Day: January 20, 2023

British actor Julian Sands, best known for his appearance in the film A Room with a View, has been missing for several days after hiking in a Southern California mountain range.

Search and rescue teams have looked for him, but their efforts have been called off because a series of storms has created adverse trail conditions and avalanche risks.

The Associated Press reports that drones and helicopters are being employed in the search for the actor when weather conditions allow.

Sands has also appeared in Warlock, 1990’s Arachnophobia, 1991’s Naked Lunch, 1993’s Boxing Helena, and 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas.

Source: Voice of America

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of tech giant Google, announced Friday it is laying off 12,000 workers across the entire company — cuts reflecting six percent of the company’s total workforce.

In an email to employees Friday, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said the company saw dramatic growth over the past two years and hired new employees “for a different economic reality than the one we face today.” He said he takes full responsibility for the decisions that led to where the company is today.

In his email, Pichai said the layoffs come following “a rigorous review across product areas and functions” to ensure the company’s employees and their roles are aligned with Google’s top priorities. “The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review,” he said.

In the email, Pichai said U.S. employees to be laid off already have been notified, while it is going to take longer for employees in other countries because of different laws and regulations.

Google’s decision comes the same week other big tech companies, Meta Platforms Inc. – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Twitter Inc., Microsoft and Amazon, announced they were laying off thousands of employees.

Source: Voice of America

Luanda – Angolan President João Lourenço on Friday appointed Guilhermina Contreiras da Costa Prata as Angolan ambassador to France.

According to a statement issued by the Presidential Palace, the Head of State had earlier sacked João Bernardo de Miranda from his position as ambassador to that European country.

Born on May 8, 1952, Prata has a degree in law from Agostinho Neto University (1985) and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the same Angolan institution, in collaboration with the Law Faculty of the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

She was a deputy to the National Assembly (parliament), minister of Justice and Vice-President of the Constitutional Court.

She is a member of the Association of Angolan Jurists, of the International Federation of Women in Legal Careers and has served on the Eventual Constitutional Revision Commission of the National Assembly and the Constitutional Commission and the Technical Commission for Constitutional Issues.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Icolo e Bengo – At least ninety-five young people of Camizungo district of the Municipality of Icolo e Bengo, Province of Luanda, received Friday from the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, professional equipment, aiming to promote their self-employment and improving the living conditions of families.

This involves equipment for agriculture, motorcycle taxi, cutting and sewing, barbershop, hair stylist, manicure and pedicure, cooking, pastry, carpentry, ironworks, bricklaying, plumber and painter.

The official delivered the equipment to the youth of Camizungo while visiting the social enterprises of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) ATOS, among others, such as green housing for peasants, healthcare center, school, community kitchen, field with synthetic turf and water fountain.

Esperança da Costa paid a long visit to all the infrastructures and received explanations about what has been done and what is still to be done.

Started in 2018, the project lives on donations and is gradually replacing sheet metal shacks with houses made of ecological blocks (Eco-Block), giving more dignity to the peasants.

The young people were happy and guaranteed they’ll focus on better living conditions for their families.

During her visit, to find out about Camizungo reality, Esperança da Costa spoke with members of the community, which is made up of over 800 residents.

The Camizungo district is situated approximately one kilometre from National Road 230, towards Catete/Luanda direction and next to the entrance to the Mazozo district. It has existed for about 15 years and is inhabited mainly by peasants.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, appointed on Friday the Air Force General Altino Carlos José dos Santos to the post of Chief of Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).

On another Decree, the FAA Commander-in-Chief and the Head of State, João Lourenço, dismissed the Air Force General Altino Carlos José dos Santos from the post of the Commander of the National Air Force (FAN).

Altino Carlos José dos Santos, replaced the Army general António Egídio de Sousa e Santos, who was dismissed this Friday from the post of Chief of Staff of FAA, by the Head of State, within the scope of his constitutional assignments, as well as after consulting the National Security Council.

According to the Press Office of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço also dismissed the general José Luís Caetano Higino de Sousa from the post of director-general of the External Intelligence Service and he was replaced by Matias Bertino Matondo.

João Lourenço also dismissed the Lieutenant-General Artur Santos Vinama from the post as advisor to the Chief of the General Staff of FAA, and appointed him deputy Chief of the General Staff for the Operational and Development Area.

Check below the list of names of other appointed officers:

1. General Adão Adriano António for the post of the Chairman of the Superior Council for Military Discipline of the General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces;

2. General João Serafim Kiteculo as the Army Commander;

3. Lieutenant-General João Cruz da Fonseca as the 2nd Army Commander;

4. General Virgínio António da Cunha Pinto as the new Commander of the National Air Force;

5. Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Mender Vasconcelos for the post of Deputy Commander of the National Air Force;

6. Vice admiral Noé Rodrigues João Magalhães as the 2nd Commander of the Angolan Navy;

7. General Sequeira João Lourenço as the Deputy Head of the Military House of the President of the Republic.

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – The National Reserve Bank of Angola (BNA) foresees by the end of 2023, an inflation rate of between 9 and to 11 percent close to that recommended in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

José de Lima Massano, BNA governor, has said that even with this forecast it is still too high.

The inflation target for the SADC countries is 4 to 6 percent, figures that will not be seen by the end of 2023 in Angola.

Currently, the BNA’s basic interest rate has risen from 19.5 percent to 18 percent, which is still above the inflation rate of 13.8 percent.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (CPM), Lima Massano spoke of the need to work more to reduce inflation, an exercise that for him should not be seen as “strangling” the economy.

“If the current picture remains unchanged, we have conditions to continue along this path”, Massano said.

To Massano, if the pace of the economy continues, and if external factors do not affect the country’s main export product, oil, or stability is maintained in the foreign exchange market and the supply of essential local and imported goods continues, then conditions are in place to reduce inflation.

“That is also our expectation”, Massano said, having admitted that in order to get there the Monetary Policy Committee would have to continue to maintain a restrictive policy.

For economic growth in 2023, the BNA expects the national economy to continue on its upward trend growing at a rate of around 3.3 percent.

In 2022, inflation was 13.8%, observing a sharp drop in the economy compared to 27.03% recorded in 2021.

In that period, 2022, there was a lower variation in prices in the economy, with a sharp drop in the prices of some products.

The behaviour of inflation was influenced by the monetary policy in progress, appreciation of the national currency in relation to foreign currencies, as well as the increase and regularity of the supply of widely consumed goods, especially foodstuffs.

Source: Angola Press News Agency