March 22, 2022

Tackling one of the World’s Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates, to Give Girls a Better Future

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TDPel Media

“I have had doors closed in my face many times, but my desire to bring knowledge to young people and adolescents in order to avoid unwanted pregnancy has no end,” said Stela Varela, 28, an activist for the Youth Support Centre (CAJ) and a beneficiary of the Safeguard Young People (SYP) programme. Ms. Varela applies the knowledge she has acquired in her seven years as an activist in her neighbourhood of Bairro da Mitcha, on the outskirts of the city of Lubango, in the province of Huíla. Helping her community – especially girls and young women – fills her with pride. Young women contributing to … Continue reading “Tackling one of the World’s Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates, to Give Girls a Better Future”

March 22, 2022

Pritzker Military Museum & Library Announces Selected Design in International Design Competition for the Cold War Veterans Memorial

“Orbits” by Oyler Wu Collaborative Selected for Cold War Veterans Memorial in Somers, Wisconsin

Somers, Wisconsin, March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Contact:

Erika Davis

Senior Communications Associate

erika.davis@tawani.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pritzker Military Museum & Library Announces Selected Design in

International Design Competition for the Cold War Veterans Memorial

“Orbits” by Oyler Wu Collaborative Selected for Cold War Veterans Memorial in Somers, Wisconsin

SOMERS, WI (March 22, 2022) – In April 2021, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, located in Chicago, launched an international competition for the new Cold War Veterans Memorial to be built in Somers, Wisconsin, as a part of the Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center (PAMPC) project. After reviewing an impressive number of inspiring design concepts, Orbits has been selected as the final design of the competition.

Orbits is designed by Jenny Wu and Dwayne Oyler of Oyler Wu Collaborative in Los Angeles, California. From its formal structure to its shaped surroundings, the memorial emerges from the ground to become an architectural tribute to Cold War veterans, embodying the dedication, optimism, and hope that is emblematic of their enduring spirit. Collectively, the memorial unifies these complex narratives through juxtaposition, recognizing its interconnected history – one of sacrifice, triumph, and innovation.

“Each submitted design was remarkable and very inspiring. The final decision was tough, but after much discussion, we believe that the Orbits design will truly resemble a place where everyone who contributed to the Cold War will be honored. This memorial is special and very dear to many because people who sacrificed during this era are not recognized enough. Our goal is to make sure that our gratitude to these individuals is signified through this project,” said Col. Jennifer Pritzker, Founder of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.

The Design Competition was a two-stage juried process. Stage 1 was an open call to submit design concepts for the memorial. In Stage 2, the finalists evolved their concepts for the memorial to create fully defined designs. The design challenge was to provide a conceptual design for the Cold War Veterans Memorial that embraces the mission statement, exemplifies the guiding vision, and achieves the design goals authored by the Cold War Veterans Memorial Steering Committee. The finalists rose to the challenge and submitted designs that showed their passionate exploration of how to portray the scale and complexity of the Cold War for current and future generations.

As Dwyan Oyler and Jenny Wu stated in their submittal, “In recognition of the profound complexity of the Cold War, our design draws from a range of meaningful artifacts and imagery from the era to create an immersive experience — evoking a range of cultural associations organized as a set of circular ‘orbits’ through the landscape.”

The Cold War Veterans Memorial’s guiding vision is to create permanent recognition that stimulates ongoing thought and study that honors American military members and civilians who served and sacrificed during the Cold War era (1945-1991). In line with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s mission, the Cold War Veterans Memorial aims to increase the public understanding of military history and how its lessons have contributed to the history we create today.

“We are extremely honored to have received so many submissions from such talented national and international designers and seen the professional skill the finalists brought to the second stage,” said Susan Rifkin, Pritzker Military Museum & Library Interim CEO. “We are really looking forward to working with Jenny Wu and Dwayne Oyler to create a memorial that honors the lives and legacies of those who served and helped during the Cold War.”

The concept Orbits by Oyler Wu Collaborative received the unanimous recommendation of the jury as the selected design and the design team. In their summary report, the Jury said the imagery of this concept invites discovery, the setting is respectful of the site, and a variety of paths and experiences can be explored and provide a palette for interpretation.

All information on the design competition can be found at coldwarveteransmemorial.org.

Please view the design submission by Jenny Wu and Dwayne Oyler of Oyler Wu Collaborative in Los Angeles, California, here.

Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center

The PAMPC was created out of a need for additional space to house some of the circulating book collection and the archival collections of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and will be completed in phases over an estimated ten years.

The first phase of the PAMPC project will include the Pritzker Military Archives Center to house the collections and provide workspace for the continued curation for future exhibits; Commercial Archives based on demand where private collectors, public institutions, and others may store their archives; a facility specializing in firearms education and training; a Community Green Space expertly landscaped with walking and biking paths; and the Cold War Veterans Memorial.

About the Cold War Veterans Memorial

In line with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s mission, the Cold War Veterans Memorial aims to increase the public understanding of military history. It will be a lasting tribute to the courage and tenacity found in the U.S. Armed Forces and civilian personnel who faithfully and honorably served during the Cold War era, September 2, 1945, to December 26, 1991. The Memorial will be a publicly accessible display where citizens can honor, reflect, and learn about the bravery and sacrifice displayed to further our country’s freedom. To learn more, visit www.coldwarveteransmemorial.org.

About Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center

Located in Somers, Wisconsin, The Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center supports the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s mission of preserving the past, present, and future of the citizen soldier. This project has various components, the first being the Pritzker Archives Center, a state-of-the-art archive space to restore, preserve, and provide storage for the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s collections that include books, artifacts, and other historical materials. Other components of the project include a Commercial Archives Center, a firearms education center, the Cold War Veterans Memorial, and community green space. To learn more, visit www.pritzkerarchivespark.com.

About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library aims to increase the public’s understanding of military history, military affairs, and national security by providing a forum for the study and exploration of our military – past, present, and future – with a specific focus on their stories, sacrifices, and values. With national and global reach, these spaces and events aim to share the stories of those who served and their contributions as citizen soldiers, helping citizens everywhere appreciate the relationship between the armed forces and the civilians whose freedoms they protect. A non-governmental, non-partisan organization, the Museum & Library features diverse collections, scholarly initiatives, and public programs from its flagship center in downtown Chicago to its world-class research center and park currently under construction in Somers, Wisconsin.

Erika Davis
Pritzker Archives & Memorial Park Center 
erika.davis@tawani.net

March 22, 2022

Saudi Arabian entrepreneurs check business opportunities

Luanda – A business delegation from Saudi Arabia assessed this Tuesday, in the Luanda/Bengo Special Economic Zone (ZEE), the business opportunities in the areas of agribusiness, the polymer industry (various plastics), steel and dolomitic limestone.

The delegation, led by the chairman of the ASTRA multinational group (Arab Supply and Trading Company) Ali Musa Al Jabra, got to check in the industrial hub the current conditions to assemble investment projects in other sectors such as logistics, trade and services.

At the end of the visit, Ali Musa Al Jabra told the press that in the first phase he is in Angola to make contact with businesspeople and to meet with the government officials who deal with the business sector.

“Our group is composed by different sectors such as education, industry, agriculture and civil construction. So, we are in Angola and very happy with what we are seeing”, assured the official.

On his turn, the ambassador of Angola in Saudi Arabia, Fredérico Cardoso, pointed that the objective was to bring the mentioned entrepreneurs to known the business environment in Angola and to meet the business opportunities, facilities and the tax environment.

“In the Angolan diplomacy we are going to do all what it takes to use the comparative advantages and create competitive advantages in the country by serving as a bridge in these business world aiming to create jobs in Angola, to improve youths professional qualification, and, so, to produce more”, stated the ambassador.

The ambassador added that the economic democracy is one of the Angolan democracy pillars mainly in the diversification of the economy.

For that, the ambassador pointed the need to pay attention to the revenues out of the oil sector.

“The world is permanently changing and the government vision has as its fundamental objective to seek for new sources and not only the production but also revenues for the country. We have to produce for the internal consumption and export. It is in this scope that one of the missions as an ambassador which is to attract investors for the Angolan economy”, highlighted the ambassador.

The ASTRA group has its headquarter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is among the top 100 companies in the Kingdom with investments in several countries, such as Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt.

The group employs over 6000 workers in different sectors of activity namely construction and mining, education, energy, finance services and investment, food processing and agriculture, health and medicine, real estate and hospitality, mass communication, plastics, chemical specialties, steel and telecommunication.

However, this visit to Angola is part of the efforts of the Angolan Executive to attract more private, internal and external investment in sectors considered priority for the diversification of our economy and to create jobs.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

March 22, 2022

Rachel Zegler Invited to Present at Oscars, Report Says

“West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler may get her Oscars moment after all. The 20-year-old actor has been invited to be a presenter at the ceremony, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter.

The gesture came two days after Zegler, who plays Maria, posted on social media that she had not been invited to the awards and would be rooting for “West Side Story” from her couch. The Steven Spielberg film is nominated for seven Academy Awards, including best picture, director and supporting actress for Ariana DeBose, who is expected to win.

The post drew a lot of attention online as many couldn’t fathom why the lead of a best picture nominee wouldn’t have been invited to the ceremony or at least been asked to present an award.

“I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that’s how it goes sometimes, I guess,” Zegler wrote on Instagram Sunday. “Thanks for all the shock and outrage — I’m disappointed, too. But that’s OK. So proud of our movie.”

Next role: Snow White

Best picture nominees are allotted a certain number of tickets by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which the film’s studio then doles out as they see fit.

Presenters and individual nominees get a pair of tickets. And other spots in the room go to the broadcaster, sponsors and academy members, who can enter a lottery.

Zegler is not nominated, but her next big role is as Snow White, which she is currently filming in London. Some wondered why The Walt Disney Co., which owns Oscars broadcaster ABC, wouldn’t want their new Snow White there in some capacity, like presenting or performing. Others saw it as a missed opportunity to have a rising young Latina star represented at the show.

Russ Tamblyn, who played Riff in the 1961 “West Side Story” and is a voting member of the Academy, tweeted that it was the Academy’s, “duty to find Rachel a seat at the Oscars. … When they say representation matters, this is what that means. Please do right by her.”

Alec Baldwin tweeted that he would buy Zegler two tickets to the show.

And “One Day at a Time” showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett tweeted at ABC and the Academy, “How about the rare time that Latine people have a movie nominated for an OSCAR you invite the lead. Latine people are 18.5% of this country. ENOUGH!”

Tickets hard to get

Oscars tickets are always hot commodities, and this year are even more limited than usual because of efforts to maintain more space between guests to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Most Academy members have never gotten to attend.

And the outrage has only intensified as more and more presenters with limited connections to the nominated movies or the movie business at all are announced. On Monday, producers revealed that DJ Khaled, Tony Hawk, Kelly Slater and Shaun White would all be presenting awards at the show, which will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

News of Zegler’s invitation to present came Tuesday afternoon. Zegler has yet to comment and it is still unclear if she’ll be able to attend on this short notice and with her Snow White production schedule.

Representatives for the Academy, Disney and Zegler did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Source: Voice of America

March 22, 2022

Hackers Hit Authentication Firm Okta; Customers ‘May Have Been Impacted’

Okta whose authentication services are used by companies including Fedex and Moody’s to provide access to their networks, said on Tuesday that it had been hit by hackers and that some customers may have been affected.

The scope of the breach is still unclear, but it could have major consequences because thousands of companies rely on San Francisco-based Okta to manage access to their networks and applications.

Chief Security Officer David Bradbury said in a blog post that the computer of a customer support engineer working for a third-party contractor was accessed by the hackers for a five-day period in mid-January and that “the potential impact to Okta customers is limited to the access that support engineers have.”

“There are no corrective actions that need to be taken by our customers,” he said.

Nevertheless, Bradbury acknowledged that support engineers were able to help reset passwords and that some customers “may have been impacted.” He said the company was in the process of identifying and contacting them.

The nature of that impact wasn’t clear, and Okta did not immediately respond to an email asking how many organizations were potentially affected or how that squared with Okta’s advice that customers did not need to take corrective action.

On its website, Okta describes itself as the “identity provider for the internet” and says it has more than 15,000 customers on its platform.

It competes with the likes of Microsoft, PingID, Duo, SecureAuth and IBM to provide identity services such as single sign-on and multifactor authentication used to help users securely access online applications and websites.

Okta’s statement follows the posting of a series of screenshots of Okta’s internal communications by a group of ransom-seeking hackers known as Lapsus$ on their Telegram channel late on Monday.

In an accompanying message, the group said its focus was “ONLY on Okta customers.”

Lapsus$ responded to Okta’s statement on Tuesday by saying the company was trying to minimize the importance of the breach.

Some outside observers weren’t impressed with Okta’s explanation either.

Dan Tentler, the founder of cybersecurity consultancy Phobos Group, earlier told Reuters that Okta customers should “be very vigilant right now.”

There were signs that Okta customers were taking action to revisit their security.

Web infrastructure company Cloudflare issued a detailed explanation of how it reacted to the Okta breach and saying the company did not believe it had been compromised as a result.

FedEx said in a statement that it too was investigating and “we currently have no indication that our environment has been accessed or compromised.” Moody’s did not return a message seeking comment.

Lapsus$ is a relatively new entrant to the crowded ransomware field but has made waves with high-profile hacks and attention-seeking behavior.

The group compromised the websites of Portuguese media conglomerate Impresa earlier this year, tweeting the phrase “Lapsus$ is now the new president of Portugal” from one newspaper’s Twitter accounts. The Impresa-owned media outlets described the hack as an assault on press freedom.

Last month, the group leaked proprietary information about U.S. chipmaker Nvidia to the Web.

More recently the group has purported to have leaked source code from several big tech firms, including Microsoft. In a blog post published Tuesday and devoted to Lapsus$, the software firm confirmed that one of its accounts had been compromised, “gaining limited access.”

The hackers did not respond to a message left on their Telegram group chat seeking comment.

Source: Voice of America

March 22, 2022

Minister unveils new police command in Camacupa

Camacupa – The Minister of Interior, Eugénio César Laborinho, this Tuesday inaugurated the new command of the National Police (PN) of Camacupa municipality, central Bié province, whose works were part of the Integrated Programme of Intervention in Municipalities (PIIM).

The construction work was estimated at over 288 million kwanzas, and began in 2020, under the responsibility of construction company Chober Comercial Lda.

Built in an area of 1,362 square metres, the new command has several compartments, notably the offices of the commander, the prosecutor, administrative, human resources and operational rooms, barracks and a canteen.

In order to reinforce the action of the police, means of transport were delivered, namely two vehicles and nine motorbikes.

On the occasion, the minister Eugénio Laborinho said that everything is being done to provide more personnel to the national police, with the objective of reinforcing the security in the municipalities, with emphasis in the communes, embalas and villages.

The governor of Bié province, Pereira Alfredo, affirmed the continuous bet on the construction of more social infrastructures, aiming at ensuring better services to the population.

The ceremony was attended by the commander of the national police, commissioner-general Arnaldo Carlos Manuel, Commissioner Francisco Diogo, commander of the Bié Corporation, senior officers and agents, members of the government, traditional authorities, church leaders and population.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

March 22, 2022

Vice president ensures quality water for population

Luanda – The Vice-President of the Republic, Bornito de Sousa, and Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensure the supply of drinking water of quality and quantity throughout the country.

He was speaking to the press on the occasion of World Water Day, which is marked today, under the slogan “Groundwater: making the invisible visible”.

Bornito de Sousa believes that improving water supply can reduce two thirds of diseases in poor countries, as the quality of water supply has an extraordinary importance in the so-called social determinants of health.

As part of the event, he visited the Kifangondo water collection and supply station and the Candelabro Distribution Centre, also located in Cacuaco municipality, in Luanda province.

The VP believes that with the Candelabro Distribution Centre concluded, the government will solve the problem of supplying water to several locations in Luanda province.

The expansion, rehabilitation and modernization works of the centre was estimated at over US$122 million and began in 2017 and is due to end this month.

The infrastructure will provide 210,000 cubic metres of water per day, benefiting around two million inhabitants.

Ongoing projects

The official also said that a number of projects were underway to improve the supply of drinking water across the country.

He pointed, amongst the work underway, to the project to “transfer water” from the Cunene River to take the precious liquid to the areas affected by drought in the south of the country.

He also referred to projects for groundwater surveys and the search for groundwater to reduce the effects of drought.

At the Candelabro treatment plant the systems for treating raw water and pumping water to different regions of Luanda province have been built and extended.

According to officials from the Water Public Utility of Luanda (EPAL) the station will contribute to improving supplies to the central areas of Sequele and Vida Pacífica, the Maié-Maié urbanisation, Cazenga, Cacuaco, Panguila, Marçal and the Viana industrial hub.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

March 22, 2022

Angola and Saudi Arabia assess cooperation

Luanda – Angola and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday analyzed the cooperation between the two states during an audience the Angolan President, João Lourenço, granted in Luanda to Ahmed Kattan, the special envoy of the Saudi Arabia King, Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

Speaking to the press at the end of the meeting, the Saudi Royal Court Adviser said he informed the Angolan Head of State about the steps the Arabian country is taking to open an embassy in Angola in the coming months.

Ahmed Kattan added that within the framework of bilateral relations, the two countries are seeking the best ways of interaction to strengthen and develop cooperation.

The Angolan minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, on his turn, said Angola welcomes the measure announced by the Saudi authorities regarding the opening of its embassy in the country by way of reciprocity, adding that Angolan authorities will endorse Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030.

Angola opened its embassy in that Middle Eastern country in 2021.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

March 22, 2022

Uige governor calls for respect of party differences

Uige – The provincial governor of Uige, José Carvalho da Rocha, appealed Tuesday, in the municipality of Sanza-Pombo, for unity and respect for party differences, aiming at cultivating healthy coexistence among Angolans.

José Carvalho da Rocha, who went to Sanza-Pombo municipality to see the damages caused by the vandalism acts carried out by alleged UNITA militants, highlighted the importance of preserving peace among Angolans.

On Saturday, alleged UNITA militants vandalized the production center of Radio Nacional de Angola (RNA) in the municipality of Sanza Pombo and the MPLA Municipal Committee, due to a disagreement with members of the ruling party.

The fight resulted in seven injured people, three of whom were admitted to Sanza-Pombo Municipal Hospital, two of whom were transferred to Uige Provincial Hospital.

Due to what happened, the governor appealed to the population to be calm amid provocations from people who want to create instability among Angolans.

Approaching the period of general elections, José Carvalho da Rocha highlighted the importance of cultivating peace and national unity.

During his stay in Sanza-Pombo municipality, the governor delivered medicines to combat various diseases in the local hospital, visited the production center of the National Radio of Angola (RNA), the MPLA’s Municipal Committee and the residence of the local administrator, vandalized by alleged UNITA militants.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

March 22, 2022

Angola launches air navigation modernization project

Luanda – Angola on Tuesday officially launched a 25 million US dollars budgeted project to modernize the national air navigation system to enable better safety levels in the air space, increase the quality of navigation services as well as boost land and air communications, so as to attract more frequent flights in the country.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, the country’s Transport minister, Ricardo d’Abreu, said the modernization process is expected to last 18 months and that the country will be able to produce greater volume of regional and international air safety information, and attract more flights in the national airspace to enable investments recovery.

“The execution of this project aims, among others, to increase safety in the airspace and the quality of air navigation services, better communications with aircraft, training of personnel, as well as greater confidence of operators in the use of the national airspace,” the minister said.

The minister explained that the modernization includes the acquisition of automatic surveillance systems, the installation and commissioning of mobile communication systems, data communication and navigation aid systems, plus air traffic control simulator for the modernization of the training centre.

Mr Abreu stressed that the implementation of the new equipment will allow the country to increasingly adapt to the requirements of the objectives and strategies of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), regarding the capacity and efficiency of international air navigation.

“Safety, efficiency and good results are what we seek for the country, within the framework of alignment with the sector’s best international practices”, added the minister.

The ICAO Regional Director, Barry kashambo, said the action is crucial for Angola’s air navigation in the southern region and serves as an interface to Europe and South America, adding that the project “will allow Angola to provide a strong navigation service in its space with its domestic airports aligned with the best practices in the aviation sector.

Source: Angola Press News Agency