Italy signs Angolan gas deal amid Russia tensions

 Italy and Angola have signed an energy cooperation agreement as European countries seek to reduce dependence on Russian gas.

The deal aims to “increase the export of Angolan gas and reduce the dependence of the European country on the Russian gas supply”, privately owned Angola24Horas says.

It was signed by Angolan Mineral Resources Minister Diamantina Azevedo and Italy’s Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani in in Luanda, Angola’s capital.

Italian multinational Eni is a major player in the Angolan oil and gas sector.

On Monday, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi struck an agreement with Algeria to buy more of its gas in a further sign of Italy’s attempts to reduce dependence on Russia.

Italy gets about 40% of its gas from Russia.

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De Beers praises reforms in Angola

 Luanda - De Beers CEO Bruce Clever Wednesday praised the reforms carried out over the last four years which, according to him, ensure greater comfort for investments in Angola.

The boss of the world’s leading diamond company was speaking to the press at the end of an audience granted by the president of Republic, João Lourenço. 

Bruce Clever said he was "very impressed with the reforms introduced in the last four and a half years under the president João Lourenço" and " which offer more comfort to  working in Angola. 

He also said he informed the Head of State of the signing of the two contracts with the diamond firm “Endiama” and the Angolan government on exploitation of two different concessions.

Bruce Clever said that the 35-year contracts provide for exploration in two separate areas, totaling about 20,000 square kilometers. 

He underlined that the exploration and prospecting activities have begun, adding that the total amount to invest will depend on the discoveries to be made. 

The agreements mark the resumption of the De Beers activities in Angola, after 10 years.

AU donates $150,000 for South Africa flood victims

The African Union (AU) has donated $150,000 (£115,000) towards relief efforts following the devastating floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.

More than 400 people died in the floods which swept through the province last week.

The floods also caused massive damage to infrastructure

Announcing the donation, AU commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said the body reaffirmed its support with South Africa during “this difficult time”.

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US announces global Covid summit May 12

Russia, Ukraine set for further peace talks, as Mariupol faces catastrophe 

A global summit to chart an end to the Covid-19 crisis and plan for future upheavals will occur May 12, the White House said Monday, even as President Joe Biden struggles to get vital pandemic funding from Congress.

The virtual gathering will be co-chaired by the United States, along with current G7 president Germany, G20 president Indonesia, African Union chair Senegal, and Belize, the current chair of the CARICOM Caribbean grouping.

“The summit will redouble our collective efforts to end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future health threats,” the countries said in a joint statement.

This will be the second global huddle on the pandemic, which has killed more than six million people and triggered profound disruption to leading economies and trading patterns in the two years since it began to spread.

Biden hosted a similar summit last September, at which he urged partners to surge vaccines and ensure that 70 percent of every country has been vaccinated by September this year.

Although death rates are plummeting world wide, the virus continues to spread, preventing many leading countries from fully lifting restrictions, while Shanghai in China is in the midst of a draconian lockdown.

Summit hosts appealed for maintaining the sense of urgency.

“In advance of the May 12 summit, we are calling on world leaders, members of civil society, non-governmental organizations, philanthropists, and the private sector to make new commitments and bring solutions to vaccinate the world, save lives now, and build better health security — for everyone, everywhere,” the joint statement said.

“The emergence and spread of new variants, like Omicron, have reinforced the need for a strategy aimed at controlling Covid-19 worldwide,” it said.

And while the latest variants are less lethal, the summit statement stressed there must be a focus on stopping similar future catastrophes from taking the world by surprise.

“We know we must prepare now to build, sustain, and finance the global capacity we need, not only for emerging Covid-19 variants, but also future health crises,” the statement said.

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