Cape Town Harbor, on Nov. 28, 2013
(AFP, Rodger Bosch)

‘Floating shanties’

A 44-year-old man said he had worked on various vessels for 37 months without pay, often transferred to other boats when his contract expired.

The men also claim that at times they were ordered to repaint the name of their vessel at least five times a day, in an attempt to evade fishing authorities.

Tuna was not the only fish caught during their lengthy stay at sea. Other catch included swordfish, dolphins and sharks, in contravention of local marine laws.

A fishing log from one boat showed a catch of 70 tones.

Cassiem Augustus, a ship inspector for the International Transport Workers’ Federation, said the trawlers were like “floating shanties.”

“This is a blatant case of abuse and human trafficking,” he said. ”They have been abandoned by their agents and no one knows who the owners of these vessels are.”

He said inside the vessel there was one toilet for 12 men and that they had been drinking out of a tap used to pump oil one day and water the next.

“The conditions were inhumane. None of these men have been paid a cent, despite working 20 hour days. It’s slavery at sea.”

A spokeswoman for the Indonesian consulate in Cape Town said the fishermen were mostly uneducated and were from rural areas.

“They have no jobs and when they are offered one they become excited,” she said.

Maritime lawyer Alan Goldberg, who has applied for the vessels to be auctioned on behalf of the crew, suspect that the trawlers were owned by fishing cartels.

“These tales of abuse are the ordinary course of business in the longline fishing industry,” he said.

He said he doubted the run-down fiberglass boats would fetch a high price.

Agence France-Presse

President Mahama To Lead Process Towards ECOWAS Currency

SpyGhana, Ghana News,  

President John Dramani Mahama has pledged to lead the process towards the attainment of a common monetary convergence in Ghana and other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by 2015.

President John Dramani Mahama

He has also promised to support efforts at achieving a common currency in the sub- region by 2020.

The President made the pledge when Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, Chairman of ECOWAS and other Commissioners of the ECOWAS Commission, called on him at the Flagstaff House, Kanda.

Also present at the meeting were Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, the Chief of Staff, Prosper Douglas Bani, Seth Terkper, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, and Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.

The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State at its last Extraordinary Session in Dakar, Senegal, in October, 2013, selected President Mahama and the President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, to monitor and supervise the implementation of the monetary corporation project towards the attainment of the monetary convergence by 2015, and a common currency by 2020.

The four criteria for the attainment of the monetary convergence are the reduction in the rate of inflation, achieving minimal budget deficit, a significant financing of the economy by the Central Bank, and a Foreign Exchange Reserve of up to six months.

President Mahama said the attainment of a common currency in West Africa would facilitate business transactions among the people of the various countries in the sub-region, while the monetary convergence would enable the sub-region to negotiate with other continental groupings as a bloc, instead of being separate countries.

He mentioned that the on-going public financial management reforms in Ghana would position Ghana to consolidate the inflation target that it has achieved, and move the country ahead to achieve the other targets on reducing budget deficit, a significant financing of the economy the Central Bank and Foreign Exchange Reserve of up to six months by 2015.

According to him, by 2011, Ghana had achieved almost all of the four targets, but slacked in the process due mainly to some economic pressures, and indicated that the on-going reforms would prevent the reversal.

Vice-President Amissah-Arthur stressed the need for all member countries to demonstrate political will towards the attainment of the monetary convergence and the common currency.

Mr Ouedraogo expressed confidence in the ability of President Mahama to use his diplomatic skills to lead the monetary co-operation project towards the attainment of the monetary convergence and the common currency among ECOWAS by 2020.

He said the ECOWAS Commission had prepared a memorandum and wanted President Mahama to review it and offer his advice on the way forward for the realization of the single monetary zone by 2020.

Mr Ouedraogo explained that the first step was for the member-countries to achieve monetary convergence by 2015 to prepare the way for the attainment of the common currency by 2020.

Source: citifmonline

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A Latin American Euro? The Region’s First Steps Towards A Unique Currency -- What IsThe Sucre?

ASEAN has good single currency prospect

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“…. Human Nature is Changing

There's a new concept afoot, a change in Human nature. We've spoken about this before. How many of you studied European history? And in school, did your mind fill up with all of the dates you had to memorize? Who conquered whom and when? Over and over and over, every single country had their turn conquering another country. Borders moved constantly. As far back as you want to go, that's what Humans did. They separated, gathered, and conquered. But as little as 50 years ago, it all stopped.

We've said this before. Fifty years ago, a seed, an idea, was planted at the end of World War II. "Let's put these European countries together," they said. "Let's even drop the borders and eventually give them one currency." Do this and they'll never war again, they predicted, for countries with common economic sources don't go to war! And that's exactly what's happened. Did it work? It's fairly fresh, but their money is threatening to take over the strength of your money, did you notice? It's worth more than yours. They still struggle to make it work and balance it. But then again, you do the same in the United States, always fine tuning the unity.

South America is considering the same thing right now. The seeds are being planted in Brazil. Within a generation, they would love to see the borders dropped and one currency. Can they do it? Perhaps. Perhaps it will take longer. Why do it? Because they see the European Union with the strongest currency on Earth. We've said this before. Here is a prediction: Perhaps not in your time, but there'll come a day when there are only five currencies in the world, because continents will start understanding that unification creates peace and prosperity. Separation creates chaos. What a concept.  …”

Africa - "The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

"..  Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.

Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.

In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit. …."