Coronavirus Cases: Angola

 

 Angola

Coronavirus Cases:

11,577

Deaths:

291

Recovered:

5,230

AMERICANS GO TO POLLS AFTER TUMULTUOUS CAMPAIGN MARKED BY DIVISION, CORONAVIRUS

 

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - AMERICANS HEADED TO THE POLLS ON TUESDAY TO DECIDE WHETHER INCUMBENT DONALD TRUMP OR CHALLENGER JOE BIDEN WILL BE ELECTED PRESIDENT, AFTER A TUMULTUOUS FOUR YEARS UNDER THE BUSINESSMAN-TURNED-POLITICIAN THAT HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY AS DEEPLY POLARIZED AS AT ANY TIME IN ITS RECENT HISTORY.

Biden, the Democratic candidate and a career politician, has had a strong and consistent lead in national polls.

But the Republican Trump is close in enough swing states to possibly piece together the 270 state-by-state Electoral College votes needed to hold on to the presidency, which he won in a surprise 2016 election result despite losing the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million ballots.

However, it may be days before the result is known, especially if legal challenges focused on postal ballots are accepted in the event of a tight race.

There is also fear about possible unrest. Several cities are boarding up buildings in anticipation of possible protests, including around the White House and in New York City.

Polls opened in some Eastern states at 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT). The most closely watched results will start to trickle in after 7 p.m. EST (2400 GMT) when polls close in states such as Georgia, though definitive national results could take days if the contest is tight.

The voting caps a campaign dominated by the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States and put millions out of work. The country has also been shaken by nationwide protests over racial injustice against Black Americans.

Biden, who has framed the contest as a referendum on Trump’s handling of the virus, promised a renewed effort to combat the health crisis, fix the economy and bridge America’s political divide.

Although more than 99 million Americans have already voted in early, in-person voting or by mail, Election Day marks a deadline for votes to be cast and still serves as a ritual for those who go to the polls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Anxious Americans brace for Election Day with faces masked, stores boarded up

What to expect on U.S. election night and beyond

The early vote total, as reported by the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, set a record and underscored the intense interest in the election and concerns about voting in person on Election Day during a pandemic.

The number was equal to 72.3% of the entire turnout in 2016 and experts predicted turnout would easily surpass the 138 million who voted in 2016.

The election has already prompted a wave of litigation over whether to adjust voting rules in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, a federal judge in Texas rejected a Republican bid to throw out about 127,000 votes already cast at drive-through voting sites in the Democratic-leaning Houston area.

Trump has questioned the integrity of the election results for months, making unsubstantiated claims that mail-in voting is rife with fraud and refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses.

Trump has also said votes should only be counted through election night, even though many states often take days or weeks to tally ballots.

Back to school after lockdown. Campaign with Sofonie Dala. Don't miss it! Webisode 15

Students may repeat a grade due to COVID-19 school closures.

Over 6 months millions of students were left without learning. Most of them do not have home internet access or a suitable device to access online content, as a result thousands of students like Francisco may repeat the grade. 

Today we are doing something different, we invited a boy. He will share with us his worries and challenges caused by covid-19 pandemic. 

1. Introduction

Good afternoon, my name is Francisco Venancio, I am 14 years old studying in the 6th grade.

2. How has covid - 19 affected your student life?

The Covid-19 pandemic affected me in an unpleasant way, I was not prepared. I was informed that if I fail and do not get the certificate I will repeat the same grade. I don't want to repeat, I am very worried about this situation.

3. Now that schools have reopened, have you gone back to school?

Classes started thank God, I went back to study.

4. Has your school distributed any biosecurity materials?

Unfortunately my school did not distribute any biosafety material to students, we bring our own alcohol gel and masks, we only have the school guard with a thermometer to measure our temperature and they also made a division of desks.

5. What are the prevention measures against covid - 19 you saw that the government / school created to ensure your safety?

Always wash and disinfect hands, do not touch popular places such as handrails, pedestrian irons, have no physical contact with colleagues and also do not share personal things.

6. How do you feel? Are you enjoying going to class?

Thank God, I'm happy to go back to school. I am not afraid of this pandemic, I am sure that the way I take care of myself I will not catch the virus and I also do not want any of my colleagues to get sick.

Don't miss this opportunity to bring girls back to school. Join us!

Share your experiences learning / teaching during the school closures & the projects or initiatives you've launched to get girls back to school post # COVID19 in your local communities.

Visit my new channel to see all the activities https://she-leads.blogspot.com/

Angolan Oil and Gas institute under sanitary fence

Sumbe - The National Oil and Gas institute, located in Sumbe, coastal province of Cuanza Sul, is under sanitary fence since last Monday, due to positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the last 24 hours.

The institution, which trains middle-level staff and provides professional training for companies, registered 148 positive cases among the academic community, of the 149 diagnoses done.

Regarding the new cases, the Provincial Technical Commission of Covid-19 appealed, in a press note, for calm and serenity to parents and guardians, in particular, and to the population in general.

According to the commission, the situation is under control, with the corresponding bio-safety measures.

The Provincial Technical Commission reiterates the need for everyone to respect and accept the measures, always washing the hands with soap and water, disinfecting them with Gel alcohol, always maintaining physical distance and avoiding clusters.

The province has 172 cases, with four recovered, two deaths and 166 active.

The Institute has more than 600 students.

Trump threatens lawsuit ahead of elections

 As largely expected, US president Donald Trump has sent an alert that “the night of — as soon as that election is over — we are going in with our lawyers.”

Experts had warned that with the polls staying consistently in favor Democrat Joe Biden, trump’s only path to retaining power lies in litigation and pushing alllegal fights to the Supreme Court where his Republican party now enjoys a 6-3 advantage after rushing to seat Amy Barret to fill the seat vacated by Anthony Scalia’s death.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Mr Trump denied a report that he was preparing to declare victory on election night before the country had received an official vote count. But he claimed there was potential for “fraud” and “misuse” in the vote counts for Pennsylvania and Nevada — two swing states that have Democratic governors.

“I think it’s a terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election,” Mr Trump told reporters, referring to a Supreme Court decision which will allow ballots in Pennsylvania to be counted for up to three days after election day.

The United States constitution does not do an effective job of ensuring a peaceful transfer of power from an intransigent president, but that had never been a problem until Trump came along.

If Trump refuses to concede the election even with a clear electoral win by Biden, he can still plunge the nation into a constitutional crisis using the courts.

With 93 million already cast by Americans as at the eve of the Tuesday November 3 election, the 2020 contest is poised to draw the highest turnout in contemporary American history.

DNT News

How the controversial Nile dam might fix Sudan’s floods

 Unprecedented flooding in Sudan this year led to the deaths of more than 100 people and affected 875,000 others.

Entire residential neighbourhoods were destroyed while power and water supplies were disrupted when the River Nile recorded its highest level in living memory.

Some experts said that if the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, upstream on the Blue Nile tributary, had been fully operational, the effect on Sudan would have been less disastrous.

Ethiopia started building the dam in its northern highlands, from where 85% of the Nile’s waters flow, in 2011 and this year the reservoir behind the dam started to fill. When it is fully operation in several years’ time it will become Africa’s largest hydroelectric plant.

But it has been fraught with controversy as Egypt, which is downstream, fears the $4bn (£3bn) dam will greatly reduce its access to water.

Negotiations, which have not reached a deal, are centred on how fast to fill the dam – and Sudan has been stuck in the middle.

Salman Mohamed, a Sudanese expert on international water law and policy, says Egypt’s Aswan dam shows how flood waters can be regulated effectively on The Nile.

“We lost people, and properties of billions of pounds, but look at Egypt – they haven’t lost a single seedling because they normally keep the flood water in their high dam and we don’t have one like that, so the Ethiopian dam could have saved all that,” he said.

Sudan does have eight dams on The Nile.

“But our dams are too small,” says Dr Mohamed, who is a fellow at the International Water Resources Association.

“Egypt has managed to use the flood water it collected for its agricultural projects in the desert.”

Safety concerns

During fraught talks over the filling of the dam and how much water it should release – which recently restarted under the auspices of the African Union – Sudan has tended to side with Egypt.

This stance was adopted under the government of former President Omar al-Bashir – and the generals who remain part of the transitional government now ruling Sudan after the 2019 coup are strong allies of Egypt.

Sudan’s negotiator under Bashir, Ahmed El-Mufti, had also raised concerns about safety and security of the dam.

He said that if it was destroyed, it could damage the entire region, including Sudan’s capital, Khartoum – where the White and Blue Nile meet.

Footage of man beating wife to death on Chinese street sparks outrage

 Video footage and pictures that appear to show a man in China beating his wife to death as onlookers stood by and did nothing have sparked outrage and raised new questions about domestic violence.

Pictures of the assault first appeared on social media and in domestic news outlets on Sunday and have been shared millions of times.

State media said the violence erupted after the married couple accidentally hit a vehicle while driving an electric scooter in Shuozhou city. Police said in a statement the woman was killed on Saturday morning.

“The suspect is in the custody of public security organs, and the case is being fully investigated,” police said.

In the footage, cyclists, motorists and pedestrians, including children, can be seen watching the street-side attack.

Media posts about the incident drew tens of thousands of comments, with most criticising the inaction of the bystanders and the lax attitude towards domestic violence in some sectors of Chinese society.

“He’s not holding a machine gun, why did no one step forward to control him?” asked one commenter in a widely shared response.

China only introduced a specific law criminalising domestic violence in 2015. Activists say violence within families is often ignored.