Turkey to hold presidential, parliamentary elections on May 14

 Elections are expected to be the Turkish opposition’s best chance to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 20 years.

Turkey will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially announced.

“Our nation will go to the polls to elect its president and parliamentarians on May 14,” Erdogan said in a speech on Friday after signing the election decision.

The announcement was expected with Erdogan saying in a speech last week the Turkish nation would do “what is necessary” on the date now officially announced as election day.

The elections could be the country’s most significant vote in decades, with Erdogan’s two-decade rule of Turkey at risk.

The opposition has united around Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the second-biggest party in parliament, the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

However, another prominent opposition leader, Meral Aksener, initially opposed Kilicdaroglu’s candidacy as prime minister, voicing her doubts last week as to whether the former bureaucrat, regarded by some as uncharismatic, could beat Erdogan.

On Monday, Aksener announced her support for Kilicdaroglu.

Erdogan, whose popularity has waned as Turkey’s economic crisis continues, has been accused of authoritarianism by his opponents.

His government’s response to February’s devastating earthquakes in the southeast of Turkey, which killed more than 46,000 people and left hundreds of thousands living in tents or temporary accommodation, has also been criticised, although Erdogan has defended the government’s actions.

Erdogan, who has been Turkey’s leader since 2003, and has occupied the presidency since 2014, still retains significant support, and could yet emerge on top, alongside his AK Party.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Bahrain: Parliament Speaker highlights Angolan experience in peace actions

 Manama - The Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, said on Friday in Manama that Angola is focusing, at the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), to be held from 11 to 15 of this month, on the experience in the process of peace, reconciliation and national reconstruction.

Speaking to ANGOP, Carolina Cerqueira said that the Angolan parliamentarians will also use the occasion to show the steps taken by the country to strengthen the Rule of Law and Democracy, as a result of the gains obtained with the emergence of peace achieved in 2002.

 

 

“Since 2002, Angola has strengthened its institutions and today we have a strong parliament, which is engaged on the path to representative and multi-party democracy, with a considerable percentage of women, young people and a current agenda”, she said.

 

Carolina Cerqueira informed that the intention is also to present the Angolan parliament concerns related to peace, peaceful coexistence, social security, democracy, inclusion and inclusiveness of parliaments, always with the participation of the youth and women.

 

During the 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the parliamentarians will analyse the organisation´s strategies on climate change, accountability at all levels, the transformation of speeches into actions to fight climate change, as well as the strengthening of climate legislation to reduce emissions and support for a clean energy transition.

 

During the holding of the event, Angola will receive the testimony of this Asian country for the 147th Assembly of the Inter-parliamentary Union to be hosted by the Angolan Parliament in October this year, in Luanda.

 

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is made up of 178 national parliaments and 12 regional assemblies. It is currently the main parliamentary interlocutor for the United Nations.

Angolan President leaves for Japan

 Luanda – Angolan President, João Lourenço, left Friday for Tokyo, Japan, for an official visit at the invitation of the Asian country.

At the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, in Luanda, the Head of State, sided by the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, was bid farewell by the Governor of Luanda Province, Manuel Homem, government officials and presidential aides.

 

According to the president’s press secretary,  João Lourenço's agenda includes meetings with high-level figures of the Japanese State, works in the cities of Tokyo, Nagoya and Kyoto, being reserved for the capital, Tokyo, political and protocol activities.

 

On Monday (13), President Lourenço is to attend the Japan-Angola Business Forum.

 

Cooperation between Angola and Japan

 

Angola and Japan intend to increase cooperation in the political, economic and cultural domains, mainly in the industrialisation process and in overcoming challenges in the areas of agriculture and agribusiness development, oil and mining. 

 

Bilateral cooperation began in 1988 as Emergency Aid, through the UNICEF.

 

 After the end of the war in Angola in 2002, Japan began to provide assistance in the demining and  social reintegration of ex-soldiers and refugees.

 

 Within the framework of Angola's national reconstruction, Japan has been carrying out assistance through international organisations in terms of food aid and assistance to farmers and people living in poverty.

 

 Japan's support extends to assistance for the repatriation of refugees, water supply facilities, primary school construction, communication network and ports.

 

In the health sector, since 1996, Japan has donated 40 million US dollars for the facelift of the Luanda’s Josina Machel Hospital, which is a reference in the country.

 

 Within the scope of economic cooperation, in recent years Japan's knowledge and experience has been used in rice cultivation development and vocational training.

Angola win silver and bronze medals in International Meeting

 Luanda - Angola impaired sprinters Juliana Moko and Regina Dumbo won on Thursday night silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the debut of the International Meeting taking place in Morocco, a qualifying event for the "Paris 2024" Paralympic Games.

In the 100 meters for the T11 class, total visual impairment, Moko won silver with a time of 13secs 03ths.

 

With this achievement, the athlete improved her mark compared to that obtained in a similar competition held recently in Tunisia, where she won bronze with a time of 13.98.

 

Dumbo won bronze with a time of 13.08.

 

In the previous race, Tunis finished in the second position , although with a time of 13.86.

The gold medal went to Brazil. Geber Santos, who won the competition with a time of 11.99 and was close to the World Record in the same distance belonging to herself with the time of 11.85.

 

On Thursday, Angola also progressed with Manuel Jaime in the 1500 m for the T46 class, athletes with amputation in one of the upper limbs.

 

Jaime took a time of 4minutes 09 seconds and 79 tenths, placing fifth, against 4.06.06 of Tunisian Agoubi Bechir, fourth.

 

Emoug David from Uganda won the category  with a time of 33.53.51, while  Kenya's Kipruto Félix was second with 3.59.98, followed by his compatriot Sang Wesley with a time of 4.01.88.

 

 On Friday, Angola is again on the Marrakech stadium track with Regina Dumbo, Emiloide Adelino, Beatriz Catiava and Juliana Moko, in the 200m T11 class.

 

These national athletes will have, as in the 100 metres, strong competition from Brazilian Gilber dos Santos.

 

The record in this category belongs to Chinese Liu Cuiqing of 24.39, set on August 30 2019. 

 

Manuel Jaime, also back on the scene in the 800 m. The World Record is 1.51.82.  

 

The competition, which takes place in the city of Marrakech, ends on Monday 13.

Infotur aims to raise US$1.5Million to install Zip Line at Miradouro

 Luanda - The Tourism Development Institute (Infotur) is seeking to mobilize about US$1.5 million for the acquisition of tourist equipment called "Zip Line", to be installed at Miradouro da Lua viewpoint, in the district of Ramiros, Municipality of Belas, Luanda.

This information was given this Friday, in Luanda, by Infotur director, Afonso Vita, having underlined that the aforementioned tourist equipment will allow the visitor to leave the upper part and access the interior of the Miradouro da Lua viewpoint, in a distance of 752 metres (The Miradouro da Lua is a set of cliffs 40 km south of Luanda).

 

Speaking to ANGOP, during the visit of at least 500 tourists to the country, on board of the cruise ship Artania, Afonso Vita said that the amount of money will be used to buy the equipment, assembly in the space until operation.

 

“The amount is also to make it operate, and according to the viability study, in less than two years, we’ll have made the return”, he stressed.

 

The Zip Line, he pointed out, will put Angola on the international tourist route, as it is equipment that “South Africa and the Democratic Congo are already using”.

 

“It is extremely important that we reach this level. We are looking for investors and knocking on other doors. Where we can, we will move forward”, he stressed.

 

Hundreds of tourists, Angolan and foreign, flock every day to the Miradouro da Lua, in the district of Ramiros, Municipality of Belas, in Luanda Province, after being rehabilitated in 2019.

 

The Miradouro da Lua is a must-see tourist spot for anyone travelling from Luanda to Barra do Kwanza or the beaches of Cabo Ledo.

 

As for the arrival of tourists, he considers it to be an added value for the country, as “it is the sign that the efforts we have undertaken to promote Angola, inside and outside, are yielding results”.

 

“Besides the one already in the country, we have tourist ships arriving on the 11th, 21st and 31st of March. For the first time in the history of Angola, we will have four ships in the same month, which is significant for the country”, he mentioned.

 

On the occasion, tourist Michael Walker, who came from the United Kingdom, informed that he did not know much about Angola, but “we have just heard the past and hope that the future of this country is better. The people are welcoming”.

 

Lorna Walker, also from the United Kingdom, added that, despite being the first time, she is enjoying the experience, she liked the climate and would return to Angola once or twice more.

 

The Danish Jorgen Hojlund also hopes to return to the country another time, as she likes what she found during the tour.

 

The Cruise Ship Artania, which docked at the Port of Luanda, this Friday, has an installed capacity of 600 people on board, while the Cruise Ship MS Zandam, which arrives on Saturday, has an installed capacity of 1400 people and about 10 floors.

 

Both are essentially dedicated to tourism, taking long-term trips around the world.

 

With these vessels, 41 cruise ships have docked in Angola since October 2012, within the scope of promoting national tourism.

Government reiterates investment in innovation and technology

 Luanda - The minister for Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Ana Paula do Sacramento Neto, Friday in New York City highlighted the Angolan government´s investment in technological innovation, based on development in the field of new technologies.

The minister, who was speaking at the plenary session of the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, informed that Angola will invest in technologies linked to digital television, the virtual school and the Angolan satellite, as well as implement projects to rehabilitate telecommunications infrastructures, rural communications, free internet project Angola Online and technologies, to ensure the creation of a secure digital environment.

 

“Within the plan for innovation and technological change, the Angolan government has implemented the programme for the promotion of innovation and technology transfer that integrates start-up innovation projects”, said the minister.

 

The minister also highlighted the incubation programme and the creation of business incubators in some higher education institutions, including women participation.

 

Ana do Sacramento Neto informed that the Angolan ANGOSAT-2 satellite, which has the participation of women, has been generating excellent opportunities in space matters.

 

According to the minister of Social Action, Family and Promotion of Women, Angola has 16 women trained in space specialties who work in the Management Office of the National Space Programme.

 

She clarified that in the Higher Education subsystem and in the development of scientific research, programmes and projects to promote gender equity and women's empowerment have been implemented and, as a result, women’s and girl´s access to new information technologies and digital education has seen an increase related to university courses in Engineering and Computer Science.

 

She clarified that the Angolan Government has been looking with concern at women and girls who are in rural areas because they do not keep up with social dynamics at the same pace as those in urban areas.

 

According to Ms Sacramento Neto, Angola is committed to the prevention, promotion and protection of Human Rights, especially the most vulnerable population groups, with the inclusion of women and it is permanently testing new ways of doing things for a participative integration of the society in the development process.

 

The minister revealed that the promotion and protection of Women's human rights and gender equality have been developed in close partnership and collaboration with civil society, in particular churches and non-governmental organisations.

At least 36 killed in eastern DR Congo attack

Officials say attack targeted the village of Mukondi, about 30km (19 miles) south of the city of Beni in North Kivu province, an area rife with rebel activity.

At least 36 people were killed during an overnight attack on a village in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A local official and the head of a civil society group said on Thursday the assailants were believed to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – a Ugandan armed group based in eastern DRC that has pledged allegiance to ISIL (ISIS) and wages frequent deadly raids on villages.

The attack targeted the village of Mukondi, 30km (19 miles) south of the city of Beni in North Kivu province, an area plagued with rebel activity and which has been under military administration since 2021 in an attempt to restore order.

Provincial governor Carly Nzanzu Kasivita said on Twitter at least 36 people had been killed in the attack, which began on Wednesday evening.

The head of a local civil society group, Mumbere Limbadu Arsene, gave a provisional death toll of 44, including women, children and the elderly, and said several villagers were still missing.

“The modus operandi suggests it was the ADF because no bullets were fired,” he told Reuters news agency via telephone, adding some victims died trapped in their homes after attackers set them ablaze.

The ADF often wages attacks using machetes and hatchets.

A local army spokesperson, Antony Mwalushayi, confirmed there had been an attack but did not give a death toll.

Kakuke Kilalo Emmanuel, a resident of the nearby village of Kalunguta, said he went to Mukondi on Wednesday but turned back after he saw people in a state of panic as the attack was unfolding.

Many Kalunguta residents have fled out of fear for their safety, he added.

The ADF was formed in 1995 by a coalition of rebel forces – including the Uganda Muslim Liberation Army and the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda – to fight against the Yoweri Museveni administration.

It is among the most violent groups in the DRC, and has been accused of a string of bomb attacks and civilian massacres. According to the Catholic Church in the country, the ADF has killed about 6,000 civilians since 2013.

US-based monitor the Kivu Security Tracker blames the group for more than 1,200 deaths in the Beni area alone since 2017.

The DRC government declared a state of siege in North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province in 2021 in an attempt to stem rampant violence in the country’s vast mineral-rich east.

But the killings and rebel activity have not shown any sign of abating.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Nigeria election commission delays polls for governors by a week

 INEC says it needs more time to reconfigure BVAS machines at the centre of last month’s disputed presidential vote.

Nigeria’s electoral commission says it has postponed by a week the elections to pick new governors, saying it needed more time to reconfigure electronic machines that are at the centre of a highly contested presidential vote last month.

Originally due on Saturday, the polls to pick governors in 28 of the country’s 36 states will now be held on March 18.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said in a statement late on Wednesday it needed more time to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) that uses fingerprints and facial recognition to identify voters and transmit results from polling stations.

The same BVAS machines were used during the presidential and parliamentary vote on February 25.

“This decision has not been taken lightly but it is necessary to ensure that there is adequate time to back up the data stored on the over 176,000 BVAS machines from the Presidential and National Assembly elections … and then to reconfigure them for the Governorship and State Assembly elections,” INEC said.

Observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth and other bodies reported a range of problems during the February election, including failures in systems designed to prevent vote manipulation. They criticised INEC for poor planning and voting delays but they did not allege fraud.

The candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, who is a former Lagos governor, was declared the winner in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

He won 8.8 million votes, ahead of the contender of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, at 6.9 million, and third challenger, the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, at 6.1 million.

The PDP and Labour Party say huge delays in voting in the presidential ballot and problems in uploading the election results through the BVAS need to be investigated.

A court earlier on Wednesday had rejected an opposition demand to halt the reconfiguring of BVAS so their teams could check for forensic evidence of ballot rigging.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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Israeli mass protests against reforms block roads and airport

 Protesters in Israel have blocked roads and attempted to stop the prime minister flying out the country amid nationwide demonstrations against controversial judicial reforms. Vehicles obstructed access roads to Ben Gurion airport, from where Benjamin Netanyahu is due to fly to Rome.

The weeks-old protests are some of the biggest Israel has ever seen. Critics say the reforms will undermine democracy; the government says planned changes are better for the electorate.

Thousands of protesters, many waving Israeli flags and carrying signs with slogans against the reforms, massed on main roads in Tel Aviv, causing major disruption to traffic.

A line of police on horseback stood by as the demonstrators flowed past, with some chanting to the police: “We’re also here for you,” Haaretz newspaper reported.

Meanwhile convoys of cars streamed towards the airport from early morning, causing gridlock at the entrance to try to block Mr Netanyahu from leaving for Rome.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin landed at the airport on Thursday and was reportedly forced to alter his schedule because of the protests.

Elsewhere, students in Haifa blocked one of the main entrances to the northern port city, while amid protests in Jerusalem hundreds of military reservists demonstrated outside the offices of a pro-reform right-wing think tank.

Some blocked the entrance to the office with sandbags and seven reservists were arrested, local media reported.

In Israel, military service is compulsory, and most men are required to do reserve duty every year afterwards, mostly up until the age of 40.

The protests against the judicial reforms have been going on for about 10 weeks, bringing at times hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.

The issue has caused deep divides in Israeli society, and significantly has seen reservists – the backbone of Israel’s military – threatening to refuse to serve as a way of showing their opposition.

On Monday, in an unprecedented move, dozens of reserve fighter pilots in an elite Israeli Air Force squadron said they would not report for training. They later reversed course and agreed to attend and hold talks with their commanders.

Mr Netanyahu’s government has stood firm in the face of the uproar, claiming the protests are being fuelled by political opponents.

Critics say the planned reforms, which are already making their way through parliament, will politicise the judiciary and could lead to an authoritarian government.

Mr Netanyahu says the reforms are designed to stop the courts over-reaching their powers and that they were voted for by the Israeli public at the last election.

Source: BBC

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US defence secretary in Israel as protests target Netanyahu

Top military leader Lloyd Austin lands in Tel Aviv as demonstrations over the government’s controversial judicial reforms swelled at Israel’s main airport.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has arrived in Israel during a surge in protests against the government’s judicial overhaul plans with thousands of people calling for a “day of resistance to dictatorship”.

Austin, who is on a regional tour, landed at Ben Gurion Airport where hundreds of protesters gathered on Thursday. He was greeted on the tarmac by Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, and was due to have a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, the visit by the Pentagon chief came as Israeli demonstrators intensified their opposition to a contentious government proposal to reform the judiciary.

Protesters waving Israeli flags descended on the country’s international airport, blocking the main road leading to the departures area with their cars. The disruption snarled traffic and it was not clear if and how Netanyahu would reach the airport.

Police handed out traffic tickets as protesters held signs reading, “Dictator: don’t come back”. Security officers could be seen pushing and shoving demonstrators outside the facility.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported Netanyahu would fly by helicopter to the airport, circumventing the protesters. The prime minister’s office declined to comment.

“Israel is on the verge of becoming an autocratic country. The current government is trying to destroy our democracy and actually destroy the country,” said Savion Or, a protester in Tel Aviv.

The police, overseen by ultranationalist national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, pledged to prevent disturbances and said they had already made arrests as the protests got under way.

Police on horseback were stationed in central Tel Aviv where protesters marched and a water cannon truck was parked nearby. Red billboards festooning the city’s main highway read “resistance to dictatorship is mandatory”.

Elsewhere, protesters blocked main intersections in the seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv and other cities. A small flotilla of paddleboards and kayaks tried to close off a main maritime shipping lane off the northern city of Haifa.

Some protesters barricaded the Jerusalem offices of a conservative think tank helping to spearhead the judicial changes.

The uproar over Netanyahu’s legal overhaul has plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises.

Beyond the protests, which have drawn tens of thousands to the streets and recently became violent, opposition has surged from across society, with business leaders and legal officials speaking out against what they say will be the ruinous effects of the plan.

The rift has not spared Israel’s military, which is seeing unprecedented opposition from within its own ranks.

Netanyahu, who took office in late December after a protracted political stalemate, and his allies say the measures aim to rein in a court that has overstepped its authority.

“The protests show how solid our democracy is,” Netanyahu told the Italian daily La Repubblica ahead of a trip to Rome. “A reform is necessary. The judiciary must be independent, not omnipotent.”

Critics say the overhaul will upset the delicate system of checks and balances and slide Israel towards authoritarianism. Critics also say Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, is driven by personal grievances and he could find an escape route from the charges through the overhaul.

He denies wrongdoing and says the legal changes have nothing to do with his trial. Netanyahu and his allies have pledged to press ahead with a series of bills that would strip the Supreme Court of its ability to review legislation and give coalition politicians control over judicial appointments.

An attempt by Israel’s ceremonial president to defuse the crisis through an alternative legal reform has so far been unsuccessful.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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