''Corona Voice'' - Angola. The tok show with Sofonie Dala. Don't miss it. Day 13

 Our coronavirus show is live in Angola. Day 13

Millions girls face being unable to return to school even after coronavirus restrictions are lifted around the world. Our goal should not be a return to the way things were but instead a renewed commitment to the way the world should be, a place where every girl can learn and lead.

Our today's guest is Chelsea, she will share with us her experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chelsea also prepared a beautiful poem for us.

Ladies and gentlemen please meet our poet Chelsea dos Anjos.

Hello good Morning! My name is Chelsea dos Anjos, I'm 23 years old I am a university student at the Technological University of Angola.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected my life so much that I was no longer able to return to my studies, but I promise that next year I will go back to study.

Today I am going to recite a beautiful poetry for all of you: ''Covid-19 came to disrupt" 

The coronavirus has arrived

It's here to hinder

It came and isolated us

When will it end?

I miss my family and my friends

I can't wait to meet them

What a desire to see them!

When will classes return?

What an endless quarantine!

I want to walk, swim and feel free

Only God to end this misfortune

Now bye! I have to study!

Covid-19 only exacerbated existing inequalities. Before the pandemic 129 million girls were out of school - and millions more were in school, but failing to hit minimum learning targets.

Leaders can take the first steps toward transformative change by delivering a substantial financial stimulus to education. We need to protect aid budgets, but also increase domestic resources available to invest in education.

This is the first and the only Coronavirus show in Angola where the most ordinary citizens show their brilliant talents.

The heroes of the program are the most ordinary citizens - they share with the audience their songs, poems and real stories of how the Coronavirus pandemic affected their lives.

We launched the “Corona Voice show” campaign to provide a space for young women and men around Angola to share their views, experiences and initiatives.

Click here to watch free full webisodes: https://coronavoice-angola.blogspot.com/

London police irritated by makeshift nightclub in barbershop basement

 The owner of a barbershop in London’s party district of Soho could face a hefty fine after police discovered more than 100 people partying in breach of COVID regulations in a makeshift nightclub in the basement.

Officers were called to the Cut and Grind barbershop after midnight on Friday and found that a bar, dancefloor, speakers and turntables had been set up in the basement. Revellers were dispersed.

Police Constable Steve Muldoon of the Soho policing team described the incident as “deeply concerning and irritating” at a time when restrictions on socialising are about to get even stricter in London due to a surge in coronavirus infections.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we have responded to a number of parties and unlicensed music events across Soho. It is frankly shocking that people are willing to break the rules, which are clearly there to keep people safe,” Muldoon said.

An employee who answered the phone at Cut and Grind on Tuesday declined to comment. The owner, who could face a fine of up to 10,000 pounds ($13,400), was not immediately available.

Under rules in force in London, people are not allowed to socialise indoors with anyone other than members of their household or support bubble. The rules are to be further tightened on Wednesday. There are a limited number of exemptions which do not include parties or club nights.

($1 = 0.7473 pounds)

Record number of journalists imprisoned in 2020: CPJ

 A record number of journalists were behind bars this year, a US-based watchdog said, accusing governments worldwide of suppressing the media and increasing misinformation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least 274 journalists were imprisoned during 2020, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Tuesday, the most since the New York-based group began collecting data in the early 1990s.

At least two journalists died after contracting the coronavirus in custody, the report said.

Protests and political tensions were the cause of many arrests, most of which were made in China, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, it said.

The worst offender was China for the second consecutive year, the survey found, with 47 reporters behind bars and where authorities only last week imprisoned a Bloomberg employee on suspicion of endangering national security.

“It’s shocking and appalling that we are seeing a record number of journalists imprisoned in the midst of a global pandemic,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement.

The report blamed a lack of global leadership on democratic values, and in particular attacks on the media by US President Donald Trump, which it said gave cover to authoritarians to crack down on journalists in their own countries.

“The record number of journalists imprisoned around the world is President Trump’s press freedom legacy,” Simon said.

While no journalists were in prison in the United States as of December 1, 110 were arrested or charged in 2020, many while covering demonstrations against police violence, the CPJ said.

Countries where the number of jailed journalists rose significantly include Belarus, where the re-election of its long time president sparked mass protests, and Ethiopia, where political unrest has led to armed conflict.

The report found that two-thirds of imprisoned journalists were charged with anti-state crimes such as “terrorism” or membership of banned groups, while no charges were disclosed in nearly 20 percent of cases.

SOURCE : NEWS AGENCIES

New coronavirus strain spreading in UK has key mutations, scientists say

 British scientists are trying to establish whether the rapid spread in southern England of a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is linked to key mutations they have detected in the strain, they said on Tuesday.

The mutations include changes to the important “spike” protein that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus uses to infect human cells, a group of scientists tracking the genetics of the virus said, but it is not yet clear whether these are making it more infectious.

“Efforts are under way to confirm whether or not any of these mutations are contributing to increased transmission,” the scientists, from the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, said in a statement (bit.ly/3mhpTJX).

The new variant, which UK scientists have named “VUI – 202012/01” includes a mutation in the viral genome region encoding the spike protein, which – in theory – could result in COVID-19 spreading more easily between people.

The British government on Monday cited a rise in new infections, which it said may be partly linked to the new variant, as it moved its capital city and many other areas into the highest tier of COVID-19 restrictions.

As of Dec. 13, 1,108 COVID-19 cases with the new variant had been identified, predominantly in the south and east of England, Public Health England said in a statement.

But there is currently no evidence that the variant is more likely to cause severe COVID-19 infections, the scientists said, or that it would render vaccines less effective.

“Both questions require further studies performed at pace,” the COG-UK scientists said.

Mutations, or genetic changes, arise naturally in all viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, as they replicate and circulate in human populations.

In the case of SARS-CoV-2, these mutations are accumulating at a rate of around one to two mutations per month globally, according to the COG-UK genetics specialists.

“As a result of this on-going process, many thousands of mutations have already arisen in the SARS-CoV-2 genome since the virus emerged in 2019,” they said.

The majority of the mutations seen so far have had no apparent effect on the virus, and only a minority are likely to change the virus in any significant way – for example, making it more able to infect people, more likely to cause severe illness, or less sensitive to natural or vaccine-induced immune defences.

Susan Hopkins, a PHE medical advisor, said it is “not unexpected that the virus should evolve and it’s important that we spot any changes quickly to understand the potential risk.”

She said the new variant “is being detected in a wide geography, especially where there are increased cases being detected.”

Malawi signs extradition papers for self-proclaimed prophet

 Self-proclaimed prophet and controversial millionaire Shepherd Bushiri could be extradited from his native country of Malawi to South Africa where he is wanted on money laundering, theft and fraud charges.

On Monday, Malawi’s government agreed to South Africa’s request to extradite Bushiri and his wife, Mary, to face trial in South African courts.

The fugitive pair skipped bail in South Africa last month and returned to Malawi, claiming they fled because their lives were in danger and they would not have a fair trial.

Malawi’s Information Minister and government spokesperson Gospel Kazako said on Monday the documents for the pair’s extradition had been signed by his Homeland Security Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda.

Kazako stressed, however, that it was up to the courts to decide whether Bushiri and his wife should be arrested and sent to South Africa. Should an arrest warrant be issued in Malawi, the pair will likely face justice in Malawi first and then will possibly be returned to South Africa.

It was not yet clear if the Bushiris would be arrested and some have suggested the extradition process could take years.

Bushiri, the founder of the Enlightened Christian Gathering church, is known for a lavish lifestyle that includes expensive clothes, sports cars and large properties. He claims to have cured HIV patients, treated blindness and brought back people from the dead.

The fugitive preacher has also built a business empire mainly through a company called Shepherd Bushiri Investments, described on his church’s website as having “interests in mining, real estate, an airline and other entrepreneurial pursuits”.

He says men of God should be rich and justifies his venture into business as a way to support his family. But his swift rise from humble beginnings to amassing a fortune remains a mystery to many and has raised eyebrows, including allegations of swindling members of his church.

Bushiri and his wife have also faced various criminal allegations in South Africa, including fraud and money laundering charges amounting to some $6.6m.

The couple, which denies the charges, was released on bail in early November and had their passports taken away by South African authorities. But on November 14, it emerged that Bushiri and his wife had broken their strict bail conditions and fled to Malawi.

It remains unknown how the Bushiris managed to flee undetected but the news rattled South Africa and prompted questions about the effectiveness of the country’s justice and border control systems.

The escape coincided with an official two-day visit by Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera to South Africa. Both countries have denied that the preacher escaped through the plane which carried the Malawian officials.

COVID-19: ANGOLA RECORDS 85 NEW CASES, 66 RECOVERIES

 Health authorities reported Tuesday 85 new cases and 66 recovered patients.

According to the Secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda, who was updating on the pandemic, 43 were diagnosed in Luanda, 24 in Zaire, seven in Cuanza Sul, three in Huíla, in the provinces of Moxico, Benguela, Cabinda and Malanje registered two cases each.

The group of new patients, aged between five and 81 years, includes 46 men and 39 women.

Of those recovered, aged two to 66, 49 are in Moxico, 5 in Lunda Sul, 5 in Malanje, 4 in Huíla and 3 in Luanda.

Angola has 16,362 positive cases, with 372 deaths, 8,990 recovered and 7,000 active cases.

Of the active people, seven are in critical condition, five are severe, 81 moderate, 137 with mild symptoms and 6,750 asymptomatic.

ANGOLAN PRESIDENT REGRETS DEATH OF ESWATINI PREMIER

 Angolan President, João Lourenço, Tuesday in Luanda regretted the death of the Prime minister of Eswatini, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini.

In a message of condolences to King Mswati III, President João Lourenço expressed solidarity with the bereaved family and the people and Government of Eswatini.

Ambrose Mandvulo, 52, was appointed prime minister in October 2018 and passed away on Sunday (13) in a South African hospital.

Formerly Swaziland, the Kingdom of Eswatini is a Southern African nation landlocked between Mozambique and South Africa. Its administrative capital is Mbabane and Lobamba is its legislative capital.