Angola News Wire
Luanda- Angola has vaccinated 23,304 people in the last 24 hours.
The daily bulletin released Thursday mentions the provinces of Uíge (3,244), Benguela (2,479), Huambo (1,801) and Huila (1,310).
So far, a total of 19.8 million doses have been administered.
Of this number, 12.8 million are single doses, 6.9 million full doses and 599,870 received booster doses.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, recently congratulated Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. for the victory achieved in the presidential elections of the Republic of the Philippines, held on May 9.
The Head of State’s message was delivered by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Angola not resident in the Republic of the Philippines, Daniel António Rosa, to the Philippine ambassador in Singapore, Joseph Del Mar Yap. (The Angolan diplomat resides in Singapore).
In the letter to which Angop had access, on Thursday, João Lourenço expressed hope that, during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The purpose, according to Joao Lourenço, is to contribute to the development and the economic and social progress of both countries.
“Your Excellency, please accept my best wishes for your personal well-being and success in your honourable mission to lead the destiny of the Filipino people,” the statement said.
The Republic of the Philippines is a country located in Southeast Asia, whose capital is Manila. Its total area is about 300,000 square kilometres.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
Luanda – The new Tax Benefits Code (CBF) reduces by 50% the Property Tax (IP) rate on the transfer and ownership of real estate, as well as on rents earned within a maximum period of two years, constituting one of the innovations for this diploma, in force since 14 May 2022.
The fact was announced this Thursday, in Luanda, by the finance technician of the Deloitte company, Luísa Gomes, during the conference on Tax Benefits Code.
Talking to the press the representative stated also that for the first time the code will promote savings and professional management of the assets throughout the investment that the companies might apply in the real estate sector.
Luísa Gomes advanced that for individual persons the diploma allows the citizens to make their savings by depositing part of the revenues in the pension fund or in the bank account aiming to ensure decent retirement for workers.
The technician stressed also that with the entry into force of this code the companies have the possibility to capitalize on the benefits and to get justified tax savings in areas that allow wealth creation and improving the citizens’ living condition.
On the other hand, the executive director of the Agency for Private Investment and Exports Promotion (AIPEX), Neide dos Santos appointed out the appearance of Tax Credit, the deduction of up to 80% of the public expenses as the main novelties of the CBF in issues related to the investment.
The official considered the CBF one of the extremely important instruments for the attraction of investment in the country by making competitive the Angolan tax activity, despite the document also contemplating the deferral of tax payment.
On his turn, the Deloitte tax area technician, Renato Carreira, considers that the diploma has advantages to gather in only one diploma a set of tax benefits and laws that were scattered over time.
Renato Carreira proceeded saying that the CBF brings clarity and facilities to investors as well as it allows the General Tax Administration (AGT) to have better control of the business company despite improving the benefits that already existed in the previous diplomas.
According to Renato Carreira these benefits are also to promote job creation and improve the environmental activity throughout the use of renewable energies by reducing the country´s pollution levels.
In addition to this, it is also included in this code of benefits, that essentially aims to attract new foreign investments, capitalization of small, medium and big companies as well as the development of the finance sector and the capital market.
Published in the State Gazette nº 8/22, of 14 April, which approves the Tax Benefits Code, the new legal tool came into force on 14 May 2022, with the objective to overcome some gaps in the previous diplomas.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, travels on Friday to the city of Luena, capital of eastern Moxico province, where he will stay for two days.
According to the secretary of the President of the Republic for Institutional Communication and Press, Luís Fernando, during his stay in the Eastern region of the country several activities will be carried out by João Lourenço.
He stressed that the agenda will start after his arrival, receiving, in audience, traditional authorities.
On Saturday, in his capacity of the ruling MPLA president, Joao Lourenço will address the local population in a rally, as part of the pre-election campaign.
On the same day, President Lourenço will return to Luanda.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
The risk of monkeypox becoming established in nonendemic nations is real, the WHO warned Wednesday, with more than 1,000 cases confirmed in such countries.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the U.N. health agency was not recommending mass vaccination against the virus and added that no deaths had been reported from the outbreaks.
“The risk of monkeypox becoming established in nonendemic countries is real,” Tedros told a press conference.
The zoonotic disease is endemic in humans in nine African countries, but outbreaks have been reported in the past month in several other states — mostly in Europe, and notably in Britain, Spain and Portugal.
“More than 1,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox have now been reported to WHO from 29 countries that are not endemic for the disease,” Tedros said.
“So far, no deaths have been reported in these countries. Cases have been reported mainly, but not only, among men who have sex with men.
“Some countries are now beginning to report cases of apparent community transmission, including some cases in women.”
Greece on Wednesday became the latest country to confirm its first case of the disease, with health authorities there saying it involved a man who had recently traveled to Portugal and who was hospitalized in stable condition.
The initial symptoms of monkeypox include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a blistery chickenpox-like rash.
Tedros said he was particularly concerned about the risk the virus poses to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and children.
He said the sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox outside endemic countries suggested that there might have been undetected transmission for some time, but it was not known for how long.
One case of monkeypox in a nonendemic country is considered an outbreak.
Tedros said that while this was “clearly concerning,” the virus has been circulating and killing in Africa for decades, with more than 1,400 suspected cases and 66 deaths so far this year.
“The communities that live with the threat of this virus every day deserve the same concern, the same care and the same access to tools to protect themselves,” he said.
Vaccines
In the few places where vaccines are available, they are being used to protect those who may be exposed, such as health care workers.
Tedros said that post-exposure vaccination, ideally within four days, could be considered for higher-risk close contacts, such as sexual partners or household members.
He added that the WHO would issue guidance in the coming days on clinical care, infection prevention and control, vaccination and community protection.
He said people with symptoms should isolate at home and consult a health worker, while people in the same household should avoid close contact.
Few hospitalizations have been reported, apart from patients being isolated, the WHO said last weekend.
Sylvie Briand, the WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director, said the smallpox vaccine could be used against monkeypox, a fellow orthopoxvirus, with a high degree of efficacy.
The WHO is trying to determine how many doses are currently available and to find out from manufacturers what their production and distribution capacities are.
Source: Voice of America
British prosecutors said on Wednesday they had authorized charges to be brought against former Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein on two counts of indecent assault against a woman 26 years ago.
“Charges have been authorized against Harvey Weinstein, 70, following a review of the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in its investigation,” Rosemary Ainslie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Special Crime Division.
The CPS said the alleged assault took place in August 1996 in London. London’s Metropolitan Police said the accusation involved a woman, now aged in her 50s.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in the United States after being convicted in 2020 of assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping former aspiring actor Jessica Mann.
That conviction was upheld by a New York appeals court last week.
The verdict was considered a landmark in the #MeToo movement where women came forward to accuse dozens of powerful men of sexual misconduct. Many view the accusations against Weinstein, which surfaced in 2017, as the key spark for that movement.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial,” Ainslie said.
Source: Voice of America
Luanda – Expenditure on diesel for power generation in Angola has fallen from 230 billion kwanzas in 2019 to 87 billion kwanzas in the last two years, with the results of structuring projects in the electricity sector.
Accounts compiled by ANGOP, based on figures presented Tuesday by the Secretary of State for Energy, António Belsa da Costa, show that the country has saved 143 billion kwanzas without buying metric tons of diesel for generator sets.
Currently, within the framework of investments made by the government, the country now has installed power production of around 5.9 megawatts, a capacity seen as “good” in relation to the country’s needs.
The current potential includes an additional 3,342 megawatts of hydroelectric, as well as thermal and hybrid energy production.
One of the biggest gains registered in this five-year period, according to the official, was the interconnection of the northern system with the centre of the country, which significantly reduced fuel consumption for electricity production across the country.
The interconnection was via the transmission line from the Cambambe hydroelectric dam (Kwanza Norte), Gabela (Kwanza Sul) to Quileva (Lobito), in Benguela province.
Speaking at the 6th edition of “CAFÉ CIPRA”, an initiative of the Press Centre of the Presidency of the Republic, António da Costa also highlighted the Cambambe hydroelectric dam projects, now with its first phase modernised, Laúca, one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the country, with a capacity of 2,072 megawatts, among other products.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
Luanda – Four new ambassadors, with non-resident status, delivered, Wednesday in Luanda their respective Credentials to the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
In separate ceremonies, held at Presidential Palace, the Angolan Head of State received Letters of Credentials from the ambassadors of Pakistan Murad Baseer, New Zealand Emma Dunipo-Bennet, Qatar Tariq Al Faraj Al-Ansari, and of Ireland Ralph Victor.
At the end of credentials hand-over ceremony, the Angolan statesman held a ten-minute private talk with each of the diplomats, with whom he discussed issues of common interest.
The ambassadors of New Zealand and Qatar reside in South Africa, Pakistan in Zimbabwe and Ireland in Portugal, where they also represent the political and diplomatic interests of their respective countries.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
Luanda – The ruling MPLA party Wednesday in Luanda forwarded to the Constitutional Court (TC) its candidacy for the general elections of 24 August this year, thus becoming the first political organisation to formalise its proposal.
The candidacy was presented by its representative, Pedro Neto, who arrived at the Palace of Justice and headquarters of the Constitutional Court, precisely at 09:50 local time (08:50 GMT), accompanied by the Party’s vice president, Luísa Damião.
The move follows the call for elections by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, on 3 June, after favorable opinions from the National Electoral Commission (CNE) and the TC on the existence of conditions for this purpose.
In the candidacy presented, the MPLA will compete on a list led by its current president, João Lourenço, as a candidate for his own succession as head of State.
The second position is occupied by Esperança Maria Eduardo Francisco da Costa, current Secretary of State for Fisheries, who will run for Vice-President of the Republic.
The submission period of candidacies, which began last Monday (06), will run until the 25th June.
After this phase, political parties will have 10 days to respond to any irregularities or shortcomings in the processes submitted.
The MPLA is part of the 13 political parties already qualified to compete, along with others such as UNITA, the FNLA, the PRS (Party for Social Renewal), the Bloco Democratico (BD) and the Aliança Patriótica Nacional (APN).
The other contestants are P-NJANGO (National Party for Justice in Angola), Angolan Humanist Party (PHA) and CASA-CE coalition – comprising five parties.
In the last general elections, held in 2017, the MPLA won the vote with 61.08 percent of the votes, which enabled it to gain the current 150 MPs in a 220-seat Parliament.
The MPLA was founded on December 10, 1956, as a national liberation movement against Portuguese colonialism, before becoming a political party after independence in 1975.
Since then, it has been at the forefront of the country’s destinies, first under the leadership of Agostinho Neto (1975-1979) and, later, of José Eduardo Santos (1979-2017), João Lourenço’s predecessor.
Ideologically based on democratic socialism, the MPLA proclaims as its flag the defence of social justice, humanism, freedom, equality and solidarity.
It ruled as a single party from independence until 1991, when Angola moved from single-party to pluralist democracy with the first general elections held in September 1992.
It won, by an absolute majority, in all the elections already held, with 53.74 percent of the votes (1992), 81 percent (2008), 71.84 percent (2012) and 61.08 percent (2017).
The vote corresponded, respectively, to 129, 191, 175 and 150 MPs in Parliament against 70, 16, 32 and 51 for UNITA, its main opponent.
Source: Angola Press News Agency
Cabinda – The heads of Defence and Security Organs of the Military Regions of Cabinda (Angola) and Kouilou (Republic of Congo) met on Tuesday at the common border of Massabi/Nzassi to implement actions in the scope of the resolutions of the meeting of the interior ministers of the two countries, held last May.
During the meeting, several actions to be developed between the Defence, Security and Internal Order bodies of Cabinda and Kouilou/Republic of Congo were concerted, especially on issues related to security along the common border.
The Angolan delegation was led by the commander of the Cabinda Military Region, Amílcar Eugénio “Trovão”, while the Congolese delegation was led by Jean Ollessongo Ondaye, commander of Military Defence No. 1 Kouilou Region. The parties analysed joint strategies to guarantee a better security of the common border, characterized by calm, despite the existence of cases of illegal immigration and fuel trafficking.
Aspects related to the fulfillment of the recommendations of the bilateral meeting of interior ministers were also analysed, where it was oriented to hold permanent meetings between defence, security and internal order authorities of Cabinda province (Angola) and the departments (provinces) of Kouilou and Ponta-Negra (Republic of Congo), in order to remedy situations of security alteration along the common border and to carry out coordinated actions to combat illegal immigration, fuel smuggling and cross-border crimes.
Source: Angola Press News Agency