UK blames Russia for hoax calls to cabinet ministers

 

The UK government has publicly blamed Russia for hoax calls about the conflict in Ukraine made to British cabinet ministers.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel said they had been contacted by imposters last week.

Downing Street has now revealed an unsuccessful attempt was also made to contact Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.

A No 10 spokesman added that further hoax calls to ministers are expected.

There is understood to be concern in government that doctored recordings of the calls may be made public to reinforce Russian claims about the war.

‘Standard practice’

On Friday, Mr Wallace blamed “Russian disinformation, distortion and dirty tricks” for a man calling him pretending to be Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal.

Home Secretary Priti Patel then revealed shortly afterwards that she had received a similar call earlier in the week.

On Monday, Boris Johnson’s spokesman told reporters that “the Russian state was responsible for the hoax telephone calls made to UK ministers last week”.

The spokesman did not give further details, but added: “This is standard practice for Russian information operations.

“Disinformation is a tactic straight from the Kremlin playbook to try to distract from their illegal activities in Ukraine and the human rights abuses being committed there.

“We are seeing a string of distraction stories and outright lies from the Kremlin, reflecting Putin’s desperation as he seeks to hide the scale of the conflict and Russia’s failings on the battlefield.”

Nadine Dorries entered the cabinet in September when she was made culture secretary

It is understood that Mr Wallace was put through to a Microsoft Teams video call which lasted about 10 minutes.

The video call was set up after an email, purportedly from an aide at the Ukrainian embassy in London, was sent to a government department and then forwarded to the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Wallace was apparently asked about whether the UK would send warships to the Black Sea, and if Ukraine should get nuclear weapons.

The defence secretary was also apparently asked about the prospect of Ukraine dropping its ambition to join Nato and becoming a “neutral” state.

A cross-department government inquiry into how the call happened is ongoing.

Asked whether defences against hoax calls were strong enough, the No 10 spokesman said there was guidance on how such calls should be handled.

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Millions in East Africa risk extreme hunger – Oxfam

Up to 28 million people in East Africa are at risk of extreme hunger due to price spikes because of the Ukraine war and potential lack of rain this March, non-profit organisation Oxfam warned.

Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia are experiencing the driest weather in 40 years, meanwhile South Sudan is tackling ongoing flooding, the group said.

It also highlighted what it views as the distraction of the international community because of the Ukraine conflict, leading to a neglect of the food crisis in the East African region.

Describing the global response as “woefully underfunded” a press release stated that only 3% of the $6bn (£4.5bn) United Nations (UN) 2022 humanitarian appeal for Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan had been funded.

“Areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and beyond are experiencing an unfolding full-scale catastrophe. Even if the rains do arrive this month, full recovery will be near impossible unless urgent action is taken today,” Oxfam’s International Executive Director, Gabriela Bucher, warned.

“The repercussions of the Ukrainian conflict on the global food system will reverberate around the globe, but it is the poorest and most vulnerable people who will be among those hit hardest and fastest,” she continued.

East African countries get up to 90% of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia, the press statement said.

One farmer said the lack of food and water is impacting his cattle: “Due to the droughts our donkeys have perished and the ones remaining are too weak to pull carts,” Ahmed Mohamud Omar from Wajir County, Kenya, said.

“I think about what will my family eat, where will their next meal come from, whether I will get the daily jerrycan of water,” he continued.

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Angolan president calls for deepening cooperation with Namibia

 

Luanda - Angolan head of State João Lourenço Monday spoke of the need to deepen cooperation with Namibia, based on bilateral agreement signed in the 1990s.

João Lourenço said Angola and Namibia need to move together to expand and deepen cooperation with a view to materialising the projects of the common interest for the benefit of development and well-being of their peoples.

 

The call is expressed in a message sent to his Namibian counterpart Hage Gottfried Geingob, ahead of the 23rd anniversary of Namibia's Independence.

 

Angolan president praised the efforts made by Namibians, "who, along with other nations, fought for the sovereignty of the Nation with commitment and patriotism.

 

João Lourenço also highlighted the determination of Namibians in the process of construction and consolidation of foundation of progress and development on which the people's hopes are placed, in a future that ensure the solution of their fundamental aspirations.

Covid-19: 35 recoveries and 12 fresh cases

 Luanda – Angola’s health authorities announced 35 recoveries and 12 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.

Updating Covid-19 statistics on Monday, the State Secretary for Public Health, Franco Mufinda, announced 30 recoveries in Luanda, 4 in Zaire and 1 in Cabinda.

 

The country also reported 11 fresh coronavirus infections in Luanda and 1 in Cabinda, aged between 6 months and 56 years of age.

 

Angola has so far 99,027 confirmed cases, of which 114 active patients, 1,900 deaths and 97,013 recoveries.

Saudi Arabian businesspersons interested to invest in Angola

 

Luanda – A business team from Saudi Arabia, visiting Angola, this Monday in Luanda expressed their willingness to invest in the oil and metallurgy sectors.

This information was advanced to the press by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX), António Henriques da Silva, in the end of the hearing granted to the Saudi business delegation.

 

The AIPEX boss said that among the sectors discussed, the Saudi entrepreneurs showed major interest in the oil industry and its by-products, as well as in metallurgy, more precisely steel and iron artifacts.

 

António Henriques informed also that the Saudi group is composed by 72 companies with 50,000 workers and operates in different sectors of the economic activity.

 

The Saudi business delegation this Monday had a meeting with the minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino de Azevedo.

 

Meanwhile, for this Tuesday the same delegation is to visit the Special Economic Zone Luanda-Bengo to check the said industrial area’s functional reality.