Government predicts completion of new airport works by 2023

 Luanda - Angolan government plans to resume the construction works of the New Luanda Airport (NAIL) this year, whose contract should be completed in 2023.

The information was released by the construction contractor, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, which presented an institutional video, to President João Lourenço on Saturday.

The Angolan Head of State is paying a visit to the works of the New International Airport to assess the level of execution of the infrastructure, as part of his field trip.

In March 2019, the Angolan Government announced that the NAIL works should undergo engineering and functionality corrections to adapt the infrastructure to the standards of modernity, innovation and passenger comfort.

At the time, the measure resulted from information from a Memorandum on the state of execution of the work, approved by the Cabinet Council.

Designed to receive 15 million passengers a year, in a first phase, the infrastructure is located  in the commune of Bom Jesus, in the municipality of Icolo e Bengo, about 40 kilometers southeast of Luanda city.

The infrastructure, whose works began in 2007, also has the capacity to receive a volume of goods of 50,000 tons/year.

The new airport, divided into several structures, includes areas for domestic and international flights, terminals, air traffic control and support facilities, among others.

With an area of ​​1,324 hectares, the NAIL has two lanes.

Angola, Zambia committed to permanent support for peace in DRC and Mozambique

 Luanda - Angola and Zambia reiterated Friday in Lusaka their commitment to support peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique, through the deployment of forces and support in defence equipment.

The decision was taken at the end of the 32nd Meeting of the Angola-Zambia Joint Defence and Security Commission, according to a press release that reached Angop in Luanda.

The document highlighted the progress in cooperation, in the field of staff training and the prevailing stability along the common border.

They expressed concern about the occurrence of the cases of border violation, arms and fuel trafficking, among others, the note reads.

It was decided that a joint working group should start an inspection operation in the North region, between June and September this year, under the triple border (Angola, Zambia and DRC).

Later, in the regions of Jimbi and Shangombo, concerning the borders (Angola, Zambia and Namibia).

The delegations were headed by the Ministers of Defence. They are Ernesto dos Santos (Angola), and Ambrosi Lwiji Lufuna , of the host country.

The last regular consultation meeting between the heads of the Defense and Security bodies of the two countries was held in Luanda between 4th and 6th November 2019.

Biden unveils KBJ’s appointment to the Supreme Court

 Almost choking on her tears, newly appointed Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Ketanji Brown Jackson struggled through an emotional speech at the White House lawn as President Biden, flanked by Vice Preside Harris unveiled her.

“It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments onto the United States Supreme Court for a black woman to” make it there, proclaimed Brown Jackson. “But we made it” which drew a standing ovation.

The beautifully written and delivered speech was riddled with a long list of appreciations to family, friends, and mentors who made it possible for Brown Jackson to ascend to the highest court in the United States.

 

The Senate voted 53-47 to approve Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson after a tumultuous confirmation process where Republican senators on the judiciary Committee to lambast her judicial record despite easily approving her just a little under a year earlier onto the US Court of Appeals.

Brown Jackson also made reference to thousands of pieces of mail and messages from around the world “particularly children.”

Ketanji Brown Jackson will be officially sworn in within a few weeks to become the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

DNT News

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Bomb scare at Saint Etienne Cathedral in Toulouse, France

 French police have evacuated Saint Etienne Cathedral in Toulouse, France this morning after a suspected bomb was left at the altar. The threat has been safely neutralized by French authorities and there are no reported injuries.

The suspicious package was delivered by an unknown man to the steps of the altar during Friday morning mass. According to local newspaper, La Depeche, Simon D’Artigue, the cathedral’s chief cleric, tried unsuccessfully to stop him as he fled the scene.

Bomb disposal units were dispatched to manage the scene. The package is suspected to be a homemade bomb that failed to explode.

“Thanks to the rapid intervention of the bomb disposal services, the police operation in Toulouse is over. No casualties,” said a statement tweeted by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. The alert advising citizens to avoid central Toulouse has also been lifted.

The French police are actively seeking out the suspect via video surveillance and the police hunt is ongoing.

This threat is not isolated as French churches have been a target for extremists in the past, including the 2020 knife attack in Nice and the murder of a priest in Normandy in 2016.

This attack also comes ahead of the first round of voting for France’s presidential election on April 10^th.

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