Pope Francis shows solidarity with Angolans

 Luanda - Pope Francis has expressed his cordial solidarity with the Angolan authorities over the death of the former President of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos, which occurred last Friday (08/07), in Barcelona (Spain), due to an illness.

José Eduardo dos Santos, who died aged 79, served as President of the Republic for 38 years, until September 2017, when he was succeeded by the current Head of State, João Lourenço.

The Holy Father expresses his solidarity and remembers the statesman who worked hard to build the motherland.

In his message to President Lourenço, the leader of the Catholic Church asks for consolation for those who mourn the passing of Dos Santos and tireless courage for all those who work for the unity and progress of the nation.

The President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou N'guesso, considers José Eduardo dos Santos a pillar of international political life, namely on the African continent, particularly in the sub-region of Southern Africa.

He highlights the commitment of this leader to the consolidation of peace, stability and national harmony.

He recalled the close and fraternal ties with José Eduardo dos Santos, "whose action is admirably intertwined with Angola's contemporary history".

The Russian ambassador in Angola, Vladimir Tararov, sent a message highlighting the former president's achievements and expressing sorrow for the "great loss.

Angola's ambassador in Portugal, Carlos Alberto Fonseca, who signed the condolence book opened at the diplomatic mission in Lisbon, spoke of the leader as an unrelenting patriot, a distinguished diplomat and a profound humanist dedicated to the cause of the people.

He recalls that in the most difficult and troubled moments of the country's history, the former President knew how to preserve and affirm national sovereignty in the concert of Nations.

Angola's ambassador in the Federal Republic of Brazil, Florêncio de Almeida, talks about Dos Santos' participation in the fight against colonialism, the conquest of independence, the consolidation of peace, the country's affirmation in the context of nations, the establishment of multi-party democracy, reconciliation and national unity, as well as in reconstruction and in economic and social development.

UIF authorises blocking of suspicious Kz 102 billion transactions

Luanda - The Financial Information Unit (UIF) authorised, in 2021, the blocking of 31 operations suspected of money laundering worth 102.52 billion kwanzas and another 4.24 billion euros.

According to the 2021 annual report of the UIF, to which ANGOP had access, the operations were blocked upon previous requests from entities.

Also according to the document, over 50 percent of the referred requests were confirmed to have been homologated by the competent body that opened the respective investigation processes.

During 2021, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) recorded an increase of more than 350, from a total of 858.

A slight reduction was similarly recorded in Designated Person Identification Declarations (DIPD), with a total of six, less one compared to 2020.

The Financial Intelligence Unit reports having handled 59% of the communications received, through dissemination made to competent bodies.

During the period in question, the UIF received 49 spontaneous communications from national institutions and 22 from international entities, with emphasis on countries like Syria, Luxembourg, Singapore, Malta, Bermuda, among others.

Spanish Court Allows Autopsy Of Former Angolan Leader Dos Santos

A Spanish court has ruled that an autopsy be performed on the body of Angola’s former president José Eduardo dos Santos who died in a clinic in Barcelona on Friday at the age of 79, a court spokeswoman said on Monday.

She said the court had granted the request of a family member for the autopsy, which was yet to take place, but provided no further details.

The Carmen Varela family law firm representing dos Santos’ daughter Tchizé dos Santos, said earlier she had asked for her father’s body to be kept in Spain for a full autopsy due to alleged “suspicious circumstances of his death”, without providing evidence.

According to the office of Angolan President João Lourenço, his predecessor, who stepped down five years ago, died at the Teknon clinic in Barcelona, where he was being treated following a prolonged illness. The clinic declined to comment on the request for an autopsy or the details of his death. read more

He had been receiving medical treatment since 2019 and Portuguese news agency Lusa reported in June he was in intensive care in Barcelona, citing a source close to him, as the Angolan government said the former leader had suffered a deterioration in his health. read more

Tchizé and her lawyers also argue that dos Santos’ wish was to be buried in Barcelona rather than his body being returned to Angola for a state funeral.

Despite being handpicked by dos Santos to succeed him, Lourenço swiftly moved to investigate allegations of multi-billion dollar corruption during the former president’s era, often involving the dos Santos family.

Dos Santos, who said in a rare 2013 interview he would like to be remembered “as a good patriot”, never specifically responded to the allegations that he had allowed corruption to become rampant.

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Jailbreak: 64 Boko Haram Terrorists Likely Hiding In Ghana – GIS

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has announced that about 64 Nigerian terrorist group, Boko Haram who escaped from in Abuja are likely to be hiding in Ghana.

The inmates at the Nigeria Prison at Kuje near Abuja were freed by the Islamic extremist rebels and are currently on the run and believed to be hiding in Ghana.

Last Tuesday night, nearly 900 inmates escaped in a jailbreak at the Kuje Maximum Security Prison in Abuja.

According to reports, about 443 of the 879 escapees are still missing, Umar Abubakar, a spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service said, while hundreds of others have either been recaptured or turned themselves in at police stations.

Officials will “track all fleeing inmates and return them to custody,” said Abubakar.

Due to that the Ghana Immigration Service in a statement urged the public to be on alert and report to the security agencies in case they identify any strangers around in town across the country.

The reports intercepted by DGN Online indicated that it is believed that the Jihadist group Boko Haram is behind the attack which saw the use of high-end explosives and guns, that freed all 64 Boko Haram-linked inmates at the prison and are among the escapees who are still on the run.

“Considering current migration trends of Nigerians within the sub-region, it is likely most of the escapees will attempt to enter Ghana through both approved and unapproved routes”.

The Deputy Comptroller-General, Laud O. Affrifah, who issued the statement said “I have been directed to inform you to institute stringent measures at all points of Entry and intensify patrols to deter and intercept all escapees who will attempt to infiltrate the country”.

After the prison break out, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited the prison where senior officials showed him around the facility.

He then tweeted he was “saddened” by the attack and “disappointed” with Nigeria’s intelligence system.

“How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it?” Buhari asked.

The “very determined” rebels attacked the Kuje maximum prison in Abuja on Tuesday night with “very high-grade explosives,” killing one guard on duty, according to Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior.

Explosions and gunfire were heard at about 10 p.m. in the Kuje area when the attackers arrived and forced their way into the prison through a hole created by the blasts.

The Islamic extremist rebels who attacked the prison have waged an insurgency in the country’s northeast for over a decade. Their attack on the detention facility freed many of their members who are inmates, prison officials said.

The Kuje maximum security prison had nearly 1,000 inmates including 64 suspects of the Boko Haram extremist group all of whom have escaped, said Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi, Nigeria’s Minister of Defense.

He told reporters that security officials on the ground did “their best” to prevent the jailbreak. “We are trying to see what we can do to ensure that all escapees are brought back,” he said.

As of last Wednesday morning, bullet shells lay scattered around the prison premises while helicopters hovered over the Kuje area as security agents combed nearby bushes in search of escapees. Several vehicles were razed during the late-night shootout.

Some recaptured inmates lay on the ground by the prison entrance near the bodies of those who died in the attack.

The Abuja jailbreak occurred around the same time that gunmen launched a daring attack on an advance security convoy preparing for the visit of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the northwest Katsina state.

Those attackers “opened fire on the convoy from ambush positions but were repelled by the military,” a presidential spokesman said.

Nigeria’s jihadi rebels and other armed groups have carried out several jailbreaks in the country’s northeast in recent years, but this is the first in the capital city in recent years.

Below are the attached pictures with the names of the escaped Boko Haram suspects:

      

DNT News

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Mercedes Sales Slump In Q2 As Supply Problems Continue

Mercedes-Benz sales fell sharply in the second quarter, hampered by supply problems and coronavirus-related lockdowns in China, the German carmaker said on Monday.

The automaker delivered 490,000 passenger cars from April to June, down 16% from the same period last year, it said.

For the first half of 2022, its Cars division saw a 16% decrease in sales, for a total of 998,000 deliveries.

Second-quarter sales slumped the most in China, the most important single market, falling 25% to 163,700 vehicles, the carmaker said.

Sales in the Asia region fell 20%, due mainly to lockdown measures, while sales in Europe were down 10% and North America saw a dip of 3% in the quarter.

However, Mercedes-Benz is sticking with its 2022 forecast for a slight increase in sales compared with 2021, said a spokesperson. Despite concerns about rising inflation, “customer demand remains high”, sales director Britta Seeger said.

Luxury models in particular, such as the Maybach and electric cars in the EQ model series, are especially popular, Seeger said in a statement.

The smaller Mercedes-Benz Vans business remained just under last year’s level with 100,000 units sold worldwide in the second quarter, according to the carmaker.

Source: Reuters

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Sri Lanka President Confirms Resignation

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has confirmed he will resign, the prime minister’s office has said after tens of thousands of protesters stormed the official residences of both men.

Sri Lanka is in a deep financial crisis and the crowds say they won’t leave until both men quit their posts.

The parliament Speaker had earlier said the president would resign on 13 July.

Mr Rajapaksa, whose whereabouts are unknown, has not spoken publicly since his residence was stormed on Saturday.

Sources have told the BBC he is on a navy vessel in Sri Lankan waters. He was moved to safety before protesters entered the presidential palace.

The president has been blamed for the country’s economic mismanagement, which has caused dire shortages of food, fuel and medicine for months. His resignation was first announced by the Parliament Speaker on Saturday, but many Sri Lankans responded with scepticism to the idea that he would relinquish power.

On Monday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said in a statement it had been informed by Mr Rajapaksa that he would step down on Wednesday.

But under Sri Lanka’s constitution, his resignation can only formally be accepted when he resigns by letter to the Speaker – which has yet to happen.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had earlier also said he would step down from his position. His house was set on fire during Saturday’s unrest.

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JAPAN – Abe’s assassin cites mother’s bankruptcy after donation to church the former PM promoted

TOKYO (Reuters) -A police investigation into the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe prompted the head of the country’s branch the Unification Church to confirm on Monday that the mother of the suspect in the killing is a member.

Tetsuya Yamagami, an unemployed 41-year-old, has been identified by police as the suspect who approached Abe and opened fire during a campaign speech on Friday.

Yamagami believed Abe had promoted a religious group to which his mother made a “huge donation”, Kyodo news agency has said, citing investigative sources.

The suspect told police his mother subsequently went bankrupt, the Yomiuri newspaper and other media have reported.

Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japanese branch of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, confirmed to reporters in Tokyo that the suspect’s mother was a church member. He declined to comment on her donations.

Neither Abe nor the suspected killer were members, Tanaka said. Nor was Abe an adviser to the church, he said.

The Unification Church was founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, a self-declared messiah and strident anti-communist.

It has gained global media attention for its mass weddings where it marries thousands of couples at a time.

The church’s affiliates include daily newspapers in South Korea, Japan and the United States. Moon ran a business empire and founded the conservative Washington Times newspaper.

Reuters was not able to contact Yamagami’s mother and could not determine whether she belonged to any other religious organisations.

Abe, who held conservative views, appeared at an event hosted by an organisation affiliated with the church last September and delivered a speech praising the affiliate’s work towards peace on the Korean peninsula, according to the church’s website.

Critics have for years said the church is a cult and questioned what they say are murky finances. The church rejects such views and says it is a legitimate religious movement.

Police have confirmed that the suspect said he held a grudge against a specific organisation, but they have not named it.

QUIET LIFE

Reuters visited the home of Yamagami’s mother in Nara on Monday. The white house is tucked away at the end of a quiet cul de sac in a well-to-do neighbourhood one stop on the train from where Abe was gunned down. She did not appear to be at home. Two uniformed policemen sat outside in an unmarked car.

A next door neighbour, a woman who only gave her surname Ishii, said she did not know the family and had only ever greeted the mother.

“I don’t see her around much, I say hello, but that is all,” she said, adding that the mother appeared to live a quiet life.

Another neighbour, an 87-year-old woman who only gave her surname Tanida, said the mother had lived alone for a long time.

Yamagami’s mother first joined the church around 1998 but stopped attendance between 2009 and 2017, Tanaka said. About two to three years ago she re-established communication with church members and in the last half year or so has been attending church events about once a month, he said.

Tanaka said the church learned of the mother’s financial difficulties only after talking to those close to her. He said he did not know what caused those difficulties.

Nara police on Monday said they found apparent bullet holes at a facility run by the church, and that the suspect told them he had fired practice rounds at the facility the day before he shot Abe.

ABE’S GRANDFATHER

Tanaka said Abe had sent messages to events held by church affiliates and expressed support for its global peace movement.

Moon, who spoke fluent Japanese, launched an anti-communist group in Japan in the late 1960s, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism, and built relations with Japanese politicians, according to the church’s publications.

Nobusuke Kishi, Abe’s maternal grandfather and a former prime minister, was an honorary executive chair at a group banquet hosted by Moon, the International Federation for Victory Over Communism said on its website.

Moon died in 2012. The church has about 600,000 members in Japan, out of 10 million globally, a spokesperson for the church said.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Ju-min Park in Seoul and Tim Kelly in Nara; Additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo and Satoshi Sugiyama in Nara; Editing by David Dolan, Kenneth Maxwell and Angus MacSwan)

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