Month: June 2022

Queen Elizabeth II will make two appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony on Thursday, kicking off four days of public events to mark her historic Platinum Jubilee.

The extent of the 96-year-old monarch’s involvement in the celebrations for her record-breaking 70 years on the throne has been a source of speculation for months.

She has cut back drastically on her public appearances since last year because of difficulties standing and walking — and a bout of COVID-19.

But royal officials confirmed that she would take the salute of mounted troops from the balcony after a military parade called Trooping the Colour.

The centuries-old ceremony to officially mark the sovereign’s birthday has previously seen the queen take the salute on horseback herself.

Her 73-year-old son and heir, Prince Charles, will step in this year, supported by his sister, Princess Anne, 71, and his eldest son, Prince William, 39.

Joining senior royals watching the display of military precision will be Charles’ younger son, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, on a rare visit from California, Buckingham Palace confirmed.

But the queen’s disgraced second son, Prince Andrew, 62, is not expected to join them.

She will return to the balcony later to watch a flyby of military aircraft, including iconic models from World War II, the palace said.

At nightfall, the queen will be at Windsor Castle, west of London, to take part in a ceremony to light more than 3,000 beacons across the country and the Commonwealth of 54 nations that she heads.

Parties, parades, concerts

Elizabeth was a 25-year-old princess when she succeeded her father, King George VI in 1952, bringing a rare touch of glamour to a battered nation still enduring food rations after World War II.

Seventy years on, she is now the only monarch most Britons have ever known, becoming an enduring figurehead through often troubled times.

Britain’s first and very likely only Platinum Jubilee will see street parties, pop concerts and parades until Sunday in potentially the last major public celebration of the queen’s long reign.

It has not yet been confirmed if she will attend a thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, while her planned attendance at horse racing showcase The Derby on Saturday is off.

She could yet put in a final appearance — again from the palace balcony — on Sunday, at the climax of a huge public pageant involving 6,000 performers.

In a message, the queen thanked everyone involved in organizing the community events in Britain and around the world.

“I know that many happy memories will be created at these festive occasions,” she said.

“I continue to be inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last 70, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.”

Attention turning to succession

The jubilee, held against a backdrop of rising inflation that has left many Britons struggling, is being seen not just as respite for the public after two years scarred by the pandemic but also for the royals.

Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, caused shockwaves in early 2020 by moving to North America, from where they have publicly criticized royal life.

In April last year, she lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, and was forced to sit alone at his funeral because of coronavirus restrictions.

Since then, she has struggled with her health and also the fallout from Andrew’s links to the convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Andrew, who in February settled a U.S. civil claim for sexual assault, has effectively been fired from his royal duties.

Attention is increasingly turning to the succession, and the monarchy’s future at home and in the 14 other Commonwealth countries where the queen is also head of state.

Her approval rating among Britons remains high at 75%, according to a poll by YouGov published Wednesday, but Charles is only at 50%.

A total of 62% still want a monarchy, although younger people are split, with 33% in favor, and 31% wanting a republic.

Only 39% said they thought there would still be a monarch in 100 years’ time.

Source: Voice of America

A top official at the World Health Organization said the U.N. health agency assumes the coronavirus outbreak in North Korea is “getting worse, not better,” despite the secretive country’s recent claims that COVID-19 is slowing there.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO’s emergencies chief, Dr. Mike Ryan, appealed to North Korean authorities for more information about the COVID-19 outbreak there, saying, “We have real issues in getting access to the raw data and to the actual situation on the ground.”

He said WHO has not received any privileged information about the epidemic — unlike in typical outbreaks, when countries may share more sensitive data with the organization so it can evaluate the public health risks for the global community.

Tough to analyze

“It is very, very difficult to provide a proper analysis to the world when we don’t have access to the necessary data,” he said.

WHO has previously voiced concerns about the impact of COVID-19 in North Korea’s population, which is believed to be largely unvaccinated and whose fragile health systems could struggle to deal with a surge of cases prompted by the highly infectious omicron and its subvariants.

Ryan said WHO had offered technical assistance and supplies to North Korean officials multiple times, including offering COVID-19 vaccines at least three times.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials discussed revising stringent anti-epidemic restrictions, state media reported, as they maintained a widely disputed claim that the country’s first COVID-19 outbreak is slowing.

The discussion at the North’s Politburo meeting on Sunday suggested it would soon relax a set of draconian curbs, imposed after its admission of the omicron outbreak this month, out of concern about its food and economic situations.

North Korea’s claims to have controlled COVID-19 without widespread vaccination, lockdowns or drugs have been met with widespread disbelief, particularly its insistence that only dozens have died among many millions infected — a far lower death rate than seen anywhere else in the world.

The North Korean government has said there are about 3.7 million people with fever or suspected COVID-19. But it disclosed few details about the severity of illness or how many people have recovered, frustrating public health experts’ attempt to understand the extent of the outbreak.

Help sought from China, South Korea

“We really would appeal for a more open approach so we can come to the assistance of the people of [North Korea], because right now we are not in a position to make an adequate risk assessment of the situation on the ground,” Ryan said. He said WHO was working with neighboring countries like China and South Korea to ascertain more about what might be happening in North Korea, saying that the epidemic there could have global implications.

WHO’s criticism of North Korea’s failure to provide more information about its COVID-19 outbreak stands in contrast to the U.N. health agency’s failure to publicly fault China in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

In early 2020, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus repeatedly praised China publicly for its speedy response to the emergence of the coronavirus, even as WHO scientists privately grumbled about China’s delayed information-sharing and stalled sharing of the genetic sequence of COVID-19.

Source: Voice of America

Luanda – The diplomat Albino Malungo presented Tuesday in Manama capital of Bahrain the credential letters to the king Hamad bin Al Khalifa that makes him officially the non-resident ambassador of Angola in that Persian Gulf country.

ANGOP has learnt that the ceremony held in Al Sakhir Palace included the accreditation of other 11 ambassadors, namely from Gabon, Belarus, Estonia, Croatia, Austria, Kenya, Vatican, Australia, Côte d’Ivoire, New Zealand and Cyprus.

Albino Malungo transmitted to Bahrain king special greetings and esteem from the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, and highlighted the need for both countries to improve the cooperation that started in 2009.

On his turn, the king wished success to the new ambassadors and promised support to reinforce more the cooperation relations between Bahrain and each ambassador´s country.

Albino Malungo is the resident ambassador in Saudi Arabia and is non-resident ambassador in Bahrain, Kuwait, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Angola and Bahrain established formal diplomatic relations with the signing of several legal instructive documents in September of 2013, in New York.

The archipelago of Bahrain is rich in oil, has borders with Iran at northeast, with Qatar in east and with Saudi Arabia in south-west.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Lubango – The slight change in the exchange rate that occurred in the last week of May with the Angolan currency (Kwanza) losing some ground to the main currencies does not mean a depreciation, but it is justified by the floating exchange rate regime in force, the Governor of the Central Bank of Angola (BNA), José de Lima Massano said Tuesday.

Speaking in a press conference in the southern Huila Province, following a meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (CPM) of the BNA, the governor said in April, the exchange rate stood at USD/AOA 405.62 against USD/AOA 446.44 of the previous month, which represented a monthly appreciation of 10.06 percent and accumulated 36.8 percent in the year.

José Massano said the Monetary Base in national currency remained stable in April, but contracted by 6.39%, in homologous terms, adding that the monetary aggregate in national currency expanded by 4.97% in the month of April and 16.23% in homologous terms.

The BNA governor explained that this was not a depreciation, having admitted certain pressure resulting from demand, however not caused by supply, since the BNA sold one billion dollars to the banks in May.

“We have registered, yes, in recent weeks and throughout May, a certain pressure, but nothing that can be understood as a depreciation of the Kwanza, because until April we had an appreciation of the exchange rate of about 36 percent”, he said.

He stressed that the supply of currency has not slowed down either, and that what is happening is a peak in demand, however without sign of a reversal of the picture that has been verified since the beginning of the year.

To reverse the trend, José de Lima Massano advised importers to negotiate a forward exchange rate with commercial banks to avoid last minute requests, which can put pressure on the system.

Home loans start this month

The reduction of the mandatory reserve coefficient in national currency from 22 percent to 17 percent until July, serves for banks to offer with greater security, the housing credit (mortgage) that starts in July, Mr Massano disclosed.

The governor added that despite uncertainties and risks associated with the external economic context and potential impacts on the national economy still in the recovery phase, the current course of monetary policy remains adequate to achieve the inflation target.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Angolan President, João Lourenço, inaugurated Wednesday a new Infant-maternal Hospital located in the country’s capital, with the capacity for 220 beds.

The hospital dubbed “Dr. Manuel Pedro Azancot de Menezes” is located in the Camama District, Municipality of Belas, in Luanda, with a built area of 45,006 square meters.

The hospital is expected to increase the coverage of paediatric and maternity services, contributing to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality and increase the life expectancy of the population.

The paediatric hospital comprises three blocks with clinical emergency services, delivery room, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, physical therapy, physical rehabilitation and surgery.

Valued at 179 million US dollars, the hospital also has a burn unit, a respiratory therapy unit, clinical analysis laboratories, an imaging and radiodiagnostic system, a morgue, and a parking lot for 520 cars.

With the construction of this important hospital new jobs were created, with the hiring of 693 workers, 612 of whom are Angolans and 81 expatriates.

The Angolan government, through the Ministry of Health, built the hospital to increase the supply of qualified health services to pregnant women and their babies.

The ceremony was witnessed by the vice-president of the Republic, Bornito de Sousa, the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, and government officials, among other personalities.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Angola and Brazil signed Wednesday in Luanda two legal instruments in the fields of agriculture and defence, aimed at exploring and providing reciprocal advantages.

The agreements were signed during the meeting of the Joint Commission for Cooperation between Angola and Brazil, at which the strengthening and deepening of cooperation between the two States was discussed.

In addition to signing the new legal instruments, the two delegations analysed regional and international issues under the CPLP, with emphasis on cooperation, mobility agreements, investment facilitation and double taxation.

At the opening of the III meeting of the High Level Bilateral Commission between Angola and Brazil, the head of Angolan diplomacy, Téte António, highlighted the potential of this country, which has one of the largest economies in South America.

“Brazil is a country with a competitive, diversified market and extensive experience in the agriculture, food industry, aeronautics, among others”, he underlined.

Téte António reiterated that the Angolan Government’s priorities are aimed at diversifying the national economy, which is still dependent on natural resources, stressing that agriculture is the lever for this process.

He clarified that all efforts are being made to revive and develop agriculture, to reduce dependence on food imports.

The top diplomat said that Brazil’s experience in the agricultural sector is welcome, as it helps to promote and deepen cooperation in this field.

In turn, the minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Carlos Alberto Franco França, thanked his Angolan counterpart, Téte António, for the collaboration in carrying out the operation to repatriate Brazilian citizens during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The delegations reaffirmed the importance of deepening the existing friendship and cooperation relations between Angola and Brazil.

The ministers highlighted the historical relations of friendship, fraternity, brotherhood and cooperation between both countries and peoples, reiterating the desire to boost them to levels more in line with the ambitions based on bases that support a diversified strategic partnership, with stress to cooperation mutually beneficial economy.

Cooperation between Angola and Brazil began to take shape on June 11, 1980, with the signing of the Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement.

Under this agreement, Angola and Brazil developed their cooperation in the areas of health, culture, public administration, professional training, education, environment, sports, statistics and agriculture.

Brazil was the first country in the world to recognise Angola’s independence, proclaimed on November 11, 1975, by then President António Agostinho Neto.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Angolan minister of Health Sílvia Lutucuta said Wednesday in Luanda that the Camama Maternal-Infant Hospital will use assisted reproduction techniques and, in the near future, “in vitro”, whose legal coverage is in completion stage.

Dubbed “Dr. Manuel Pedro Azancot de Menezes”, the hospital unit, located in Camama urban district, municipality of Talatona (Luanda), will contribute, with its skills, to the implementation of the Angolan Executive’s vision of improving health care.

Inaugurated Wednesday (01 June) by the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, the hospital will also allow for the execution of equitable actions, as well as accelerate the access of children and women to efficient and quality health services.

The minister said that the hospital is a tertiary level of care, a national reference, with high complexity in maternal, neonatal and child health care, as well as dedicated to teaching excellence and developing research.

“We can easily show that, despite the economic crisis, aggravated by the health emergency that hit all health systems in the world, President João Lourenço dedicated special attention to the social sector, thus ensuring in the short, medium and long term that its positive results be felt in the main indicators of health and well-being of populations”, she said.

Therefore, the health sector has been recording an improvement in the provision of more and better services throughout the national territory, which has allowed an increase in the percentage of institutional births attended by qualified personnel, with a significant impact on institutional maternal mortality.

Likewise, according to the minister, there was an increase in the number of health units that provide integrated care for children.

The infrastructure has a capacity for 220 beds.

The 10-storey building, three of which are underground, comprises three blocks, with clinical emergency services, delivery room, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, physiotherapy and physical rehabilitation and surgery.

Estimated at USD 179 million, the hospital also has a unit for burns, respiratory therapy, laboratories for clinical analyses, an imaging and radiodiagnosis system, a morgue and a parking lot for 520 vehicles.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, praised today the work of health professionals, especially cardiologists, who “have performed real miracles”.

As an example, the Angolan statesman cited the surgeons at Josina Machel Hospital and Dom Alexandre do Nascimento Hospital Complex, who, with very young and competent teams, are performing major surgeries.

According to João Lourenço, who was speaking to the press after inaugurating the Maternity and Infant Hospital “Dr. Manuel Pedro Azancot de Menezes”, the Angolan government will continue to invest in the health sector, and proof of this are the recent inaugurations of several hospital units across the country.

Likewise, he praised the total and unconditional delivery of these professionals during the critical phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For this reason, he thanked the health professionals, while drawing attention to the importance of humanisation in the care of the population.

He stressed that the trend is to put an end to bad practices and follow good examples, which are those of the majority.

The President said that attributing the name of Professor Dr. Azancot de Menezes to the institution is a great tribute to a doctor who dedicated his life to maternal and child health in Angola and other countries.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Parliament Speaker Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos paid tribute Wednesday to the National Assembly MP of the opposition UNITA party Amílcar Campos Kolela, who died of illness in Luanda at the age of 58.

At the wake, held at the Army Headquarters, the Speaker of the Angolan Parliament conveyed condolences to the bereaved family and to the UNITA Parliamentary group.

Fernando Dias dos Santos considered Amílcar Campos Kolela an engaged, disciplined MP, fulfilling his duties and a fighter for the consolidation of peace and national reconciliation “and who, unfortunately, leaves us at a time when he still had a lot to give the country”.

“In this moment of pain and mourning, on behalf of myself, that of all Members of the AN and that of my family, I present to the bereaved family and to UNITA Parliamentary group our feelings of condolence and we commit ourselves to fight for peace and national reconciliation”, he expressed.

In the eulogy, the leader of UNITA, Álvaro Chikwamanga Daniel, highlighted the deceased’s ability to organise and work, which earned him his appointment as secretary of his party’s Standing Committee.

On the other hand, Ernesto Mulato, one of UNITA’s historical figures, recalled the MP’s interventions in the AN plenary sessions, considering them to be of high level.

“He was a very intelligent and dedicated worker, he will be sorely missed not only at the level of Parliament and in the committee to which he belonged (Economy and Finance)”, he underlined.

Benedito Daniel, deputy of the PRS, considered the deceased as a MP who knew how to zealously fulfill his mission. “UNITA loses one of its best staff”.

Amílcar Campos Kolela, who was buried Wednesday, at the Benfica Cemetery, in Luanda, was born in October 1964, in the province of Huambo, was elected member to the National Assembly in the 2017 elections.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Cambundi-Catembo – The deputy provincial governor for the Political, Economic and Social sector, Domingos Eduardo, Tuesday reiterated the need to vigorously combat the practice of violence against children, especially sexual abuse and exploitation of children, with a view to their full development.

Speaking during the provincial ceremony held on June 1 (International Children’s Day), in Mussolo, Cambundi-Catembo municipality, Domingos Eduardo said that the society has the duty to protect children until they become adults, responsible and capable of contributing to the country’s development.

In this sense, he understands that families have increased responsibilities, since they represent the primary institution of society, but regretted the fact that in many cases, it is within this fringe where flagrant violations of the rights of minors are registered.

He recalled that the State also has its task in what concerns the protection of children’s rights, which go through the creation of quality teaching conditions and other actions that contribute for the healthy growth of this fringe, but it is up to the families to provide their share regarding other aspects of preservation.

On the other hand, the official announced the inauguration in the next days of a children shelter centre in Lombe commune, Cacuso municipality, with capacity to house 220 minors, with the purpose of reducing the number of children on the streets.

Source: Angola Press News Agency