Former Soviet leader Gorbachev dies at 91

 THIS JUST IN: Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union whose attempts to shake up his country’s political and economic system led to the collapse of the Communist superpower and the end of the Cold War, has died, Interfax reported.

The Russian news service cited the Moscow hospital where Gorbachev died at 91.

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union, he was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991.

DNT News with correspondence report from Moscow

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Court approves analysis of Kenya voting systems

 Judges of Kenya’s Supreme Court have ordered the electoral commission to grant party agents of presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s supervised access to computer servers that were used for transmission and storage of voting data.

The court also gave a 48-hour order for scrutiny and recount of votes from 15 polling stations as part of an election challenge filed by Mr Odinga after the election commission chairman Wafula Chebukati declared Deputy President William Ruto the winner of the 9 August presidential poll.

Chief Justice Martha Koome also directed the head of the police to provide adequate security to representatives during the exercise to be conducted at an undisclosed location.

A seven-judge bench will commence the hearing of the presidential election petition on Wednesday.

The court has consolidated the petition around nine issues, including looking into the validity of the election, after striking out two petitions and rejecting three applications.

During Tuesday’s pre-trial conference, the court set rules for the hearing including time allocated for each party and representation.

Mr Odinga rejected the election result saying the announcement of Mr Ruto as president-elect was unlawful citing divisions among electoral commissioners and the failure of Mr Chebukati to explain how he arrived at the final tally.

Mr Chebukati declared Mr Ruto the winner, saying he garnered 7.1 million votes to Mr Odinga’s 6.9 million.

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Angola beat South Africa ahead of CHAN 2023

 Luanda - National football team beat South Africa on Sunday 2-0 in the second and final qualifying match for CHAN 2023 in Algeria, played in Luanda’s 11 de Novembro Stadium.

Mateus Galiano and Ary Papel scored for Angolan team, “Palancas Negras” at 54th and 90+2' respectively.

This is Angola's second win over this opponent in 13 matches.

The first took place in 2016, curiously for the same result and also in the qualifiers for access to a CHAN, played in Rwanda.

Elections 2022: João Lourenço pledges to govern for prosperity

 Luanda - President-elect João Lourenço promised Monday to continuously work for Angola's large economy, large democracy and a society in which national citizens have the same opportunities to develop their talents and prosper.

The head of the MPLA's list for the general elections of 24 August, made the pledge at final results released by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), which guarantee his party the positions of President and Vice-President of the Republic, as well as 124, of the 220, MPs to the National Assembly.

CNE gave the ruling MPLA party the victory, with 51.07% (3.1 million votes / 124 MPs), with UNITA coming second, with 44.05% (2.7 million / 90 MPs).

The PRS ranked third, with 1.13% (70,398 / 2 MPs), followed by the FNLA, with 1.05% (65,223 / 2 MPs), and the PHA, with 1.01% (63,002 / 2 MPs) . CASA-CE, on the other hand, had 0.75% (46,750), not having obtained any MP, as did the APN, with 0.48% (29,740), and P-JANGO, with 0.42% (26,268).

“(…) this mandate of the People, which is sovereign, grants the MPLA the constitutional right and obligation of its candidate to be sworn in as President of the Republic of Angola, to form the Executive, appointing the ministers and secretaries of State, the governors from all 18 provinces, as well as all municipal administrators”, he declared.

He envisaged for the next five years an Executive that guarantees the stability and consolidation of the democratic and lawful State and that promotes dialogue and social consultation with the different partners of civil society.

João Lourenço pledged to fight for more transparency and efficiency of State institutions, more development and progress for Angola and for the Angolans.

The commitment to a programme focused on diversifying the economy and creating jobs, training staff and strengthening the education system, modernising Public Administration and decentralising the State, expanding health services and basic sanitation.

He also spoke of the continuity of a set of investments and necessary reforms to make Angola a more prosperous, more developed and more innovative country, giving all Angolans the future they aspire to and deserve.

He urged unity in a new spirit of patriotism and responsibility, where everyone contributes to a more just society.

João Lourenço proposes, with the private sector and other partners, to invest "strongly" in the creation of more opportunities for employment, self-employment and success in entrepreneurship, considering that it is time to open the doors of opportunities to young people, to restore the prosperity and promoting peace.

He praised the level of organisation of the elections, the massive presence of observers and the free media coverage of the elections, which led the international community to recognise these elections as having been free, fair and transparent.

He considered the absolute majority achieved as a victory of humility, seriousness and stability, thanking them for participating in the elections and ensuring the functioning of polling stations, while saluting competing political forces.

 The election had the participation of eight parties and 6.4 million voters, corresponding to 44.82 percent of the 14.3 million registered citizens.

Elections 2022: João Lourenço re-elected President of Republic

 Luanda - The MPLA candidate João Lourenço was re-elected Monday President of the Republic, for a second five-year term, following the general elections conducted on 24 August.

João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço was born on March 5, 1954, in Lobito, coastal province of Benguela, and is the son of Sequeira João Lourenço, a nurse, and Josefa Gonçalves Cipriano Lourenço, a seamstress, both deceased.

He is married to Ana Afonso Dias Lourenço and has six children.

He attended the primary and secondary education in the province of Bié and, in Luanda, he studied at the former Industrial School and the Industrial Institute.

From 1978 to 1982, he specialised in heavy artillery and obtained the academic degree of Master in Historical Sciences, at the former Soviet Union.

He speaks fluently English, Russian and Spanish languages.

From August 1974 onwards, he participated in the National Liberation Struggle, led by the MPLA, having received his first political-military training at the “Kalunga” Revolutionary Instruction Center (CIR) in the Republic of Congo.

He joined the first group of MPLA fighters, which, in 1974, entered the national territory, via Miconge, towards the city of Cabinda.

On the eve of National Independence, he participated in combats in Ntó-Iema, Cabinda, and other localities, against the invasion of the then Zairean army, which intended to occupy the territory of that province of Angola.

He also served as Political Commissioner of the then Popular Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA), at various levels, including political commissioner of the second Political-Military Region of Cabinda.

In 1980s, he participated in several military operations in the center of the country, such as in the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Huambo and Bié.

In 1983, he was president of the Regional Military Council of the third Political-Military Region, and, from 1989 to 1990, he served as head of the Political Directorate of FAPLA.

He is currently a (retired) general of the Angolan Armed Forces.

He has been a member of the MPLA Central Committee since 1985, being a member of its Political Bureau since 1990 and, following the VII Ordinary Congress of the party, held in 2016, he was elected vice-president.

He had already served as secretary of the Political Bureau for Information and for the Economic and Social Sphere, as well as the party’s secretary general.

In the field of government functions, he was appointed, in 1983, at age 29, provincial commissioner of Moxico, equivalent to the current position of provincial governor and from 1986 to 1989 he performed the same duties in Benguela.

In 2014, he was appointed Minister of Defence, a position he held until the start of the 2017 election campaign.

He was president of the MPLA Parliamentary Group from 1991 to 1998, and later president of the Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly, having also served as first deputy Speaker from 2003 to 2014.

His hobby includes reading, chess, horseback riding and is passionate about the new Information Technologies.

Profile of the Vice President of the Republic

Esperança Maria Eduardo Francisco da Costa was born in Luanda and studied Biology at  Agostinho Neto University, where she graduated in 1985.

Between 1983-1984, she worked at the Botany Center of the Scientific Investigation Institute , in Lisbon, Portugal, and, on her return to Luanda, was appointed assistant in Plant Biology at Agostinho Neto University.

In 1986, she became head of the Biology Department.

Between 1986 and 1990, she developed the Luanda Herbarium and became Angola's representative to the African Biosciences Network (ABN), after attending a meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, on forest management.

In 1990, she started a Master's degree in Factory Productivity at the Technical University of Lisbon. From 1992 onwards, she worked on a thesis on Plant Ecology, obtaining her PhD from the same institution.

In 1997, she returned to Angola to be appointed professor at Agostinho Neto University, of which she is also director of the herbarium.

In the current government she serves as Secretary of State for Fisheries.

Elections 2022: Final result dictates P-NJANGO, APN extinction

 Luanda - The competing political parties P-NJANGO and APN will be extinct, due to their failure to reach the minimum percentage required by law in the final results of the general elections on 24 August.

Under the article 33 of the Political Parties Law, (in paragraph i), P-NJANGO and APN will become extinct because they did not reach the figure of 0.5% of the total votes cast valid in electoral processes.

The Nationalist Party for Justice in Angola (P-NJANGO) obtained 0.42% of the votes, corresponding to 26,867 voters, and the National Patriotic Alliance (APN) got 0.48%, as the result of 30,139 voters.

The National Electoral Commission (CNE) put at 6. 4 million voters, out of a universe of 14.3 million registered, the number of voters who cast their ballots in the country's fifth general elections.

Also ran for the 2022 elections, MPLA, UNITA, PRS, FNLA, PHA and CASA-CE parties.

GWCL To Help Sierra Leone Build Water System

 The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been contracted to help to build the capacities of Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) of Sierra Leone to provide more inclusive water services in that country.

Consequently, it has received a $250,000 fund for that purpose.

The fund, provided under the European Union—Water Operators’ Partnerships (EU-WOP) programme, is also to ensure that the vulnerable population in both countries were better served over a period of three years.

The grant was made possible after a funding proposal jointly submitted by the GWCL, GVWC and the Dutch VEI — water service provider in the Netherlands — was selected under the programme.

The partnership intends to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the United Nations of ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.

The EU-WOP programme is an initiative funded by the EU and managed by UN-Habitat’s Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA).

WOP project

As a starting point, the GWCL has visited Sierra Leone for feasibility studies, and has started the transfer of knowledge and expertise to the country.

The team from Ghana has also held a workshop for its Sierra Leonean counterpart.

The Managing Director of GWCL, Dr Clifford Braimah, who briefed the Daily Graphic on this development, said the company’s visit to Sierra Leone was to gain at first hand the local challenges faced by GVWC in delivering water to the vulnerable communities.

“Being the lead partner, GWCL took advantage of the visit to gain a better understanding of the local challenges in supplying water to the vulnerable communities of Sierra Leone, and that commenced the transfer of knowledge and expertise. VEI also supported the process,” he said.

Dr Braimah indicated that they had received some funding from development partners, consumers and other sector stakeholders as a result of elevating the GWCL Low-Income Customer Support Unit into a full-blown department.

He said the department was focused on fundraising, community engagement, and improving water service delivery in poor communities through revenue collection initiatives and setting up water user associations.

The Chief Manager of the department, Faustina Boachie, said the department was crucial for the GVWC to fulfil its mandate.

Workshop

The VEI Project Manager, Krijn Driessen, provided hands-on training on the utilisation of a DJI Mavic Air 2 drone handed over to GVWC to enhance the company’s operations.

The partners then expressed their individual commitments to transform the unserved to be served in a sustainable way.

The Board Chair of GVWC, Bintu Myers, expressed the company’s commitment to work with the GWCL, while pledging the board’s strategic support to deliver on the programme’s objectives.

Source: graphiconline.com

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Angola’s MPLA win election – commission

 Angola’s long-dominant party has won another five years in power, but with a much-reduced majority, the electoral commission has announced.

The MPLA, under President João Lourenço, took 51.2% in last week’s election. Its closest rival, Unita, had its best-ever result with 44%.

Unita previously said it was considering contesting the outcome.

The MPLA, in power for nearly five decades, has faced criticism over high levels of poverty and unemployment.

Its share of the vote was down from the 61% it gained in the previous elections in 2017, while Unita’s share is sharply up from 27%.

Despite Angola being rich in oil and minerals, many have not benefitted from that wealth.

Unita’s leader Adalberto Costa Júnior last week rejected the provisional results, saying they did not match the party’s own tally.

The MPLA has been in power since independence from Portugal in 1975.

It fought a protracted civil war with Unita until 2002, but the two decades of peace have not brought the gains that many had hoped for. Around half the population lives on less than $2 a day.

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Nigeria court blocks top policeman’s extradition to US

 A federal high court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, has rejected a request to extradite a suspended senior police officer to the US to face fraud charges.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari has been implicated in a case of money laundering, fraud and other crimes involving a Nigerian social media influencer Ramon Abbas, alias Hushpuppi.

Hushpuppi pleaded guilty in California to money laundering and also claimed he had paid a bribe to Mr Kyari to arrest a syndicate member with whom he had fallen out.

The US authorities then declared the Nigerian police officer wanted and sought his extradition to stand trial.

But on Monday, a judge at the high court in Abuja dismissed an application by Nigerian attorney-general Abubakar Malami for Mr Kyari’s extradition.

Justice Inyang Ekwo said the request to surrender Mr Kyari to the US would not be granted because he was already standing trial for another offence in Nigeria.

Mr Kyari is being tried in a separate case in Nigeria for alleged links to drug traffickers.

The suspended police officer has denied the allegations in both cases.

Last year, the US authorities said Hushpuppi’s internet fraud activities had cost his victims nearly $24m (£20m).

Before his suspension last year due to the allegations against him, Mr Kyari headed an elite team of police officers praised for fighting violent crimes and internet fraud.

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SA Man Runs 90km To Ask Woman To Marry Him

 A South African man who literally went the extra mile to prove his love for his woman has set online users in a frenzy and has been trending on social media.

The 57-year-old man, identified as Joseph Kagiso Ndlovu, ran a 90km (56-mile) ultra-marathon to propose to a woman named Prudence.

He was pictured holding a banner asking the woman to marry him, as he approached the finish line of the the Comrades Marathon on Sunday.

“Prudence will you marry me? Run 90k for you,” read the banner.

Local media and online users have been having a field day talking about the lengths to which the man had to go to woo his lover.

Mr Ndlovu told the BBC on Monday that Prudence Dick, who was at the race to support him, said yes to his proposal.

He said they have been dating since the beginning of this year and plan to get married sometime next year.

He added that this was the seventh time he was taking part in the marathon and that she was the main motivation for his participation this time especially after a two-year break.

Earlier, it was not clear she had accepted the proposal and some people online had been egging her on to accept the proposal.

“As a country, we deserve the answer to the proposal. Cameraman please seek out Prudence. We are invested now” another tweep said.

Source: BBC

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José Eduardo dos Santos’ remains laid to rest

 Luanda - The remains of former President José Eduardo dos Santos are laid to rest in a tomb, specially built for this purpose in Republic Square in Luanda.

The final tribute to José Eduardo dos Santos, who died at the age of 79, last 8 July, in Barcelona, Spain, due to illness, was marked by a scenario of sadness, emotion and tears.

In the presence of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, and other Heads of State, the ceremony included the reading of messages from the Angolan State, the family, the MPLA and the Eduardo dos Santos Foundation (FESA), as well as an ecumenical worship and music of two choir groups from the Catholic and Methodist churches.

The Minister of State and Head of the House of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, hailed the heroic and glorious career of José Eduardo dos Santos "who dedicated his whole life to the noblest and greatest aspirations of the Angolan people ".

"The country forced him, from an early age, to dedicate himself to our land, to his land, to our people, to his people", he stressed.

According to the Minister of State, José Eduardo dos Santos performed with great pride and dedication the position of  President of the Republic between September 1979 and September 2017.

Elections 2022: CNE approves final tabulation report

Luanda- National Electoral Commission (CNE) approved this Monday (29) the minutes of the national tabulation of the final results of the general elections of 24 August.

The aforementioned final national minutes will be read, this Monday afternoon, by CNE president Manuel Pereira da Silva, according to his spokesman, Lucas Quilundo.

"The president of the CNE will, in a solemn ceremony, publicly present the minutes of the definitive tabulation of the results of the election", he said.

The plenary session for the approval of this document started around 10 pm on Sunday and ended around 4 am on Monday.

The approval of the minutes preceded the presentation of the report of the votes claimed, by the technical group of the National Scrutiny Centre.

In the country's 18 provinces, 11,153 votes were claimed, of which 7,925 were validated.

The validated votes were redistributed among the political parties, as follows: PHA 117, P-Njango 54, UNITA 2, 935, FNLA 168, CASA-CE 73, PRS 148 and MPLA 4, 360.

The province of Bengo claimed 270, Benguela 684, Bié 1, 207, Cabinda 351, Cuando Cubango 224, Cuanza Norte 223, Cuanza Sul 774, Cunene 256, Huambo 737, Huila 1, 047, Luanda 2, 362, Lunda Norte 539/all null, Lunda Sul 314, Malanje 514, Moxico 300, Namibe 119, Uíge 841 and Zaire 391 votes.

The latest provisional results give the victory to the MPLA, with 51.07 % (3,162,801 votes/124 MPs), followed by UNITA with 44.05% (2,727,885 / 90 MPs) and the PRS with 1.13 % (70,398 / 2 MPs).

The FNLA appears with 1.05% (65,223 / 2 MPs) and surprisingly the newcomer PHA with 1.01% (63,002 / 2 MPs).

CASA-CE with 0.75% (46,750) did not get any seat, as did the APN with 0.48% (29,740) and P-JANGO with 0.42% of the votes (26,268).

Mombasa gubernatorial candidate forgets ID to vote

 A Kenyan politician running for governor in Mombasa county, coastal region, had to wait for aides to bring his original ID to his polling station after he forgot it.

Abuswamad Shariff Nassir of Raila Odinga’s ODM party needed to produce the document to identify himself as a registered voter.

He was later allowed to vote at his Mvita constituency after producing the document.

His opponent, Hassan Sarai Omar, of William Ruto’s UDA party also voted in Mvita constituency.

The ongoing elections for eight elective seats are a test for Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto’s parties as they await the Supreme Court ruling on presidential election petitions.

Mombasa’s current governor Hassan Joho who has served two terms decried low voter turn-out after he voted.

Mombasa and Kakamega counties had their gubernatorial elections delayed because of a mix-up in ballot papers.

Kenya had its general elections on 9 August and 45 governors from across the country were sworn in on Thursday.

Hassan Sarai Omar is running for governor

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Moqtada al-Sadr, dominant Iraqi political leader, retires from politics

 One of Iraq’s most powerful figures, who has been at the centre of a long crisis over forming a government, says he is retiring from political life.

Moqtada al-Sadr, a firebrand Shia cleric with millions of followers, announced his decision on Twitter.

Hundreds of his supporters have been camped outside parliament for weeks after twice storming it in protest at the political deadlock.

His forces were prominent in fighting US troops after the 2003 invasion.

Mr Sadr’s announcement comes two days after he called for all parties and figures involved in political life following the US-led invasion of Iraq to quit.

His political alliance won the most seats in last October’s general election, but his MPs later resigned amid deadlock with a rival Shia bloc over the formation of the government.

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Gibraltar Is Officially A City – 180 Years Late

 Gibraltar can officially call itself a city, 180 years after it was first granted the status by Queen Victoria.

The British overseas territory had bid to become a city earlier this year as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

But when researchers looked through the National Archives, they found it had already been recognised as one in 1842.

The Rock has now had its status reaffirmed – Boris Johnson described it as a “huge accolade” celebrating its “rich history and dynamism”.

Gibraltar has been a British overseas territory since 1713, when it was ceded to Britain under a peace treaty signed following the War of the Spanish Succession.

A Jubilee competition saw 39 places apply to become cities and eight of them, including Doncaster, Bangor, and Dunfermline, ultimately granted the status.

City status is often associated with having a cathedral, university, or large population, but there are no set rules for it being granted – it’s awarded by the monarch on advice of ministers.

It brings little in the way of material benefits, although it can often provide a boost to communities by putting them on the map and is normally a source of pride for residents.

The government said Gibraltar had been omitted from official lists after being originally given the title by Queen Victoria, but it is not clear how this happened.

An updated record of the 81 places named as cities has now been published.

Gibraltar is one of only five outside the UK to be recognised. Hamilton in Bermuda, Jamestown in Saint Helena, and Douglas on the Isle of Man were already on the list, while Stanley in the Falklands Islands was among those named for the Jubilee this year.

Southend in Essex was also granted city status earlier this year following the murder of David Amess MP, who had represented the Southend West constituency since 1997 and had long campaigned on the issue.

Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse said: “The cities in this list are incredibly rich with history and culture, and the local people of those areas are rightly very proud to see their city’s significance put to paper.

“I’m hopeful people based in these places, particularly the new cities, can reap the benefits of their home’s increased global standing and that it will attract more inward investment for local businesses.”

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