Queen Elizabeth II leaves a void, President João Lourenço writes in condolence book

 Luanda – The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, deemed the passing away of Queen Elizabth II of the United Kingdom a “deep void in the world” and which marks the end of an era.

João Lourenço wrote that Queen Elizabth “enters History leaving behind a legacy of stability and unity”.

 

João Lourenço paid such homage on Friday, at the British Embassy in Luanda, where a condolence book was available for such end.

João Lourenço, sided by First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço, wrote also that the reign of seven decades of Queen Elizabeth II has hallmarked for ever the British people.  

 

During her reign, the President wrote, the monarch contributed to the edification of “a thriving nation, whose progress is a reference for all peoples globally” .

 

On his own behalf and on behalf of the Angolan Executive, President João lourenço manifested his heartfelt consternation for the people and government of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 

At the spot, João Lourenço also expressed his consternation to the British Ambassador to Angola, Roger Stringer.

 

Queen Elizabeth II died of illness on Thursday (Sept 08) at Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, at the age of 96, after a reign of 70 years.

Audácio Cambamba wins gold medal at International Judo Master

 Luanda - Angolan fighter Audácio Cambamba won, this Friday in Poland, a gold medal at the International Judo Master event for over 35 years old competitors.

Cambamba beat the French Yannick Mbog by ippon (main score) in the under 100 kg category.

 

In the same category, the athletes Jorge Francisco and António Cambuaia also competed.

 

For today, Saturday, there will be fight between the athlete and coach of the Master´s team, Yuri Paim, in the category under 81 kg.

 

The group includes the black belt athletes Hélio Zembula (66 kg), Augusto Domingos (66 kg), António de Sousa (66 kg), Yuri Paim (81 kg) and Mauro dos Anjos (81). Dário da Silva (90 kg), Audácio Cambamba, António Cambuaji, Jorge Francisco and Mário Cardoso, all under 100 kg.

Public tributes at British embassy in Washington

 

In Washington DC, the British embassy has opened its doors to allow members of the public to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Within the first hour around two dozen people had signed the condolence books set out on tables inside the embassy – exactly where President Biden left his heartfelt message yesterday. Outside, more than a hundred bunches of flowers have been laid around a large coloured stone depiction of the Union flag. One message read: “Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth, you’ll be greatly missed. Thank you for your strength, devotion and service to your country. We love you!!”

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North Korea declares itself a nuclear weapons state

 

North Korea has passed a law declaring itself to be a nuclear weapons state, according to state news agency KCNA.

The country’s leader Kim Jong-un called the decision “irreversible” and ruled out the possibility of any talks on denuclearisation, it said.

The law also enshrines the country’s right to use a pre-emptive nuclear strike to protect itself.

Despite crippling sanctions, Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017.

It has continued to advance its military capability – in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions – to threaten its neighbours and potentially even bring the US mainland within striking range.

Mr Kim carried long-range launches and nuclear tests in 2019 following two headline-grabbing but inconclusive summits with then US president Donald Trump.

But talks between the countries have since stalled. Although the Biden administration has indicated it’s willing to talk to Pyongyang, it hasn’t said whether President Joe Biden would meet Mr Kim.

The White House also said its attempts to contact Pyongyang and overtures of help over its Covid outbreak had gone unanswered so far.

The US reviewed its North Korea policy last year and reiterated that “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula was the goal. Mr Biden said he would pursue it with a mix of diplomacy and “stern deterrence”. Mr Kim responded by saying his country must prepare for both “dialogue and confrontation”.

Meanwhile, tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiked this year with Pyongyang firing a record number of ballistic missiles.

South Korea and the US have responded with a volley of missiles and the largest joint military exercises on the peninsula in years.

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Kate Middleton and Prince William’s new tittle revealed by King Charles

 His Majesty, 73, said the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge will be known as the Prince and Princess of Wales as he gave his first televised address as king this evening

Prince William and Kate Middleton will go by the titles the Prince and Princess of Wales

King Charles gave his first televised address to the nation this evening Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk

Charles automatically became King after Her Majesty’s passing at Balmoral yesterday.

But he will be formally proclaimed monarch at a historic Accession Council meeting at St James’s Palace tomorrow.

It comes as… 

• Devastated King Charles and Queen Camilla land back in London ahead of TV address tonight
• Prince Harry returns to Frogmore Cottage after tragically arriving in Scotland too late to say goodbye for Queen’s death

• Liz Truss says ‘God save the King’ to cheers in Commons after touching tribute to ‘devoted’ Queen
• Charles to be proclaimed King tomorrow at Accession Council as ceremony to be televised for the first time in history
• Touching moment grieving King Charles consoled after death of Queen by same airport worker who comforted Prince Harry
• New titles for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children confirmed following Queen’s death
• Charles gets kiss on the cheek as he joins thousands outside Buckingham Palace to chants of ‘God save the King’
• Premier League and EFL call off all weekend’s football following the death of The Queen as sporting world pays respect
• Inside the step-by-step 10-day plan leading to the Queen’s funeral – including gun salute and period of lying in state

Speaking today, Charles said he was creating his son and heir, William, Prince of Wales, adding: “With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.”

Royal officials confirmed His Majesty would from now on be known as King Charles III, having been known as the Prince of Wales since 1948.

Kate yesterday adopted Camilla’s title, the Duchess of Cornwall, while Camilla became Queen Consort.

William and Kate updated their social media profiles to reflect the update last night, changing their names to ‘The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge’ online.

They will now also go by the titles Prince and Princess of Wales – the titles given to Princess Diana when she married Charles in 1981.

It comes after Kate was seen this afternoon for the first time since the Queen’s death, wearing dark sunglasses and a black top on her way to pick up her children from school.

The Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge wore dark sunglasses and a black top on her way to pick up her children from school.

She stayed behind in Berkshire with kids George, Charlotte and Louis while William rushed to be by his grandmother’s side in Scotland after doctors said they were “concerned” for her health.

William travelled with Prince Andrew, Edward and Sophie Wessex as fears for the monarch grew.

Charles and Camilla were already in the country, and they were later joined by Harry.

The royals arrived back in London today, where they were met by cheers from crowds lining the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Charles was kissed on the cheek by one well-wisher, while chants of “God save the King” rang out.

Charles and Camilla appeared emotional as they walked past hundreds of floral tributes left for Queen Elizabeth at the Palace gates

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Queen Elizabeth II and Africa: A long-standing relationship

 The then-Princess Elizabeth was lodging at the now-closed Treetops Hotel in a rural part of Kenya, surrounded by greenery, tall trees and wildlife, when her father, King George VI, died and she became Queen aged just 25.

During Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign she visited more than 20 African countries, and once jokingly remarked in front of a smiling Nelson Mandela that she had been to more of Africa than “almost anybody”, prompting rapturous laughter from those around her.

Having inherited a vast empire spanning the African continent upon becoming Queen, her reign saw all 14 African British colonies gain their independence, starting with Ghana in 1957.

The Queen managed to maintain warm relations with them, partly through the creation of the successor organisation to the empire, the Commonwealth. In 1961, she was pictured dancing with Kwame Nkrumah, who led the campaign for Ghana’s independence and became its first president.

Notably, the word empire was omitted during her coronation oath in 1953.

Now, leaders from across the continent have paid tribute to Britain’s and parts of the Commonwealth’s longest-serving monarch.

The president of the country where her journey as Queen started, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, mourned her passing in a statement, describing her as “a towering icon of selfless service to humanity and a key figurehead of not only the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations where Kenya is a distinguished member but the entire world”.

In 1983, the Queen revisited the Treetops Hotel in Kenya, where she became Queen after the death of her father

Although relations between Zimbabwe and the UK have been frosty for many years, prompting the late President Robert Mugabe to withdraw from the Commonwealth, his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa was quick to tweet that his “deepest condolences” were with the Royal Family and “the people of the United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth”.

The leader of Nigeria, the biggest of Britain’s former colonies in Africa, Muhammadu Buhari wrote a long tribute to her on Twitter, saying he learnt of her death with “immense sadness”.

“The story of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth ll, a towering global personality and an outstanding leader. She dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the entire world a better place.”

He also welcomed the ascension of His Majesty, King Charles III to the throne.

And Ali Bongo, president of the newest member of the Commonwealth, Gabon, a former French colony which only joined the club in June.

Despite the outpouring of condolences from the continent’s leaders, some other Africans have spoken of their suffering under British rule, pointing out that much of the colonisation was done in the name of the royal family.

Some of Africa’s own monarchs have also expressed their sadness. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi paid his respects on behalf of King Misuzulu KaZwelithini, the leader of South Africa’s Zulu people. He highlighted his “treasured friendship” with King Charles III, sending personal condolences to him.

King Misuzulu is well placed to understand what King Charles is going through, as his own father, Zwelithini, died last year, after 50 years on the throne.

The Queen has a long history with South Africa, and was on a tour there when she celebrated her 21st birthday in 1947. In a radio address from Cape Town, she dedicated her life to Commonwealth and said she felt “just as much at home” in South Africa as if she had lived there her whole life.

Renowned around the world for her ability to remain apolitical, but she made a strong statement in 1995, visiting South Africa just a year after the end of decades of white-minority rule in the country.

She complimented the country on its progress: “You have become one nation whose spirit of reconciliation is a shining example to the world, and I have come back to see for myself what is little short of a miracle.”

The Queen had a warm personal relationship with Nelson Mandela. His foundation expressed its sadness and said: “They also talked on the phone frequently, using their first names with each other as a sign of mutual respect as well as affection.”

The statement added that Mr Mandela had a special name for the Queen: “Motlalepula, which literally means to come with rain” because her 1995 visit coincided with some welcome rain.

The Queen is reported to have had a warm friendship with Nelson Mandela, with whom she is pictured here in Cape Town in 1995

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