Covid-19: Angola reports 33 recoveries, 13 new cases

 Luanda - At least thirty three recovered patients and 13 new cases is the balance of the last 24 hours released, this Sunday, by the health authorities.

Among those recovered, according to the daily bulletin, 13 live in Namibe, 12 in Luanda, 4 in Moxico and 4 in Zaire.

As for the new cases, the bulletin reads, 7 were diagnosed in Luanda, 3 in Bié, 2 in Zaire and 1 in Cuando Cbango.

The list consists of 9 male and 4 female patients, whose ages range from 3 to 72 years old.

The laboratories processed 938 samples by RT-PCR with a daily positivity rate of 1.4 percent.

Angola registers 98,364 cases, with 95,896 recovered, 1,896 deaths and 572 active. Of the active there are 2 severe, 5 moderate, 18 mild and 547 asymptomatic.

In the treatment centers, 25 patients are hospitalized, while 16 people are in institutional quarantine and 547 in home isolation.

Putin and Xi call for halt to NATO expansion in show of unity at Beijing Olympics, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a call for NATO to halt further expansion during a meeting on the sidelines of the Olympics on Friday, according to a joint statement released by the Kremlin.

The two leaders’ summit, held on the day of the Opening Ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, marked a further step in what has become an increasingly close partnership between Beijing and Moscow, as relations with the West deteriorate for both.

According to an English-language version of the join statement released by the Kremlin, the two countries “believe that certain States, military and political alliances and coalitions seek to obtain, directly or indirectly, unilateral military advantages to the detriment of the security of others.”

Russia and China also “oppose further enlargement of NATO and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon its ideologized cold war approaches, to respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their civilizational, cultural and historical backgrounds, and to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards the peaceful development of other States,” the Kremlin statement said.

A readout from Chinese state media outlet Xinhua said the two leaders “had an in-depth and thorough exchange of views on China-Russia relations and a series of major issues concerning international strategic security and stability” but made no direct mention of NATO.

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Mother denies murdering five-year-old son

A mother has denied murdering five-year-old son who was found dead in a river last July.

Angharad Williamson, of Sarn, Bridgend, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson, at a hearing in Cardiff.

Logan’s step-father, John Cole, 39, also appeared and denied allowing or causing the death of a child, which Ms Williamson, 30, also denies.

Ms Williamson has also denied perverting the course of justice.

Mr Cole, also from Sarn, admitted perverting the course of justice at a previous hearing, where he also denied murder.



Angharad Williamson and John Cole have both been charged with Logan Mwangi’s murder

Logan’s body was found in the River Ogmore in Bridgend county on 31 July last year.

A teenage boy, who cannot be identified due to his age, previously pleaded not guilty to Logan’s murder and perverting the course of justice.

He appeared at the pre-trial hearing at Cardiff Crown Court via video link.

Judge Dame Nerys Jefford said the trial would begin on 14 February and was expected to last for about six weeks.

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South Africa To Host Fourth Investment Conference

South Africa will this year continue with concerted efforts to attract new investments into the country to help revive the economy and boost socio-economic development.

One of the major events is the fourth South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) to be hosted in Johannesburg on 24 March 2022, which forms part of our investment drive to attract R1.2 trillion over five years.

This ambitious investment initiative began in 2018 and has already attracted R770 billion in commitments across a wide range of economic sectors. Government has placed investments at the heart of its efforts to achieve its national goal of economic reconstruction and recovery.

New investments stimulate economic activity in South Africa and also hold enormous benefits for Southern Africa as a whole. The country is an economic hub and gateway into Africa for various markets and business opportunities, including attracting potential investors and tourists alike.

Many multinationals investing in South Africa also use the country as a base to serve their customers in Africa and in particular the southern region. As a relatively stable country with a technologically advanced telecommunications network and a secure banking system, South Africa provides support to these global companies so that they can take advantage of opportunities in the country and the region.

South Africa’s regional partnerships include participation in the Southern African Development Community, the Southern African Customs Union and the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The AfCFTA makes trade between African countries easier by providing new export opportunities for Southern African products and services to member countries which trade with each other without tariffs or other hindrances.

South Africa is already working with a number of neighbouring countries to grow business, trade and investment. This regional partnership provides a gateway for potential foreign and intra-African investments in the continent.

The country continues to relax cross-border financial regulations and tax requirements to enable local businesses to expand into Africa to support continental growth. Similar support measures apply to foreign companies which use South Africa as their regional headquarters to invest in African countries.

Since South Africa’s future is intrinsically linked to that of the continent, the country continues to play an integral role in Africa’s advancement and remains dedicated to Africa’s prosperity.

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South Africa parliament arson suspect denied bail

A 49-year-old man accused of setting South Africa’s parliament on fire has been denied bail by a court in Cape Town.

Global African Family Meeting

Police have said they have a video confession from Zandile Christmas Mafe – evidence they say will be presented in court when the trial begins.

But Mr Mafe has pleaded not guilty and intends to sue the state for wrongful arrest, his lawyers say.

It has been a little over a month since a portion of the National Assembly went up in flames in a suspected arson attack.

Mr Mafe, who was arrested shortly afterwards, is facing a string of charges, including one of terrorism – all of which he denies.

The motive for the attack is unknown.

It may be some time before the trial begins and unless Mr Mafe wins an appeal to overturn the bail decision, he will remain in detention.

Magistrate Michelle Adams said Mr Mafe, who is said to have regularly slept on the streets of Cape Town, might be a flight risk.

She added that his defence team had failed to show that there were exceptional circumstances for Mr Mafe to be granted bail.

Earlier, state prosecutors raised questions about Mr Mafe’s mental health after a doctor told them he had paranoid schizophrenia – a diagnosis that is yet to be confirmed by an independent doctor.

His own legal team have rubbished the suggestion.

The case will resume next Friday for an application to appeal against the bail decision.

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South Africa makes its own version of Moderna vaccine

Scientists in South Africa have made a copy of the Moderna Covid vaccine, a move which they say could help boost vaccination rates across Africa.

The continent currently has the lowest uptake of Covid shots in the world.

The company behind the new vaccine – Afrigen Biologics – says it hopes to start clinical trials in November.

Moderna previously said it would not enforce the patents on its vaccine, allowing scientists in Cape Town to make their own version of it.

 

The researchers were backed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Petro Terblanche, director of Afrigen Biologics, said they were starting small, but had ambitions to scale up quickly.

“We have used the sequence, which is the same sequence as the Moderna vaccine 1273,” he told the BBC.

“This is part of a global initiative to build capacity and capability in low and middle-income countries to become self-sufficient.”

The shot being copied is a messenger RNA vaccine made by US firm Moderna. Pfizer-BioNTech also made its vaccine using the same technology. They were some of the first Covid vaccines to be authorised for use around the world.

This type of vaccine teaches cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies, rather than putting a weakened or inactivated germ into the body.

The company’s chief scientist, Dr Caryn Fenner, called the achievement “really significant”.

“It puts the power in our hands to be able to produce our own vaccines for the future, to be ready for further pandemics, to produce clinical trial material on African soil and then to look at other diseases of relevance in Africa.”

Many of Africa’s countries have fully vaccinated less than 10% of their populations, compared to 60% in North America, 63% in Europe and 61% across Asia. Despite having one of the best rates on the continent, South Africa has only vaccinated 27% of its people.

It’s been reported that BioNTech – the company which partnered Pfizer in producing an mRNA vaccine – also has plans to open a vaccine manufacturing plant on the continent.

A number of other Covid-19 vaccine production facilities are in the pipeline in Africa, mainly focused on Russian and Chinese-made vaccines.

This could be a major breakthrough for the African continent.

The vast majority of mRNA vaccines have gone to wealthy countries and there have been sketchy plans to make these on African soil.

But because Moderna said it wouldn’t enforce the patent rights on its vaccine, scientists have been able to reverse engineer it via a special World Health Organization-funded hub in Cape Town.

Although the quantities made so far are small, it’s been developed more quickly than many expected.

If the scale-up goes well and the trials succeed, it could be the start of more equal access to these cutting-edge vaccines.

It will also be interesting to see how Moderna responds now that scientists have cracked the code of its vaccine.

The pharmaceutical industry in general has opposed a campaign to waive intellectual property rights on Covid vaccines, arguing they are too complex to be made independently and that it would stunt innovation in the private sector.

Campaigners point out huge amounts of public money were poured into many of the vaccine projects.

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WhatsApp: Scam costs Welsh victims thousands of pounds

 Victims of a WhatsApp scam have been left thousands of pounds poorer after being tricked into handing over cash.

Con artists have been sending texts claiming to be relatives with new numbers, then asking for help with bills or other costs.

Many start with: “Hello mum, I’ve got a new phone, please save the number.”

North Wales Police said victims in Wales had lost an average of almost £2,500 each in the UK-wide fraud.

WhatsApp said people should request a voice note or call if they received a suspicious message.

Sarah Capper, from Rhyl, Denbighshire, was targeted last month and said the messages seemed “completely genuine”.

She added: “I got a message which started ‘Hi mum’, saying their old phone had crashed and could I save this new number.

“We chatted for a while and the scammer was even talking with me about being stressed at work as if they were my daughter.”

Fraudsters have been texting victims claiming to be relatives needing financial help

She was asked to help pay an invoice as her “daughter” did not have mobile banking on her new phone and was promised she would be repaid straight away.

When she spoke to her daughter the next day and she had no idea what she was talking about, Ms Capper “burst into tears” as she had handed over £2,100, including £1,800 borrowed from her partner.

“I would have sworn blind that I was talking to my daughter, but it was a complete stranger. It’s frightening and very upsetting.”

But Ms Capper got lucky as the payment bounced – police think the bank already considered the scammer’s account suspicious.

Scammers told Ms Capper they had no access to online banking on a new phone

Zoe Burrell, from Anglesey, saved a number in her daughter’s name after getting a WhatsApp message that said: “Mum…… this is my new number, you can delete my old number xx.”

All the scammer’s messages then bore her daughter’s name and “a little thing that makes it seem more genuine,” Ms Burrell said.

“I’ve lent my daughter money before, and I’ve always had it all back.

“She’s changed her phone number in the past as well, so it all seemed very legit to begin with.”

North Wales Police said many of the victims were women

The fraudster claimed Ms Burrell’s daughter needed cash quickly so sense went “out of the window” and she transferred £4,800.

The last of Ms Burrell’s four transfers did not go through as the bank became suspicious.

“I was devastated,” Ms Burrell said.

“You just feel like you’ve been taken for a fool. They’re very clever and the personal thing, masquerading as a loved one, it pulls you in.”

Both women wanted to speak out to stop others being ripped off.

Zoe Burrell transferred £4,800 as sense went “out of the window”

North Wales Police Det Con Rachel Roberts said many victims were women with adult children.

Investigators are trying to figure out if the fraudsters research their victims or whether they are using a confidence trick.

Det Con Roberts said officers were seeing a new victim every day: “In just two weeks at the start of January, we saw scammers try to steal £24,000 from people in north Wales alone.

“It’s a particularly nasty scam because the criminals are often posing as someone’s son or daughter.

“WhatsApp is a messenger platform that people use to talk to close friends and family, and people naturally take their children on face value.”

She advised people getting requests for cash to consider whether they are genuine, taking time to think about what they are being asked and calling people back on a different number to check it is actually them.

Kathryn Harnett, from WhatsApp, said: “WhatsApp protects our users’ personal messages with end-to-end encryption, but we want to remind people that we all have a role to play in keeping our accounts safe by remaining vigilant to the threat of scammers.

“If you receive a suspicious message (even if you think you know who it’s from), calling or requesting a voice note is the fastest and simplest way to check someone is who they say they are – a friend in need is a friend worth calling.”

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