Day: July 23, 2022

Luanda – Kifangondo-Caxito road, which connects the provinces of Luanda and northern Bengo province will be widened in the near future, announced Saturday the President of the MPLA, João Lourenço.

The roads that connect the provinces of Luanda, Benguela and Huambo will also deserve attention, in the context of improving mobility throughout the country, according to João Lourenço.

The party leader was speaking at MPLA’s mass political rally in Luanda, as part of the  campaign for the general elections of 24 August.

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – Over 13,000 families in Luanda province have benefited from homes in several central areas and housing projects, said the MPLA leader João Lourenço on Saturday.

 

 

The party president said so at the political mass event held in Luanda, as part of election campaign set to start on Sunday (24).

 

João Lourenço added that the beneficiaries have received houses in Zango 0 and Zango 5 urban zones and in Maye Maye housing complex.

 

João Lourenço also mentioned the investment that was made in health sector and basic sanitation in cities, mainly in Luanda, stressing that the solid waste, trash produced and not treated affects the health of the population.

 

“If we want to control malaria and other diseases, we should not stop working on elimination of solid waste and other trash. We have to invest in eliminating the disease vector”, stressed the MPLA candidate for President of the Republic.

 

MPLA President spoke of the efforts made to clean up Luanda´s drainage ditches over the last two years, as well as improving the collection and treatment of rubbish.

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Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – More than 500,000 household electrical energy connections were conducted in Luanda province, as part of the supply of this good to the populations, said the MPLA President João Lourenço on Saturday (23).

The party leader was speaking at the mass political event held in Luanda, which marked the opening of the MPLA campaign for the general elections on 24 August, in Angola.

According to the President of the Republic, the Angolan Executive will continue to invest in the electricity sector, to improve the conditions of the population.

As an example, he said that public lighting in Luanda has improved considerably in recent years, despite the vandalism unleashed by some citizens, who destroy and remove the invested resources.

However, the MPLA candidate for President of the Republic acknowledged the existence of places deprived of this good.

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Lubango- National Police Commander-General Commissioner-General Arnaldo Manuel Carlos has appealed to the citizens to avoid violence as they head to August 24, 2022 elections.

Speaking in the central Huila province on Friday, the police commander urged everyone to demonstrate exemplary behaviour during August 24 elections.

The high ranking officer has called on supporters for contending political parties for serenity.

Police officers are prepared to ensure safety during the general elections, the commander told the press on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Integrated Center for Public Security (CISP) in Huíla province.

At least 14.3 million voters are expected to cast ballots this year in Angola of which 22,560 voters abroad for the first time in the country’s history.

Overseas voting takes place in 12 countries and 25 cities, located in Africa, Europe and South America.

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

 

Luanda – With just 24 hours to go before the opening of the election campaign in Angola, to be held over the next 30 days, civil society is multiplying its calls for tolerance and mutual respect among contestants.

The appeals for restraint, in this remarkable period for the country, come from various social organisations, which recommend an exemplary posture and respect for democratic foundations to the political players involved in the electoral dispute.

In the run-up to the ballot on 24 August, Angolans living in the country and abroad are called upon to preserve peace and political stability.

In the opinion of civil society organisations, the parties validated by the Constitutional Court to contest the general elections must take into account, above all, the need for civic-mindedness during the campaign.

Angola is going to the polls for the fifth time in its history since it gained independence on 11 November 1975.

In total, seven political parties and a coalition of parties are qualified to participate in the ballot, to dispute, inch by inch, the vote of the 14.3 million voters registered by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).

According to the civil society representatives heard by ANGOP, it is fundamental that the contestants prepare the militants and sympathisers for the need to be tolerant, despite the political and ideological differences.

They invoke the need for the contestants to look to the future and the welfare of the communities as the main objective to be achieved in the next five years of governance, as well as the continuous affirmation of Angola in the concert of nations.

For the head of the Electoral Observation Mission, Dom Gabriel Mbilingui, said it was fundamental that the country’s political players have moderation in their speeches.

He advised them to remain firm and to respect the democratic process, hoping that this year’s general elections would be free, fair and transparent.

The secretary-general of the Council of Christian Churches in Angola (CICA), DeolindaTeca, called on contestants to respect difference, stressing that they should not look at each other as enemies, but rather as political adversaries.

“We would not like politicians to bring situations that undermine harmony, peace and stability in Angola, that is why they should avoid mushy speeches that should not occur in the public and political stage,” she advised.

The president of the Local Education Forum, Nelson Paulo, appealed to society to promote, at this stage, peace, national reconciliation and political stability in the country.

He is of the view that political actors, especially parties that benefit from public resources and other social benefits, are challenged to think of the national interest, to the detriment of group interests, in order to help preserve peace.

He appealed to churches to help in this process by providing scientific knowledge to inform the way society as a whole acts.

To that end, he suggested that they use the media and other similar bodies to spread the message to the largest number of Angolans, including abroad.

The associative leader pointed to dialogue as a fundamental tool to promote trust, having suggested the creation of some spaces where everyone can speak in an open way, involving exempt people and institutions.

He said that political parties and society should have a good attitude, based on tolerance, in order to prevent the process from leading to possible conflicts.

Transparent elections 

The director-general of Action for Rural Development and the Environment (ADRA), Carlos Cambuta, called on political parties or coalitions of parties, and citizens in general, to opt for a civic conduct.

He said he hoped society would look at the elections as an opportunity to elect the party or coalition of parties that are up to the task of ruling the country, taking into account the challenges of the present and the future.

“Citizens must assume a behaviour based on plural respect and the will to contribute to the consolidation of peace and national reconciliation,” he said.

He advised political players to avoid insulting speeches and to pass on to society positive ideas about the resolution of the various ills that plague the country.

Carlos Cambuta also argued that allegations of electoral fraud should be seen as a concern by all institutions and citizens.

“The country must overcome this challenge – confidence – with determination, that is, the allegations of fraud must be accompanied by objectively verifiable means and, if proven, must be corrected immediately, without prejudice to the timetable leading to the holding of the elections. In this way, all citizens with electoral capacity participate in the polls with the feeling of greater security”, he stressed.

He also argued that the public and private media should treat all contestants equally, particularly in terms of news coverage of mass political events.

He also called for political parties to avoid personal attacks, which do not contribute to the good electoral atmosphere necessary for the country.

“We appeal, for this reason, to the running parties to opt for a debate of ideas on the various issues of national interest,” he said.

Angola has an estimated 33.9 million inhabitants, according to figures recently published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

 

Of these, 64.9 percent are young people, with an estimated 21.4 million people aged 25 or under.

For this year’s general elections, 14.3 million voters are expected, of which 22,560 are due to vote from abroad.

This year’s elections, which will have the participation of Angolans abroad for the first time, are the fifth in Angola’s history, after those of 1992, 2008, 2012 and 2017.

Overseas voting will take place in 12 countries and 26 cities, such as South Africa (Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg), Namibia (Windhoek, Oshakati and Rundu), Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Matadi), Congo (Brazzaville, Dolisie and Black Point) and Zambia (Lusaka, Mongu, Kolwezi).

Outside the continent, voting will take place in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Sao Paulo), Germany (Berlin), Belgium (Brussels), France (Paris), the United Kingdom (London), Portugal (Lisbon, Porto) and the Netherlands (Rotterdam).

The previous ballot was held on 23 August 2017 by six political forces, with the participation of 76.57 per cent of at least 9.3 million voters.

The MPLA won by an absolute majority, with 61 percent of the votes, ahead of UNITA (26.67 percent) and CASA-CE (9.44 percent).

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

 

Luanda – The vice-president of the Humanist Party of Angola (PHA), Nsimba Luwawa, defended Saturday in Luanda the need to further humanize the various sectors of society.

While speaking to ANGOP in the scope of the ballot scheduled for 24 August, the politician explained that his party defends greater valuing of human beings over material means.

 

“The country’s governance tendency is to value what is material (the roads, bridges, cars, housing and hospitals), without knowing how the people are exactly, which means, their psycho-social state. This is the perspective that the PHA wants to change, that is, to think first about human beings and only afterwards about things”, argued the young politician.

 

While defending the good psychological and social health status of the citizens in the country, the official advocates that his party intends to implement a proximity policy and work with and for everybody.

 

According to Nsimba Luwawa, “the lack of humanization in the country has kept away Angolans and PHA wants to change this situation”, if it wins the general election.

 

The Humanist Party of Angola (PHA) that participates in the general elections for the first time, will open its political campaign Sunday in the southern province of Huíla, where its leader, Florbela Malaquias is already present.

 

The electoral campaign officially starts on Sunday (24th) throughout the country, with the participation of eight political forces, according to the law.

 

This party has already visited the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Benguela and Namibe, where it held courtesy meetings with the provincial government authorities, police and traditional leaders.

 

The 2022 election has eight contesting political parties, of which two are taking part for the first time, namely the PHA and P-ONJANGO.

 

The eight political parties will compete for roughly 14.399 million votes, of which 22.560 are abroad.

 

The Angolan diaspora will debut its vote in this fifth election in Angola´s history, after the elections of 1992, 2008, 2012 and 2017.

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

 

Luanda – The Social Renewal Party (PRS) in case of winning the elections of 24 August, plans to reshape and improve the Angolan education system.

This plan is part of the Electoral Manifesto of the party that comprises 13 requirements for improving the living conditions of Angolans.

 

In this regard, PRS wants to improve the Angolan education system and fight any behaviour aimed to create difficulties towards access to education, science and culture.

 

According to the Electoral Manifesto that ANGOP had Access to, the party plans to adopt a policy that ensures the medical and hospital assistance, as well as promoting traditional medicine as a support to scientific medicine.

 

PRS intends to boost preventive health by taking care of nutrition, basic sanitation and routine lectures on human health awareness and accelerate the country’s economic development.

 

The party points out that, if it wins the elections, it will ensure the introduction of the Federal State, so that governors are elected in a framework in which the provinces become federated states.

 

PRS also intends to institutionalise land as the original property of the people and hold the local elections simultaneously in all of Angola´s municipalities.

 

The Social Renewal Party (PRS) was founded on 18 November 1990, having as first president Eduardo Kuangana, who led the party for 27 years.

 

In the first election that took place in 1992, PRS won six seats in the Parliament and in the 2008 elections it increased to eight seats.

 

In the 2012 elections, the party only had five seats and in 2017 elections it only won two parliamentary seats.

 

The youth wing of this party is the Social Renewal Youth and the women’s wing is the Social Renewal Women´s Union.

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Two children have been diagnosed with monkeypox in the U.S., health officials said Friday.

One is a toddler in California and the other an infant who is not a U.S. resident but was tested while in Washington, D.C., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The children were described as being in good health and receiving treatment. How they caught the disease is being investigated, but officials think it was through household transmission.

Other details weren’t immediately disclosed.

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, but this year more than 15,000 cases have been reported in countries that historically don’t see the disease. In the U.S. and Europe, most infections have happened in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

In addition to the two pediatric cases, health officials said they were aware of at least eight women among the more than 2,800 U.S. cases reported so far.

While the virus has mostly been spreading among men who have sex with men, “I don’t think it’s surprising that we are occasionally going to see cases” outside that social network, the CDC’s Jennifer McQuiston told reporters Friday.

Officials have said the virus can spread through close personal contact, and via towels and bedding. That means it can happen in homes, likely through prolonged or intensive contact, said Dr. James Lawler, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“People don’t crawl on each other’s beds unless they are living in the same house or family,” he said.

In Europe, there have been at least six monkeypox cases among kids 17 years old and younger.

This week, doctors in the Netherlands published a report of a boy who was seen at an Amsterdam hospital with about 20 red-brown bumps scattered across his body. It was monkeypox, and doctors said they could not determine how he got it.

In Africa, monkeypox infections in children have been more common, and doctors have noted higher proportions of severe cases and deaths in young children.

One reason may be that many older adults were vaccinated against smallpox as kids, likely giving them some protection against the related monkeypox virus, Lawler said.

Smallpox vaccinations were discontinued when the disease was eradicated about 40 years ago.

 

 

Source: Voice of America

 

 

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus used his authority Saturday to declare Monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern. The action comes after an Emergency Committee convened to review the situation was unable to reach consensus.

When the Emergency Committee last met a month ago, more than 3,000 cases of monkeypox in 47 countries had been reported to the WHO. Since then, the outbreak has grown, with more than 16,000 cases reported in 75 countries. Five deaths from the disease also have been reported.

As happened the last time it met, the committee again was unable to reach consensus on whether monkeypox posed a global health threat. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says he has evaluated the information under consideration and has determined there is a clear risk of further international spread of the disease.

“So, in short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations,” said Tedros. “For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.”

Tedros says the WHO believes monkeypox poses a moderate risk globally and in all regions, except in the European region, where it assesses the risk as high. Although there is a potential for further international spread, he says the danger of interference with international traffic remains low for now.

The monkeypox virus is spread from person to person through close bodily contact. For now, the outbreak is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.

Since the outbreak is largely contained in one group, Tedros says monkeypox can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups.

“It is therefore essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights, and dignity of affected communities,” he said. “Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus.”

Tedros says the necessary tools for tackling the outbreak are available. However, he adds the world must act together. It must act in coordination and solidarity to bring the monkeypox virus under control and prevent it from gaining a foothold in the countries where it is found.

Source: Voice of America