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Ghana rescues 305 West African nationals, including 113 children, in anti-trafficking operation

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — More than 300 West African nationals, including 113 children, have been rescued after an intelligence-led bust by the Ghana Immigration Service on street begging networks in the capital of Accra, the agency said on Thursday.

The operation early Wednesday targeted suspected street begging rings exploiting foreign nationals linked to human trafficking across parts of the Greater Accra Region.

According to a U.S. State Department report in 2024, Ghana does not meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking despite efforts by the government. It is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking in West Africa.

The country breakdown of the 305 nationals was not provided, but it is said to include 36 boys, 77 girls, 66 women and 126 men.

The agency said the high number of minors highlighted growing concerns over the use of children in organized begging schemes linked to human trafficking, and the operation was carried out to disrupt networks that exploit foreign nationals, particularly women and children, often under coercive arrangements.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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