Girls back to school after lockdowns - Angola. Campaign with Sofonie Dala. Don't miss it! Webisode 14

 The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries.

7 months after closure due to COVID-19, schools finally reopen with preventive measures.

Our today's guest is Madalena, she will share with us her school observations and how Covid-19 affects her life.

1. Introduction

Hello! My name is Madalena, I am 15 years old, studying in the 9th grade and I am Angolan.

2. How has covid - 19 affected your student life?

Covid-19 has affected me negatively because I no longer have the same possibilities with classmates, I can't hug and kiss them.

3. Now that schools have reopened, have you gone back to school?

Yes, now that school reopened I went back to study.

4. Has your school distributed any biosecurity materials?

My school built washbasins and also distributed some bio-security materials such as alcohol gel and soap.

5. What are the prevention measures against covid - 19 you saw that the government / school created to ensure your safety?

The preventive measures that the government and schools in general have created are: social distancing, separation between students in classrooms, etc.

6. How do you feel? Are you enjoying going to class?

I am really enjoying going back to school.

Do you remember Madalena? She was with us in the first phase of Africa Educates Her Campaign.

Click here to see her first interview: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/08/africa-educates-her-campaign-with.html

Don't miss this opportunity to bring girls back to school. Join us!

Share your experiences learning / teaching during the school closures & the projects or initiatives you've launched to get girls back to school post # COVID19 in your local communities.

Visit my new channel to see all the activities https://she-leads.blogspot.com/

Johnson & Johnson/One Young World Virtual Scholarship Program 2021 for aspiring young health leaders

 Application Deadline: 27 November 2020 

The Johnson & Johnson Global Community Impact Team supports and champions the people on the front lines who are at the heart of delivering care. The Team leads the global Johnson & Johnson partnership with One Young World and believes that changing the trajectory of health for humanity requires putting people first, so that communities and health systems have the ability to address the health needs of the world’s most vulnerable people. 

Through its global and community-based partnerships and programs, the Team aims to support the next generation of global and community-based health leaders to develop the skills and tools they need to drive health and well-being in underserved communities.

Requirements

Aged 18 - 30*
Nationals of all countries are elligible to apply for this program.
Young leaders from non-governmental organisations, social enterprises, community-basedorganisations or individual leaders/entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact within their local community through the delivery of care to vulnerable people, their families and communities. This may include activities undertaken by nurses, midwives, community health workers, formal/informal (family) caregivers and healthcare professionals trainees (both clinical and non-clinical)
Health Care Professionals who are classified as Government Officials within their home country will need approval from their employer.
Important: Selected scholars must be available to commit 10% of their time to the program, over the 6-month program period (March 2021 – August 2021).
Demonstrated capacity for leadership.
Evidenced commitment to delivering positive change.
Understanding of key local and/or global issues.

Click here to apply: https://bit.ly/325Fkxn

Coronavirus: England to enter month-long lockdown from Thursday, PM announces

 England will enter a month-long lockdown from Thursday, Boris Johnson has announced.

Until 2 December, people in England will only be allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons, such as education, work or food shopping.

Mr Johnson, speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Saturday evening, said there was “no alternative” to a second period of national lockdown restrictions.

The prime minister urged the country to return to his spring message of “stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives” and acknowledged that “Christmas is going to be different this year”.

However, Mr Johnson suggested that “tough action now” could allow families to be together over the festive period.

Mr Johnson said that “no responsible prime minister” could ignore the rising number of coronavirus infections across England.

And he warned that, without action, there could be a greater number of COVID-19 deaths this winter than during the spring’s first wave of the pandemic.

Schools, colleges and universities will remain open while those who cannot work from home, such as workers in construction or manufacturing, will be encouraged to continue going to their workplaces.

Pubs, bars and restaurants will close across the country, although they will be able to offer takeaway and delivery services.

Non-essential shops, hairdressers and leisure and entertainment venues will also be shut.

The prime minister said the furlough scheme, which has seen the government pay a proportion of peoples’ wages during the COVID-19 crisis but was due to end on Saturday, would now be extended through November.

Different households will be banned from mixing, although support bubbles and childcare bubbles will remain and children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated.

Gyms will be shut but people can continue to exercise for unlimited periods outdoors, either with people from their own households or on a one-to-one basis with one person from another household.

People will be able to travel internationally for work, but will not be allowed to go abroad for holidays.

Premier League football and other elite sports will be allowed to continue, due to the testing regimes in place for professional sportspeople – but amateur sports will be put on hold.

The prime minister said those who are vulnerable would not be asked to shield in the same way as they did in the spring and early summer.

But he urged those who are at risk to minimise their contact with others and not go to work if they are unable to work from home.

MPs are expected to vote on the fresh measures on Wednesday.

Mr Johnson said there was a need to be “humble in the face of nature” with the virus “spreading even faster than the reasonable worst case scenario of our scientific advisers”.

“Unless we act, we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day – a peak of mortality, alas, far bigger than the one we saw in April,” he added.

The government’s scientists have warned that hospitals could run out of beds by early December without new measures.

And Mr Johnson warned that “the risk is that for the first time in our lives, the NHS will not be there for us and for our families”.

Also appearing at the news conference, England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said there were now several hospitals with more coronavirus patients than they’d had during the first wave of infections.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, said that “if nothing is done” then the number of deaths could be close to the peak of the first wave by early December.

The prime minister highlighted how other countries, such as France and Germany, had already been forced to take similar action by re-entering lockdown restrictions as the second wave of the virus spreads across Europe.

But he said better medicine, the “realistic hope of a vaccine” in early 2021, and the prospect of millions of 15-minute COVID-19 tests made him optimistic “that this will feel very different and better by the spring”.

“We will get through this, but we must act now to contain this autumn surge,” Mr Johnson added.

“We are not going back to the full-scale lockdown of March and April.

“It is less prohibitive and less restrictive, but from Thursday the basic message is the same; stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”

Until now, the government has been pursuing a localised approach to COVID-19 restrictions, with England divided into three levels of measures, depending on local infection rates.

Mr Johnson said he still “passionately” believed the three-tier strategy “was the right thing to do”, despite growing calls over recent weeks for him to abandon the plan in favour of a “circuit break” lockdown.

The prime minister outlined the government’s aim that, after the month-long period of tougher national measures, different parts of the country will be released back into the existing three tiers, depending on regional transmission rates.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson should have scrapped the regional strategy “weeks ago”.

“Everybody is concerned about the rise in infections, hospital admissions and – tragically – the number of deaths,” he said.

“That’s why three weeks ago, Labour called for a circuit breaker in England, in line with SAGE’s recommendation to bring infections down.

“The government completely rejected that, only to now announce the same thing. That delay in introducing restrictions will come at an economic cost and a human cost.

“I’m glad that the government has finally taken this decision – but it should have done so weeks ago.”

Sir Keir also said it was not fair to “pretend that Christmas is going to be normal in any sense of the word”.

Zambia’s risk of default highlights Africa’s debt crisis

 Facing financial difficulties aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic, the southern African nation of Zambia appears headed for a default on debt owed to private investors.

One of the world’s top copper producers, Zambia for years has been heavily indebted but now could get an undesired reputation for financial unreliability if a group of investors who hold $3 billion of the country’s eurobonds insist on payments that have come due. Zambia seeks a holiday of six months, but the bondholders’ final decision is pending.

The cash-strapped country is a strong example of the debt distress for other governments in Africa even as they try to focus limited resources on urgent problems such as healthcare and education. How Zambia fares will be watched by other nations that owe large amounts not just to private bondholders but also to commercial banks and state lenders such as China.

A debt moratorium granted by G20 countries in response to the pandemic that freed up to $20 billion for low-income nations ends in late December, and African governments seek an extension to free up further resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and help battered economies.

A default on private debt is damaging in the eyes of investors, and credit rating agency Fitch downgraded Zambia to almost junk status after the government sought to delay interest payments to bondholders in September.

Zambia’s looming default “definitely sends a wrong signal in the eyes of investors,” said Stephen Kaboyo, a Ugandan analyst who runs the asset management firm Alpha Capital Partners. “There’s always peer comparison,” he said. “They ask themselves, ‘Who is next?’”

Abebe Selassie, the director in charge of Africa at the International Monetary Fund, sought to allay the concern in a news conference on Oct. 22, saying he hoped the market would differentiate Zambian assets from others in Africa.

“That’s what we’re seeing so far, and I hope that will continue to be the case, as is the case elsewhere,” he said.

The South Africa-based research firm NKC African Economics in an assessment related to Zambia’s troubles said it saw “moderate” contagion risk in the broader region and warned that pandemic-related disruptions to global trade could raise default risk in the entire sub-Saharan African region.

A “prolonged external shock may disrupt refinancing efforts” in Kenya, Ghana and Senegal in the debt cycle that begins in 2021, it said.

Many sub-Saharan African countries, from Cameroon to Kenya, have issued eurobonds over the years, amassing debt that is maturing at a time of rising financial burden amid the pandemic.

The World Bank and IMF have announced some relief measures, including freeing up billions in debt payments, and some African countries have secured more loans from those institutions. But debt-related anxiety will deepen as the year winds down.

Nathan Hayes, an analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit, told The Associated Press that for Africa “the picture in 2021 looks different” because $20 billion in private obligations are coming due in addition to $14 billion in bilateral debt.

“These debts are highly unlikely to be part of any renewed suspension initiative, as it would be negatively reflected in sovereign credit ratings and potentially restrict market access at a crucial time,” he said. The servicing burden will rise again in 2021, putting pressure on governments.

Appetite for debt has grown tremendously in Africa as governments launch ambitious public works they believe will underpin growth for years to come. The projects are often funded by Chinese capital and built with Chinese expertise. In turn, China has been keen to exploit Africa’s vast natural resources in countries such as Zambia, which also is a major producer of cobalt.

Backed by credit from China and other outside sources, Zambian authorities have been spending on everything from highways to airports in projects sometimes tainted by official corruption. Such spending likely will slow down because of pressure to reduce arrears, and there are multiple reports of stalled projects, including a $450 million dam.

China holds about a third of Africa’s sovereign debt, and there have been concerns that heavily indebted countries could fall into a trap and even lose their sovereignty. Although largely silent about global calls for debt relief to Africa, China has indicated a willingness to renegotiate and restructure debts to African countries, particularly those with significant commodity exports such as oil, according to Hayes.

It remains unclear if the international community will do more to help African governments in serious debt distress.

African finance ministers have asked the international community for a $100 billion stimulus package, of which $44 billion would come from a freeze on servicing debt. They have also said an additional $50 billion may be needed in 2021.

But while African governments can negotiate around bilateral debt and even win cancellations, sovereign bonds are a different matter.

A government is “finished” if it can’t be relied on to make payments on sovereign bonds, said analyst Julius Mukunda, who heads a budget advocacy group that has been raising alarm over Uganda’s spiraling debt levels.

Although Uganda has never issued eurobonds, he said, “we have a problem” as the East African country spends far more of its budget on foreign interest payments than on the agriculture sector, a backbone of the economy.

As far as Zambia is concerned, “they have to borrow to repay the debt,” he said. “You need an IMF package to rescue you.”

Trump Praises Drivers That Biden Campaign Says Tried To Run Bus ‘Off The Road’

President Donald Trump on Saturday offered praise to a group of pro-Trump pickup truck drivers in Texas who surrounded and slowed a Biden campaign bus and who the Biden campaign accused of trying to run it “off the road,” underscoring allegations that Trump encourages his supporters to act violently.

“I LOVE TEXAS!” Trump tweeted, along with a video of a dozen pickup trucks, sporting American and pro-Trump flags, following a Biden-Harris campaign bus on a highway in Texas.

The scene appeared to show the same incident chronicled in other videos posted to social media on Friday and Saturday showing the trucks following the bus and, in one case, ramming a white SUV accompanying it.

A Biden campaign spokesperson told Forbes the pickups “attempted to slow the bus down and run it off the road,” and that the campaign called law enforcement to escort the bus to safety and offload passengers, which included U.S. House candidate and former Texas legislator Wendy Davis.

The incident came after Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. told supporters to give Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who visited Texas on Friday, a “nice Trump Train welcome” to “show them how strong Texas still is as Trump country.”

A Biden campaign spokesperson told Forbes the pickups “attempted to slow the bus down and run it off the road,” and that the campaign called law enforcement to escort the bus to safety and offload passengers, which included U.S. House candidate and former Texas legislator Wendy Davis.

The incident came after Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. told supporters to give Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who visited Texas on Friday, a “nice Trump Train welcome” to “show them how strong Texas still is as Trump country.”

The Biden campaign told Forbes it canceled a planned event at the Texas AFL-CIO out of an “abundance of caution,” while Texas state legislator Sheryl Cole said a joint event with the campaign and the Austin Young Democrats was called off for “security reasons.”

Cole said the pro-Trump drivers “escalated well beyond safe limits,” citing Travis County Democratic Party Chair Katie Naranjo, who alleged they “followed the Biden bus throughout central Texas” and “ran into a person’s car, yelling curse words and threats.”

The Texas Tribune reported that Texas GOP Chairman Allen West “dismissed questions regarding the incident,” telling them “It is more fake news and propaganda. Prepare to lose… stop bothering me.”

The White House referred Forbes to the Trump campaign, which did not respond to several requests for comment, nor did a local Trump Train organizer.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris – who was not on the bus – made three stops in Texas the same day the incident occurred and was met by Trump supporters during her visit. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas, who campaigned with Harris, was also heckled by Trump supporters, who he called “a––holes with their louds horns.”

Conservatives took to social media Saturday to dispute the Biden campaign’s interpretation of incidents, noting that some videos show the white SUV and bus driving between lanes – although the trucks appear to be attempting to box the bus in as the white SUV tries to stay on its tail. Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler, a Republican running for reelection, told the Tribune the Biden campaign did not give advanced notification of its trip, adding “The planning of this was questionable.”

“There’s a Biden bus and it’s surrounded by pickup trucks on a highway all with Trump signs,” Fox News anchor Jeanine Pirro said of the incident. “I mean it’s just ordinary Americans taking this election into their own hands and getting out there and being real clear on what they stand for.”

“The words of a president matter. And time and time again, Donald Trump has callously used his to incite violence, stoke the flames of hatred and division, and drive us further apart,” Biden tweeted on Saturday, after Trump praised the drivers. “It’s time for it to end.”

1 point. That’s the size of Trump’s lead in Texas in the FiveThirtyEight polling average. The state has been hotly competitive this year, despite Trump winning it by 9 points in 2016, with the Biden campaign sending Harris, as well as Jill Biden and Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, to campaign there.

The incident is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tribune reported.

Prensa Latina seeks greater cooperation with ANGOP

 The head of the Prensa Latina, Luis González, reaffirmed Friday the interest in strengthening cooperation with the Angola Press Agency (ANGOP).

The interest is expressed in a congratulatory message on the 45th anniversary of the Angola News Agency, which highlights the long and fruitful history of bilateral collaboration.

In the message, the head of Cuban news agency greets the CEO of the Angola News Agency, Josué Isaías, and expresses the desire to see ANGOP continue to reap new successes in its important media work.

For the Cuban journalist, it is important to recall ANGOP's valuable contributions to the Coordinators Committee of the Non-Aligned Countries news agency pool, as well as to the emerging of the Pan-African news agency.

With a daily broadcast of 24 hours in several languages, ANGOP has a growing impact on readers and users, which reveals a commendable effort undertaken by its leaders and workers, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez summarized Prensa Latina's interest in strengthening collaboration agreements, especially this year when Cuba and Angola celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations.

Covid-19: Angola reports 397 recoveries, 230 new infections

 At least 397 patients recovered, 230 new infections and two deaths is the balance of the last 24 hours announced, this Sunday, by the Angolan health authorities.

FRANCO MUFINDA, STATE SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

MPLA encourages Angop to continue with plural journalism

 The Political Bureau of the ruling MPLA's Central Committee Friday encouraged the Angola Press Agency (Angop) to fight for a plural, rigorous and impartial journalism where respect for the principles of professional ethics and deontology prevails.

In a congratulatory message on the 45th anniversary of the Angolan news agency, MPLA says to be factors to safeguard constitutional rights in matters of freedom of expression and press.

MPLA also encourages ANGOP's employees and collaborators to continue with the dynamic of development and technical and technological modernization, for the public interest service related to information provided to Angolans.

 "In the framework of the full accomplishment of its mission, ANGOP has played a capital role in the news coverage of the whole Angolan territory, without neglecting the concern to keep informed about the national and international reality of the Angolans spread by the most diverse Diasporas around the world", reads the message.

The ruling party recognizes the sense of zeal and dedication and professionalism of ANGOP in the promotion and dissemination of information that help to rescue the civic and patriotic values of Angolans, making faith that the agency consolidates its position as a credible and privileged source of information in witnessing the political, social, economic and cultural changes underway in the new Angola.

The company was created in July 1975 under the name Agência Nacional Angola Press (ANAP). At that time, its works were distributed in the form of a bulletin.

In October of the same year, ANGOP adopts its current and definitive denomination, Agency Angola Press, under proposal of the then President of the Republic, António Agostinho Neto, and launches, in day 30 of that month, the first dispatch with the new acronym.

Three years later, on February 2, 1978, the agency was transformed into a state media organ, with the publication of the presidential decree 11/78, of February 2.

From then on, the foundations were laid for its growth and development, which would come to pass in the 1980s. At that time, ANGOP already had about 300 workers, most of them journalists, with an uninterrupted work, 24 hours a day, throughout the country (18 provinces) and abroad with five delegations (Portugal, Brazil, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe and Congo).

In 2013, it entered in a technological and human constant transformation and updating, in line with the modernity of telecommunications and media, factors that contribute to the realization of its great challenge and dream, that of becoming a big multimedia company.