Angola criticises inaction against coups

 Malabo – The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, defended on Saturday that there is inaction and passiveness from regional and continental organs in relation to coups d’État in Africa, which have been happening with “inacceptable frequency”.

The Angolan Head of State explained that the coups d’État observed recently in Africa took place in countries with legitimate governments, that is, formed as result of democratic elections.    

João Lourenço, who was speaking at the opening of the Summit of African Heads of State and Government on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes, reminded that the African Union (AU) condemns coups d’État.    

 

“We are observing a series of acts that constitute significant recoil in regard to the political, economic, social gains, as well as in terms of stability and security”, emphasised the Angolan President.

 

He advocated major firmness from regional and continental organs against such actions and measures that make unviable the functioning of legitimate governments.  

 

To the Angolan statesman, it is paramount that African leaders pay major attention to unconstitutional changes of government in Africa.  

 

João Lourenço is of the opinion that the inaction, indifference, silence and passiveness towards such actions can influence and stimulate the overthrow of governments across the continent.

   
He further stressed the need for co-ordinated action of regional organisations to tackle such unconstitutional acts.

 

Angola’s Experience in conflict resolution  

 

The Angolan Head of State also spoke about the experience of Angola in conflict resolution. He reminded that the country experienced an internal armed conflict for 27 years, however, persistence in dialogue brought about the needed formula to put an end to the civil war.

 

He explained to the attentive audience that Angolans used dialogue, besides other contributions, to put an end to over two decades of internal armed conflict.

 

The Angolan Head of State then reiterated that this model, if adjusted to the reality of each country, can be applied in other parts of the continent to resolve a conflict.
 

He mentioned, as example, the Central African Republic (CAR) where significant advances have been taking place, although still insufficient, in the peace search process of that African country.   

 

João Lourenço also seized the occasion to touch on the continent’s major problems, such as hunger, misery, poverty, endemic diseases, unemployment, lack of infrastructures, deficient electrification and industrialisation.   

He mentioned equally the timid connectivity among states, which causes a delay in the economic integration of the various regions and in socio-economic development.

Angola and São Tome and Prince re-launch cooperation

 

Luanda - Angola and Sao Tome and Prince signed Monday, in Principe City, five legal instruments in the fields of defence, agriculture and fisheries, oil and gas, as well as for the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments and a verbal process.

Angola’s minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, and São Tome and Prince’s minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities, Edite da Costa Ten Jua, signed three legal instruments.

 

In the defence field, the agreement was signed by the Angolan  minister João Ernesto dos Santos and his São Tomé and Príncipe couterpart, Jorge Amado.

 

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Oil and Gas Agency (ANPG), Paulino Jerónimo, and the director of ANP-STP, Luis Manuel da Silva, signed the Cooperation Protocol in the oil sector.

 

The signing of the referred legal instruments was the culmination of the Eighth Session of the Bilateral Commission between Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe.

 

During the two-day work the delegations of both countries reaffirmed the importance of deepening the excellent relations of friendship and cooperation existing between the two countries.

 

The heads of the two delegations were pleased with the historic relations of friendship, brotherhood and cooperation existing between the two countries and peoples.

 

The two countries expressed wilingness to move relations to a level more in line with the ambitions based on the foundations that underpin a diversified strategic partnership, with emphasis on mutually beneficial economic cooperation.

 

The relations of friendship and cooperation between the two states are based on political, historical, cultural and geographical factors, formalized in 1978, through the General Cooperation Agreement and the Bilateral Joint Commission created in 1980.

Women represent 43 percent of students in higher education

 Luanda- At least 137, 600 students, accounted for 43 percent of the total of 320,000, is the number of women enrolled in higher education in the country, said Monday in Luanda the Secretary of State for the Higher Education, Eugénio Silva.

The Secretary of State for Higher Education considered the number significant, especially in some courses in the areas of health and humanities, where women reach 72 percent of enrolled students.

He added that there are still some courses such as Engineering, Technologies and Agrarian Sciences where the female presence is still small, stressing that it is necessary to continue to develop mechanisms to encourage and interest of this group in those areas.

Eugénio Silva was speaking on the sidelines of the round table promoted by the Organisation of Angolan Women (OMA) on "Women, academia and development", which aimed to make known the path and role of women in different areas, when on their own merit occupies more and more prominent places and positions in society.

As for the teaching staff, Eugénio Silva said that the percentage is low, being around 22 percent, due to the lack of strategies that allow attracting more women to teaching and research careers.

"I believe that, like men, the women have skills and should have opportunities. It is important that they become aware that they can occupy different areas with all the merit that assists them," he said.

In turn, Alice de Ceita e Almeida, dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Agostinho Neto University, stressed that many factors contribute to the low participation of women in the teaching and research career, as it is a full-time occupation.

"In our institution, the number of professors does not reach ten and as for the students, there is equality between men and women, especially in the Architecture, Chemical Engineering and computer courses, where female participation is high", she stressed.

Speaking on the theme "Women's path in the Angolan academy since independence", Alice de Ceita said that there is a need for actions that encourage women to focus on teaching and research, with a view to gender equity.

OMA's secretary general, Joana Tomás, said that society and academia must find and establish ways to integrate, recognise and distinguish those who stand out in the dissemination of knowledge.

The round table analysed topics such as "Women's path in the Angolan academy since independence", "Women's representation in academia", "Morale boosting in the teaching process" and "Academic women in Angola's economic development", in a ceremony which took place at the António Agostinho Neto Memorial.

Angolan official honoured with African Finance Minister distinction

 Luanda – Angolan Finance minister, Vera Daves de Sousa, on Wednesday was awarded the distinction of Finance Minister of the Year, by the African Banker Awards held in Accra, Ghana.

The distinction took place during the annual reference conference on banking and finance in the continent, held on the fringes of the annual meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB), reads a note that has reached ANGOP.

 

According to the Editors of the African Banker Magazine and the organisers of the African Banker Awards, the distinction was based on criteria such as the work the minister has been doing with the aim of bringing about sustainability of public finances, as well as her capacity to face more global and challenging economic problems.

  

The organisers also took into account aspects like the courageous reform agenda in favour of the renovation of trust in the Angolan economy, as well as in the mobilisation of resources for the transformation of infrastructures.

 

On a message sent to the organisers of the event, Vera Daves expresses her thanks for the distinction, which she deemed extensive to the open, visionary and courageous leadership of the Angolan President, João Lourenço, and his Economic Team.  

 

She guaranteed commitment to continuous work and engagement with improving the quality of the country’s public finances, the economy and welfare of the citizens.

 

Meanwhile, the minister participated in the annual meeting of the AfBD held in a virtual format, so the award was received by a representative at the spot of the event.

 

Organised by the African Banker magazine and IC Events, in co-operation with the Business in Africa Events, the African Banker Awards is aimed at celebrating excellence and good practices in African banking, by distinguishing personalities and banking institutions that leverage the African financial sector which undergoes rapid transformation.    

 

This is the second time Angola gets such distinction; the first time happened in the year 2014, in which then Finance minister Armando Manuel was also awarded the same recognition.

UK To Grant Visas To Graduates From The World’s Best Universities

 Britain will offer work visas to graduates from the world’s best universities in an expansion of its post-Brexit immigration system that is designed to attract the “best and brightest” workers.

Since leaving the European Union, Britain has ended the priority given to EU citizens and introduced a points-based immigration system that ranks applicants on everything from their qualifications and language skills to the type of job offered to them.

But the country has faced a tight labour market for several years – compounded by Brexit and COVID-19 – and companies in manufacturing, logistics and the food sector have urged the government to loosen the rules for entry-level jobs.

Under the scheme announced on Monday, graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from the top 50 universities abroad can apply for a two-year work visa and will be allowed to bring family members with them. Those who receive doctorates can apply for a three-year visa.

Successful applicants will then be able to switch to longer-term employment visas, the government said.

Rishi Sunak, the finance minister, said it would enable Britain to grow as an international hub for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

“We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today – which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to forge their careers here,” Sunak said.

Under the new scheme, applicants must have been awarded degrees no more than five years before the date of application.

Eligible universities must appear in the top 50 rankings of at least two of the following: the Times Higher Education world university rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Quacquarelli Symonds world university rankings.

The most recent list of eligible universities from 2021, published online by the UK government, comprises more than two dozen U.S. universities, as well as institutions in Canada, Japan, Germany, China, Singapore, France and Sweden.

The government said candidates must pass a security and criminality check, and be able to speak, read, listen and write English to an intermediate level.

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ECCAS highlights importance of Malabo summit

 

Malabo - The president of the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Gilberto Veríssimo, on Saturday in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, highlighted the importance of the Summit on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Change of Governments in Africa. 

In statements to the press, the Angolan diplomat at the service of ECCAS said that the event will allow African leaders to find the reasons of the political and military instability in several regions of the continent. 

Gilberto Veríssimo expressed concern over the increase in cases of coups d'état in Africa and terrorist actions, which hinder the continent's socio-economic development. 

"The Heads of State and Government are concerned to know why this situation has worsened and to find joint solutions," he said. 

He said that, in many cases, the conflicts arise because the populations do not feel their problems are solved and always seek a way to express dissatisfaction, hence the unconstitutional change of regimes, associated with terrorism. 

The ambassador praised the efforts made by the Angolan authorities in the search for peace and stability in the continent. 

At the summit that ended this Saturday, the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, was designated "champion for peace and reconciliation. 

As for ECCAS, it is a community created in Libreville, Gabon, in December 1981, and became operational in 1985. 

The common aim of the community is to promote cooperation and self-sustainable development in the region. 

Members of ECCAS are Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

U.S to review police response to Texas school shooting

 The US Department of Justice says it will investigate the police response to last week’s mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 children and two teachers.

Public anger is growing after it emerged that officers waited in the hallway as children trapped with the shooter made desperate 911 calls.

In Uvalde, President Joe Biden met the victims’ families on Sunday.

He also met survivors and first responders.

First Lady Jill Biden, herself a teacher, accompanied the president to a memorial at Robb Elementary School. They were seen comforting the school’s principal Mandy Gutierrez, beside a carpet of floral tributes for the teachers, and children – all under 10 years old – who lost their lives.

Both were seen wiping tears from beneath their sunglasses. Mrs Biden touched each child’s photo in turn.

The couple then attended a Catholic Mass at the local Sacred Heart church. Protesters outside the church shouted, “Do something!” as the president walked out.

“We will,” he answered.

Announcing its Critical Incident Review on Sunday, the US Department of Justice said the goal was to “provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events”.

The shooting on 24 May has provoked new calls for gun control measures, in a country reeling from two vicious shootings in under 10 days – although leading Republicans oppose tightening rules.

The US has now surpassed 200 mass shootings since the beginning of 2022.

A mass shooting is defined as an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, excluding the shooter.

White House officials say Mr Biden is unlikely to offer specific policy proposals or seek to issue an executive order in the coming weeks to avoid interfering with delicate negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans.

The president’s visit comes days after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother, and then opened fire on a classroom of fourth-graders with a legally acquired AR-15 style assault rifle.

The gunman’s rampage lasted for over an hour and police found as many as 1,657 rounds of ammunition and 60 magazines in his possession after he was shot dead.

Authorities have struggled to give a clear timeline of how events unfolded in Uvalde.

On Friday, officials admitted that police had delayed entering the school for over 40 minutes because they did not believe it was still an “active shooter” situation.

The senior officer on the scene decided to wait until the school janitor arrived with the keys because they thought that either “no kids were at risk” by then, or “no-one was living anymore”.

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Ukraine, Russia battle in the east as Zelenskyy visits front

 Russian and Ukrainian troops traded blows in fierce close-quarter combat Sunday in an eastern Ukrainian city as Moscow’s soldiers, supported by intense shelling, attempted to gain a strategic foothold to conquer the region. Ukraine’s leader also made a rare frontline visit to Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, to assess the strength of the national defense.

In the east, Russian forces stormed Sievierodonetsk after trying unsuccessfully to encircle the strategic city, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation there as “indescribably difficult,” with a relentless Russian artillery barrage destroying critical infrastructure and damaging 90% of the buildings.

“Capturing Sievierodonetsk is a principal task for the occupation force,” Zelensky said, adding that the Russians don’t care about casualties.

The city’s mayor said the fighting had knocked out power and cellphone service and forced a humanitarian relief center to shut down because of the dangers.

The deteriorating conditions raised fears that Sieverodonetsk could become the next Mariupol, a city on the Sea of Azov that spent nearly three months under Russian siege before the last Ukrainian fighters surrendered.

Sievierodonetsk, located 143 kilometers (89 miles) south of the Russian border, has emerged in recent days as the epicenter of Moscow’s quest to capture all of Ukraine’s eastern industrial Donbas region. Russia also stepped up its efforts to capture the nearby city of Lysychansk, where civilians rushed to escape persistent shelling.

The two eastern cities span the strategically important Siverskiy Donetsk River. They are the last major areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province, which makes up the Donbas together with the adjacent Donetsk region.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, visited soldiers in Kharkiv, where Ukrainian fighters pushed Russian forces back from nearby positions several weeks ago.

“I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, risking their lives, they fight for Ukraine’s freedom,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app after the visit.

Russia has kept up its bombardment of the northeastern city from afar, and explosions could be heard shortly after Zelenskyy’s visit. Shelling and airstrikes have destroyed more than 2,000 apartment buildings in the city since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov.

In a video address later Sunday, Zelenskyy praised Kharkiv regional officials but said he had fired the regional head of the country’s top security agency, the SBU, for his poor performance. In the wider Kharkiv region, Russian troops still held about one-third of the territory, Zelenskyy said.

After failing to seize Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Russia is focused on occupying parts of Donbas not already controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told French TF1 television Sunday that Moscow’s “unconditional priority is the liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” adding that Russia sees them as “independent states.”

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Neem: Tree With Million Benefits

 

It caught the attention of the public in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the assertion that it could boost the immune system and fight the virus.

Until then, not much was known about the valuable plant which grows in almost every part of the world.

The neem tree, whose botanical name is Azadirachta Indica, is a popular ancient medicinal herb that has been part of traditional remedies that date back almost 2,000 years.

In many parts of the world, it is referred to as the miracle tree due to its many benefits.

Origin

According to environmentalists, the tree was brought into East Africa during the 19th Century by East Indian immigrants fundamentally for its medicinal properties.

It is now widely grown in Ghana, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

Though wildly grown, it thrives well when planted in any environment.

The neem is a hardy tree that can tolerate temperatures up to 120 degrees Celsius.

However, extended cool weather with temperatures below 35 degrees Celsius would cause the tree to drop its leaves. It doesn’t tolerate colder temperatures, wet climates, or prolonged drought.

That being said, fresh neem tree seeds could be grown indoors in a pot filled with good quality, well-drained potting soil.

Medicinal values

According to traditional folks, all parts of the tree had the potential to cure various ailments. Oil can be extracted from the seeds which can be used as a natural insect repellent and are often incorporated into shampoo, soap, lotion, and other skincare products.

Additionally, the oil makes a great fungicide for issues such as powdery mildew, black spot, and sooty mould.

Although the bark of the plant isn’t widely used, it has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties which makes it useful as a mouthwash in treating gum disease.

Traditionally, natives chewed the twigs which served as effective, impromptu toothbrushes. The sticky bark resin is commonly used as glue.

Neem leaves also have anti-bacterial properties which are effective in treating infections and burns.

The leaves destroy the bacteria that cause infections, stimulate the immune system and promote rapid healing.

In most traditional set-ups, people usually boil some of the leaves and drink the water, while others squeeze out water from the leaves with their palms and add it to water to have their bath.

Others also boil the leaves, pour the hot water into a bucket and inhale the steam with a sheet over their heads, trapping the vapour.

Its flowers are widely appreciated for their sweet aroma, which honeybees love.

Potency

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President of the Traditional Medicines Practitioners Association, Kojo Odum Eduful, recommended the inhalation of steam from boiled neem leaves as an effective practice to help treat symptoms of the virus.

“I can vouch for it because neem leaves can treat lots of fever; if it is true that the virus enters through the nose and tries to go down your lungs and also true that it can’t stand high temperature, then I advise you boil the leaves to a 100 degrees Celsius.

“I can vouch for it,” he said.

Afforestation

Aside from its medicinal purposes, the tree also helps to combat erosion and fight climate change.

For instance, in the Savannah Ecological Zone, the neem tree is one of the main trees that formed the ecosystem.

An environmentalist, Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa, who is the Convener of the Green Republic Project, told the Daily Graphic that neem was a fast-growing tree and because it was evergreen, it was highly recommended for reforestation.

He indicated that the tree could help to combat erosion when planted on slopes and landslides, adding that the fallen leaves also helped to neutralize acidic soils.

He, therefore, called for the massive plantation of the tree to help restore the depleting vegetation and help the country in its quest to fight climate change.

Campaign

Despite the numerous benefits of the wild tree, some people continue to fell them for firewood, charcoal and farming purposes.

In February 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to launch a campaign on protecting neem trees in the country.

Source: graphic.com.gh

 

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Alexandr Wang: Meet The World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaire

 Alexandr Wang grew up in the shadow of New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Lab, the top-secret site where the United States developed its first atomic bomb during World War II.

His parents were physicists who worked on weapons projects for the military. Now he does too: Wang’s six-year-old San Francisco–based company, Scale AI, has already inked three contracts worth some $350 million or more, contingent on the government’s needs, to help America’s Air Force and Army employ artificial intelligence. Pretty impressive for a 25-year-old.

Scale’s technology analyzes satellite images much faster than human analysts to determine how much damage Russian bombs are causing in Ukraine.

It’s useful not just for the military. More than 300 companies, including General Motors and Flexport, use Scale, which Wang started when he was 19, to help them pan gold from rivers of raw information—millions of shipping documents, say, or raw footage from self-driving cars.

“Every industry is sitting on huge amounts of data,” Wang says, who appeared on the Forbes Under 30 list in 2018. “Our goal is to help them unlock the potential of the data and supercharge their businesses with AI.”

A $325 million funding round last year valued Scale, which generates an estimated $100 million in revenue, at $7.3 billion.

Wang’s estimated 15% stake is worth $1 billion, making him the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. (The next-youngest is Pedro Franceschi, the 25-year-old Brazilian cofounder of credit card company Brex.)

As a kid, Wang was a math whiz who competed in national math and coding competitions. In 6th grade, he signed up for his first national math competition intent on securing a free ticket to Disney World.

He didn’t win the competition, but he clinched his trip to the magic kingdom. By 17, he was working full-time coding at the question-and-answer site Quora, where he met Scale’s cofounder, Lucy Guo. He made a quick detour to MIT to study machine learning and started Scale with Guo the summer after his freshman year, with an investment from Y Combinator.

“I told my parents it was just going to be a thing I did for the summer,” Wang says. “Obviously, I never went back to school.”

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